Category Archives: mammal
Good News for Hedgehogs
Photo Credit: Gaudete Hedgehogs were a familiar sight as I was growing up in Southern Ireland. We used to put out food for them at dusk. Our house was close to woods and soon a hedgehog would venture out and tuck … Continue reading
An Unexpected Encounter With a Water Owl: Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
Several hundred years ago there was said to be a strange and fierce sea creature that attacked ships. The Water-Owl or Ziphius had the body of a fish and a head of an owl with huge eyes and a beak-like … Continue reading
Whales and Seabirds at Stillwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Last Week I went whale watching on a New England Aquarium whale watching trip run by Boston Harbor Cruises. I was with NOAA Stillwagen Bank NMS and Mass Audubon staff. We had a wonderful trip counting seabirds and saw several … Continue reading
Southern Elephant Seals in the South Shetlands
On the way back from the Antarctic Peninsula we stopped at Livington Island in the South Shetland Islands. It was a very cold day with bitter winds but worth every second on land. It is bleak landscape but there are … Continue reading
Orcas in Antarctica
On a recent trip to the Antarctic Peninsula I was lucky enough to see a pod of Orcas – or Killer Whales – close to the ship in the entrance to a narrow channel between islands. The sun was low … Continue reading
Humpback Whales in the Sea of Cortez
I was lucky enough to spend a few days at Cabo Pulmo on the Sea of Cortez, Baja Peninsula in Mexico. I was on the ocean near the coast on small boats a lot of the time – and in … Continue reading
Leopard Seals In Antarctica
I was totally unprepared for Leopard Seals – so unlike any other seal I had ever seen. Fierce predators of the Antarctic they can be seen lying on ice floes resting between hunts. They have long necks with large mouths … Continue reading
Antarctica: Celebrating Weddell Seals
I love Weddell Seals. They are large and fat and rather clumsy on land, but very much at home under the ice. I took several photographs of a Weddell that came ashore on the Antarctic Peninsula. It is hard to … Continue reading
Summer in San Elijo Lagoon: Raccoons
Even in the heat and silence of mid-day there is a surprising amount of activity on the short loop trail by the Visitor Center at San Elijo Lagoon. Some birds are busy collecting food for their young. Lizards are out … Continue reading
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