Orcas were spotted last in Yorkshire in 2007
A killer whale has been spotted a mere two miles off the UK coast for the first time in more than 15 years.
The “very lucky” sighting of the orca took place a couple of miles away from the Grandstand viewpoint at Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve in Bridlington.
The killer whale was noticed on Monday by Members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
They said that an orca (killer whale) headed south, 2-3 miles off Grandstand Off Bempton at 14.55pm. Huge tall vertical dorsal. Seen by numerous visitors, five times, but no sightings reported since.
Andy Hood, Birdwatcher said that the killer whale was surrounded by minke whales, and they appeared to be travelling in a pack.
The orca is believed to be part of a group of whales living off of the Scottish islands Shetley and Orkney. This appearance marks the first time an orca has been seen off the coast of the United Kingdom since 2007.
According to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Orcas are rarely spotted in the North Sea.
Dave O’Hara, RSPB Bempton Cliffs site manager told the Yorkshire Post: “We were very lucky that there were people in the right place at the right time. Bull orcas have a very distinctive high dorsal fin. It was spotted about five times before it swam south, and there was then a great rush to Flamborough Bird Observatory, but it was not seen again.
“There may have been females too – we are not certain that there was just one because they are social animals, so there could have been others. Females are less visible,” he continued.
He said it most likely came from Shetland or Orkney, since they are occasionally seen on the east coast and there’s been an increase in sightings. “They’re very mobile and have the ability to range long distances.”
O’Hara believed that the spotting in Yorkshire was a positive sign for nature since it gives hope that fish in the North Sea are becoming more fertile.
He said that he was expecting many people to visit Bempton in the hopes of trying to catch a glimpse of the black and white creatures.
Two killer whales were spotted in the Irish Sea last summer.
The two male orcas, nicknamed Joe Coe and Aquarius were noticed by a conservation group at Bray head off the coast of County Kerry in July 2022.
It was confirmed by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group that the whales had been spotted: “On reviewing the video and images sent to IWDG, we can confirm they are the pair of adult males known as John Coe and Aquarius who are the sole survivors from the Scottish West Coast Community Group, who hail from the Hebrides in Scotland.”
The news comes as rare dolphins were spotted off the coast of Cornwall last month. https://www.commonwealthunion.com/rare-hybrid-dolphins-spotted/
AK Wildlife Cruises, who spotted the marine mammals, and tourists and crew were left in awe at the rare type of dolphin.
The Sea Watch Foundation said that the hybrids have a combination of features from both species. They have very distinctive black and white stripes running across their flanks that are a distinct feature of the striped dolphin, but they have the distinct colouring and hourglass pattern of the common dolphin.”
A shark was spotted Last year, off the south west coast of England.
Sam Booth, Plymouth local was shocked the shark was spotted swimming in Sutton Harbour in April 2022.
Although locals feared it could be a great white, the shark was believed to be the starry smoothhound breed, which came as a relief to them.
