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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Killer Whale - Sheringham (1 Viewer)

The water is shallow a long way out at Donna Nook (look at how far out the tide goes) but what about the tip of Blakeney Point?

John
 
An interesting question ;)

I had two reports of Orca off Northumberland to deal with last year.

The first report was accompanied by a convincing written description, and an excellent image...of a Minke Whale.

My first response on reading the second description was "White-beaked Dolphins". Not surprisingly, 24 hrs later a pod of WBD (same number as the reported pod of Orcas) was engaging in the same behaviour as the reported pod of Orcas at exactly the same location...

WBD is a very credible misidentification for Orca; I've seen at least one WBD off Northumberland with a vertical dorsal fin. They're big animals with a big dorsal, so probably do account for some reports of Orca.

While we were compiling the North East Cetacean Project database, I sat down with 2 boat skippers who each have 30 year + of offshore experience up here. It's now 20 years since either of them saw an Orca. So, I asked the question - what do we think all of these reports are, if they're not Orcas? Same answer from both skippers - Minke Whale or White-beaked Dolphin. The Minke Whale mis-id possibility is an interesting one - lunge-feeding Minkes are big, black and white animals and the pectoral band can be mistakenly identified as the 'eye patch' of an Orca.

Orca do wander outside of their regular range but, for example, there are only 4 or 5 records in the last 15 years off northeast England that I think have any credibility. The rest are unattributed records from several internet forums/"bloke I met walking his dog on the beach"/"my mum's friend's daughters friend" etc.

cheers
martin

Why not a WB Dolphin?
 
I have seen numerous minke whales turn on their side and feed with a pectoral fin in the air and very orca like.

Is there any mention of "species" of orca being reported?
 
One of the observers is the retired County bird recorder so I would guess quite experienced in his knowledge,observation,recording and subsequent identification of a species albeit not an avian one. I am led to believe that there was more than one view of a fin breaking the surface - the chances of this being a pectoral fin of a minke whale on both or more viewings has therefore got to be highly unlikely. (Though a minke was seen last autumn off Cley beach). Some of the confirmed sightings of cetaceans off the North Norfolk coast have proved (through photographic records of stranded or beached animals) to be some of the rarer species seen and occuring in our oceans and waters than orca, so probabilty of this being a "killer" must surely be high given the facts, no?
 
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I accept the pitfalls, and I also know that prior awareness of them can affect one's identification in the field (I ruefully remember trying to string Orcas off Balranald many years ago - they were all Risso's as it happens) so it would be interesting if the observers would confirm they are still happy with their initial call.

NB: I am not trying to achieve a position of judge, jury and executioner here - just interested!

John
 
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