Wildlife from the surface
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:22 pm
Since I had to give up diving, I have explored the ocean and enjoyed its wildlife in other ways. I just took a trip on a charter boat out of Westport to view pelagic wildlife. I found this a great treat. In my years of working at sea, I could never stop to look at the things I saw. We primarily saw seabirds: albatross, shearwaters, skuas, fulmars, storm petrels, murres, murrelets, auklets, and much more. There were also cetaceans: humpback whales, Pacific white sided dolphin, Dalls porpoise, and harbor porpoise. Three species if pinnepeds, including an elephant seal. A couple of interesting fish: blue shark and mola mola. I could see pyrosomes down in the water column, now that I know what they are. I wonder if the mola mola feed on them as they do on jellyfish. The first picture is a blackfooted albatross, a magnificent bird with a 6 and a half foot wingspan.
The fork tailed storm petrel is not as spectacular, but I am amazed that such a small bird can roam the oceans and spend its life at sea.
I was pleased that I could get a recognizable picture of a blue shark.
While not a spectacular whale picture, you can see why whalers called them "humpbacks".
If spending the day offshore looking at what the ocean offers appeals to you, I recommend Westport Seabirds. Everyone involved was a professional with impressive credentials.
-Curt
- Albatross
- Storm Petrel
- Blue Shark
- Humpback
-Curt
