Ranger Round-Up 2026: Week 9

Welcome to the new weekly ranger round-up, where our Summer Marine Rangers Emma and Charley as well as our Gull Ranger, Patrick, will come together to share everything they have been up to! Enjoy reading through these weekly summaries and please pop into Blue Adventures if you want to say hi to the team.

WDC Shorewatch: St Abbs 

Our final week called for our final shorewatch at St Abbs, outside the visitor centre, led by Charley. We were joined by 8 lovely people, but sadly didn’t manage to see any cetaceans - despite frequent sightings of minke whales over the weekend! Nonetheless, it was valuable data to collect for WDC and we have had so much fun carrying these events out over the summer and teaching people about the different whales, dolphins and porpoises we can observe here in the BMR. 

Humpback Whale and Minke Whale Sightings

On Tuesday, there were reports of a humpback whale tail slapping and feeding off St Abbs Head, more specifically by the lighthouse. Not only was there a humpback whale but several minke whales spotted not too far out - visible with the naked eye. The humpback was noticeably more pale than the minke whales, producing a more extravagant blow and tail slapping. The humpback fluke itself is different to the minke whale, and can be used to identify individuals. Different colouration, patterns or injuries e.g. notches or parasites, can be used to identify individuals. Ciaran, the head ranger at St Abbs Head, has sent images of this humpback whale fluke to a Scottish humpback whale organisation, to see whether this individual has been spotted around the Firth of Forth - where humpack whales are more frequently observed. Researchers are still stumped by the tail slapping behaviour - many believe it could be a form of communication between the whales, or used to stun the fish in the water. 

On Wednesday evening, there were reports of a humpback whale splashing around near St Abbs Harbour! It was most likely the same individual from the day before, showing off its grandeur by breaching every few minutes for around an hour. It is incredibly impressive to see a whale of this size breach - knowing it must be using up lots of energy to propel its body out of the water! Similarly to tail slapping, breaching as a cetacean behaviour has stumped many researchers. Many assume it is either a form of communication, a method of removing parasites, claiming territory or a hunting method - potentially to stun prey.

Quiz night 

To end our time here as rangers, we decided to put together a BMR quiz night in the Ebba Centre, to test everyone's knowledge on our local and global marine life! Throughout the quiz, contestants had the opportunity to discuss the species photos and also the marine litter that Sally had organised at the front of the hall. There was a sound round which included local bird calls, as well as a pop culture round, which was great fun! We are incredibly grateful to everyone who came along and donated, we hope you all enjoyed. Another massive thank you to those organisations that donated prizes for the quiz: Giacopazzi’s, Luckenbooth Coffee Shop, Salting Station Sauna and St Abbs Aquarium!

RNLI Gala 

Our final event together as rangers was the RNLI Gala, where we were running a stall alongside St Abbs Head National Trust. The RNLI were celebrating 150 years - a massive milestone - so it was lovely to come together and learn more about what they get up to on our breaks. RNLI had brought along their rescue boats, allowing the public access and providing tours for them. It was beautiful weather and a busy day, with a constant stream of traffic for our trash or treasure game! Many conversations were had about nurdles, which were planted in the trash or treasure game, which many people mistook for seaglass. Moreover, it was lovely discussing and identifying the different gull species in the UK with the public - using their calls and leg colour as a big indicator.

Goodbyes

As we come to the end of the season, the ranger team would just like to say a massive thank you for welcoming us into the community. We have learnt so much over the summer months and have enjoyed getting to know you all!