Minke Whales Sightings Scotland
Minke Whale Sightings on the Rise on Banffshire Coast
The recent rise in the number of Minke whale sightings off the Banffshire coast is doing much to support the area’s reputation as a haven for a myriad of marine life. With sightings reported as early as May this year, 2006 looks set to rival the record number of sightings reported last year, before the whale watching season has even begun.
“There have been a number of great sightings of Minke whales in the last month,” says Karen Crowe, of Banffshire Coastal Tourism Partnership. “The inner Moray Firth has been a fantastic spot to see them, and along the Banff to Fraserburgh coast, Minkes have been seen in groups of more than four. There were even some juveniles spotted at Pennan on Saturday.”
Dean Southall, director and skipper of local wildlife tour operator North 58 comments: “The Minke whales are definitely appearing earlier in the year, and there are also more of them. Although the most common months to see them are July and August, when they calve, my first sighting this year was in early May just off Portsoy.
“Last year I was really lucky and saw eight at a time, all coming to the surface together; it was a really special moment. They average about ten metres in length and so when you’re in a 8.5 metre long ferry, you really know about it when these creatures pull up alongside!”
Dean attributes the rise in the number of Minke whales off the Banffshire coast to the abundance of food in the area. “The area is currently full of sprat and mackerel, so the Minke whales are having a great time gorging themselves.”
“Around here the whales are typically found about two nautical miles offshore, but often come in quite close to shore, to water depths of about six metres,” continues Dean. “Sometimes you can even smell their presence; they have a really fishy breath that is so potent it can be carried inland on the right wind direction!”
For further information on the Banffshire Coast and all that it offers visit
www.banffshirecoast.com or call 0870 8030251. North 58 (01542 832560) and Puffin Cruises (01261 819900) offer daily sightseeing trips which depart from various harbours along the Banffshire coast. Contact the companies directly for ferry information.
The recent rise in the number of Minke whale sightings off the Banffshire coast is doing much to support the area’s reputation as a haven for a myriad of marine life. With sightings reported as early as May this year, 2006 looks set to rival the record number of sightings reported last year, before the whale watching season has even begun.
“There have been a number of great sightings of Minke whales in the last month,” says Karen Crowe, of Banffshire Coastal Tourism Partnership. “The inner Moray Firth has been a fantastic spot to see them, and along the Banff to Fraserburgh coast, Minkes have been seen in groups of more than four. There were even some juveniles spotted at Pennan on Saturday.”
Dean Southall, director and skipper of local wildlife tour operator North 58 comments: “The Minke whales are definitely appearing earlier in the year, and there are also more of them. Although the most common months to see them are July and August, when they calve, my first sighting this year was in early May just off Portsoy.
“Last year I was really lucky and saw eight at a time, all coming to the surface together; it was a really special moment. They average about ten metres in length and so when you’re in a 8.5 metre long ferry, you really know about it when these creatures pull up alongside!”
Dean attributes the rise in the number of Minke whales off the Banffshire coast to the abundance of food in the area. “The area is currently full of sprat and mackerel, so the Minke whales are having a great time gorging themselves.”
“Around here the whales are typically found about two nautical miles offshore, but often come in quite close to shore, to water depths of about six metres,” continues Dean. “Sometimes you can even smell their presence; they have a really fishy breath that is so potent it can be carried inland on the right wind direction!”
For further information on the Banffshire Coast and all that it offers visit
www.banffshirecoast.com or call 0870 8030251. North 58 (01542 832560) and Puffin Cruises (01261 819900) offer daily sightseeing trips which depart from various harbours along the Banffshire coast. Contact the companies directly for ferry information.
posted by aboutaberdeen.com at 1:45 PM
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