Strange Sight in Wick Bay

[~~Tides~~]

Currently there are around 25 seals in Wick Bay with their heads above the water just bobbing up and down on the waves. They've been like that all day. It's a sight I've never seen in all my life overlooking Wick Bay, kinda eerie as well. Anyone got any explinaton of this strage behaviour??

[Tugmistress]

If their heads are pointing skywards they are sleeping, it's called 'bottling'. It's also very close to the greys having their pups, they should start in the next week or so and they carry on through to new year so possibly they have been disturbed from their normal pupping beach and mooched around to let the disturbance disappear.

[peedie man]

there must be 50 they go right out past the quarry

[KCI]

Just been watching them from my window!

Thanks for posting this, or I would have missed them.

[northener]

If they're looking around all the time and staying in big groups I'd say there are Orca around.

[Seabird]

If they're looking around all the time and staying in big groups I'd say there are Orca around.

I thought Orcas or Sharks at first, then i though if that were the case they would just haul out.
Only 2 things will bring animals into large groups, sex and food. (include alcohol for humans)
I now think they probably followed a large shoal of egg bearing salmon into the Wick estuary, salmon enter rivers at this time of year to spawn.
They were probably well stuffed, so they then took a rest which is what most people observed.
I went and had a look this evening and they are now well dispersed
Thats my theory, others are just as plausible.

Colin
Caithness
MMM

[northener]

I thought Orcas or Sharks at first, then i though if that were the case they would just haul out.
Only 2 things will bring animals into large groups, sex and food. (include alcohol for humans)
I now think they probably followed a large shoal of egg bearing salmon into the Wick estuary, salmon enter rivers at this time of year to spawn.
They were probably well stuffed, so they then took a rest which is what most people observed.
I went and had a look this evening and they are now well dispersed
Thats my theory, others are just as plausible.

Colin
Caithness
MMM

I never thought about salmon. The guys who fish Wick River say there are a lot of Salmon that cannot get up river because of the low amount of water in the river....so your salmon theory would make sense.

Regarding seals hauling out when the Orca are about...you'd think that would be a sensible thing to do, wouldn't you? But some of them don't....

I've been around Stroma following the Orca and was suprised at the amount of seals still in the water. They were certainly aware of the Orcas' presence as they were 'heads up' and agitated...yet they stayed in the water.
I noticed they tended to be in areas with a lot of submerged rock and shallows..presumably they felt that if they kept a rock between themselves and the hunting pod they were reasonably safe.

Bad judgement call, methinks.....

[Seabird]

I've just received information that there were Killer Whales off Wick on Wednesday 17th and Thursday the 18th Sept.
Whether they were in the area when the seals were in the estuary is not known.
But under the circumstances there would be a high degree of probability.
I seem to have that humble pie taste in my mouth Northener.

Colin
Seawatch coordinator
NE Scotland

[northener]

Hardly humble pie, Seabird. Your Salmon theory was a good one - and still may be the correct one..who knows.

I was talking to one of the lads who fishes out of Keiss the other day (Thu?), he said the water was thick with mackerel whilst he was fishing. He was then visited by a couple of dolphin (definitely not porpoise he said) closely followed by a solitary Orca.

[Seabird]

Hardly humble pie, Seabird. Your Salmon theory was a good one - and still may be the correct one..who knows.

I was talking to one of the lads who fishes out of Keiss the other day (Thu?), he said the water was thick with mackerel whilst he was fishing. He was then visited by a couple of dolphin (definitely not porpoise he said) closely followed by a solitary Orca.

Thanks Northener any chance you can get more info from your friend.
I had an e-mail from Andy Foot Aberdeen University who is doing a study of Orcas, and he is of the opinion from his observations that Orcas do hang about in some areas for quite along time.
That being the case they may well still be around.

Colin
Seawatch
Foundation
Coordinator
NE Scotland

[northener]

Thanks Northener any chance you can get more info from your friend.
I had an e-mail from Andy Foot Aberdeen University who is doing a study of Orcas, and he is of the opinion from his observations that Orcas do hang about in some areas for quite along time.
That being the case they may well still be around.


Colin
Seawatch
Foundation
Coordinator
NE Scotland

OK Will do.