One of two killer whales that have been spotted off the Cornish coast.
Two killer whales have been spotted off the Cornish coast in a rare sighting of the UK’s only resident Orca population.
Experts believe this is the first record of the pod of Orcas – the largest member of the dolphin family – travelling this far south.
The group is made up of four males and four females and normally resides in the Hebrides in Scotland.
They were spotted on Wednesday by members of Cornwall Wildlife Trust off the west coast, near the Minack Theatre.
The pair, named John Coe and Aquarius, were identified by the shape and notches of their dorsal fins and patches of colouration near their eyes and on their backs.
Killer whales seen swimming off Cornish coast for first time in over 10 years
The incredible sea creatures were spotted and photographed by members of Cornwall Wildlife Trust off the west coast, near the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno on Wednesday, May 5
17:06, 6 MAY 2021
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This spot may be the first record of the UK’s only resident population of Orcas travelling so far south, making it a very exciting discovery.
These particular whales haven’t been sighted in some time either which adds to the excitement within the marine mammal enthusiast community.
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust runs a number of marine projects to monitor the environment and encourage others to engage with amazing discoveries such as this one.
Orcas tend to travel long distances in short periods of time so it is unlikely that they will remain in the Cornwall area for more than a day.
The sun sets over Looe Island
- Credit: 50144889@N08, Flickr
For the right pair, this volunteer opportunity on Looe Island will offer hard but rewarding work on Cornwall’s gorgeous coast
Everyone feels like getting away once in a while and becoming one with nature. But how would you feel about spending four months on a deserted island off Cornwall’s coast? The Wildlife Trust are looking for two people to do just that and help with conservation efforts on Looe Island.
A mile off the coast, Looe Island was inhabited as early as the Iron Age and plenty of Roman artefacts have been found over the years from coins to anchors. The tiny island has a long history of uses including as a remote chapel for Glastonbury Abbey. The rediscovery of said chapel featured on an episode of Time Team in 2008. It is now a nature reserve cared for by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust after the last owner and author, Babs Atkins, left it in her will to the charity.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust is deeply saddened by Monday s (April 4) fire at Bartinney Downs Nature Reserve. They report that more than 120 acres of land has been burned to the ground as a result of the major gorse fire. Callum Deveney, head of nature reserves at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: Controlled burns are an important way of managing heathlands, but they must be planned carefully and carried out at the right time of year. The fires that have burned at Bartinney Downs are nothing of the sort and couldn’t have come at a worse time, with the awakening of nature in spring and the arrival of newborn wildlife.