After a three year break, I made it back to Peninsula Valdes with friends in September for another visit with Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis). There were two sessions planned and I was looking forward to both. The first was filled with sunny weather, inquisitive whales and generally great conditions. The second was, how shall we say, challenging. We were hampered by strangely unseasonable winds and visited by a virus that shall remain nameless. But Punta Piramides is a charming town (with a long long lonely beach that I love to walk) and there are many things to see on the Valdes Peninsula even when we cannot be on the water, so we made the best of the tough weather. I consider it a privilege to work with and photograph these incredible animals, and I was able to add a few new portraits of adults and calves that I am happy with. There remain images of southern right whales, especially of certain behaviors, that I still hope to get so I am already looking forward to a return in a few more years. As before, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Hector Casin who supported our efforts on behalf of the Argentina Ministry of Tourism and the Peninsula Valdes National Park. He graciously advised us each day and offered us his vast knowledge of the wildlife of the peninsula, all of which ensured our efforts were as productive as possible. I am also grateful to Enrique Natale, owner of Goos Ballenas (diving services) in Puerto Pirimides, and to our captain Jorge Perversi who kept us safe and guided us to the “right” whale groups while on and in the water. Most importantly, a big thank you to Adriana Basques who assembled our team and worked closely with Hector, Enrique and Jorge to ensure we were as successful as possible. When it comes to southern rights, Adriana is a true whale whisperer. Below are a few of my favorites from this year. All of these images were made according to the provisions of our permit and under the jurisdiction of Peninsula Valdes National Park. Cheers, and thanks for looking!
Mother and calf southern right whales underwater, swimming over sandy shallow bottom.
Image ID: 38306
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Portrait of a Southern Right Whale Underwater, Eubalaena australis. This particular right whale exhibits a beautiful mottled pattern on its sides.
Image ID: 38389
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mother and calf southern right whales underwater. The calf swims close to its mother but, if the mother is accepting, the calf will be allowed to come close to the photographer and check him out.
Image ID: 38309
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38269
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mother and calf southern right whales underwater. The calf swims close to its mother but, if the mother is accepting, the calf will be allowed to come close to the photographer and check him out.
Image ID: 38313
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mother and calf southern right whales are seen here as part of a larger courtship group, with adult males interested in mating with the mother. The calf has no choice but to stay by her mother's side during the courting activities.
Image ID: 38381
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Breaching southern right whale, Eubalaena australis, Patagonia.
Image ID: 38281
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Courting pair of southern right whales underwater, Eubalaena australis. In this image, the male is below and inverted (belly up) and the female is at the surface. While the posture in this photo isn't quite mating, it is a courting behavior that often precedes mating.
Image ID: 38296
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern right whale eyeballing the camera up close, Eubalaena australis. Whale lice can be seen clearly in the folds and crevices around the whales eye and lip groove.
Image ID: 38403
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
White southern right whale calf underwater, Eubalaena australis. About five per cent of southern right whales are born white due to a condition known as grey morphism and will gradually turn dark as they age. They are not albino (which is a complete lack of pigmentation). Sometimes referred to as "brindled", the white coloration is a recessive genetic trait and only lasts a few months. Typically, but not always, white calves will become much darker as they mature but will still somewhat lighter than normal even as adults.
Image ID: 38279
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Whale hair on the rostrum and chin of a southern right whale, sidelit by the setting sun. These individual hairs provide sensor information to the whale as it swims through ocean currents or touches the ocean bottom.
Image ID: 38331
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Seagull picks skin off a southern right whale, leaving a lesion that may become infected and which scientists have shown to be stressful to young calves.
Image ID: 38333
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern right whale raises its fluke tail out of the water prior to diving.
Image ID: 38337
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern right whale underwater, Eubalaena australis, Patagonia.
Image ID: 38367
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern elephant seal, adult male, Mirounga leonina, Valdes Peninsula, Argentina.
Image ID: 38415
Species: Southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Magellanic penguin, bloodied following a fight with another male to defend its burrow, Spheniscus magellanicus, Patagonia.
Image ID: 38433
Species: Magellanic penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions hauled out on rocks to rest and warm in the sun, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38273
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern right whale mother and calf underwater, Eubalaena australis.
Image ID: 38319
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Inquisitive southern right whale visits a boat, Eubalaena australis, aerial photo.
Image ID: 38324
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
The Pyramid for which Puerto Piramides was named, with full moon rising as the sun sets. Patagonia.
Image ID: 38342
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern right whale mother and calf, aerial photo, Eubalaena australis.
Image ID: 38372
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mother and calf southern right whale stir up sand in shallow water, aerial photo. The water is so shallow that just by swimming the mother and calf can stir up the sand beneath them.
Image ID: 38376
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Hairy armadillo, Peludo, Chaetophractus villosus, Patagonia.
Image ID: 38421
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Patagonian burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia, Valdes Peninsula, Argentina.
Image ID: 38423
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38344
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Southern right whale mother and calf, aerial photo, Eubalaena australis.
Image ID: 38371
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Whale watching along Playa El Doradillo, Valdes Peninsula, Argentina. At Playa El Doradillo, whales come so close to shore people can simply stand on the beach and watch Southern Right Whales just a few yards away.
Image ID: 38441
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Whale watching along Playa El Doradillo, Valdes Peninsula, Argentina. At Playa El Doradillo, whales come so close to shore people can simply stand on the beach and watch Southern Right Whales just a few yards away.
Image ID: 38443
Species: Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
