As of: January 26, 2024, 3:38 p.m
By: Nico Reiter
Comments
Press
Split
A wildlife photographer takes photos on the Scottish coast - and comes across a rare species of whale.
He records his find with his drone.
Shetland Islands – An animal photographer recently took an extraordinary snapshot off the Shetland Islands.
When local whale watchers alerted him to a rare beluga whale off the Shetland Islands, the photographer could hardly believe his eyes.
Now he is sharing his pictures.
Last year, a 12-meter-long basking shark, which is an endangered species, was also spotted off Croatia.
The animal photographer discovered a Beglua whale (symbolic photo) © Imagebroker/Imago
Award-winning marine photographer discovers rare whale on Scottish coast
Richard Shucksmith, a marine biologist, diver and wildlife photographer, has received multiple awards for his images and was even named “Underwater Photographer of the Year” by UPY in 2018.
He is particularly known for his underwater images of diving birds.
He loves being on the coast with his camera.
“One of my favorite places is the coast because it has a wide variety of habitats, species and dramatic seascapes,” says Shucksmith.
On the day of the discovery he was also on the north coast of Scotland taking photos when he was alerted to the whale off the Shetland Islands.
He uses his drone to film the animal from above as it emerges from the sea and submerges again, squirting water from its breathing hole.
“It was great to watch him, I guess he was eating,” the enthusiastic photographer tells the website
Divernet
.
He shares his impressive pictures online.
Absolute rarity – Beluga whale spotted in Scotland
At first, Shucksmith was unsure whether it could actually be a beluga.
According to animal protection organizations, there are only around 150,000 of this species left worldwide. The beluga whale is rarely seen south of the Arctic and is particularly rare in Scotland.
This whale is the sixth of its species to have been sighted in Scottish waters.
There have been three sightings of a beluga in the region since 2020.
In order to get closer to the animal, the marine biologist and a colleague had to drive an off-road vehicle.
Due to poor weather conditions, the area was not accessible on foot.
But the effort was worth it, the suspicion of a beluga in Scotland was confirmed.
“The weather conditions were extremely challenging for photography and diving.
We hope the beluga stays.
The weather is supposed to get better this weekend and everyone wants to see him,” explains the photographer.
But Beluga whales aren't just photographed in the ocean; one animal also made it into a wedding photo last year.
My news
Manager beats up flight attendants - Lufthansa plane turns on route from Munich to New York reread
“His teeth have already been knocked out”: Read why Fritzl has no chance in open prison, according to the inmate
Skier falls from a chairlift in South Tyrol - initial suspicion about the cause of the accident
Huge rockslide in Austria: Popular destination affected by climbers and mountaineersread
Speed camera Robin Hood?
“Fleximan” leaves Italy’s authorities perplexed
Horrifying ski study: Skiers pollute the mountains with “forever chemicals” read
There is humorous discussion online as to whether the sighting might not be “Hvaldimir”.
The spy shark is said to be Vladimir Putin's secret weapon.
Some users claim that he could now have found his way to Scotland.
(Nico Reiter)
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.
Find out more about our AI principles here.