Christine Murdie​

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One of my earliest memories was being taken on a boat trip round the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth.  I can’t have been more than 4 and it was on that trip that I saw my first bottlenose dolphin.  There’s even a photograph of me reaching out of the boat towards the dolphins!  I was lucky enough to be brought up in Edinburgh and North Berwick.  I was fascinated by the life in rockpools and spent hours watching the seabirds found in the area, especially the gannets and puffins.  I was introduced to photography by a great uncle, and I started experimenting with taking photos of wildlife.

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Leaving University, the one thing I knew was that I did not want to do research Chemistry, but the need to find a career that worked with a family stopped me following my wish to spend all my time watching wildlife.  A year at teacher training college led to many years in education but I missed time in nature with my camera.  I took courses on cetacean identification and completed various surveys on ferries and from land on the north and south sides of the Firth of Forth.  An opportunity arose to join cruises conducting cetacean surveys and delivering presentations for a charity. 

 

In 2021 I left my teaching job and was lucky enough to join the OWE team in January 2025.  When I’m not at sea I spend 2 days a week at the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick talking to visitors about the wildlife they can see in the Firth of Forth.  I deliver talks to various groups in Scotland and also enjoy the chance to travel around the UK watching and photographing wildlife.

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