Calm spring days with dolphins

This is the time of the year in the Azores that the weather starts to calm down, with fewer storms and calmer and warmer waters in general. When you're lucky, occasionally you get some days that look more like the middle of summer, rather than spring. These glassy waters are amazing for seeing dolphins in:

Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) in perfect calm water

"Dark edition" common dolphin, lacking the characteristic yellow colour

Pilot whale (Globicephala sp.)

A calm day on the ocean in the Azores

My best blue whale tails in the Azores

Every year in the spring, blue whales migrate through the Azores. I feel very lucky to have seen many blue whales, but I still often think that many people never have the chance to see even one of these majestic giants in their lifetime. 2012 was by far the best year for blue whale sightings, with a record peak seen in March. This was also the year that I got to see the best tail moments. I noticed over the years that there were blue whale "tail years" and "no tail years". This is probably related to the depth that their food (krill) is at. 

The highest blue whale tail I ever saw!

Sleek and silvery in the spring sun light

Blue whale head

A giant whale waterfall

A balmy winter of whale and dolphin watching

The winter of 2011/12 was a particularly good one in terms on weather and sightings in the Azores. The Atlantic spotted dolphins in particular seemed to enjoy the Azorean waters for longer than usual. We encountered them until February 3rd, when they normally head for more equatorial waters in November/December. 

Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)

Sperm whale head (Physeter macrocephalus)

Two sperm whales

Silver scabbardfish

Portuguese man-o-war feeding on two fish 

Tropical forest butterflies

Besides marine life and birds, I also love to photograph butterflies and any wildlife in general. The following examples aren't truly wild animals, as they were in an indoor tropical forest. However, it was a nice place to practice my photography skills and the result was some of my first butterfly photos to start off my collection.

Paper kite butterfly (Idea leuconoe)

Paper kite butterfly (Idea leuconoe)

Emerald swallowtail (Papilio palinurus)

Lime swallowtail butterfly (Papilio demoleus)

Paper kite butterfly (Idea leuconoe)

New Zealand gecko (Naultinus sp.)

Summer in the Azores

Today I'm dreaming of bright sunny days, reflecting back on some of the cetacean sightings I had in the Azores on such summery trips out on the water... 

Atlantic spotted dolphin

Atlantic spotted dolphins

Atlantic spotted dolphins

Pilot whale

Sperm whale tail

Sperm whales

Azores - a home away from home

Around this time 10 years ago I was making final arrangements to move to the Azores. I had almost no idea what awaited me on the island that would become my home for more than 9 years. Perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises was that the lush volcanic islands look like a small version of New Zealand. Almost all plants grow well in the Azores, and the endemic species of ferns and Pōhutakawa are no exception. São Miguel Island, often referred to as the Green Island was like a home away from home.

Fern frond

Madeiran wall lizard (Teira dugesii)

Springing into spring

After a brief visit to New Zealand, it was nice to be back in the Azores, just in time for spring. This is the time of the year when a spring bloom occurs, and life in the oceans increases in general. It's the best time of the year to see the most species of cetaceans, especially the migratory baleen whales such as the beautiful humpback featured in the majority of the photos below. 2011 was one of our best years on record to see humpback whales!

Extreme closeup - Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) pectoral fin as it breaching close to the boat

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in a flat calm ocean

Male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) going on a dive