More Whales and More Feeding
The humpbacks featured in the last post engaged in repeated bubble-net feedings over the next few hours, so there was ample opportunity for surface-level observers to see and photograph what the whales were doing. Lots of action, lots of excitement, lots of froth.
Two days later observers had another extended opportunity to see bubble-net feeding and another opportunity to marvel at the whales' collaborative hunting tactics and the power they brought to each attack. The whales seemed intent on maximizing the yield and ignoring the small boats full of observers.
The images, when closely examined, again reveal that there were at lease a few escapees from the school of prey species. Here a little silvery fish is in midair, above the pleats of the whale's jaw.
Here, more escapees, but not many.
The pleats allow the lower jaw to distend, to hold more sea water and - hopefully - prey. The gulls seem to be almost dangerously close.
These whales almost seemed to be harmonizing, like a barbershop quartet.
The gulls flock nearby, looking for leftovers. The late afternoon sun backlights the wheeling gulls, the feeding whales, and a plume of exhaled vapor.
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.