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

Beluga Whale Seen in the Thames (1 Viewer)

Not seen any reports since it was off Cliffe on Wednesday afternoon. Not to say it's not hanging around somewhere still, but it won't have to shift very far to become very difficult to relocate.

After Wednesday's long dip I had to leave it till today, but by 0930 Marion and I were scanning the river from the terrace at Poundland. An hour later I was wondering if we should have gone to the Ship and Lobster.... then a large ferry came downstream past us and a couple of minutes after it passed I was scanning the North bank when the Beluga rolled up in my bins and I let out a yell that scared the wits out of Maz and probably one or two locals.

It then vanished again - I'd had one view only and Maz, none - for the next fifteen minutes. A young girl of perhaps nine years old then spotted it in front of the bow of a moored container ship and after that it showed well in the area closest to Poundland (eventually concentrating its efforts right next to a large mooring buoy only about thirty yards from us).

Scanning without bins was most effective in locating it when we didn't know clearly where it was: my initial view was an absolute fluke. It breathes three to six times then goes down for about five minutes. It's very good at staying within a very tight area but obviously can make long moves underwater and then its a relocation job.

On the list - massive relief!

John
 
Well done John - glad you connected!

Thank you! The period since it turned up (when I was just starting two weeks on Shetland) has been an "emotional roller-coaster" - I believe that is the popular cliché :t: and today's mega views drew a line underneath that entirely justified my bender at the Prince of Wales "Beers of the North" Beerfest this evening B :)

John
 
Thank you! The period since it turned up (when I was just starting two weeks on Shetland) has been an "emotional roller-coaster" - I believe that is the popular cliché :t: and today's mega views drew a line underneath that entirely justified my bender at the Prince of Wales "Beers of the North" Beerfest this evening B :)

John

:t:
 
Good news. I'm relieved as well. I was worried the old gen I gave above, hindered rather than helped last Wednesday.

Hope the hangover is not too bad. Phil
 
Good news. I'm relieved as well. I was worried the old gen I gave above, hindered rather than helped last Wednesday.

Hope the hangover is not too bad. Phil

I feel fine actually, Chinese delivered once home and lots of water drunk overnight the perfect prophylaxis. ;)

As for the gen, I don't think you have to worry. I went to the Ship and Lobster initially as I didn't like the sound of Poundland (I know better now though a local connoisseur of Poundlands told us yesterday this is a particularly poor one :eek!:) but another chap was at Poundland from dawn till after 0900 without scoring. Of course he then joined us just in time to dash back and miss it..... just bad luck all round. All OK now :t:

John
 
John,

Many thanks for your post detailing the directions. We arrived this morning at said Poundland, and walked straight onto it, feeding between the two large ships opposite, it showed on and off for around half an hour then seemed to move east. We then saw it very briefly moving further east @ 11.30am from the open green area, and it appeared to be moving downriver towards the pub. Shortly afterwards the rain got heavier and we decided to call it a day and drive home.

Thanks again, very helpful update and in the nick of time!

Stu
 
What's the history of Beluga sightings in the UK? Can't imagine one in the Thames is the first sighting (but of course there have been more surprising things in the past).
 
I almost want to show up with my porpoise-less marine mammal list just to say I saw beluga before porpoise in the UK! Haha. No but that would be silly...
 
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