2022
Moonlight and Starlight’s story in 2022
March 2022- Starlight 2.5 years old
After an extremely windy winter with very few sightings, Moonlight and Starlight are beginning to reveal themselves frequently again. There have been numerous days during March that they have been spotted in Peel, including Sunday 6th when Alison Cowin took this fantastic video from Peel Castle. This is the first good footage we have seen of the pair since last summer, and it allows us to see how much Starlight has grown. She appears to have lost her feotal folds (which can remain for 3 years in Scottish dolphins), and has become darker in colour as she matures.
As we move closer to Spring people are reminded to watch dolphins from the coast. There is absolutely no need to be out on the water with Moonlight and Starlight as they come so close to shore (sometimes within metres of the promenade). We must do everything we can to ensure their safety, and this includes the safe operation of fast craft within the bay.
Summer 2022
In 2022 they became increasingly confident and started to show strong signs of human habituation and behavioural attributes seen in solitary dolphins.
They were seen regularly throughout the summer, mainly in Peel, but expanded their range to include Laxey and Douglas, as well as Starlight’s birthplace of Gansey. They spent more time in Port Erin than in previous years, especially on busy summer days when the bay was full of swimmers, paddleboarders and sailboats. They regularly intereacted with humans and piloted the tourists boats in and out of the bay.
3rd Birthday!
Starlight had her third birthday in September which saw local children creating life-size sand dolphins, singing Happy Birthday Starlight in Manx Gaelic and making crafts. This proves just how well-known and well-loved our resident dolphin duo have become, with people finding peace and comfort through their encounters with them.
December 2022
They continue to be reported every now and then through the winter months, with less sightings owing to higher wind speed and fewer people out and about. The most recent sighting was in Peel on 29th November when they came in close to check out the bay. We still have no evidence of them associating with any other dolphins despite a large pod of bottlenose being in Manx waters since October.