Bottlenose dolphins from the shore
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Moray Firth, Cardigan Bay, United Kingdom.
Best time: 1 Jun – 31 Aug (June to August). Where: Chanonry Point, Black Isle, New Quay, Cardigan Bay (United Kingdom). Time of day: Chanonry works on the rising tide: from about 1 h after low water for 2–3 h as salmon come in on the flood.
- You can go on your own
- Low cost
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 3/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 1 Jun – 31 Aug. June–August; best on a rising tide
Active from 1 May to 30 Sep (May to September) in a typical year.
Time of day
Chanonry works on the rising tide: from about 1 h after low water for 2–3 h as salmon come in on the flood. Any time of day, but early morning has the fewest people and boats.
- Rising tide (tide-timed): sunrise → 3 h after sunrise
Depends on the tide: best around low tide. Check local tide tables.
What will you hear?
With a hydrophone: whistles, clicks, and burst pulses. Above water: blows and splashes very close to shore.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. Dolphins a few metres off Chanonry beach; binoculars for New Quay and quieter days.
Where to go
- Chanonry Point, Black Isle — Dolphins hunt salmon a few metres from the beach. Very busy car park in summer; the shingle spit is walkable at any hour. Map
- New Quay, Cardigan Bay — Sea Watch Foundation land-based watches; harbour boat traffic in summer. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Chanonry Point: drive through Fortrose to the pay-and-display car park by the lighthouse (very busy in summer — arrive early) or walk the 1.5 km from Fortrose; the shingle point is open at any hour. New Quay: watch from the harbour wall or the headland by the Sea Watch Foundation office — free.
Cost: Free; Chanonry Point car park pay-and-display (check current prices).
Field-recording notes
A hydrophone from the shore or a boat opens this up; boat engine noise dominates underwater, so shore drops at Chanonry on the rising tide are the cleanest. Cetaceans are protected from deliberate disturbance — no approaching by kayak or paddleboard.
Sources
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More: all spectacles in the United Kingdom · dolphins · whales, dolphins and seals · the United Kingdom in June · the United Kingdom in July · the United Kingdom in August