Highland Highlights

THE DOLPHINS		of the MORAY FIRTH
All photographs on this page are by Charlie Phillips of The Dolphin and Seal Watch Centre, North Kessock.

The Moray firth is home to about 130 Bottlenose Dolphins. They are normally seen as small "bands" of six or seven animals comprising two or three females and their calves. The males tend to be solitary and are not often present.
The Moray Firth Dolphins are one of only a few known groups, in British waters. In the summer months they often frequent inshore waters where they can be easily seen, to the delight of visitor and resident alike.

Natural History

Bottlenose Dolphins, though they may resemble fish, are small whales and are warm blooded animals belonging, like ourselves, to the group of animals called mammals.They breathe air like mammals and bear live young suckling them for up to four years after birth.
They live for up to 50 years and can grow to a length of 4 metres.The Moray Firth Dolphins are some of the largest found anywhere in the world.

	Dolphins are whales with teeth and actively pursue and catch their prey, consisting of salmon, herring, mackerel and other fish. They probably use their "sonar" system while hunting. This is an echo-location system using a series of clicks. Other sounds produced are whistles. This is thought to be a means of communication.
Dolphins have few animal predators and the biggest threat to their existence is from man. Entanglement in nets and pollution take their toll and disturbance by boats may play a part.

Where to see them

The best places to see the Dolphins are on land.
There is an excellent Dolphin and Seal Watch Centre just north of the Kessock Bridge where you can observe and listen to them, in the narrows between North and South Kessock.

Chanonry Point at Fortrose on The Black Isle, is another. Again, there are narrows between here and Fort George, on the opposite shore.

The Dolphins are often to be seen at Cromarty . You can enjoy the town while you wait for the tide or go up to the Sutors view-point and see them coming from afar.