Drone video captures dolphins in Aberdeen harbour

The video, captured by William Bird, shows a group of bottlenose dolphins frolicking in the crystal clear waters of Aberdeen Harbour.

The inlet serves as an arrival point for thousands of oil and gas vessels each year, as they travel to Scotland’s biggest oil reserves.

The clip was shot using a drone flying over the sea, providing a rare view of the animals leaping into the air and playing with one another.

The machine was controlled from the beach - over 400m away.

Dolphins are a common sight in the area, with the harbour providing an abundance of salmon for the animals to feed on.

William, 41, who runs Funnel Media in Inverurie, said: “It was a personal project that I wanted to do for a long time.

“I was controlling the drone from the beach and could roughly see on a small screen what I was capturing, but it was only later when I could watch the footage on my computer that I realised how well it had turned out.

“If you are just stood on the beach you may see them if you’re lucky, but this angle really gives you a feel for them and you can see how much they enjoy themselves.”

William used a Mariner drone - a waterproof device which quietly hovered over the animals as they played.