Humpback whales

[jason.p]

Just caught a local news item about humpback whales being spotted off the Cardigan coast. Can anyone confirm this.

[Guest NickInTheNorth]

Don't know, but it would not surprise me, we had one up here near Skye for several months last year.

details here

 

[ 09. August 2005, 08:37 PM: Message edited by: NickInTheNorth ]

[blindog]

Snap we had one in the Moray Firth 2 years in a row for afew weeks,Saw a Minke Whale this afternoon.

[SandTiger]

Hmmmm... Does one use a pirk or bait?

 

Just dusting off the old harpoon...

 

Oh - Humpback Whale (x3) - tour operators boat (Between Cwm Tudu and Ynys Lochtyn) at 13:15 on 16 July 2005 by Kate Lewis.

[Old Sarah]

If you are interested in what is happening air,land and sea wise on and around Skye look in on the Wild Skye weblog. Have had orcas within the last few days....... and you lot complain about seals pinching your fish!!

 

www.pacarras.net/gm1/index.html

 

Hope I have got that right!

[tuggs]

To keep reasonably up to date with sitings go look here and choose your bit of the country

http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/data.htm

[jason.p]

Thanks for replies. It seems Humpbacks are unusual, but not unheard of off the West Wales coast. What would they be feeding on in these waters?

[tuggs]

A Humpback Whale's diet is made up of krill (small shrimp-like organisms), plankton (tiny organisms that float in the water), and small fish. Humpbacks feed by swallowing a mouthful of water containing its prey. They use the baleen in their mouths to filter out food from the ocean water. One unique way that humpbacks feed is known as "bubblenetting". Humpbacks swim below a school of fish and blow bubbles in a circle to enclose their prey. The fish are captured within the bubbles, so the whales swim through with their mouths open for a fishy meal.

 

Humpbacks can eat up to 4,400-5,500 pounds of food a day during feeding seasons.

[Scrottocks]

I've been known to blow out bubbles when I'm feeding. Not popular with the missus though!