The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fancy coming across you here still having a whale of a time
wildlife: Sonny’s back in the frame in Iceland after delighting Firth of Forth watchers
Whale watchers who enjoyed a series of displays by a humpback whale off the coast of Fife have spoken of their delight after it was spotted in Icelandic waters.
Paul Smith, of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said he was 99.9% certain it was the same whale, identified by distinctive markings on its underside.
He said the appearance off Iceland would give experts valuable clues to the mammal’s migration patterns, particularly if it decided on making a return visit to the Forth.
Sonny, as the whale was nicknamed during its Fife forays in 2017 and January this year, was caught on camera off Dalvik, breaching repeatedly.
Footage taken by Arctic Sea Tours, which runs whale watching trips in Iceland, shows the creature leaping out of the water to the delight of watching spectators on a nearby boat.
Mr Smith said Sonny appeared to be in good shape.
He said: “It’s up there doing what it should be doing. This is part of its migration. Whales go there to feed and go to warmer waters to breed. It’s good to know it’s up there and we can monitor its pattern and travel direction.
“It will be interesting to see if it returns next year.
“The Forth has become a real hot-spot now for humpbacks. It is becoming a stop-off ground, tying in with rising fishing stocks.”