Shorewatch

Everyone here asks are you going to join something - which sometimes I think is a test for are you going to get involved, be committed, set down roots.  You see there are lots of clubs and activities to the point that many people have something on every evening.  


I have put some thought into it and after thinking I would go for something like Rotary Club, I found a flyer on Shorewatch.  Shorewatch is part of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation group, and they train people to collect data to be used for legislation on the protection of cetaceans (that whales and dolphins to you and I).


They were having a training class on Sunday, and I thought what the heck, I like whales and dolphins, how often am I going to live by the sea?  Added bonus: when Jason's wife, Lynitia, heard about it, she said she wanted to give it a go too.


So off we went to Wick for 6 hours of training.  The class and the volunteers are pretty much what you would expect.  Everyone was pretty crunchy with some dreadlocks, ponchos and flips flops - even though Lynitia and I had like 4 layers on.


First, we talked about the different species that frequent the waters in Scotland - there are lots; this is apparently one of the best places to see whales and dolphins - like in the world.  After we were trained on the different types and how to differentiate them when only parts are showing - they taught us how to collect the data.  

We learned that this is a dolphin - not a whale!

This involved a little field trip outside to use their binoculars with a compass and measure hash marks built right in.  Once we learned that, they taught us about wildlife crime.  This is about the point that the group started to degrade.  There was a guy in the back that was at the very least strange and he definitely wanted everyone to know he was quite clever.  This resulted in Lynitia and I looking at each other frequently and mouthing words or shrugging shoulders.


There was a bit of chat about how they think that killing whales and dolphins is unacceptable because you cannot kill them humanly - which means without pain.  Well, I don't know about you, but I think everything we eat with a beating heart probably experiences some pain when we kill it - not that I think that's a reason to kill whales and dolphins, I don't, I just don't like flawed arguments.


Thankfully, the class wound down and we were released.  Once we have our on-the-job training, we are good to do watches on our own, and I am sure that will be material for a future post. 


We are also considering taking the cetacean emergency response class - I know, exciting...