Sand artists have a whale of a time.

Nine folk braved the poor weather and joined Paul Castle Highland Council Planning and Development Service Countryside Ranger at Farr Beach on Wednesday to build a seven metre minke whale out of sand.

The event was part of the children’s summer nature group activities organised by Paul in the North Sutherland area. Both the children and adults had a lot of fun digging and sculpting the sand to produce a life-size copy of a minke whale, complete with white flipper bands made from shells.

Paul said: “It was a shame about the weather but everyone just got on and really enjoyed the challenge. I thought the finished whale looked superb and it could easily swim off as soon as the tide came back in. I would like to thank everyone very much for turning up and working so well.”

The national whale and dolphin watch week organised by the Sea Watch Foundation is taking place from the 12-20th August and Paul along with other rangers will be undertaking watches along the coast. These watches offer the potential opportunity to witness minke whales and other cetaceans in the wild along with expert guidance.

Records from the watches taking place throughout the UK are collected by the Sea Watch Foundation and used in the cetacean conservation effort. For further details of North Sutherland events phone Paul on 01641 521884.

This whale sculpture event was part of a programme of events organised by the Countryside Rangers in Highland Council’s Planning and Development Service.
 
The Council’s Rangers are a partnership between The Highland Council and Scottish Natural Heritage with the aim of promoting public enjoyment and appreciation of the countryside and conserving wildlife.