A whale of a tale

1 BASKING SHARK Basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) are the world’s second largest shark. They grow bigger than great whites and can reach a staggering 12 metres long, yet these gentle giants feed on

FOR THE DEDICATED WILDLIFE enthusiast, catching up with the ‘biggest fish in the sea’ should represent nothing less than a life highlight. But despite the whale shark’s vast size, it remains a mysteri

The white-tailed eagle, the UK’s largest bird of prey, was brought back from extinction – and it all started with an ambitious project on a mountainous Scottish island, half a century ago...

Several years ago, I received a curious photo from a bass-fishing friend – let’s call him Andy. It was a bit blurred and, as I squinted to make sense of it, a second image flashed up. There was Andy,

PODS OF ORCAS ARE DRAWN TO the coasts of northernmost Scotland in the summer months, lured by plentiful prey – especially seal pups. When on the hunt, they can come thrillingly close to rocky headland

Intimidated by seawatching? A pelagic trip gets you much closer to those seabirds, writes John Miles