Dolphin nursery pod spotted from Thurso shop car park

Wildlife watchers were treated to the sight of a group of adult and young dolphins after they were spotted from a supermarket car park.

The nursery pod of Risso's dolphins were visible from the coast at Thurso in Caithness last Friday.

Keen wildlife photographer Karen Munro, from nearby Scrabster, was among those to drop everything and go in search of the dolphins.

She said: "Friday was really funny as I was at home just about to start cutting the grass when friends Jackie and Barry Osborne messaged to say that they had just spotted Risso's dolphins from the car park at Lidl while in town to do some shopping.

"Needless to say the lawn mower was abandoned in the back garden."

Karen could see the dolphins from the front of her house, but not close enough to get good photographs.

She said: "After a few hours of trying to follow the dolphins and keeping in contact with Jackie and Barry, I was eventually able to get some good photos as they swam close into the cliffs west of Thurso.

"It was wonderful to see six adults, each having a juvenile swimming close in alongside them."

The Osbornes spotted more Risso's dolphins from their own home further around the coast.

Karen, meanwhile, went on to enjoy a weekend of more wildlife spotting including a large group of Risso's dolphins north of Lybster, and later Aquarius and John Coe - two members of a well-known group of west coast orcas.

Risso's dolphins are a deep-water species and the bodies of adults are covered in distinctive scars from tussles with their favourite prey - squid.

All images copyright of Karen Munro.