Andy Lawson Cetacean Sightings

13/09/2026

13/9/2026. Two bottlenose dolphins passing Findochty this morning and around eight distant bottlenose dolphins passing Banff this afternoon.

Photos taken from shore.

12/09/2026

Apologies in advance for the upsetting nature of this post.

'World Dolphin Day' is observed annually on September 12 as an international awareness day, created by Sea Shepherd, marking the anniversary of the largest slaughter of cetaceans in recorded history: five years ago today, 1428 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed in the Faroe Islands. Each year, hundreds of long-finned pilot whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, and less frequently bottlenose dolphins, are killed in the Faroes.

'World Dolphin Day' aims to educate the public about the intelligence and sentience of dolphins, and the threats they face. 'Sentience' is the ability to experience feelings.

In November 2025, I witnessed a mother pilot whale pushing along her deceased baby. Around a dozen more pilot whales were swimming alongside the mum in what could be described as a pilot whale funeral. The mother had propeller cuts on her flank from a boat strike which would appear to have hit her and killed her baby. This behaviour was exhibited for several days.

This extended mourning of a deceased baby, without doubt, confirms dolphins are sentient.

10/09/2026

10/9/2022. Four years ago today, I spent an incredible eight hours at sea with Hebridean Whale Cruises. During two consecutive four hour trips we saw Risso's dolphins, fin whales, a humpback whale, minke whales, common dolphins and harbour porpoise 🥰.

10/09/2026

10/9/2026. Bottlenose dolphins passing Portknockie this afternoon.

Thanks to Jill and Di for frequent notifications from Findochty 🙏.

Photos taken from shore.

09/09/2026

9/9/2026. A few distant breaching bottlenose dolphins spotted this afternoon from Findochty, and twenty minutes later seen again a bit closer in from Portknockie.

Photos taken from shore.

08/09/2026

Did you know a Portuguese man o' war is not a jellyfish?

It's a siphonophore, a colony of organisms which work together. The colony consists of seven types of 'zooid' all performing different functions and depending on each other for survival e.g. digestion, reproduction, hunting, ...

The 'pneumatophore' is the conspicuous part functioning as both a flotation device and sail. This allows the man o' war to move in the wind.

The colony includes long te****les to hunt prey. These te****les are on average 10 metres long but can reach up to 30 metres. Each te****le is covered in tiny structures called 'nematocysts' which trigger and inject venom on contact, stinging, paralysing and killing fishes and molluscs. For humans, the man o' war sting can be excruciatingly painful but is rarely fatal.

During a trip last year, the crew brought a small one aboard, in a bucket, to allow the passengers to have a closer look. Before returning the man o' war to the sea, I was given the opportunity to pick the man o' war up by the sail being careful not to touch the venomous te****les.

Photo: Portuguese man o' war reflecting on a flat, calm sea.

06/09/2026

6/9/2026. 20+ bottlenose dolphins, including at least 6 calves still showing foetal fold lines, passing Portknockie this morning.

Photos taken from shore.

03/09/2026

3/9/2026. c.8 bottlenose dolphins this morning from the North Pier, Aberdeen.

The North Pier regularly provides close-up views of the dolphins which frequent Aberdeen harbour - it's as good as Chanonry Point but without the crowds and restrictive parking.

The walk along the pier is free-of-charge and you can stay there as long as you like without causing any disturbance to the dolphins. Parking is also free along the beach and at Footdee (p**n. Fittie).

The pier is open from 7am to 7pm, April to September, so only a few weeks remaining if you want to visit this year. You can also watch the dolphins from Greyhope (Torry Battery side) all year round. The cafe there is always worth a visit - good coffee, cake and available binoculars.

Photos taken from shore. Greyhope Bay

02/09/2026

2/9/2026. No bottlenose dolphins this morning but did manage to spot two minke whales off Greyhope Bay.

Photos taken from shore.

31/08/2026