Whales and Dolphins

Another Successful Gray Whale Season! Let’s Sing about it!

Dear Friends,
It’s been a truly beautiful gray whale migration season here in Southern California and all along the Pacific Coast of the United States.
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Why do Gray Whale Mothers and Calves Swim so Close to Shore?

Mother Gray Whale and Calf – Photo courtesy of Guy Loucks

Dear Whale Lovers,

It’s a long migration from the gray whale breeding lagoons of Baja, Mexico to the cold seas of Alaska. So why do we often see mother gray whales and their babies taking time out to swim toward the shore and even stop to frolick in the surf? Here are the reasons that some whale experts have suggested:
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Watch a Gray Whale Mother and Calf on their Long Migration. Baby wants to play!

This gray whale mother is on a mission – to get her and her calf to their summer feeding grounds in the cold Arctic seas above Alaska.
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Rare Footage of a Blue Whale Feeding!

Dear Whale-Curious Friends,

It’s remarkable! The largest animal in the world feeds on one of the ocean’s smallest creatures.
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6 Fun Ways to Celebrate Spring with Birdsong!

It’s Spring and the Earth feels so fresh and new.
The flowers have gone wild, whales are migrating back to their summer feeding grounds and baby animals are everywhere.

It time to celebrate!
Here are 6 Fun Ways to Celebrate Spring
with Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders:

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Lyrics for “Viva la Vaquita” – a song about the endangered vaquita porpoise

Hello My Ocean-Loving Friends.

My producer Jim Coffey and I are now in the final stages of producing “Viva la Vaquita”, my new kids’ song about the most endangered ocean mammal in the world. Here are the lyrics.
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“I Belong to the Earth” – A new song and message from Birdsong (and the whales and dolphins!)

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Birdsong meets Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales!

Dear Friends,

I saw orcas off the coast of Newport Beach, CA (USA) on January 7th! They were a rarely seen pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, including 1 large male and 1 calf. Thanks to the Gray Whale Census Team and Alisa Schulman-Janiger for first spotting them from land at Palos Verdes while counting gray whales. Thank you also to my employer, Capt. Dave’s Dolphin Safari, for bringing us to the whales. I’ve included my photos of these beautiful creatures, taken at sunset. The tall, distinctive dorsal fin in the top photo is that of the male orca.

These types of killer whales, identified by their darker saddle area behind the dorsal fin, are usually seen from south of San Diego to Central Amercia. Because they are rarely seen, we don’t know much about them yet. It was a very fortunate sighting, indeed.

Check out the drone footage of these orcas taken by Newport Coastal Adventure at: Newport Coastal Adventure/YouTube and read more about this killer whale visit at: OC Register On-line. You can also hear my song about another type of orca, called Southern Resident Killer Whales, in my previous blog post. Sightings such as these  and the opportunity to teach about cetaceans are two of the many reasons why I love my job as First Mate and Naturalist.

Glad to be singing on the sea,

Birdsong

In Memory of Orcas: Kids song video about Southern Resident Killer Whales

Dear Friends,

A few years ago, I wrote this song, “Orcas”, as a celebration of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Today I am re-posting this music video in memory of Granny (J-2), Doublestuf (J-34), Polaris (J-28), Rhapsody (J-32) and the other endangered SRKWs who have died since I released this song. May their beautiful spirits continue to teach us and inspire us to protect their remaining family members. Thank you for watching.

With love,

Birdsong

Common Dolphins and Birdsong wish you a happy new year!

Dear Friends,

I have the good fortune of seeing common dolphins several times a month off the coast of Southern California.  I encountered hundreds of them off the coast of Dana Point, CA over this holiday season; and I couldn’t think of a better way to wish you a happy new year than to share this photo that captures their playful spirit.

Common dolphins earned their name because they are “common” to all oceans in the world. They are beautiful animals that often travel, hunt and socialize in large pods of a hundred or more. We have a population of about 450,000 common dolphin off the coast of California, so they are very dear to me. Their cooperative and playful nature always brings joy to my heart and inspires me to squeal, whistle and sing. And sing I often do, sharing my dolphin song “Clickety-Clack” with the children on the boat!
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