26.06.2017 – Now she is here
July 12, 2017
28.06.2017 – A beautiful start with a sobering experience
July 14, 2017
On the Stenella morning tour, we quickly found our first animals. Lucky we were, also because we had a guest on board celebrating her birthday. A school of hunting Common dolphins, which were covered under a big flock of Corys Shearwater. Also they were hungry and must eat enough in order to feed their chicks, which wait for the returning parents (on Madeira, Shearwater breed in the cliffs) for food supply. In the last couple of days, feeding conditions seems to be good off the coast of Calheta. Is this the reason for the abundance of big schools of dolphins, with over 50 up to hundreds of animals? Dolphins are similar to other marine animals busy during a big part of their days, searching for food. Estimations say that 20 years ago, there were around 6 times higher fish numbers in the Ocean. So it’s not that easy to find enough food today, especially for those animals, which are on the top of the marine food web.
by Astrid Haas
Sightings of the day:
Stenella
09.00: Common dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins
Ribeira Brava
13.30: Common dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins
