Linda and Regis travel...
Enjoying the gifts of the day with two dogs
Calvin and Her Calf
I attended the State of the Reserve at the GTM NERR today which was very interesting. I loved the talks on the different research being performed at the reserve. In the middle of the afternoon, there was a talk on the local dolphins which was fascinating. In the middle of the talk, I got a message that there was a Right Whale 5 minutes away. The GTM NERR borders the Atlantic Ocean and the whale was right off the coast. It was everything I could do to stay for the remaining 5 minutes of the talk (which I wanted to hear!!).
When I got to the location, the Northern Right Whale and her cub were frolicking about a 1/2 mile away. I did not have a camera but more importantly, I did not have binoculars! We’ve been talking about buying a pair of binoculars for the car and this is one of the many reasons why we need to do it.
I called Regis who was, at best, 45 minutes away. He can always be counted on in a crunch and he set off with camera, tripod, and two pairs of binoculars. When he arrived, the whales were still there but no longer as active and as close as they were.
Northern Right Whales are an endangered species and there are likely less than 500 left. The 4 minute video below is not “National Geographic” exciting, but does show the Right Whale mom and her calf at a distance. When I tried to edit, I noticed the birds plummeting into the ocean for fish and a couple dolphins cavorting in the area. So I left most of the video intact so you could see all the activity along with the whales.
I count my blessings today. The environment in Florida has changed so there is more support of the amazing research done at the GTM NERR and I saw an endangered Right Whale (who turned out to be Calvin) and her beautiful calf on a beautiful day by the sea.
Linda and Regis travel... 