“Rare to witness – and even rarer to film”: wildlife watcher captures 8m animal feeding off Irish coast

A whale watcher was in just the right place at the right time to catch a minke whale lunge feeding off the Irish coast.

“Caught this incredible moment off the coast of Donegal – an adult minke whale lunge feeding just beneath the surface,” says wildlife videographer Fionn O'Donoghue who shared the spectacular footage on Instagram.

“These whales use bursts of speed to engulf shoals of small fish, taking in huge volumes of water and prey in a single gulp.”

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O'Donoghue often goes out trying to catch remarkable moments in nature on film. This was a great example of everything going right. After spending the weekend sitting on cliffs surveying the coastline through binoculars and a scope, he was rewarded with this incredible show. 

“Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales found in Irish waters, but they’re still over eight metres long,” he says. “Fast, sleek and often elusive, moments like this are rare to witness – and even rarer to film.”

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Image and video credit: Fionn O'Donoghue

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