Stuart Baines who is the Yorkshire area coordinator for the national cetacean recording group the Sea Watch Foundation will with reference to his many photographs and videos tell us about the recent southerly expansion of the north sea Bottlenose Dolphin population. This charismatic cetacean was until five years ago one of the least seen species seen in the seas off Yorkshire but has over the intervening period become one of the most common.  The Dolphin group Stuart will speak of comprise one of a number of populations of Bottlenose that occur around the UK, the group that are now considered by some to be resident off Yorkshire was once a species rarely seen other than off the north east Scotland in the north sea but have now expanded their range several hundred miles south to our coast.

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Stuart Baines was born and bred in Scarborough, he has always had an interest in Yorkshire’s coastal wildlife and has over the last thirteen years developed a strong passion for the marine mammals that visit and live in the seas of his hometown, such as Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises.  Stuart has links with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts on a number of cetacean projects and the Scarborough based Wild Eye project on. Stuart is the editor of the popular Scarborough Porpoise Facebook page. Stuart will tell us how we can all help in the conservation of our cetacean visitors.