RED WATERS, THIN WHALES, FEWER BIRDS, AMAZING SIGHTINGS, WIND FREE DAYS!
These are some of the things that marked a dynamic week on this rich sea. Phytoplankton is blooming here is masses we have never seen before, turning the waters red for miles on end. 20 miles here and 30 there and still the waters are red in patches. Is this natural or an artificial bloom caused by human activity? Why are there many fewer birds this year? Why did so many whales representing different species arrive here thin this year? Why is the krill so thick and the surface feeding so amazing when these other things look unbalanced? Why are the same Blue whales sticking around for so long and so few new ones arriving or replacing these 2016 regulars?
We see marlin early this year. We see seaweed which is a sign of winter ending a bit early this year. The first Shearwaters were this week and few have been the Storm Petrels. We see more cloud free days that usual this year. We could take all these signs as a warning that this weeks blog images will not be varied or impressive. However the week was incredible, one of the finer ones seen here in some years. We had feared the winds in this El Nino year but they have been kind to us so far. Questions can be asked but for now not answered. The place is rich in it’s own special way and needs to be experienced each and every precious week. We saw 25 Orcas this week and that alone thrilled us all beyond everything else we observed.
The images below are for all to enjoy as we prepare for Week 5. They as usual are the stars of the blog.
