Birding by Whale-Way

Humpback Whale, Slapton, Devon 09/03/17 (Copyright T D Wright)

Humpback Whale, Slapton, Devon 09/03/17 (Copyright T D Wright)

Not Another Whaling Birder! Four and a half hours it took me to get to Slapton monument but it was well worth it. (Financially too - a £10 Devon Ranger ticket got me from Axminster to Totnes, then a £7.70 Stagecoach Explorer covered buses to Dartmouth and on to Slapton). Arriving at 2pm, all seemed quiet except for harbour porpoises and the odd plunge-diving Gannet. Then, away to my right, I thought I saw a distant 'blow'. Was it just something else splashing? No, it was the whale! I forgot to shout out "Thar She Blows" but other people compensated by exclaiming "Oooh ennit big!" and whooping it up. None of this bothered the great Leviathan which I'm pleased to say was unmolested by boats and unconcerned by hordes of humans on the beach. I saw 3 species of marine mammal if you include Domestic Dog Canis Marinus several of which clearly wanted to swim with the porpoises and whale. They got the chance too when 'Humpy' decided to give us a close pass. I could hear it blow now as it swam straight towards me. Fantastic stuff - it showed repeatedly for an hour before seeming to double back in the direction of Start Point. I didn't get home until 9:30pm but it was well worth spending a long day travelling to see this special cetacean. Some more pics?

Humpback Whale,Slapton, Devon 09/03/17 (Copyright T D Wright)

Humpback Whale, Slapton, Devon (Copyright T D Wright)

Fluking Away...