Dive! Dive! Dive!

Our Newfoundland & Nova Scotia tour took us across the province to St. Vincent, otherwise known as “The Gut”.  Many people were already on the beach watching the wildlife – not birds, but whales.  The Gut is a famous whale watching location because it’s where a river meets the ocean and is the breeding grounds for small silver fish called Capelin, which is a favorite food for birds and whales.  Here are a couple of Humpbacked Whales about 100 yards offshore feeding on Capelin (if you look closely on the second pic you can see some Capelin escaping the mouth of the whale).

It was hard to tear my attention away from the whales, but I couldn’t help noticing the Northern Gannets.  The Gannets were flying high and when they spotted a Capelin they would fold up their wings and dive down into the water like a dart.  I would focus on a Gannet and then hit the shutter button when it appeared to make a move downward and then held the shutter down until the bird disappeared into the water.  At first, it was hard to keep the frame on the moving birds but after trying for many sequences I got better at it and was rewarded on my seventh try with a set that showed the entire process.  I made a conscious effort to crop these shots to show a progression: note how the first two shots are framed in the sky, Shot #3 has the horizon at the bottom, Shot #4 has the horizon at the top, and then Shots #5-7 are framed in the water.  Also see how the tip of the beak is a little bit lower within each frame, indicating descent.

A perfect dive!  I give it a 10!

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