First confirmed sighting of Sowerby’s beaked whale ( Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby, 1804)) with calves in the Northeast Atlantic

Two sightings are reported of Sowerby’s beaked whales with calves off western Ireland. Despite individuals of the species being occasionally stranded in the UK and Ireland, these are the first at-sea sightings of calves in the north-east Atlantic. This record contributes to our knowledge of a poorly known species.