Pod of killer whales spotted swimming in the River Clyde

Ferry-goers crossing the River Clyde on Saturday were treated to a rare sighting of a pod of killer whales.

The group of orcas, believed to made up one bull, one calf and four females, were spotted swimming and jumping in and out of the water, hunting seals.

Pictures and video footage of the pod were posted on social media by people crossing the river on one of the ferries with one stating it was a “once in a lifetime experience”.

David Nairn, from the Clyde Porpoise marine mammal project, said: “It’s rare for them to come up into the main part of the Clyde there.

Rare sighting

“They’re looking for seals and porpoises. We have so many porpoises on the Clyde that it’s open season for catching them.

“There are reports also that they’ve eaten a seal, and one of our spotters said it looks like they’re teaching their young how to hunt.

“It’s really cool that they’re up here, really exciting.”

Corinne Gordon, from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, which helps stranded animals in UK waters, said her organisation had spent the day monitoring the pod.

Thank you @Western_Ferries for the fabulous view of the orcas. A once in a life time experience pic.twitter.com/khVtzgdnLt

— Oor Lorna (@OorLorna) 21 April 2018

She said: “There was a pod of six – one bull, one calf and four females – and about 8.45pm they were heading west towards Greenock, in a deep shipping lane and away from danger.

Hunting for seals

“At one point they were heading east and got past Dumbarton and as far as up by Erskine Bridge, following food – shoals of fish and seals. There are plenty of seals in the Clyde at the moment.

“These are a pod that generally reside in Orkney and they’ve come down. It could be the weather or it could be food.”We had one come into the Clyde couple of years ago. They are not strangers there but it’s not common.

“We are expecting them to go back out to sea and then head north.”

Migratory pods of the animals are regularly seen in waters off the coast of Shetland and Orkney during the summer following mackerel and herring shoals.