2014 09-11 SB Channel

Spectacular !

Blue sky, blue water. A light breeze and light chop. Warm and sunny. As we approached our first whale encounter in the northeastern Santa Barbara Channel, I knew we were getting close by the smell. Lingering on the breeze was the characteristic “Essence d’Humpback” (not sold in stores). Sure enough it was that large female humpback and her white-on-both-sides calf…the same calf I called the “Energizer Bunny” last week when it breached for an hour and a half non stop. And if anything can annoy a juvenile humpback whale and fire up its batteries, it’s a large pack of pesky California sea lions. There was a gang of sea lions with over 50+ animals strong that were following the humpbacks, diving down together and surfacing together. The furry brown pinnipeds were no doubt feeding on the same abundant northern anchovy schools as the cetaceans. So as if on queue, the Energizer Bunny gave its fan club on the Condor Express quite a show with at least 22+ tail throws and lob tails which we all assumed was to fend off the sea lion troop. (to show mercy, I've only included a select few of the best tail throw photos below). Mom slammed her big tail flukes once too, and then another where her tail fluke vibrated up and down and had you mesmerized. Later the calf would add rolling around and pectoral fin slapping to its performance, and at one point, later in the day. Speaking of northern anchovies and food for all the predators (black vented shearwaters, elegant terns, sea lions, Brandt’s cormorants, Heermann’s gulls, western gulls, Minke whales and long-beaked common dolphins) there were several large schools evident on the surface today as they leaped in unison to escape whatever it was attacking them from below. This is a good sign that our Fall season is shaping up to be a good one with abundant bait on the surface to entice all sorts of feeding behavior from the humpback throngs.

- - - -

Humpback tail throw - very close to boat
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-045
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 045
A leaping long beaked common dolphin.
Delphinus capensis 2014 09-11 SB Channel-009
Delphinus capensis 2014 Channel 009
A friendly and highly vocal elegant tern
Sterna elegans in flight CLOSE 2014 09-11 SB Channel-002
Sterna elegans flight CLOSE 2014 Channel 002
Humpback tail throw - it's mom and her calf is getting ready to join the fun
Megaptera novaeangliae cow & calf & tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-476
Megaptera novaeangliae cow calf tail throw 2014 Channel 476
Leaping long beaked common dolphin.
Delphinus capensis 2014 09-11 SB Channel-015
Delphinus capensis 2014 Channel 015
A California sea lion comes over to keep an eye on the camera
Zalophus californianus 2014 09-11 SB Channel-z-001
Zalophus californianus 2014 Channel 001
Humpback tail throw - lots of water being lifted at this stage
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-001
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 001
Leaping long beaked common dolphin
Delphinus capensis 2014 09-11 SB Channel-008
Delphinus capensis 2014 Channel 008
Humpback tail throw - going sideways
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-003
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 003
A long beaked common dolphin races across the waves
Delphinus capensis 2014 09-11 SB Channel-030
Delphinus capensis 2014 Channel 030
The gang is all here
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 09-11 SB Channel-017
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 Channel 017
Humpback tail throw - this is the juvenile whale
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-007
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 007
White pectorals waving high
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-L-028
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 028
Humpback tail throw - the calf is going strong and its mother's tail can be seen in the backgound
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-006
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 006
California sea lions - just a small segment of the mob
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 09-11 SB Channel-b-003
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 Channel 003
Spray flies as a long pectoral fin aims for the surface of the water
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-L-048
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 048
Humpback tail throw - caught in mid air, the "rake" scars from an Orca attack can be seen on this juvenile's white tail
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-012
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 012
Humpback tail throw
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-002
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 002
Humpback tail throw - surfin' USA - splash pattern looks like a breaking wave
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-009
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 009
California sea lions mob a humpback whale
Zalophus californianus mob & Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-007
Zalophus californianus mob Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 007
Tail throw from the juvenile - more or less straight up and down
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-017
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 017
Humpback juvenile - tail throw with good arch (a black vented shearwater flies to escape)
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-030
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 030
California sea lions mob a humpback whale
Zalophus californianus mob & Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-023
Zalophus californianus mob Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 023
California sea lion mob - with Brandt's cormorants
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 09-11 SB Channel-010
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 Channel 010
A mini-tail throw from the juvenile humpback creates an interesting spray pattern
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-070
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw 2014 Channel 070
A friendly California sea lion approaches the boat to not miss anything
Zalophus californianus on water 2014 09-11 SB Channel-j-012
Zalophus californianus water 2014 Channel 012
Double tail flukes in action - humpback mother (back) and her calf (front)
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw TWO 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-008
Megaptera novaeangliae tail throw TWO 2014 Channel 008
Brandt's cormorants find themselves very close to the mother humpback and her calf
Megaptera novaeangliae & Phalocrocorax 2014 09-11 SB Channel-007
Megaptera novaeangliae Phalocrocorax 2014 Channel 007
Humpback whale spout in the afternoon breeze - Santa Barbara Channel
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-L-001
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 001
A smoke trail is left as a humpback whale heads into the wind
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-L-018
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 018
Pectoral fin waterfall
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-L-059
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 059
Humpback whale calf pushes a nice bow wave ahead of itself
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-L-094
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 094
Here it comes ! A humpback makes a friendly close approach and shows us its knobby rostrum
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-013
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 013
A very close look at the humpback calf on its side with left pectoral waving at you
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-023
Megaptera novaeangliae 2014 Channel 023
Humpback calf upside down - pectoral fins white on top and bottom (black vented shearwaters sit nearby)
Megaptera novaeangliae upside down pectoral in air 2014 09-11 SB Channel-020
Megaptera novaeangliae upside down pectoral air 2014 Channel 020
A people watching trip - California sea lion mob comes over to the boat for a look
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 09-11 SB Channel-a-016
Zalophus californianus mob 2014 Channel 016
Image 1 of 2 - Minke whale with a "chip" missing from dorsal fin tip
Balaenoptera acutorostrata 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-002
Balaenoptera acutorostrata 2014 Channel 002
Image 2 of 2 - Minke whale with a "chip" missing from dorsal fin tip
Balaenoptera acutorostrata 2014 09-11 SB Channel-x-005
Balaenoptera acutorostrata 2014 Channel 005
A small pocket of northern anchovies leap out of the water to escape predators below
Engraulis mordax jumping & passengers 2014 09-11 SB Channel-a-003
Engraulis mordax jumping passengers 2014 Channel 003
Northern anchovies leap out of the water to escape predators below as an elegant tern attacks from above
Engraulis mordax leaping out of water 2014 09-11 SB Channel-002
Engraulis mordax leaping out water 2014 Channel 002
Image 1 of 2: a Black-vented shearwater sits on the water
Puffinus opisthomelas on water 2014 09-11 SB Channel-b-001
Puffinus opisthomelas water 2014 Channel 001
Image 2 of 2: a Black-vented shearwater sits on the water
Puffinus opisthomelas ONE surface behavior 2014 09-11 SB Channel-010
Puffinus opisthomelas ONE surface behavior 2014 Channel 010

Please click on the image above to be transported to my NATURAL PHOTOGRAPHICS stock images website.

2014 09-11 SB Channel

Location of today's photographs from camera GPS