It was not an easy day due to the weather conditions, the safety standards were ensured. A Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) was in seen in the South of Faial so we went after it. It was a big baleen whale. As we could spend a good amount of time with it, we could see it from both sides and behind. Some pictures were very useful because of the clarity with which the marks of the animal's skin can be recognized. They are very useful for photo identification. But Sperm whales (

The morning started with a pod of Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) just off Monte da Guia, close to Horta, Faial Island. The pod was resting, transiting very slowly. A manhã começou com um grupo de Golfinhos de Risso (Grampus griseus) bem perto da Reserva Natural do Monte da Guia, junto à cidade da Horta, Ilha do Faial. O grupo estava praticamente em repouso, transitando muito lentamente e com longos períodos de submersão. There were around 20 animals, likely a mixed group

Scientific Name: Balaenoptera borealis (Lesson, 1828). Common Name (UK, FR, PT, ES, DE): Sei whale. Rorqual de Rudolphi. Baleia sardinheira. Rorqual boreal. Seiwal. (Carwardine 1995, Jefferson et al. 2015). Short Species description: In this rorqual (baleen whale) the dorsal fin rises at a steep angle and it is big. Sei whales have a pointed rostrum with a single and prominent ridge. Coloration is dark-grey with a whitish area on the belly. Their size can be up to 18 m and 45

We had a swimming with dolphins activity programmed that afternoon. But no dolphins were spotted so we asked our explorers if they wanted to go on a whale watching expedition and they agreed. Dr. Zé Nuno, one of the resident Naturalist researchers head with the binoculars to increase the area surveyed by the lookouts in order to help our boat. And he did. A Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) was found in the south of Faial island. A late migrator, apparentelly with a full bell

It was a day for Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) flukes. We saw 7 different Sperm whales. The animals had a behavior of diving-resting cicles. In each dive, photos of the tails were taken. This diving-resting behavior means that the whales were feeding on the deep species of squid and fish that they find in the Azores. The morning ended with a good collection of flukes (tails) useful for photo-identification. #naturalistpt #atlanticnaturalist #azoresnaturalist #azores #w

Greenpeace chosed Naturalist.pt as the team to take them out to the Atlantic Ocean as they campaign for awareness of ocean and marine life conservation. The expedition was at the South of Pico Island and the first cetaceans that we found was a pod of Atlantic-spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). The area had high densities of Portuguese man o'war (Physalia physalis), a species under study by the Atlantic Naturalist Association. Some of the dolphins were displaying intense s

It seems that wh#naturalistpt #atlanticnaturalist #azoresnaturalist #azores #whalewatchingazores #birdwatching #dolphingwatching #dolphinazores #faialtour #faialwhalewatching #Pico #Picowhalewatching #azoren #acores #portugal #bluewhale #spermwhale #finwhale #baleenwhale #pilotwhale #beakedwhale #commondolphin #stripeddolphin #spotteddolphin #rissodolphin #bottlenose #portuguesemanowar #seaturtle #loggerheardseaturtle #biology #biologistguides #certifiednatureparkguides #best

The sea had white caps that morning and it turned the lookout's job harder than usual. But some Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were spotted and we went to find them. We had an amazing encounter with three whales socializing. After five minutes they started transiting. The pod was composed of six animals, and from the images taken and by conversation with the local sperm whale catalogue expert we realized it was the group of the white head. A group characterized by havi

Local Bottlenose dolphins annoying a new pod of sperm whales arriving in the area south of Faial and an amazing morning with enthusiast naturalists! #naturalistpt #atlanticnaturalist #azoresnaturalist #azores #whalewatchingazores #birdwatching #dolphingwatching #dolphinazores #faialtour #faialwhalewatching #Pico #Picowhalewatching #azoren #acores #portugal #bluewhale #spermwhale #finwhale #baleenwhale #pilotwhale #beakedwhale #commondolphin #stripeddolphin #spotteddolphin #ri

The first cetaceans that we saw were Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) with Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis). The Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) where hard to find. But with the help of the lookout "Torrão" that spotted a whale jumping at the distance, with our hydrophone we managed to find the pod 10nm from shore and observe 4 different females. The first two animals came up to the surface near our boat, they got together and started socializing, showing pa