Two Bottlenose dolphins continue to explore Strangford Lough after relocating from Scotland

Two bottlenose dolphins, more commonly found off the coast of Scotland, are continuing to enjoy the waters of Strangford Lough, two months on from when they first arrived.

Named Squiggle and Squashie, the mammals have been enjoying the warm weather and nutritious waters of the lough and haven't decided to leave our shores just yet.

Every day since they were first spotted, both dolphins have followed a tourist boat which takes visitors out daily.

Responding to the sound of the engine, it doesn't take too long before the dolphins join the boat - dipping and diving underneath the bow before showing off with a jump from the water.

Dara Rogers, 16, skippers the boat with his father. It's a generational love of the water that's made Dara takes the reins at such a young age.

Asked how he first spotted the dolphins, he told UTV that a splash on the face of salt water made him realise the boat had visitors.

"Every reaction is the same," he said. "Everyone is shocked. They're just leaving the boat with a smile pasted onto their face and they just can't say thank you more than enough.

"Every day just gets better and better because they produce something more and more exciting every other time."

These bottlenose dolphins are more commonly found in Glasgow's River Clyde and off Scotland's coast.

So why are two taking a somewhat extended holiday around our shores? Warm weather and plentiful food seem to be the draw.

Marine biologists at Queen's University Belfast have been tracking their movements.

"It seems like they're having plenty to eat, they're foraging around the area," said marine biologist Nicholas Baker-Horne.

"They really seem very comfortable around all the boats - even seeing them resting in Strangford marina for hours.

"They've both go nice markings on their fins for us so we know they've been the same individuals since late March time, coming and visiting us."

It's not just at sea that people have been taking in the beauty of the mammals.

The dipping and diving has also been visible from a sun-soaked Strangford town.

Tourists told me that seeing the dolphins swim around the lough topped off their week-long holiday in Northern Ireland.

The longer the dolphins stick around, the more it's hoped can be learnt about why they're here.

If this trip was anything to go by, why would they want to leave at all?

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