Nature photography in Grampian with Pat Douglass

August is a good time to look at our marine wildlife as we're well placed to take advantage of what the sea has to offer.

The Moray Firth has a significant number of Bottlenose Dolphins and there has been sightings of both Minke and Fin whales recently, plus porpoise.

There are numerous places where you can watch out them.

Hopeman, Lossiemouth, Portknockie and Cullen are all good viewing points.

Meanwhile the WDC centre at Spey Bay offers the opportunity for dolphin watching plus an informative visitor centre and café.

Of course there are no guarantees anywhere but if you find a comfortable spot and sit a while you have a chance of seeing any of these species and more.

My first sighting of dolphins on the Moray Coast was while rock pooling with the family.

We looked up and there were dolphins swimming past us.

These ‘unexpected’ encounters have a special magic of their own which remains long after the dolphins have swum by.

Capturing them on camera provides a lovely reminder and an opportunity to share your experience with others.

It can be difficult to photograph a single dolphin swimming so look for those following behind.

Watch and you will see a pattern of behaviour as they surface to breathe.

This helps you predict when and where they will next rise and makes capturing a photograph a little easier.

If you are lucky they will stay a while as they feed and sometimes breach, leaping high out of the water.

The most important ingredient is patience: be prepared to wait.

As this is the time of year when the dolphins have new calves you might just be lucky enough to spot a mini dolphin alongside its mother – a very special encounter indeed.

Pat Douglass is an award-winning photographer who divides her time between Moray and the Black Isle.

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