A sighting of feeding humpback whales off the Inner Hebrides was among the highlights of the latest national whale and dolphin watch.
A host of spectacular sightings were made off the coasts of north and north-east.
The 2020 National Whale and Dolphin Watch event was organised by the Sea Watch Foundation and involved hundreds of volunteers from around the British Isles.
Dr Chiara Giulia Bertulli, sightings officer at Sea Watch and lead organiser of this year’s event, said: “The most memorable sightings from this year’s watch week include feeding humpback whales off Grishipoll, in the Inner Hebrides, leaping and fast swimming Risso’s dolphin groups sighted off the Outer Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney and the north-east of Scotland, killer whale pods sighted off Shetland and around Caithness, common dolphins off and large pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins sighted around Shetland.”
A total of 709 sightings were submitted after the nine-day event and sightings continue to stream in online.
Scotland has recorded the highest number of sightings, with 323.
Sightings were recorded from 280 locations from Shetland down to South Devon and from the west coast of Wales to the Outer Hebrides.
Sea Watch is a registered marine conservation research charity working to improve the conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland.
All the verified sightings so far can be viewed online at https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-2020-sightings-data/
