2014 08-21 SB Channel
A great day in the land of the mammals.
It was all about long beaked common dolphins everywhere we roamed around the northeast Santa Barbara Channel. Captain Dave estimated well over 3,000, and there were scads of little calves in the mix. One was so small Dave commented that it was about the same size as the black vented shearwaters that were buzzing around the herds. At least a dozen Minke whales were also seen in this region.
So after watching these mammals mixed with a lot of California sea lions, on a sunny clear day without a hint of stratus, it was 2nd Captain Eric's sharp eyes (and binoculars) that eventually put us on the humpback whales. We watched 3 humpbacks today and had great looks at the two Eric spotted. In fact one of the two surfaced within a few yards of the Condor Express on two separate occasions and, after the initial shock, gave extremely close looks to all the whale fans on board.
One very curious behavior can be seen in the humpback whale photographs below. When the friendly whale (Top Notch) surfaced near the boat on two occasions, it had a stream of muddy water that appeared to be ejected from the sides of its mouth. It was similar to what we see when gray whales rise up after bottom feeding. (Jason on the Stardust sportfishing boat insists that all the anchovies are near the bottom right now). I don't know if anyone has recorded this behavior in the past.
Is this a great time for Fall weather and local mammals wonderful or what !
- - - -
Read MoreIt was all about long beaked common dolphins everywhere we roamed around the northeast Santa Barbara Channel. Captain Dave estimated well over 3,000, and there were scads of little calves in the mix. One was so small Dave commented that it was about the same size as the black vented shearwaters that were buzzing around the herds. At least a dozen Minke whales were also seen in this region.
So after watching these mammals mixed with a lot of California sea lions, on a sunny clear day without a hint of stratus, it was 2nd Captain Eric's sharp eyes (and binoculars) that eventually put us on the humpback whales. We watched 3 humpbacks today and had great looks at the two Eric spotted. In fact one of the two surfaced within a few yards of the Condor Express on two separate occasions and, after the initial shock, gave extremely close looks to all the whale fans on board.
One very curious behavior can be seen in the humpback whale photographs below. When the friendly whale (Top Notch) surfaced near the boat on two occasions, it had a stream of muddy water that appeared to be ejected from the sides of its mouth. It was similar to what we see when gray whales rise up after bottom feeding. (Jason on the Stardust sportfishing boat insists that all the anchovies are near the bottom right now). I don't know if anyone has recorded this behavior in the past.
Is this a great time for Fall weather and local mammals wonderful or what !
- - - -