A Warbler and whales!
Warbler and Whales!
On this chilly and overcast day, we were 6 1/2 miles off shore, nothing around, when this cute little warbler came to join us on our whale journey. The railing was slippery but this nugget knew how to keep his wings out until he was steady.
He stayed and rested with us for about 20 minutes before moving on. We heard later it found refuge in the cabin of a larger boat.
I felt very inspired by both the wee nugget and massive whale!
Stay tuned for more tales from California and new Tales from the Lagoon.
Sunrise from New Smyrna Beach is back and the previous post. For whale videos and photos, scroll back to earlier posts.
New beginnings
Ahhhhhh, so glad to be back in sunny Florida for a beautiful sunrise. The air was cool with a light breeze. Pelican Highway was cruising southbound using the perfectly formed waves to send them down the shore with ease.
The flock of seagulls came in hot and chatty! So good to see them! As they were changing directions quickly, I asked them about the new partial solar eclipse today and they said, “A new moon is about fresh new beginnings.”
“When you add a solar eclipse with it, be prepared for quick changes. New beginnings can emerge out of nowhere and carry you in a new and unexpected way.”
They said, “To navigate this energy, take extra time for self care to keep yourself grounded and ready for what comes your way.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
PS~ THANK YOU for the calendar orders while I was out of town. They are going to the post office today
otters are so fun!
What fun it is to hang out with otters, from a distance of course. This cutie was hanging out under a bridge where we could connect from a safe distance. They are generally pretty shy but I was lucky to find a few who wanted to be photographed.
This one let me photograph him for about 30 minutes before moving on to get snacks.
Check out the size of his feet and hands! More about their snacks and grooming coming this week.
Stay tuned!
If you haven’t seen, there are humpback photos and videos in previous blogs
Check out the size of my hands and feet. :)
Videos of Humpback Up Close and Personal
The first clip is of the humpback whale Vishnu coming up to hello! Truly a proper greeting, don’t you think?
The second video is two video clips together showing how this powerful yet gentle humpback approached the boat and stopped just a foot away then turned on a dime.
The second clip shows him going under the boat but never touching. he didn’t touch the boat until he was ready to move on, he used his dorsal fin to give a gentle bump saying good bye.
Turn the sound on to hear the powerful breath.
If you haven’t seen the previous posts, scroll back to see a humpback breaching and photographs of this whale and the boat I was on, taken by the boat next to us.
Stay tuned for more tales form Cali!
Breaching Whale
I have always wanted to photograph a breaching whale...this week I had the opportunity!
While on a private tour with Slater Moore Photography in Moss Landing, California, we saw this beauty flying out of the water for about 45 minutes.
S/He would slap his pec fins several times, then dive and emerge out of the water with a whoosh.
After spending time with a friendly whale then watching this one breach, I can't stop smiling.
More to share, stay tuned!
To learn more about the private boat tour I was on, check out Slater’s website. His photos and videos are amazing!
Epic Whale Experience
Yesterday was one of the most amazing experiences I have had with wildlife. Having a friendly whale spend time with us for about 30 minutes was truly amazing.
I’m visiting Moss Landing California and was on a private tour with Slater Moore Photography. https://www.slatermoore.photography/.
A website called HappyWhale.com accepts photos of whales and keeps track of where they journey, along with their names and gender if they have it. This friendly whale is called Vishnu, a humpback whale, his/her gender is unknown but I included a map of his/her journey.
When I was packing for the trip I thought, “Nah, I won’t need my wide angle lens, the whales won’t be that close.” I was wrong. Glad I had my phone to capture video of the close connection.
We started with 3 whales, two left while Vishnu stayed to played. As you can see the whales are larger than the boat. Vishnu had his/her head on one side of the boat and tail on the other side and never touched us. S/he was extremely gentle and caring with us.
The only time s/he touched the boat was when s/he got ready to move on, s/he gave a purposeful, gentle nudge with her dorsal fin as if to say, “See you later” and moved on to connect with the people on the High Spirits boat.
If you don’t know this about me I love to know who the Being is that I photograph, I like to learn about their personalities and get to know them, so this was truly a dream come true.
Stay tuned for videos and photos!
After playing with us for 30 minutes he moved on to the other boat to play.
A map showing where the whale has been.
Ever heard a pelican talk?
Pip the pelican talking while haning with Spot the egret and Patches the pelican.
This is from a couple days ago when it was still warm and sunny.
PS ~ Ill be away from the sunrise and Florida for a few days..hoping to share wildlife photos from the adventure, so stay tuned!
Turn your resistance into a resource
Brrrrrrrr, it was a moist, windy and cold day for sunny Florida but that didn’t stop the birds from coming to hang out. The sun stayed hidden behind the fluffy moody bluesy clouds keeping the vibe cozy.
All the birds were chatting when they flew in hot. They were darting off in a flash, then back as quick as they left, bringing the message of spontaneity. Be open to quick changes and adventures.
I chatted with them about my struggle to embrace the wind and they said, “We know how to use the wind to keep us in place with little effort. We highly recommend turning your resistance into a resource. Remember what you resist, persists.”
Patches the pelican flew in after sunrise to say good morning. As she floated in with her wings wide she said, “Like the gulls, I’m here to encourage going with the flow, use all your resources to make life easier.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Quick connections feed the soul
Inhale, Exhale, Repeat….
A calm ocean and light breeze brought us a very relaxing start to the day. Low tide gave Mother Nature the opportunity to create a mirror image of the amazing color show. Streaming golden light beamed through the clouds adding to the heart opening experience.
So much wildlife this morning with laughing gulls filling seagull street, joined by sandwich terns, willets, ruddy turnstones and sand pipers. We were all getting squeaky clean as the gentle waves washed away all our bugs.
After sunrise I ran into Charley the dolphin who popped in to say a quick hello. A momma and baby were also hanging out nursing in the calm lagoon. Dolphins remind us to find our pod for connection and a sense of community.
A pelican flying by glanced over to make eye contact. He said, “Even a quick connection can feed the soul. Enjoy the moments no matter the duration.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Eye see you
Tales from the Lagoon ~ Episode Cloudy Day Play
Tales from the Lagoon ~ Episode - Cloudy Day Play!
A pod of dolphin were grabbing snacks and popping out of the water when the moon was full and skies were overcast. I think the combination of clouds and moon energy made for quite the party mood.
Check out the perfect dismount, a 10 for form, don’t you think?
Stay tuned for an update from Pip and friends!
Fall deeper in love to spread the love
Ahhhh, a reflective sunrise courtesy of low tide giving us a heart expanding sunrise. The color show was full of deep pinks, orange and gold. Pelican Highway was causing southbound over the choppy ocean.
The flock of gulls flew in at their usual time for bath time. Today we had bath time in the ocean and the ride pools.. One of the gulls in the tide pool brings us the message of falling deeper in love with ourself.
She said, “You see, as you love and care for yourself, you will send out ripples of love to others. If you are feeling good, your wings will open wide, so you can share the love with the flock. Look how pretty I am when I’m squeaky clean with my wings and heart open.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Falling deeper in love with myself
Sending out ripples
Amazing heart opening connections
He’s Back!
Tiger the Heermann’s Gull is back for the 3rd winter in a row. He is from California, and considered a bird celebrity here in New Smyrna Beach.
He flew in with the flock, circling, showing off his beauty and mad flying skills. He brings the message of unexpected connections that make you smile from ear to ear.
The laughing gull flock were very loud today flying in front of the sun, darting off then flying back with a whoosh. So much lively energy with the birds and the big of ball of light bringing warmth and intense golden light.
We enjoyed a great bath time together getting the bugs off to stay healthy. One of the laughing gulls opened her arms and showed how the light colored her feathers. She said, “Go ahead, open your wings and invite the light and love in. You will like how it feels.”
Wishing you a wonderful day filled with loving connections.
Tiger the Heermann’s gull
Tiger the heermann’s gull
Tiger the Heermann’s gull
Be your solid foundation
Mother Nature used low tide to bring us a reflective sunrise. The mirror image of the fluffy cotton ball clouds floating along was truly breathtaking.
The super cute flock of gulls flew in hot and chatty. Until today I hadn’t seen any accidents on seagull street. (Technically it’s called Laughing Gull street)
They said, “It’s true accidents happen. Not to worry we are both ok. For us, when things like this happen, we shake it off and keep flying.”
Mikey the great egret and Patches the pelican flew in after sunrise. Mikey is a very tall, lanky bird. This morning, I asked him how he is able to stand on the top of the mangroves with ease.
He said, “My secret is to be really grounded into my toes. You see, If I am solid then I can stand anywhere. I am the solid foundation which means no matter my footing, I feel safe.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Uh Oh, a little accident this morning. Not to worry, everyone is ok. :)
Mikey the great egret and Patches the pelican
Embrace your uniqueness
Mother Nature bought us a lovely breezy sunrise using her gold color palette. The flock of gulls were already at the edge of the water when I reached the beach.
Floppy, a laughing gull was extra chatty today. She looks different than the other birds with her wings hanging out and down. I asked her about her wings and she said, “It’s true I look different than the other birds, some call me quirky. I can still walk and fly like the rest of the flock.”
“My wings have inspired me to be more confident, to walk with swagger. What I’ve learned is whether we look different or not, we are all special in our own way, mine is just more obvious. I highly recommend embracing your uniqueness.”
One Legger flew in close to say, “I agree with Floppy, embrace and utilize your strengths. Focus on what works rather than what isn’t and you will soar.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Check out the previous post for a Dolphin Hug Fest. :)
I’m Floppy the laughing gull. I always have my wings out and down a little
I walk with confidence
One legger coming in close showing her sweetness
Tales from the lAgoon ~Epsiode- It’s a Hug Fest!
Tales from the Lagoon ~ Episode- It’s a Hug Fest!
Yesterday, it was overcast with rainy kind of day but the love fest was something I couldn’t miss. Everyone was in an affectionate mood. Even the dolphins passing by were hugging!
So many friends visiting the lagoon. Momma with the split dorsal fin and her calf, Charley, M and so many more! Everyone was hugging and playing, the kiddos played with each other and the adults. The grown ups were hugging and chasing fish.
The kiddos had so much fun flying out of the water and going zoom zoom with the adults.
Charley and M love to play to the camera, circling around on their sides as if waving with their fin. More from them soon.
Everyone was enjoying the stick tossing game, throwing mangrove Propagules into the air. They were catching snook and mullet when they were not hugging.
It was a feeling of pure joy.
More to share! Stay tuned for more tales!
Trust and allow
Inhale, Exhale, Repeat.
With rain in the forecast, the air was moist and salty with a light breeze. The ocean was calm except for perfect waves calling to the surfers to come play.
A pastel cloud cover rolled in from the north leaving a sliver of peach color just above the ocean. The colors were truly exquisite and calming.
The flock flew in for our usual bath time while Pelican Highway cruised high in the sky. The highway lined up nicely as they flew overhead.
They said, “Not to worry, things are lining up. Even behind the scenes, people, places and things are getting into alignment. All you have to do is trust and allow it to unfold. “
A solo seagulls taking time for self care and rest said, “Resting and self care is part of things aligning. Resting now will help you be ready when you feel inspired to take action.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Slowing it down
With heavy clouds all around it was very dark as I walked to the beach. The clouds seemed to make it even more quiet and cozy. A refreshing breeze was coming off the ocean.
Before the sunrise a glimmer of silver light made it through a break in the clouds brining a hint of pink to add to the moody blues. When the golden sunbeams started streaming through the clouds, the energy shifted, bringing a light and hopeful vibe.
The flock of gulls flew in to say hello. One of them hanging in front of the sun slowed down to say, “When things seem chaotic, take a minute to slow down and just be in the moment.”
Another curious gull checking out the foam reminds us to be curious and explore new things. He said, “Exploring new things can breathe a new sense of vitality into your life.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
2023 calendars are in!
2023 CALENDARS ARE HERE!
Spot the egret approves and recommends both the sunrise and wildlife calendar to brighten your year.
Available online and at The Hub on Canal Street, New Smyrna Beach
Tap into the fire that burns in your soul
The pre sunrise sky filled with pink swirls clouds, a light breeze and another day with the ocean churning. As the flock flew in they slammed on the brakes, changing directions so they could dive in.
They said, “We bring the message of being open to changing directions on a dime. Trust yourself, you will know when to dive in.”
After sunrise I had a chat with Luna the Osprey. She was hanging out in one of her favorite fishing spots. She said, “I’m a bird with a tremendous amount of fortitude. I’m here to remind you that you are much stronger than you know."
"Take a moment and feel your inner fortitude, you know, that fire that burns in your soul. Tap into it, use it and allow yourself to soar.”
Wishing you a beautiful day friends!
Luna the osprey. Can you feel her strength?
Fall deeper in love with your unique essence
The sun came up behind a large cloud from ion on the horizon giving us powerful, streaming beams of golden light. While the sun was coming up the Harvest full moon was setting surrounded by a pink aura.
The flock of gulls came in before sunrise. They used the wind to hang in place for several minutes. They said,”We love the wind because it makes it easy for us to hang out and enjoy the moment with ease.”
The combination of the sun and moon bring us the message of the day. The sun reminds us to receive the sun beams, filling us with light and hope.
The energy of this full moon gives us the opportunity to see past hurts while offering healing. Releasing past pain, makes room for more self love. It asks us to let go, even in areas we thought we had already let go. Embrace the opportunity to fall deeper in love with your unique essence.
Wishing you a day feeling so much love.
