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Ocean Wild Things

What Humpback Whales Can Teach Us About Compassion

June 18, 2018 by Emily Folk Leave a Comment

Research and observations have discovered that animals might have compassion. Our world is a complicated and strange place. When we humans think we’ve learned all we can about the planet, something new and amazing emerges to challenge our thinking and give us deeper insight into this place we call home. Understanding nature helps us understand… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: baleen, breaching, compassion, humpback whale, intelligence, science, whale, whales, wildlife

Whale watching wonder – enjoying the experience!

October 4, 2015 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Yesterday I went whale watching for the first time in ages and couldn’t believe I had let so many months slip by since the last time. There’s just nothing like it, the anticipation of what you might see, the fresh ocean air and the wind on your face all makes for a magical combination. My… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: Harbor Breeze Cruises, humpback whale, nature photography, photography, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Always ask naturalists questions

February 21, 2015 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Some friends went on a cruise to Alaska and were excited to tell me about all the ocean wildlife they saw and all the interesting facts they learned. In particular, they were very eager to discuss whale evolution. My friend exclaimed, “We learned from the naturalist on board that whales descended from kangaroos!” My reaction,… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: artiodactyl, cetacean, dolphin, evolution, fact checking, mammal, Mesonychid, naturalists, porpoise, whale, whale evolution

Look at the size of that gray whale penis!

February 1, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft Leave a Comment

On Sunday, January 26, 2014, a lucky group of whale watchers got to witness gray whales mating just off the backside of Catalina Island. This exciting encounter included a great flash of a gray whale’s penis. Suddenly a male’s privates were not so private if you know what I mean. It’s not super common to… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: cetacean, gray whale, gray whales mating, nature photography, whale, whale penis, whale watching, wildlife photography

Gray whale inspiration for New Year’s resolutions

January 18, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

Gray whales migrate past Southern California every year and of course 2014 is no exception. In fact, gray whale sightings recorded by the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project during December were the highest in 30 years! On January 14th they spotted 37 gray whales in one day. If one of your New Year’s… [read more]

Filed Under: Earth musings, Whales Tagged With: baleen, cetacean, gray whale, migration, whale, whale watching

Blue whale watching part 2

August 31, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

On Saturday, August 24th, I had the chance to go whale watching a second time on Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach and had another great trip. The boat left at 9am and headed out into a foggy soup. Once we got out of the harbor we couldn’t see anything for a hundred yards, no… [read more]

Filed Under: Turtles, Whales Tagged With: baleen, barnacle, blue whale, cetacean, endangered, green sea turtle, whale, wildlife photography

Blue whale watching part 1

August 26, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

I finally had the chance to go blue whale watching! After seeing tons of blue whale pictures on Facebook, I said enough is enough already, I’ve got to get out there and see blue whales. Then Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach offered a great deal (for a limited time only), 10 bucks to go… [read more]

Filed Under: Fishes, Whales Tagged With: blue whale, endangered, fishing, krill, mako shark, nature photography, shark, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Delta the blue whale on the move

July 24, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

On July 22. 2013, Delta was spotted off Los Angeles County’s coast by whale watchers traversing the great blue sea with Harbor Breeze Cruises based in Long Beach. Who is Delta you ask? Well, Delta happens to be a blue whale with a very distinct tail. As you can see in the photo, both ends… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: baleen, blue whale, cetacean, flukes, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Help prevent another balloon release

May 29, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft Leave a Comment

Another Memorial Day has come and gone and with it another balloon release. Three years ago, members of the whale watching community in Los Angeles sent emails and made calls in an attempt to stop Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes from releasing balloons as part of their Memorial Day service. The cemetery… [read more]

Filed Under: Ocean pollution, Say Something Tagged With: action alert, balloon trash, marine debris, ocean trash, pollution, whale

A whale watching weekend

March 24, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

This weekend I had the chance to go whale watching and I’m so glad I did! My friends and I boarded the Christopher in Long Beach Saturday morning along with 100 other people and headed out to see what we could see. The first whale we came across turned out to be a fin whale,… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: cetacean, common dolphin, fin whale, flukes, gray whale, humpback whale, nature photography, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

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