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Whale watching in West Cork is in the news again after this incredible shot made the front page of several national newspapers today. A humpback breaching off the West Cork Coast (c) Simon Duggan, All Rights Reserved It is a once-in-a-lifetime moment captured by whale watcher and long time Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) member Simon [...]
After the traumatic events and harrowing images of the last few days I thought I’d post a few photographs of healthy fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) off the West Cork coast. This is how they look at their best:
I was getting settled at my desk yesterday morning, pondering what to write for my Irish Independent wildlife column, when the phone beeped. It was a message from Padraig Whooley, sightings coordinator with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, telling me that a suspected fin whale had live-stranded in Baltimore, West Cork. He’d be passing my [...]
A fin whale live stranded in Baltimore, West Cork this morning. The whale, an adult estimated to be between 45-50 foot long, was spotted in the harbour by locals early this morning. It live stranded in shallow water between the pantoon and the pier. By mid morning the whale had attracted a sizeable crowd and [...]
Fin whales are being reported regularly off the coasts of East Cork and West Cork again at what is now “traditionally” the end of the large whale season off the Irish south coast. According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Irish fin whales typically arrive off West Cork in Autumn, moving east up the [...]
“This is a research charter, not a pleasure cruise,” cautioned Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) sightings coordinator, Padraig Whooley as we boarded the boat. “We’re not stopping for anything under forty tonnes!” As the Holly Jo slipped out of Reen Pier the anticipation on board was palpable. IWDG researchers were joined on board by [...]
Upwards of 30 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) have been spotted in inshore waters off the coast of Co. Cork according to reports submitted to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) over the last two days. The move inshore by these oceanic giants follows a series of off-shore sightings by the Irish Air Corps in [...]
According to reports from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) Iceland’s fin whale hunt is on indefinite hold this year. Reports indicate that the Hvalur Whaling Company will make 30 staff redundant as the country’s controversial whaling industry continues it’s slow but steady decline. Kristjan Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur attributed the move to the [...]
Fin whales are regular visitors to Ireland’s coastal waters and can sometimes be spotted from coastal promontories especially in the south west of the country. These spectacular animals are the second largest creatures on earth. With a maximum length of 24 metres (80 feet) and an estimated maximum weight approaching 80 tonnes, only the rarely [...]
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