Sunday 13th September comments:
This was no ordinary day on the Farnes. The islands have been going through a lean spell whilst other east coast headlines having been cashing in on some interesting bird migrants. But this wasn’t a day about birds, as the headlines were stolen by a cetacean. Just after midday, William Shiel (Glad Tidings) phoned me to tell me he had just seen a Humpback whale near Longstone Island. In complete disbelief, the shock stopped me in my tracks but then pandemonium was let loose as the warden team raced to the top of Pele Tower to start scanning for the whale.

After a few frustrating minutes (during which time the animal was showing well to a visitor boat within the area), the animal revealed itself. First a column of water from its blow hole followed by a show of its tail fluke as it dived deep into Farnes waters.

Then nothing. Nothing at all...

The hundreds of Gannets remained overhead, swirling above the animal but we couldn’t see it, but that was all about to change. In true spectacular style, the animal started breaching, flinging its huge body into the air before smashing down onto the North Sea with a huge crash, bang, wallop. WHAT a sight. The animal, in excess of twelve metres, was then seen for over an hour breaching and feeding just north of the islands as it plunged the depths for fish.

Humpback Whales are rarely seen within the North Sea although numbers of the North Atlantic populations appear to be on the increase following years of decline and sightings from the west coast are becoming increasingly regular, but this was the North Sea. More recently, an animal spent late summer around the Shetland Isles and it is feasible the same animal could be involved - this is the first record for the Farnes and first in modern day history for the north-east of England. This was a staggering sighting.

I did tell you that this was no ordinary day. Humpback Whale off the Farne Islands – who would have thought!

Seawatching: Red-necked Grebe 1N, Gannet 1,585N (one hour count), Brent Goose 14N (pale bellied), Teal 9N, Wigeon 8N, Manx Shearwater 191N, Sooty Shearwater 32N, Great Skua 5N and Arctic Skua 3N.