Become a whale and dolphin sightings expert with free training from Sea Watch Foundation
Sea Watch Foundation are thrilled to bring free training to the residents of Ynys Môn to become experts at sighting whales and dolphins around our beautiful island and deliver health benefits to our people and our oceans.
Through Sea Watchers Môn volunteers will be trained and supported in our programme to provide wellbeing and expertise at sighting cetaceans, resulting in a stronger network of confident volunteers to support conservation of our incredible marine life. Volunteers will learn how to record and identify different marine mammal species, as well as take part in fun outdoor activities such as beach cleans, rockpooling, and marine-themed craft sessions to develop connections between the people and places of Ynys Môn.
Sea Watchers Môn builds on the work of the Sea Watch Foundation on Ynys Môn to date, which has delivered various volunteering opportunities and public marine conservation events. These new opportunities give volunteers a structured programme to progress to become a trained “Sea Watcher”. This will be a rewarding high quality volunteering experience, enabling our local community of Ynys Môn to enjoy quality time caring for their local coastal area for health, wellbeing, and conservation.
“We have already had some great responses from volunteers. Since the launch of this programme here on Ynys Môn, locals have enjoyed getting to know the coast and its wildlife, and taking ownership of its protection and conservation. There are so many great locations for observing marine mammals on the island, and we hope this will help even more people to make the most of living on the island whilst also contributing to sightings data,” – Mel McKenzie, Volunteer Coordinator.
Volunteers will help Sea Watch Foundation collect vital sightings data on marine mammals and coastal habitats. This will greatly benefit participants as you will be able to join the Sea Watchers Môn network, a fantastic team where you can share ideas, experiences, updates, photos, and stories to develop a sense of community, place, and pride in the work we are doing and the citizen science data we are collecting. This will be available on location and remotely online to accommodate everyone involved.
How to get involved:
We regularly deliver training sessions around Anglesey to introduce the project, go through what to expect, deliver a brief marine mammal ID session and go through what data we collect to get you started. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have and to meet like-minded people. To register to become a volunteer marine mammal observer and to attend an event, fill in ‘this form’, We will contact you with more information and the date of our next training session. Please get in touch with the Mel McKenzie (Volunteer Coordinator) at mel.mckenzie@seawatchfoundation.org.uk for any further questions or concerns. You can also attend one of our public land watches, which is held on the last Sunday of every month. Details of the next public land watch can be found on our Facebook page ‘Sea Watch Foundation Anglesey’ and Instagram ‘seawatch_mon’. Please note that public land watches are dependent on good weather conditions and are often subject to change.
We look forward to welcoming you to Sea Watchers Môn!
Funded by Welsh Government’s Volunteering Wales Main Grants Scheme, administered by WCVA.
Dysgwch i fod yn arbenigwr gwylio morfilod a dolffiniaid gyda hyfforddiant am ddim gan yr Sea Watch Foundation
Mae’r Sea Watch Foundation yn hapus iawn i ddod a hyfforddiant am ddim i drigolion Ynys Môn i fod yn arbenigwyr gwylio am morfilod a dolffiniaid o gwmpas ein ynys prydferth a thraddodi budd-daliadau iechyd i ein pobl ac ein cefnforoedd.
Elusen gededlaethol ydym ni sy’n gweithio tuag at gwella’r cadwraeth o forfilod, dolffiniaid a llamhidyddion ym moroedd Prydian ac Iwerddon.
Trwy ‘Sea Watchers Môn’, byddwn yn hyfforddi a chymhorthi ein gwirfoddolwyr drwy rhaglen i ddarparu llesiant ac arbenigedd o wylio mamaliaid y mor, gan greu rhwydwaith cyrfach ac hyderus o wirfoddolwyr i gefnogi’r cadwraeth o ein bywyd morol arbennig. Bydd gwirfoddolwyr yn dysgu sut i gofnodi ac adnabod gwahanol rhywogaethau o famailiaid morol, yn ogystal a cymeryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau awyr agored hwylus megis glanhau’r treath, chwilota trwy pyllau glan y môr, a sesiynau crefft themau’r mor, i ddatblygu cysylltiad rhwng y pobl ac ardaloedd yr ynys.
