Here some memories of the adventurous Andreia and Ferenc, which kept pushing their way to the best of Faial. It was great fun to have you with us! We will not forget so many whales, and the socializing sperm whales. Or the eagle flying in front of the jeep for so many time! The descent on the windy day, or that foggy caldeira top! Or even the horse with only a few days! Thank you and good luck with your next adventures! Whale watching 19 May Caldeira Descent 20 May Jeep Tour

The morning started with a "get ready because we have to go" scenario. There were Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) at the South, so we dressed up with jackets, trousers and boots because the sea was bumpy and we left. We saw a total of 11 Sperm whales but we could listen to more than 15 animals under the water through the hydrophone: it was amazing, there was a festival of clicking under there, and everyone onboard was able to listen. Whale watching Sperm whales can be t

Saturday morning started with early news from the lookouts: a male Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) at the South. We had to prepare ourselves with waterproof clothes and go quickly to our boat. But the first stop was not for a Sperm Whale, Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) were resting in front of Monte da Guia, and we had a great display of their behavior. These animals usually rest during the day and hunt night because it is when their prey, squid, are more active. Af

The Azores high set the stage for a special day with two trips whale watching north of Pico and Faial Island. Flat sea and clear sky. The morning started with a pod of Common dolphins but it was a large pod of Sperm whales with more than 15 animals that caught our attention through a great part of the boat expeditions, collecting tail photos and biological samples. The sperm whales kept crossing from East to West, foraging for prey using the 600-900m depths bathymetries until

The team chose the <500m altitude trails east of central Caldeira to explore the rural paths and trails within the vegetation, way below the orographic clouds that were pretty dense this morning. The spring is slowly starting, and the excited robins, azorean chaffinches, black birds and even gold crests are not impressed by the misty weather at all. The endemics are growing fast under these wet and sunny days, branching and growing new leaves, such as the Azorean laurel in th

The morning started with a period of "whale waiting". The lookouts were not finding blows, perhaps whales were too far from the shoreline. But dolphins made us go out. There was a big pod of 50 Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) near to the coast of Faial Island. We only needed to sail for 10 minutes before reaching them. We realized that they were mating: with plenty of surface activity. In Bottlenose dolphins, the courtship consists about several males going for a sin

Thursday morning started with little information from the lookouts. After more than half an hour we received exciting information: dolphins in the North. We all agreed that dolphins were a good start and a perfect excuse to enjoy that sunny morning at sea so we started to get ready for the expedition. Arriving to the boat, we recieved a new call from the North spotter Martins - Vigia do Salão: Sperm Whales in the North of Faial! with such good news we started our way to the a

Last Tuesday we took a window of opportunity between two stormy days to reach a group of Sperm Whales that the lookouts spotted for us. The sea was wavy, the swell made finding the animals a hard work. We could hear the animals using the hydrophone but we could not see them, so we kept tracking the three Sperm Whales that we were listening to. Meanwhile, we could enjoy an impressive view of Pico Island. We were the only ones in the area. Finally, Captain Marco found a blow

Sperm whales can be challenging to watch under spring time windy days. Azorean amazing whale spotters know this and still they manage to find and track them under such conditions . After a pod of common dolphins full of calves, we headed to the Northern Faial colony of Common and roseate terns. A scenario of Game of Thrones at Pesqueiro do Nunes Rocky outcrop. An enthusiastic group allways takes the best home! #naturalistpt #atlanticnaturalist #azoresnaturalist #azores #whale

This expedition took the Azores Naturalist Team to watch sperm whales south of Pico Island departing from Horta. Calm sea and a low cloud cover set the stage for a good morning session with Sperm whales. These were diving deep and long, making it difficult to track the animals from the surface. A great surprise was a young juvenile, of ca. 3-4 meters, performing the typical movements of a deep diving adult sperm whale. Resting calmly for several minutes, keeping the direction