Flashback to the humpack whale which visited River Clyde

Dolphins frolicking off the bows of visiting cruise ships, and sightings of orca and humpback whales have become more common, giving photographers exciting pictures and video for their social media.

Here are some marine related highlights of recent years from the Telegraph archive.

Pic1: Although the Clyde is cleaner than it has ever been, much still remains to be done to make the local marine environment safer and more habitable for the creatures that live off our shores. This appalling site shows an unknown material that was washed up along the shoreline of Kelburn Park, Port Glasgow.

Pic2: On a more positive note, local children are seen here with Clyde Muirshiel ranger John Maclean as they enjoyed a pond dipping afternoon at Lunderston Bay. The event was part of the Inverclyde Summer of Fun activities programme of 2021.

Pic3: We received distressing calls of a stranded whale at Lunderston Bay, but on closer investigation discovered that onlookers had witnessed an exercise being carried out by the British Divers' Marine Life Rescue Unit. The whale in question was, in fact, an inflatable model!

Pic4: Many hours of patience paid off when I took this picture from Greenock Esplanade of a humpback whale that made a rare visit to our shores in 1995. The creature amazed experts as it breached and lunge-fed in the relatively shallow waters of the river.

Pic5: Tele photographer Douglas Hendry took this astonishing picture of a precariously balanced seal.

The creature was captured on camera as it awaited the rise of the tide to depart its perch off the Esplanade.