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 164

New Zealand Albatross Seals Fur 164

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 166

Albatross New Zealand Seals Fur 166

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. An additional, five-page chapter touches on Other Sea Life–Fish, Sea Turtles, Jellyfish and Krill, Kelp, and Landbirds (the possibility of an exhausted migrating bird landing on the boat.).

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 189

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 189

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2011

It is much stranger and illustrative of the ways of evolution to point out that whales are a form of “hoofed animal&# (unlikely but true). Also, there are reasons why statements like this are scientifically incorrect even if there is ‘some truth’ to them.

Birds 271

Birds Primates Marsupials Whales 271

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 211

Whales Whaling Albatross New Zealand 211

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate. A Grateful Whale. Dog and Fish: Improbable Friends.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100