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Friday 23 June 2023

MY FIRST ORCAS At The Knab, Lerwick, Shetland!!!

Finally!

I have just seen my first ORCAS!!!

 
ORCAS 
Heading south past The Knab at 10.23pm – Lerwick, Shetland



At 9.34pm news came through that Orca were seen from Gremista, heading towards Bressay. Further news at 21.45 with "Appear to be heading toward the North mooth of Lerwick Harbour", got me off the sofa very quickly. Grabbed camera and bins and left the house asap! Someone gave me a tip off to go to The Knab, so I headed there for the first time since moving here. At The Knab, there was one other car with a couple who asked what I was looking for, I explained and we all scanned the sea and desperately tried to find the Orcas – I then realised the lady was a nurse from Ward One at the hospital, then I met another lady later on, who worked in A&E!!! What happened next, tickled me pink. A car load of young lads turned up at great speed and all screeched to a stop. I declared to the couple in the car next to me that 'they were not here for Orcas'. Just a typical scene of boy racers, I thought! How wrong was I 😂😂😂, oh my goodness, they were here for exactly that and you couldn't make it up, not only had they come to see the Orcas coming round the headland, they had just abandoned a wedding reception to come here!!! You couldn't make it up! More and more people excitably turned up, including more wedding guests in hope of seeing them. The entire experience was surreal!!!!!

Suddenly they appeared!!! One Orca with two calves! Just WOW!!! I watched and photographed them at quite a distance between 10.23pm and 10.32pm! Rubbish light, but got some shots, I just couldn't believe I was finally watching my first Orcas and this late in the evening too! It was a total joy to be here amongst so many excited youngsters and older folk, you couldn't make up this experience and I won't ever forget it!!! The Orcas were last seen heading for the lighthouse on Bressay. I headed home smiling like a cheshire cat!!! 😻

Update: Hugh Harrop let me know that this is "The 64s pod" and "the bull is 196/Sanday". Fascinating and amazing resource here: "Scottish Killer Whale Photo Identification Catalogue 2021"

1 comment:

  1. What a memory Penny, so pleased for you.

    ReplyDelete