Long Finned Pilot Whales

and not just 1 or 2....!

Some unexpected and unusual visitors to the Firth on Tuesday. On a morning charter having just left the bird colonies we saw a large breach about a mile and a half offshore. Thinking it it was probably dolphins we approached as normal only to discover as we neared that this was something quite different!

It turned out to be a pod of over 80 Long Finned Pilot Whales. It was a truly spectacular sight and the first time we have ever encountered them here. They spent most of the day milling around the entrance to the Firth before heading offshore in the evening. Given that they are normally sighted in much deeper Atlantic waters we had some concern that they were so far off course and were quite relieved the next day to see that they had indeed made their way out safely. Barbara and Helen from the University of Aberdeen Lighthouse Field Sation joined us aboard Saorsa in the afternoon and they managed to get some great pictures - see above. (As per usual when anything exciting happens my camera was flat!)

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