04.04.2026 – Terns
April 10, 2026
Toothed whales vs. Baleen whales
April 13, 2026
Our crew was prepping for harsh contain s out at sea this morning; the impending northwest wind was not going to make it easy to find animals out on the Atlantic Ocean. Thankfully, our clients were used to some choppier sea conditions and eager to head out and, after leaving the marina, the spotter soon called with information. Silviano had spotted a large group of birds circling an area and suspected that it could be a feeding situatio involving cetaceans and, naturally, our team headed straight to the site.
The area was teeming with Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) and Cory’ Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis), that were circling through the air and gliding above the windy waters. Both species of marine birds rely significantly on their sense of smell and are especially attracted to plumes of dimehtylsulfide, or DMS, a chemical that is released by phytoplankton when they are fed on by zooplankton. It represents the first stage of a feeding situation so the birds are often the first predators to arrive and then wait for the the dolphins to conveniently corral the fish at the surface.
Lo and behold, a pod of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) emerged at the scene, dashing elegantly after their prey in a coordinated pursuit. It was a joy to have such an action-packed sighting on this difficult day and our clients were thrilled!
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Stenella
09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins
