Expired True's Beaked Whale

On the last day of this blog and 2013, I went out to look at and photograph an expired Trues Beaked Whale that washed ashore on Easton's Beach in Newport. I conducted hundreds of whale watches in the 1990's and have spent many more hundreds and hundreds of days at sea, and I have never had such an opportunity to see a beaked whale of any species. (Although I do believe I saw one in the Indian Ocean 1984).  Sad that I would have to see one under this circumstance.    

 

About 16-feet long

The two teeth were missing

Male

Veination in the flukes

Where two world collide- a dead whale and graffiti.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
 

Expired Trues Beaked Whale

On the last day of this blog and 2013, I went out to look at and photograph an expired Trues Beaked Whale that washed ashore on Easton's Beach in Newport. I conducted hundreds of whale watches in the 1990's and have spent many more hundreds and hundreds of days at sea, and I have never had such an opportunity to see a beaked whale of any species. (Although I do believe I saw one in the Indian Ocean 1984).  Sad that I would have to see one under this circumstance.   

It doesn't look like I'll be able to get photos out today. Standby...
  

Arctic Visitor

As it dosen't look like I'm going to getting out on the water in these last couple of weeks before the end of the year, I thought for my potential last post for this blog, that I would have to break ranks from marine to terrestial and post this photo of a Snowy Owl taken by Paul L'Etoile during last weekend's Newport-Westport Annual Christmas Bird Count. It was a bone-chilling cold day that ended up in a snow storm, so the birds were hunkered down- with the exception being these Snowy Owls, of which we counted at least four, possibly five in our sector.

                                                            Merry Christmas all.

Exotic Destination

Some seemingly unremarkable animals...

 

 

....but it's not so much what, but rather where...

...mangroves...

...and the beach at Praia Grande, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. 

 

The gulls are Kelp Gulls, and here are some Black-horned Capuchins for good measure.