Humpback whale spotted near Kessock Bridge and Beauly Firth
Wildlife watchers were in for a treat yesterday as a humpback whale was spotted swimming in the waters of the Beauly Firth.
According to Inverness tour operator Dolphin Spirit’s guide and skipper Zoltán Petres, local whale and dolphin conservation volunteers first reported the rare sighting in the early hours of Tuesday (April 15).
The cetacean was spotted near the Meikle Mee buoy and then making its way towards Castle Stewart golf course, after which it headed back towards Inverness.
Mr Petres said: ”Together with other colleagues, WDC volunteers and BDMLR medics we were observing it and when it decided to head further into the Beauly Firth, we headed out to monitor its movements, making sure it was healthy and staying out of the shallow areas.
“It did a loop in between the slipways at North and South Kessock and then it headed out. The last time I saw it, it was just after 7pm as it was being photographed by a couple as it was passing the Kessock Bridge.
“It looked to be healthy, and it was most likely in there for food, as lately we've been seeing common dolphins (not very common here) and quite a bit of bird life around that end to go for smaller fish, as baleen whales do.”
He explained that to get whales this size in this area is quite a rare occurrence, adding that in case of such sightings, best practice would be to report them to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
