Whales spotted off the Filey coast
A flurry of sightings of minke whales has been reported near Filey.
The whales have been spotted off Filey and near Bempton Cliffs, and staff at the Yorkshire Nature Triangle project say wildlife watchers could be in for a bumper season.
Although one of the world’s smallest whales, minkes can still reach up to 30ft in length – around the same as a bus – and top more than 5 tonnes.
Despite their relatively small stature compared to their larger, globe-trotting cousins, minke whales have become a firm favourite with wildlife lovers due to their inquisitive nature – often swimming right underneath passing boats – along with their tendency to appear closer inshore, making it quite possible to observe them from Yorkshire’s clifftop coastline.
August sees the traditional beginning of minke whales passing along the Yorkshire coast as they feast on herring, with numbers peaking later in the month and into early September.
Other recent marine mammal sightings along the Yorkshire coast have included harbour porpoises and a pod of 20 white-beaked dolphins.
One day last summer, the company discovered not only minke whales, but a fin whale – second only to the world’s largest, the blue whale – a huge Sei whale and a humpback whale.
Tom Marshall from the Yorkshire Nature Triangle project which promotes Yorkshire’s wildlife watching network said: “We were blessed with some fantastic, flat calm seas on Saturday and Sunday along many parts of the Yorkshire coast – perfect conditions for spotting whales.”