Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 20, 2011 22:05:33 GMT -5
Here’s another one of those adventures that doesn’t involve rock, but hopefully a few of the nature lovers will enjoy this post. One of the most memorable $50 I ever spent was on a bout tour around the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. Here’s why …
Most of us have endured the savagery of being engulfed in a swarm of black flies or mosquitoes. The bugs seem bigger than normal out this way. Actually, the birds are as thick as flies.
Photo 1 – Thick as Flies
The birds within the ecological reserve are true sea birds. That is, they spend their entire lives at sea and only return to land for breeding. If you can correctly identify the number of birds in this photo, I will send you a rock. LOL!
Photo 2 – Where the world is Waldo?
The breeding island is shared by Kittiwakes, Common Murres, Razorbills, and Puffins.
Photo 3 – Kittiwakes
Photo 4 – Kittiwakes
Common Murres are a little like penguins blessed with flight. They are effective underwater swimmers in pursuit of a seafood dinner. There more formally dressed with their Black Tie tuxedo appearance than the Kittiwakes in their grey fleece sweats and much more conservatively than the Puffins.
Photo 5 – Common Murres
Photo 6 – Common Murres and Razorbills
Puffins live about 25 years. When the nestlings leave the rock, they will remain at sea for 3 years until they reach Puffin puberty. The singles strut their stuff on the rocks below the nesting grounds in the hope of attracting a mate.
Photo 7 – A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Photo 8 – What’s He Got That I Don’t Got?
Puffins are a little like a bumble bee in that they are only marginally flight worthy. If a Puffin were to land on level ground, it would be a goner. Puffins can take off from water with the assistance on a few skips along the way. Puffins can also launch themselves from the cliff face and hopefully pull out of the dive before hitting bottom.
Photo 9 – Ready for Take Off
Puffins nest in 2 room borrows on the grassy hills above the cliff face. One room for incubating the egg and rearing the chick and the other room for the latrine.
Photo 10 – Nest Sites
The highlight of the boat tour was the Humpbacks. The site of these definitely makes the heart beat a little faster. The Humpbacks return every summer to gorge on as much Capelin as they can scoop from the sea. These whales are about 50 feet long and weigh between 30 to 50 tons. About the size of a bus chasing fish.
Photo 11 – Dorsal Fin of Humpback
Humpbacks are baleen whales. They are seasonal feeders that gulp small fish, krill, and plankton capturing them in their baleen while flushing the water out. These whales are feeding on the same Capelin that draws the birds to the breeding colony. Humpbacks feed twice a day and eat about 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of fish per day. Humpbacks cooperatively school and concentrate fish then dive and gulp. You can see a little mist in the air from the last blow.
Photo 12 – Double Vision
Humpbacks have 2 blowholes. They can blow a double steam of mist 10 to 12 feet into the air.
Photo 13 – D’ar She Blows!
The whale tail on a humpback is called the fluke. To capture an in focus photo on a bobbing boat of a fluke is just that, a fluke. After a deep dive of several minutes, you can only guess when and how far away they will surface.
Photo 14 – Whale Tale
Photo 15 – A Fluke is a Fluke!
Most of us have endured the savagery of being engulfed in a swarm of black flies or mosquitoes. The bugs seem bigger than normal out this way. Actually, the birds are as thick as flies.
Photo 1 – Thick as Flies
The birds within the ecological reserve are true sea birds. That is, they spend their entire lives at sea and only return to land for breeding. If you can correctly identify the number of birds in this photo, I will send you a rock. LOL!
Photo 2 – Where the world is Waldo?
The breeding island is shared by Kittiwakes, Common Murres, Razorbills, and Puffins.
Photo 3 – Kittiwakes
Photo 4 – Kittiwakes
Common Murres are a little like penguins blessed with flight. They are effective underwater swimmers in pursuit of a seafood dinner. There more formally dressed with their Black Tie tuxedo appearance than the Kittiwakes in their grey fleece sweats and much more conservatively than the Puffins.
Photo 5 – Common Murres
Photo 6 – Common Murres and Razorbills
Puffins live about 25 years. When the nestlings leave the rock, they will remain at sea for 3 years until they reach Puffin puberty. The singles strut their stuff on the rocks below the nesting grounds in the hope of attracting a mate.
Photo 7 – A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Photo 8 – What’s He Got That I Don’t Got?
Puffins are a little like a bumble bee in that they are only marginally flight worthy. If a Puffin were to land on level ground, it would be a goner. Puffins can take off from water with the assistance on a few skips along the way. Puffins can also launch themselves from the cliff face and hopefully pull out of the dive before hitting bottom.
Photo 9 – Ready for Take Off
Puffins nest in 2 room borrows on the grassy hills above the cliff face. One room for incubating the egg and rearing the chick and the other room for the latrine.
Photo 10 – Nest Sites
The highlight of the boat tour was the Humpbacks. The site of these definitely makes the heart beat a little faster. The Humpbacks return every summer to gorge on as much Capelin as they can scoop from the sea. These whales are about 50 feet long and weigh between 30 to 50 tons. About the size of a bus chasing fish.
Photo 11 – Dorsal Fin of Humpback
Humpbacks are baleen whales. They are seasonal feeders that gulp small fish, krill, and plankton capturing them in their baleen while flushing the water out. These whales are feeding on the same Capelin that draws the birds to the breeding colony. Humpbacks feed twice a day and eat about 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of fish per day. Humpbacks cooperatively school and concentrate fish then dive and gulp. You can see a little mist in the air from the last blow.
Photo 12 – Double Vision
Humpbacks have 2 blowholes. They can blow a double steam of mist 10 to 12 feet into the air.
Photo 13 – D’ar She Blows!
The whale tail on a humpback is called the fluke. To capture an in focus photo on a bobbing boat of a fluke is just that, a fluke. After a deep dive of several minutes, you can only guess when and how far away they will surface.
Photo 14 – Whale Tale
Photo 15 – A Fluke is a Fluke!
