Whales and Dolphins

Watch a Humpback Whale calf do a penduncle throw | Sing Humpback Whale Song for Kids

Dear Whale-Loving Friends,

I had the pleasure of crewing on Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari today during this beautiful encounter with a Mother humpback whale and calf. Watch the calf do a peduncle throw! The creator of this video suggests that the calf was throwing a tantrum when it lifted the entire lower half of its body and tail out of the water and landed it right on top of mom. What do you think?
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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