10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Formerly a fishing town it’s economy is now geared towards tourism, particularly ecotourism. Thanks to it’s marine canyon it’s the place to see Sperm Whales, swim with Dusky Dolphins and New Zealand Fur-seals, and watch albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels. Sperm Whales are a huge draw, literally!

New Zealand 155

New Zealand Albatross Seals Fur 155

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

Two hours after getting off the boat after checking out Sperm Whales we were off again out to find some albatross. We also passed White-fronted Terns , one of which was being harrassed by an Arctic Skua (Parasitic Jaeger to Americans), which broke off its pursuit when a fish jumped out of the water right beside it.

Albatross 165

Albatross New Zealand Seals Fur 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. It does not include near-shore, coastal species, like Brown Pelican, Elegant Tern, and Harbor Seal. We saw two Blue Whales on our trip, quickly identified by the boat’s crew.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

I remember way back in that same year commissioning the services of an active sport fishing boat to head out into the ‘deep’, 30 miles beyond the lighthouse at Cape Point itself, in search of a working trawler, in the hope of adding a suite of pelagic sightings to my expanding ‘life list’ of Southern African birds.

Albatross 177

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2013

What put this once small fishing town on the map was not birds but mammals, specifically whales and dolphins. The reason Kaikoura is such a great place to see albatrosses and whales is one and the same, and the same reason indeed that Monterrey in California is a great place to watch whales and albatross.

Whales 196

Whales Whaling Albatross New Zealand 196

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it. Who can resist penguins and whales?

Georgia 172

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 172