Latest news with #GeorgiaRoberts
Perth Now
08-07-2025
- Science
- Perth Now
‘Super rare' sight as surprised whale watchers bear witness to humpback birth
A humpback whale has been spotted mid-birth in an extremely rare sighting off Queensland's Gold Coast. A Sea World whale-watching group was surprised to see a humpback whale with a small, pale newborn just outside The Spit seaway, soon after starting a tour from Main Beach on Monday morning. They followed the pair for a few minutes before noticing the mother was bleeding. 'When the mum rolled and showed us her belly, we saw a lot of blood on her body,' crew member Georgia Roberts said. Roberts said they then saw a 'burst of blood' before witnessing the placenta detach. 'We actually realised the placenta had floated to the surface and we all got an amazing look at it,' she said. It was the first time a humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth on the Gold Coast. 'Super rare, super cool — being there to witness it firsthand was one of the most amazing experiences and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to top it,' Roberts said. The sighting — and footage taken at the time — will now provide documented proof for scientists who had long believed the Gold Coast is a birthing ground for humpback whales. A humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth off the Gold Coast. Credit: Sea World Humpback whales migrate from their usual habitat in Antarctic waters to warmer waters off northern Australia, including the Gold Coast, where they care for their young over winter. While it has long been presumed many of these calves were born in Gold Coast waters — and not just en route — a local birth has never before been documented. Gold Coast Newborn Calf Study founding researcher Laura Torre, who has been studying humpback calves since 2013, said Monday's sighting 'is huge news scientifically which will be published'. 'We can now confidently say the Gold Coast is a birthing area as well as a calf-care area,' she said. 'Yesterday we witnessed a placenta detach from the mother, which means she had given birth just before the boat arrived that morning.' The pale newborn calf was seen sticking close to its mother. Credit: Sea World Newborn calves lay on top of their mothers, or glide next to them, for the first weeks of life until they get stronger and their muscles develop. 'Babies do not have much swimming ability, so (boats) all need to go slow for the newborns here in June, July and August,' Torres said. Since 2013 there have been more than 300 humpback whale calves documented on the Gold Coast, where mothers spend time nursing and nurturing their young before returning south to Antarctica.
7NEWS
08-07-2025
- Science
- 7NEWS
‘Super rare' sight as surprised whale watchers bear witness to humpback calf's birth off The Spit seaway on the Gold Coast
A humpback whale has been spotted mid-birth in an extremely rare sighting off Queensland's Gold Coast. A Sea World whale-watching group was surprised to see a humpback whale with a small, pale newborn just outside The Spit seaway, soon after starting a tour from Main Beach on Monday morning. They followed the pair for a few minutes before noticing the mother was bleeding. 'When the mum rolled and showed us her belly, we saw a lot of blood on her body,' crew member Georgia Roberts said. Roberts said they then saw a 'burst of blood' before witnessing the placenta detach. 'We actually realised the placenta had floated to the surface and we all got an amazing look at it,' she said. It was the first time a humpback whale has been witnessed mid-birth on the Gold Coast. 'Super rare, super cool — being there to witness it firsthand was one of the most amazing experiences and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to top it,' Roberts said. The sighting — and footage taken at the time — will now provide documented proof for scientists who had long believed the Gold Coast is a birthing ground for humpback whales. Humpback whales migrate from their usual habitat in Antarctic waters to warmer waters off northern Australia, including the Gold Coast, where they care for their young over winter. While it has long been presumed many of these calves were born in Gold Coast waters — and not just en route — a local birth has never before been documented. Gold Coast Newborn Calf Study founding researcher Laura Torre, who has been studying humpback calves since 2013, said Monday's sighting 'is huge news scientifically which will be published'. 'We can now confidently say the Gold Coast is a birthing area as well as a calf-care area,' she said. 'Yesterday we witnessed a placenta detach from the mother, which means she had given birth just before the boat arrived that morning.' Newborn calves lay on top of their mothers, or glide next to them, for the first weeks of life until they get stronger and their muscles develop. 'Babies do not have much swimming ability, so (boats) all need to go slow for the newborns here in June, July and August,' Torres said. Since 2013 there have been more than 300 humpback whale calves documented on the Gold Coast, where mothers spend time nursing and nurturing their young before returning south to Antarctica.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Counting starts for local elections in Derbyshire
Council leader under pressure Georgia Roberts Political reporter, BBC Derby Where I am in North East Derbyshire, lots of eyes will be on the Conservative leader and current leader of the council, Barry Lewis. He is standing in Shirland and Wingerworth South, and faces a fight on several different fronts. For one, there's a challenge from a Green candidate who's well-known locally. The Greens came second last time they contested the ward four years ago, and think they have a good shot this time with less energised support for the Conservatives clearing the way. But a lot's changed since 2021 – Reform also have their eye on dethroning the leader. There's a lot of sympathy for the party's national messages on immigration in the area (even though it's one of those issues that technically isn't on the ballot paper). Finally, a newly formed local independent group is fielding a candidate who's also a familiar face to locals. Both the Reform and Independent candidates are former Conservative councillors. It's perhaps a reflection of the tricky spot the Conservatives find themselves in nationally that their leader in Derbyshire faces shedding support in these very different directions.
