Whales
Whales and Dolphins
28/07/13 08:55 Filed in: Animal Kingdom
There was an amazing story with photos on the internet of a killer whale stalking and then eventually capturing a dolphin for the kill. The photos are amazing in detail. While I would not relish seeing such animalistic behavior, I would LOVE to be able to get photos that are so striking as these in this article.
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"Whales of Canso"
18/07/12 08:14 Filed in: Animal Kingdom
One of the biggest dilemmas of our trip was whether to take a day to go whale watching when it had not been one of our plans. Whale watching excursions are a big thing on Nova Scotia for tourists and many go out from Digby Neck at the tip. It sounded really fun especially after we heard Bob and Susan had gone out the day before on a Zodiac boat and got to see a whale calf playing up close to its mother.
Some of the issue was that it would take some planning to get there on time and have tickets. There was at least 2 ferries and about 50 miles to get to the boat. Bob and Susan said their boat had to go out a long ways, maybe 30 miles or so to find the whale pod where there was no sight of land at all around. Somewhat disconcerting. We also wanted to spend some time seeing the Acadian coastline toward Yarmouth. In the end, we did go wine tasting and saw the wonderful churches down the coast.
It was disappointing to pass on possibly seeing whales because I always seem to miss getting a glimpse. We have been whale watching over New Year’s time when they set up whale watching stations along the Oregon Coast. I think it is often serendipity to be able to see wildlife. You see them when they let you see them and when you least expect them. It was with total surprise and pleasure to see this group of whales frolic near the shore. What a show, and free at that!
Some of the issue was that it would take some planning to get there on time and have tickets. There was at least 2 ferries and about 50 miles to get to the boat. Bob and Susan said their boat had to go out a long ways, maybe 30 miles or so to find the whale pod where there was no sight of land at all around. Somewhat disconcerting. We also wanted to spend some time seeing the Acadian coastline toward Yarmouth. In the end, we did go wine tasting and saw the wonderful churches down the coast.
It was disappointing to pass on possibly seeing whales because I always seem to miss getting a glimpse. We have been whale watching over New Year’s time when they set up whale watching stations along the Oregon Coast. I think it is often serendipity to be able to see wildlife. You see them when they let you see them and when you least expect them. It was with total surprise and pleasure to see this group of whales frolic near the shore. What a show, and free at that!
Goodbye to Cape Breton and Nova Scotia
08/07/12 18:04 Filed in: Travel | Animal Kingdom
As I was writing the blog for last night, the fog quickly rolled in from the ocean and covered the surrounding area. It was eerie and I felt a bit like being in a scene from the movie, “The Fog” with Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh. “Stay away from the fog, don’t go into the fog!” It was still foggy in the morning though cleared up quickly away from Louisbourg. We headed off along the southern scenic shore of Bras d’Or Lake along Highway 4 to head to the PEI ferry. This lake is a huge saltwater lake that practically divides Cape Breton Island in half.
As we started across the Canso Causeway to leave Cape Breton Island, Bob looked to our right and noticed a large number of people along a short promontory jutting into the water of the Causeway. Bob started going “Oh My, Oh My”. What was capturing his attention and everyone else’s was a pod of 10 plus whales near the shore that were diving and playing in the water. We turned around as quick as we could do it safely and came back to that location. The following picture is one of several we got of some of the whales. We also got some video of them and the people watching. People were calling friends--“You have got to get over here to see this!”. Everyone was so excited and it was such a show, a free one at that. We felt the whales were giving us “The Wave” as they frolicked to say Goodbye to Cape Breton for us.
After this wondrous enjoyment, we headed again for our ferry. Our luck was not holding and we just missed it. So, we had to wait at the ferry terminal for the next one. It was a beautiful trip across the Northumberland Strait to PEI. We had music from two musicians and it was sunny and warm. We had heard great things about PEI and how beautiful it is. Red soil, white houses and fences, neat fields of potatoes, and green lawns. It all was true. It is a delightful area. The farming area reminds me at times of the rolling agricultural area between Stayton and Silverton, though with potatoes.
We have ended up staying the night in Charlottetown. Victoria Park near the harbour is beautiful and has a lovely walkway around the water.
As we started across the Canso Causeway to leave Cape Breton Island, Bob looked to our right and noticed a large number of people along a short promontory jutting into the water of the Causeway. Bob started going “Oh My, Oh My”. What was capturing his attention and everyone else’s was a pod of 10 plus whales near the shore that were diving and playing in the water. We turned around as quick as we could do it safely and came back to that location. The following picture is one of several we got of some of the whales. We also got some video of them and the people watching. People were calling friends--“You have got to get over here to see this!”. Everyone was so excited and it was such a show, a free one at that. We felt the whales were giving us “The Wave” as they frolicked to say Goodbye to Cape Breton for us.
After this wondrous enjoyment, we headed again for our ferry. Our luck was not holding and we just missed it. So, we had to wait at the ferry terminal for the next one. It was a beautiful trip across the Northumberland Strait to PEI. We had music from two musicians and it was sunny and warm. We had heard great things about PEI and how beautiful it is. Red soil, white houses and fences, neat fields of potatoes, and green lawns. It all was true. It is a delightful area. The farming area reminds me at times of the rolling agricultural area between Stayton and Silverton, though with potatoes.
We have ended up staying the night in Charlottetown. Victoria Park near the harbour is beautiful and has a lovely walkway around the water.
