May 2012. Watchers looking out for orcas from Duncansby Head on the very north of mainland Scotland were stunned to witness an attack by a six strong pod on five white-beaked dolphins.
Pentland Firth
Sea Watch NE Scotland co-ordinator Colin Bird is leading a week-long watch to gather data about the various cetacean species using the Pentland Firth - an area where tidal and wave energy turbines are set to be developed.
Collaborative behaviour
Sea Watch Sightings office Danielle Gibas says: "It is extremely rare to witness an event like this. Killer whales are collaborative hunters and many people will have seen them in action in wildlife documentaries filmed in other parts of the world. The fact that we can witness such behaviour from the UK coastline is a reminder of how important our coastal waters are for marine mammals."
Karen Munro, who regularly reports sightings to Sea Watch and is assisting Colin during the week, caught the attack on camera and picks up the story: "Colin starting his watch at Duncansby Head at 6am. I had started birding at 5.30am and made my way up to Duncansby arriving there at 8.05 where I found Colin, with three other watchers. Straight away they said they were onto five white beaked dolphins in the firth, who had come from the west about 7.50am, and were heading east through the firth.
White beaked dolphins - Hunted by Orca
"I set up my scope and started scanning whilst I heard one watcher, Phil, saying they were definitely white beaked dolphins. I asked whereabouts to look and when I started scanning I saw obvious splashing; the first fin I saw briefly did not look like a white beaked dolphin but I kept quiet for fear of making a fool of myself, but the second thing I saw was a breaching male killer whale. I shouted ‘killer whales' and Phil said "Eh? I am watching white beaked dolphin", but Colin also saw the killer whales. Within seconds it dawned on us as what we were witnessing, dolphins being hunted down by a group of at least 6 killer whales including two large males.
"I set up my scope and started scanning whilst I heard one watcher, Phil, saying they were definitely white beaked dolphins. I asked whereabouts to look and when I started scanning I saw obvious splashing; the first fin I saw briefly did not look like a white beaked dolphin but I kept quiet for fear of making a fool of myself, but the second thing I saw was a breaching male killer whale. I shouted ‘killer whales' and Phil said "Eh? I am watching white beaked dolphin", but Colin also saw the killer whales. Within seconds it dawned on us as what we were witnessing, dolphins being hunted down by a group of at least 6 killer whales including two large males.
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