Mae ‘Sea Watchers Môn’ yn adeiladu ar waith y Sea Watch Foundation ar Ynys Môn i’r presenol, sydd wedi darparu nifer o gyfleoedd i wirfoddoli a digwyddiadau cyhoeddus. Mae’r cyfle newydd yma yn darparu rhaglen strwythuredig i hyfforddi gwirfoddolwyr i ymgynyddu i fod yn ‘Sea Watcher’. Fydd y rhaglen yn cynnig profiad gwirfoddoli o safon uchel a fydd yn galluogi i cymunedau lleol Ynys Môn i fwynhau amser yn yr awyr agored gan gymryd gofal o’r arfordir er iechyd, llesiant a chadwraeth.
“Rydym eisoes wedi cael rhai ymatebion gwych gan wirfoddolwyr. Ers lansio’r rhaglen hon yma ar Ynys Môn, mae pobl leol wedi mwynhau dod i adnabod yr arfordir a’i fywyd gwyllt, a chymryd perchnogaeth o’i ddiogelwch a’i gadwraeth. Mae’r ynys llawn lleoliadau gwych i wylio mamaliaid morol ac rydym yn gobeithio fod hyn yn helpu pobl wneud y mwyaf o fyw ar yr ynys wrth hefyd gyfrannu at ddata o welediadau,” – Mel McKenzie, Cydgysylltwr Gwirfoddolwyr.
Fydd gwirfoddolwyr yn helpu’r Sea Watch Foundation i gasglu data hanfodol ar welediadau (sightings) o famaliaid morol ac cynefinoedd arfordirol. Fydd hyn yn fuddiol ar gyfer gwirfoddolwyr gan alluogi iddynt ymuno a’r rhwydwaith ‘Sea Watchers Môn’, tim ffantastig ble gallwch rhannu syniadau, profiadau, y diweddaraf, lluniau a straeon i ddatblygu synnwyr o gymuned, balchder yn y gwaith a’r data gwyddoniaeth dinasyddion rydym yn casglu. Mi fydd hyn ar gael mewn lleoliad ac ar lein i gymhwyso pawb sy’n cymeryd rhan.
Sut i gymryd rhan:
Rydym yn cynnal sesiynau hyfforddiant yn rheolaidd o amgylch Ynys Môn i gyflwyno’r prosiect, egluro beth i’w ddisgwyl, cynnig sesiwn cryno ar adnabod mamaliaid morol, ac esbonio pa ddata rydym yn ei gasglu i’ch rhoi ar ben y ffordd. Mae hon yn gyfle gwych i ofyn unrhyw gwestiynau sydd gennych ac i gwrdd â phobl o’r un anian. I gofrestru i fod yn arsylwr mamaliaid morol gwirfoddol ac i fynychu digwyddiad, llenwch y ‘ffurflen hon‘. Byddwn yn cysylltu â chi gyda mwy o wybodaeth a dyddiad ein sesiwn hyfforddi nesaf. Cysylltwch â Mel McKenzie (Cydlynydd Gwirfoddolwyr) trwy mel.mckenzie@seawatchfoundation.org.uk os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau neu bryderon. Gallwch hefyd ddod i un o’n arolygon cyhoeddus o’r tîr, a gynhelir ar ddydd Sul olaf pob mis. Gellir dod o hyd i fanylion am yr arolwg cyhoeddus nesaf ar ein tudalen Facebook, ‘Sea Watch Foundation Anglesey’, ac Instagram, ‘seawatch_mon‘. Nodwch fod yr arolygon cyhoeddus yn ddibynnol ar amodau tywydd da ac yn aml yn gorfod newid.
Edrychwn ymlaen at eich croesawu i Sea Watchers Môn!
Wedi ariannu gan Cynllun Prif Grant Gwirfoddoli Cymru, a gweinyddu gan CGGC
