I was working at my desk this morning (19 March 2025), when a lot of splashing offshore caught my eye. I checked quickly with binoculars and realized it was a large group of dolphins passing Bodega Head, so I went to get my camera to try for photos.
They were pretty far out, so the photos aren't great, but because this doesn't happen very often, here are a few images for the record. [You can click on the images for sharper versions.]
Look for the relatively large body size (8.5-13 feet), overall grayish coloration, and tall dorsal fin.
The dolphins were swimming south fairly quickly, but they were in view from Bodega Head for at least 30 minutes (between 10:30-11:00 a.m.).
Remarkably, we also observed a large group of Risso's Dolphins under very similar circumstances last year on nearly the same date (21 March 2024) -- see post called "Splashes, fins, and leaps!" Perhaps the week after St. Patrick's Day is a good time to be watching for Risso's from Bodega Head?
Nice, Jackie! As you said, it will be interesting to see if they come by in future years around this time in the calendar.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the birds accompanying them? And is there a reason they do like upwelling of food or is that an unknown?
Tom
St. Louis