Stranded Minke

We recorded temperatures of 19C in our garden yesterday, and this morning, after heavy rain in the early hours, dawned fine with a light westerly so we walked in the sunshine along the coast path towards Dunrobin Castle. There are several regular walkers along this track with whom we often talk and one today alerted us to the remains of a minke whale - bottom right in the above picture.

This poor beast joins the young humpback dead and still beached in Loch Fleet just to the south of us, two minkes on a North Berwick beach, a dead sperm whale washed up at Port Neigwl in North Wales, and a dead fin whale at Bridlington, all stranded within the past week or so.

As can be seen from the cuts in the carcase, the Dunrobin minke has been reported and a vet has visited to take samples for an autopsy.

Removing the corpse is the responsibility of Highland Council. The last large animal to be washed ashore here was a basking shark, and it was left to rot on the tideline.