RSPB Bempton Cliffs: Amazement as killer whale is seen off the Yorkshire coast in almost unknown sighting
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The orca, an incredibly rare sight in British waters, was recorded 2-3 miles off the Grandstand viewpoint at the charity's Bempton Cliffs reserve, near Bridlington, just before 3pm on Tuesday.
The RSPB said: “Off Bempton at 14.55pm an orca (killer whale) headed south, 2-3 miles off Grandstand. Huge tall vertical dorsal. Seen five times by numerous visitors, no sightings reported since.”
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Hide AdBirdwatcher Andy Hood added that the orca appeared to be in a group with minke whales, and that large numbers of visitors were still looking for it.
According to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, orcas very rarely venture into the North Sea, though a fisherman filmed some off Holy Island in Northumberland in 2020. There is a resident UK community of just eight adults, mainly living off the west coast of northern Scotland during the summer, but they have not bred for 20 years.