Minke whales spotted feeding off Isle of Eigg in one of the largest recorded gatherings

Up to 30 Minke whales have been spotted off the Isle of Eigg in one of the largest gatherings ever recorded of the species.

The sighting was made during a specialist ten-day cetacean research expedition, ‘In Search of Giants’, operated by small-ship cruise operator Hebrides Cruises.

The vessel, Elizabeth G, set off from Oban to explore some of the west coast’s most remote waters in search of whales and other marine wildlife.

Marine scientist Dr Conor Ryan described the density of the Minke whales as “exceptional” as it was estimated that up to 30 animals had entered a feeding frenzy around four miles from Eigg.

The encounter was submitted to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s Whale Track, which is used by the public to submit sightings and record animal movements.

He said: “The feeding behaviour itself is typical, but the densities were exceptional.

A Minke whale out of the water. Dr Conor Ryan

“I describe baleen whale feeding like the ‘supermarket effect’: lots of food in one place gathers lots of individuals, which might be completely unrelated and only together for a short period while the food is abundant.

“We witnessed the rapid formation and breakdown of these feeding frenzies when we were on the water that day, with the minke whales dramatically lunge-feeding on shoals of fish alongside shearwaters and auks.”

Dr Ryan believes the gathering could be one of the largest ever recorded for the species around Scotland and came at the very end of the ten-day expedition.

After first visiting St Kilda, Elizabeth G headed west to the edge of the continental shelf, where the seabed rapidly falls to depths of 1,000 metres.

After around 20 miles of searching the shelf edge, the expedition encountered a fin whale mother and calf, with the mother estimated at around 20 metres long and her calf measuring up to 11 metres.

A humpback whale was spotted on the ten-day expedition. Dr Conor Ryan

Other sightings during the ten-night expedition included a basking shark, bottlenose dolphins, grey seals and a wide variety of seabirds.

Emma Fairbairns, director and shore manager of Hebrides Cruises, said: “In Search of Giants is a very special expedition for us because it combines the experience of exploring some of the wildest and most remote waters around Scotland with a genuine research purpose.

“To finish this year’s expedition surrounded by so many feeding minke whales off Eigg was an extraordinary sight and something everyone on board will remember.”