10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

And then there are the crazy-awesome Dippers and one should not forget the great diving birds like Gannets and Albatrosses. Looking through some of my photos from my last trip to Thailand, I got to wondering what birds the various fish and creatures would be if they were feathered.

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Sharks Thailand Dolphins Whales 221

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. Tail, fin, blow, and back for whales; fin, back, leaping whole body, and tail splashes for dolphins and porpoises. We saw two Blue Whales on our trip, quickly identified by the boat’s crew.

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Dolphins Porpoises Whales Whaling 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

Rats had previously preyed on eggs and young of practically every defenseless seabird on the island, and had taken to even attacking adult albatross as they sat on their nests. Albatross chicks will no longer have to endure slowly getting eaten alive, unlike this poor bird.

Animal Rights Movement 237

Animal Rights Movement Animal Rights Wildlife Rights 237

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

Yes, the same Kaikoura I keep banging on about that is a great place to see albatrosses. But mostly it was that I had swam with dolphins a bunch of times already, usually in crystal clear tropical waters, and money was a bit tight after seeing sperm whales and albatrosses, so I decided to enjoy the Hector’s Dolphins from the boat.

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Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

In Hawaii I stood on a beach as albatrosses fledged and Tiger Sharks prowled for the less successful ones. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. This Laysan Albatross died from ingested plastic. In the Bahamas I swam in a pod of feeding dolphins. I still have that marker.

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Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The boat is called the Legacy and it is an 80 foot whale watching vessel that generally seats 115, but takes about 70 for birding trips. My recollection of prior trips is that we used relatively small fishing boats and had 20-25 birders, plus the leaders. This was much larger.

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San Diego Los Angeles Cooking North Carolina 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

At sea there are also New Zealand Sea Lions and Southern Right Whales. Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike) Dunedin You don’t have to go very far to see spectacular seabirds in this southern city, the adjoining Otago Peninsula is home to the only mainland colony of albatrosses in the world.

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New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Fur 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2014

Albatrosses. Then I got tired and lied down and when I woke up two hours, a Bridled Tern , a Minke Whale , and a Loggerhead Sea Turtle had went by. Red Phalarope – The last phalarope for me to see, this bird was a long shot as it was a bit too early to expect one. I could dream though! European Storm-Petrel. It was awesome.

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New York Sea Turtles Whales Whaling 183

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds. Extreme rarities, such as Yellow-nosed Albatross are excluded. It is a challenging activity. No rails or gallinules. There are Eiders, King and Common.

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Ducks Groups North America North Dakota 246

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

It was somewhere after the Cassin’s Auklets and before the Black-footed Albatrosses that I realized I was doomed to be seasick no matter how many meds and ginger chews I ingest (and, no, the patch doesn’t work either). But, I saw the bird! I even managed to get a single photo. (9) 9) Cory’s Shearwater.

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2016 India Ducks Costa Rica 123

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2017

Black-footed Albatross : The most common albatross off the west coast, virtually all of the world’s Black-footed Albatross also breed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, on the same islands as the Laysan Albatross on Hawaiian Islands NWR and Midway Atoll NWR.

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Albatross Hawaii Puerto Rico Chile 146

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2012

Along with Humpback Whales you have the chance of seeing Antipodean Albatrosses , Wilson’s Storm-petrels and Providence Petrels. Antipodean Albatross ( Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni ) off the continental shelf. Monthly pelagic trips leave from the city, and the nearby town of Wollongong, out to the continental shelf.

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Australia Albatross Pelicans Parrots 169

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

But what I have long wanted to do is get out on a boat in California, the fabled land of albatrosses, murrelets, and auklets. I’ve been on a whale-watching trip in Orange County , twice gone out to Santa Cruz Island , and even visited Protection Island off the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Black-footed Albatross (LIFER!!!!!!)

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Whaling Whales Albatross Sea Lions 123