Incredible footage of a Sei Whale - rarely seen in Scotland - has been captured showing the mammal having a grand old time in the Firth of Forth, South Queensferry.

The Sei Whale, which has only been spotted nine times in Scotland in the last 50 years, was seen by Andy Mather and his two daughters Sidonie and Agathe Mather over the weekend.

The lucky onlookers were quick to take incredible videos of the mammal as it swam nearby, with the whale at one point coming within 20 metres of where they were standing.

The Herald:

Andy said: "We heard it blow and looked around to see it partially breach on its side, exposing a pale flipper.

"It then proceeded to do circuits of the bay coming within 20 metres of the rocks on the shoreline that we were standing upon."

He added: "I had left my camera at home and my phone had run out of battery but fortunately my daughters were armed and ready for action and took some amazing videos!"

They later posted the footage on social media, attracting much attention and envy from mammal enthusiasts keen to catch a glimpse of the animal themselves.

Co-founder of facebook group Forth Marine Mammals and a local marine mammal enthusiast Ronnie Mackie, was lucky enough to see the Sei Whale for himself the night before.

He said he first realised it was rare when he spotted the "very upright dorsal fin" of the Sei Whale, adding: "An article I saw from a few years back said that there had only been nine previous sightings of this type of whale in Scotland in the last 50-years, so it’s quite a rare one.”

Tom Grove of the group Whale Wise later posted that it was "an unusual sighting in British waters, and extremely rare so close to the coast."

He added: "Seis aren't a very flashy or extravagant whale, but let's take a moment to appreciate the incredible beauty of this species."

The Herald:

On the "big question" of why the whale has been spotted here, he said: "Likely to feed - that seems to be why humpbacks visit in late winter - but it's difficult to tell right now."

Mr Mackie explained that it "shouldn’t really be here" as a deeper water whale. 

"It normally stays out to the west of Ireland in the Outer Hebrides, it migrates north to feed in the summertime, so it’s very unusual for it to be here", he said.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Sei Whale is one of the fastest whales, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

Sei Whales live in all oceans and adjoining seas, explains the WWF, except in tropical and polar regions.

The whales apparently prefer to spend the summer feeding in cooler waters, before migrating to warmer waters where they breed and give birth to calves.