Team Sea Trust Risso's re-examined!

Mondays Risso's encounter was very interesting. Cetaceans are enigmatic creatures, mysterious because we see only glimpses of their lives when they are on they surface. Risso's are particularly mysterious and rarely venture close to the shore.for long enough to be studied in any detail.

So when instead of just passing by, a small pod of about ten adults and accompanying juveniles approached from the north east and then started dithering about we were wondering what was occurring. I got Ken onto them and he began snapping away. They were at least half a mile away the light was dull and only just visible in among the choppy edge of the main tide race. It was difficult to make out exactly what was happening as they were mainly just muddling about.

Having got his shots, Ken was chatting to Anthony, another onlooker . Meanwhile I was trying to figure out what was going on with what appeared to be a mainly maternal group. Suddenly there was some splashing.

I alerted Ken and then one individual breached which happily we both caught on our cameras. We were expecting more breaching as once they start they usually follow up with a few more breaching's. But unusually all we got were more surface splashing I mentioned to Ken that I thought we might be witnessing a birth! Easy to say but difficult to prove!

But on re-examination, what Ken caught on his memory card, comes as close to proof as we are ever likely to get without actually being close enough to see it with the naked eye!

I have managed to magnify Kens images and the first one shows a tiny head just in front of of the dark fin to the rear of the other two individuals. The second image taken a fraction of a second later shows this more clearly.

Fig: 1

Fig: 2

The third image, I first thought to be the first picture of the sequence but ken assures me it was taken a full nine minutes after the first. Having blown it up there appears to be a faint pink smudge around the front of the head. If it had been closer in the time frame it might have been some debris from the birthing. As it is, it may just some aberration in the image. If anyone has any Ideas we are open to suggestions!

Fig: 3

The fourth image is just seconds after the third and shows, if examined closely, the mother with the what we are pretty sure was the new born calf alongside, its tiny fin just in front of the mothers fin! At this point the pod were moving off and although we looked hard we failed to relocate them.

Fig: 4

Fig: 5

Just another great day at the office with Sea Trust volunteers delivering the goods as usual!