Wildlife UK Forum - Discuss the UK countryside and wildlife

[attachment=321][attachment=322][attachment=323]Hi Folks
I had been been watching what i think is either a Minke or Sei whale on Friday afternoon. My
thought is turning to a minke whale. Spotted this Fri afternoon at
Swanpool Beach im concerned because at dusk it was swimming within
feet of the bottom and the shore but i watched i swim out to deeper
water but still within the bay and the tide is going out. Apparently
it had been there since 11.00am. This was reported to me from the cafe
employees who also said that somebody had told them it was a pilot
whale but it isnt. I have reported it on the marine strandings answer
phone. It has a distinct white or light mark on either side of its
dorsal fin at the base where it mets the back of the whale. I have
taken some photos. I can be contacted by email from website
http://www.altaylor-art.co.uk.

Hope you all had a good weekend .
Kind regards Al Taylor

Amazing! What whales do we usually get In the UK?

Hi Jamie, We get Minke, Fin Whale, Killer Whale, Long-finned Pilot Whale, Rissos Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise, Common Dolphin these im sure off there maybe others. Just looked at your website great work.

Really exciting photos! I love whales, they are such brilliant animals, but I have never seen one in the wild. I didn't realise they came so close into shore. Is that a usual occurence or is it quite rare?

Well it's unusual - as the water is too shallow for them further into shore, so that's why there was such a big fuss to see if it can be found, just in case it beached, but they believe that's it's swam out to deeper water now - well, that's what it's just said on South West news

It's believed to be a Minke Whale.

Interesting photos. Can you send me a couple via my website and i will send them to a couple of local birders in Falmouth so they can keep an eye out.

Thank you very much! It is still under construction though. I didn't know we got THAT many whales/dolphins in the UK. There have also been reports of Basking Sharks aswell!

Did you fall asleep for the whole of last summer!! On one day we had over 400 Basking Sharks in Sennen Cove. There was also a killer whale seen by someone on the helicopter returning from the Isles o Scilly!

Yeh I know I just found that out

We had over twenty Basking sharks in Falmouth Bay 2006. And i think we had twice as many idiots hounding them which i witnessed. Dont think it will happen again it was unusual and a spectacular sight. These are magnificent creatures. Many people know that they are the second largest fish in the world. But here are some more facts It swims at an average of 2 knots an hour and can sift 2 tonnes of seawater every hour. They migrate to deep water near the edge of the continental shelf off the South West Coast to feed on plankton. Its liver can yield 600 kg of oil.

Wow thats amazing

Hi, Yea you are right but it was swimming in shallow water it is my belief that this particular Minke was a juvenile and they are known to swim close in shore. I think or hope it learnt a lesson as it swam within feet of the shoreline and i was sure it was going to be standed luckily enough the recent bad weather had actually scalloped out the beach where it headed and it did hesitate and luckily was able to turn but with difficulty and headed out to deeper part of the bay. I am a marine strandings volunteer so luckily i was able to notify the correct authorities and within a short time the Marine Life Rescue were on hand. They stayed until 9.00pm on Friday and they witnessed the whale swim out in the open sea. They and i returned at first light Sat mornng but no sightings that day. Which i was relieved. It was great to witness this magnificent animal but when it swam towards the beach well you can imagine what i was thinking didnt sleep well Friday night thought i might get a call out but it all ended happy. Marine Strandings V, BDMLR and Silver Dolphin Org all played there part with dedication to duty.

Al, it's great to have you join us and let us know about these sightings, and rescues. It sounds as if you will be able to really round out our knowledge about marine mammals .

Kingfisher

That must have been an incredible sight. What a shame there were those people messing with them though, they are wonderful animals and people should just enjoy wildlife for what it is and not get involved if they don't have to. Especially if it is just to cause trouble.

Yea riana my thoughts exactly. It was something you dont forget so i hang onto the spectacular sight. The unusual thing was we witnessed a young basking shark breach. I didnt know they did that and iv no reference to it but a friend and myself actually saw it, absolutely incredible. All that nature shows us and its costs nothing. Everybody has the potential to add to our knowledge of the natural world and its great being outdoors and being surprised by some sighting behaviour or just enjoying the scenery. Even in your own garden you can observe behaviour that rivals any drama on the Serengeti its just on a different scale. Its accessable to most for you can find nature most anywhere. Its free, educational and a healthy pursuit that all the family can enjoy together. Theres a fascinating world out there and iv been studing it for over thirty years and for every question you answer it will normally throw ten more at you to answer ha ha. But its fun learning.