Another amazing day on the waters off Vila Franca do Campo!
Morning started really well with the first Terra Azul sighting of Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) of the year :). The group was slowly travelling not far from our Marina and included five adults and a calf. If you wish to have more information about these amazing dolphin species check our recent post here!
Then we steamed on a glassy Ocean to the South-East. After half an hour at cruise speed one first blow, then another, then more … It really looked like being in the middle of a highway of whales! We identified six Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and one Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Also today we encountered a mother and her calf but this time they were not the same as yesterday. Check and compare the fins yourself 😉
The Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mother-calf pair encountered by Terra Azul this morning (Mum in the front, calf in the back).
The Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mother sighted yesterday morning by our boat: a big notch is evident on the whale fin.
On our way back to Vila Franca the surprises were not over: a large pod of Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) put up an aerial show with several individuals performing simultaneous high jumps, and an even larger group of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) was resting in company of Cory’s Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) not far from the shore.
We finally reached the Ilheu where we could observe some of the nesting pairs of Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) resting on the rocks.
Common Tern/ Sterna hirundo
