Whale watching is a fantastic platform for people to observe these magnificent animals in their natural habitat and learn about them.
Today, we went further away from Skjervøy to look for orcas. We stopped after a while because we saw a huge male surfacing nearby. He seemed to be alone at first.
After a few minutes of scouting the horizon with binoculars, we saw a huge jump with a big splash. It was an orca.
Usually, when they jump, it is not just one time. It happened again. I quickly picked out my camera. The orca jumped again on the horizon.
It was visible that the orca was not alone. It was 2 or 3 animals together, all “small-fins,” either juvenile males or females.
We started approaching slowly but kept quite a distance and did not mean to disturb what was happening. In between the jumps, we also witnessed some tail slaps.
A few minutes later, it turned out what was the reason.
Orcas (especially young calves) often practice hunting “techniques” on other animals, sometimes birds. The females are teaching the calves with these “toys” how to handle the prey, and I am sure it is also a great deal of fun for the juveniles to have a “moving toy.”
This time, a poor little auk crossed paths with this group of orcas. The orca was probably jumping in the distance during its chase after the little auk. I took several photos of it, but only at home. I zoomed in, and I realized what I got.
In the photo below (both heavily cropped), you can see the little auk while the orca holds onto it.
Poor little bird is quite terrified.
In the following image, the bird is gone, and you can see the juvenile with its mouth open.
I do not know if the bird somehow escaped it or the orca swallowed it. Indeed, this was a fantastic sighting.
The light was mesmerizing these past two days
Yesterday, we met a group constantly spy-hopping next to the boat.
Enjoy!
-Krisztina
All photos were taken on the 19th and 20th of November, 2023, in Skjervøy.
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