A couple of Azorean land birds

Two delightful bird species that can be seen in the Azores - the European robin with its bright orange breast, and the inquisitive chaffinch that will often approach close to people.

 

A mix of marine mammals

Off the Azores islands, a variety of marine mammals can be seen. Particularly in the spring, which is the time that the largest number of species can be seen. Following is a small selection of this marine mammal mix, starting with a very rare visitor to the region: 

 

 Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) - a very rare visitor to the Azores

 Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

 Fin whale (Baleanoptera physalus)

 Blue whale (Baleanoptera musculus)

 Sei whale (Baleanoptera borealis)

 Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)

Last but definitely not least - a beautiful common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Meet the false killer whale

Now here's a species you don't see every day. In fact most people have never heard of them. They are false killer whales, and just like  killer whales, or orca, they actually belong to the dolphin family. These sleek animals always make me think of black bullets shooting out of the water.

São Miguel in the winter light

I love the soft and colours of the light in the winter. Especially the glowing pastels at the end of the day as the sun is low in the sky in the late afternoon.

Leaping dolphins!

One of the most amazing displays in nature - large oceanic bottlenose dolphins leaping several metres into the air. These acrobatic synchronised leaps and are performed in relation to courtship behaviour. What a treat to see these big males showing off!

Rainbows over the Azores islands

The Azores Islands - land of the rainbows...

Fire in the sky - Mosteiros sunset

This evening the sky off the coast of Mosteiros seemed to be on fire!