With all the good weather over recent days, everyone has been flocking to the Clyde Coast - including a humpback whale enjoying its own trip to the west coast of Scotland.

Crew onboard the 42 foot SV Hiraeth were treated to the marvellous sight during the glorious weather on Monday.

Crew members couldn't believe their luck as not only could they see but hear the marine mammal at close quarters in a magical moment which was captured on film.

They said: "Glad to see we're not the only ones enjoying the good weather.
"We were lucky enough to encouter this Humpback in the Clyde while sailing back from Holy Island on Monday.
"We didn't get too close but were able to watch him diving for food for a few hours.

"We have a YouTube channel from our 5000 nm journey from Scotland to Svalbard, Iceland Faroes and back to Scotland last summer and we never saw a humpback once

Humpback sightings on the Clyde are rare with one being christened 'Hamish' upon its visit to Largs waters in 2016 as it breached in front of Largs seafront.

The ocean giant could be seen splashing its enormous fins in the sparkling water amid the sunshine as it was enjoying its feed.

 

Dr Philip Cowie told the News in the past that humpback whale sightings do happen on the Clyde on some occasions.

He said: " Humpback whale can be found in all of the worlds oceans and undergo amazing migrations. They spend the winter months in the tropics and subtropics breeding, and summer months in temperate and colder waters feeding. They are large baleen whales measuring between 12 – 16 m, and can weigh up to 38 tonnes!

"So why have we been seeing them in the Clyde for the last few years? From the video footage and photographs people have sent in, and my own luck in watching one of the whales for a few hours, it is apparent that the whale/whales are feeding in a variety of different ways during these sightings.

Largs and Millport Weekly News: Humpbacks are commonly spotted in NorwayHumpbacks are commonly spotted in Norway (Image: Newsquest)

"Humpback are baleen whales; they have large, sieve like plates of baleen hanging down from the inside of their mouths which can filter organisms from the water. They lunge into a school of fish or shrimp-like organisms, open their massive mouths widely and engulf huge quantities of water along with their prey. Some of the photos taken show the head of the whale as it emerges out of the surface water during this ‘lunge-feeding.’

"Humpbacks are able to take in large quantities because they have ‘throat grooves’ which expand as they take in water. As the water is forced back out of the whales’ mouth, prey is then sieved from the water using the baleen plates and eaten. Humpback display another spectacular activity called ‘bubble netting’ where the whale dives down and emits a continuous stream of air which traps fish in the centre of the ring, the whales then surface up through their bubble 'net' feeding on the trapped and confused fish.

"Amazingly, humpbacks must feed intensely during the summer months as they do not feed again during either their long migration or the time spent in tropical breeding grounds. As they are not breeding here, the spectacular acrobatic aerial display (breaching), falling back into the water with a crash, is probably not related to breeding displays but may just be happy exuberance. The whales we are seeing may be migrating from the Caribbean and are either choosing to spend their entire summer feeding period on the Clyde or are using it as a feeding stop-over on the way to better feeding grounds in Norwegian waters."