Humpback whales have been photographed breaching off the Cornish coast, in the Isles of Scilly and as far up the English Channel as Sussex.
The giant cetaceans — adult humpbacks can grow to be 56ft long (17m) and weigh up to 40 metric tons, about three-and-a-half times as heavy as a cruise ship anchor — have been putting on a show for unsuspecting walkers, kayakers and fisherman since the New Year, in increasing numbers, despite the fact that their presence in southern UK waters is — or used to be — relatively infrequent.
And though numbers in the South-West have been steadily increasing for the last few years, activity — including breaching and fin-slapping — in the eastern Channel is almost unheard of.
Winter is always the best time of year to spot the animals, regardless of where you are, because it’s when they begin to migrate southwards from places such as Norway to warmer waters around Cape Verde where they mate and give birth to their young. To date, sightings in the Channel have been made in Rye, Pett Level, Fairlight, Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill, Pevensey and Eastbourne. Earlier sightings were also made at Beachy Head, Sussex, and Dungeness in Kent. In a single, 11-day period, there were 17 recorded appearances around the Isles of Scilly alone.
Dan Abbot, who posts on Instagram under the @sharkmandan handle, captured this drone footage of a humpback whale at Watergate Bay near Newquay, last year.
Scientists are divided over why exactly numbers and sightings have gone through the roof. More positive theories point to booming numbers as the whale population finally recovers from years and years of hunting (by the 1950s, only 450 whales remained); less positive ones blame climate change and overfishing which is forcing the majestic mammals to hunt for food outside of their normal feeding patches.
‘As we discover more about why the whales are here,’ said Abbot in a recent Instagram post, ‘a critical component is that they are able to do what they need to do and not be disturbed. One theory is that they aren’t getting enough food where they are spending the summer, and so need a pit stop on the way north. If that’s the case, the UK has become [a] critical feeding habitat for these whales.’
A quick sweep on Instagram and various wildlife trust websites throw up plenty more wonderful marine wildlife stories: Last year, a North Atlantic Right Whale (so called because they were the ‘right’ whales to hunt) was spotted off the Irish coast for the first time in 100 years and the revival of Bluefin tuna off the South-West coast in huge numbers has already given the local economy a demonstrable boost.
-
'The city has always held an important creative space within our design studio': A luxury townhouse in Tokyo, courtesy of Aston MartinA new four-storey property in the Omotesandō district is the first single home private residence by the British ultra-luxury performance brand.
-
Tuning in with the past: Monk music will ring out for the first time since the Dissolution after medieval manuscript is rediscoveredBuckland Abbey once thronged with monks who sang for hours every day. Now, some of their newly rediscovered medieval music will ring out once more.
-
The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of BritainHome to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
-
Peregrine falcons went to the edge of extinction in the 1960s — today, there are more of them than at any time since the Middle AgesIn the latest instalment of Mark Cocker's 'Winging it' column, he looks at the peregrine, a bird of prey with astonishing speed and super strength.
-
I lichen the look of you: A rare lichen-covered fingerpost that's been frozen in time and donated to the Natural History MuseumA fingerpost, covered in 12 different species of lichen, has been donated to the Natural History Museum by Exmoor National Park — but they had some trouble getting it there.
-
Marcus Janssen: The man behind Schöffel on Chelsea Lifejackets, bagging a 'MacNab' and recognising the best of the British countrysideMarcus Janssen of Schöffel joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Beyond Stonehenge: The ancient moorland megaliths and grand stone rings that you can enjoy without the tourist hordesWith their potent blend of wild looks and mystery, Britain’s ancient sites have an enduring magnetism — and there are far more of them than you might imagine.
-
Chatsworth's winning £4 million Lottery ticket means it can restore beloved water featureThe Chatsworth House Trust will use the money from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore their Cascade — beloved by Alan Titchmarsh.
-
Hope from the ashes: This new generation of ash trees is more resistant to diebackWhen ash dieback first arrived in Britain, in 2012, an emergency COBRA meeting was formed. The disease has since spread rampantly across the countryside, but there is still hope.
-
Listen up puffins, peregrines and seal pups — Big Brother is watching youThe Wildlife Trusts have installed more than 25 video cameras around the country that live stream activity from barn owl nests to popular puffin sites.
