Azores Common Dolphins (part 2)

Finally managed to upload some more photos of the fabulous Common Dolphins seen off the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. Hope you enjoy looking at them.

 

 

 

 

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Common Dolphins in the Azores (part1)

Common Dolphin is such an undistinguished name for what is a truly fabulous animal. The Common Dolphins in the Azores are the Short-beaked species and they are engaging, delightfully agile, and downright beautiful animals. I hope these photos from my recent trip manage to capture some of their beauty.

 

 

 

 

Azores Common Dolphins

I spent last week on the beautiful (very beautiful!) island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. I took lots of photos on a number of dolphin-watching trips with a company called Futurismo. I can recommend these trips for obtaining fabulous views of a number of dolphin species. I haven't processed any of the hundreds of photos that I took but here is a short video of Common Dolphins. It is a compilation of a few trips on a catamaran and one trip where I got to swim with Common Dolphins! What can I say but sheer magic!

Bay of Biscay

Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of whale-watching from ferries travelling across the Bay of Biscay. This region has an abundance of marine wildlife and there is a real sense of anticipation as you scan the open sea from the deck not knowing what might appear close to the ship; from the mighty Blue Whale down to the tiny Storm Petrel.The wildlife here is not easy to photograph though. Firstly, because views of animals such as whales and dolphins can be fleeting to say the least. And secondly, the deck of ships such as the Pride of Bilbao are about 100ft above the sea. Nevertheless, here are a few shots from recent voyages.

Fin Whale, second largest animal on the planet.

Common Dolphins occasionally appear in pods numbering in
the  hundreds.

A beautiful Common Dolphin riding the bow wave of the Pride
of Bilbao.

A Cuvier's Beaked Whale logging just below the surface. Note
the scarring on the body. The males of this species are thought
to use their tusks when fighting.

Common Dolphin.

Fin Whale showing the remnants of its "blow". Also note this
species has an asymmetrically coloured jaw, the lower left
being dark and the right is white.