22.101.2019 – Rainbow dolphins and the Russians

Maybe you know the legend that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Well, Madeira is currently the island of rainbows! And of course, it takes two ingredients! Rain and sun. Filipe, our captain on the Ribeira Brava, kept us in the best of the rain today! Thank you, Filipe! And there was also a small, full rainbow gold pot this morning on the sea. And what was in the potty? Many, many, many beautiful Rainbow – Spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis)! And the best thing about it? The dolphins found us !! And what was especially great? Yes, all the bow wave riding and being with us – was absolutely voluntary !! So what is much better than gold? Exactly, such a great experience!

Our sightings on the morning tour started even before we left the harbor. Do you remember, dear guests? A group of geese drifted quite relaxed in front of the harbor exit. It has been found that this was Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis), which was at least formerly found only on the Russian Arctic coast. Meanwhile also to be found in the Baltic region. In autumn they migrate south from the Arctic breeding areas to Central Europe. Even during the migration, these birds communicate constantly. Their contact call seems to sound a little bit like a dog barking. Incidentally, this is only the second documented sighting of Barnacle geese here in Madeira. What a highlight!

The afternoon was also quite wavy, probably already the preparation for the next days? But despite everything, we had another great tour! This time there were some Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), who were in their favorite company, the Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). Everyone used the wave to move north-west. There were some incredibly close encounters with these wonderful Pilot Whales! In a very different way, a really great experience!

Lobosonda is on the ocean with its guests watching marine mammals, but in everything we do, it must always be remembered that we can not control the animals. So often these animals give us such great experiences and all that voluntarily! For that reason, the heart can be touched!

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Atlantic Spotted dolphins

Stenella

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales