Whales weigh in for an Irish winter

READERS of the Examiner will have seen Áilín Quinlan’s report of fin whales off the Cork coast.

Accompanied by a feeding frenzy of seabirds, four or five of these enormous creatures have ventured within a mile of land. This is unusual for fins. They prefer deep waters but, according to Nick Slocum of Whalewatch West Cork, this pod came inshore with shoals of spratt.

The fin whale is the second largest animal on Earth.