2013 06-14 SB Channel
Surface lunge feeding humpback whales; common dolphins; a bald eagle...lots of thrillTwo humpback whales were observed gobbling down schools of anchovies with their surface lunge feeding again today. This is always dramatic. A whale we saw 2 years ago and nicknamed “Moustachio” was one of them. This whale has a very peculiar way of lunge feeding that involves between a 45 and 90 degree body angle breaking the water, mouth open. This involves mostly just the head region, and the the head is forced down almost like it was slapping its chin. Upon closer inspection we learned that Moustachio has very damaged baleen in the front, that causes the fibers to bend out of the mouth, and gives the appearance of a moustache. In reality, it ay be that Moustachio tried to chomp down on something large and solid, which permanently bent its baleen…hence the odd feeding method. John Calamobkidis checked the Cascadia database and has identified this whale as CRC ID 10904. "It has been seen going back to 1995 mostly off S California but also up to northern California. Damaged baleen apparent in the 2011 photos but earlier photos do not show enough to tell condition."
The common dolphins were with us all day, numbers were hard to estimate, but let’s call it 3,000+.
"Moustachio," one of the feeding humpbacks that has damaged baleen was last photographed off the coast of Ventura.
http://www.condorexpressphotos.com/Other/2011-10-30-SB-Channel
..and seen a few days after today
http://www.condorexpressphotos.com/Other/2013-06-17-SB-Channel
Read MoreThe common dolphins were with us all day, numbers were hard to estimate, but let’s call it 3,000+.
"Moustachio," one of the feeding humpbacks that has damaged baleen was last photographed off the coast of Ventura.
http://www.condorexpressphotos.com/Other/2011-10-30-SB-Channel
..and seen a few days after today
http://www.condorexpressphotos.com/Other/2013-06-17-SB-Channel
Why do the sea birds always seem to rest on the white rocks? Brandt's cormorants (Phalocrocorax penicillatus) on Santa Cruz Island.
Phalocrocoraxpenicillatuswhiterockyledge2013StaCruzIsland002