First Drone Footage of a Humpback Whale Birth Captured Off Australia

On July 28, 2026, wildlife photographer Alexander Forrest, affiliated with ORRCA, filmed a humpback whale giving birth off Kingscliff, New South Wales, during the species' northbound migration. The footage is believed to be the first whale birth ever captured by drone and only the fourth complete humpback birth recorded on film worldwide. The mother and calf were reported thriving afterward.