05.08.2018 – Anywhere, anytime
August 14, 2018
What does the Sperm Whale say?
August 16, 2018
It was hot today and moisture was in the air. These two factors have made visibility difficult for all tours. Unfortunately, we could not discover any marine mammals from land or from the boat during our morning trips. But there were many little “black souls” just above the surface of the sea. In Portuguese its name Alma Negra sounds poetic, but the English translation rather ominous for birds who sail and glide with a perfect elegance over the sea surface. Their English scientific name is Bulwer’s petrel (Bulweria bulwerii).
These little black birds are only 26-28cm tall and with their 70-130gr are true flyweights. These birds, which belong to the tube noses, are colony breeders who build their nests in small rock caves or rock walls. From April to August, everything revolves around the nest, but then it goes out into the world, the tropical and subtropical oceans are their destinations.
A little tip: listen at night very carefully, because then you should get to hear them from their breeding grounds. It should be a dull, hoarse, barking call, reminiscent of the sound of a steam locomotive.
In the evening tour we were lucky and saw besides these little black souls, a group of Atlantic Spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), who happily scrimmaged in the bow wave. Some did their very best in mating, so hopefully we will meet the results of this years effort in form of tiny little Atlantic Spotted dolphins. 🙂
by Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00no sightings
17:00Atlantic Spotted dolphins
Stenella
09:00no sightings
15:30Atlantic Spotted dolphins, Tropical whales
18:00Atlantic Spotted dolphins
