A dolphin happy twenty-twenty

Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) chasing preys followed by Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis).

 

Happy 2020 whale-watchers!

We did not have to wait much in this new year to get out there on the Atlantic Ocean. Even though the swell was still quite impressive reaching up almost 3 meters, sun is shining on our island.

Not too far from our shores we encountered several groups of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) feeding surrounded by Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis). Incredibly there were also some Cory’s Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) joining the feeding frenzy. The majority of them should be already in the Southern Atlantic wintering grounds and will come back in February-March.

 

 

Later we moved West to spend some time with a large group of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The pod was busy foraging and Yellow-legged Gulls were taking advantage of the fish spoils left behind by the dolphins. It was nice to see again this ‘resident’ species after a month without encountering them!

 

 

A large adult Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with a very distinctive dorsal fin. Males can reach almost four meters in length and weigh around 600 kilograms!

 

Cannot wait to see what this twenty-twenty will bring in our waters!

Lorenzo Fiori

About Lorenzo Fiori

Lorenzo is Main Guide and Technical & Scientific Director at TERRA AZUL. He is originally from Italy, holds a PhD about behavioral responses of humpback whales to swim-with-whales tourism activities in Tonga.