10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2013

What put this once small fishing town on the map was not birds but mammals, specifically whales and dolphins. The reason Kaikoura is such a great place to see albatrosses and whales is one and the same, and the same reason indeed that Monterrey in California is a great place to watch whales and albatross.

Whales 257

Whales Whaling Albatross New Zealand 257

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2011

It is much stranger and illustrative of the ways of evolution to point out that whales are a form of “hoofed animal&# (unlikely but true). It is much more interesting to consider the fact that some (actually, many) dinosaurs were bird-like, and of course, this similarity had to do with their common ancestry.

Birds 271

Birds Marsupials Primates Whales 271

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Add to this regular sightings of Humpback and Southern Right Whale, inside and outside the bay, as well as year round sightings of Bryde’s Whale and occasional summer reports of Orca in pursuit of dolphin off Cape Point, and you have some idea as to what to expect in the way of the ‘unexpected’.

Albatross 241

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 241

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.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Porpoises Whaling Whales 162