Sunday 6 February 2011

Cliff watching

I wish I could have called this post "Whale watching", but it'd be a very boring post. As ever, although I know humpback whales are out there because I hear them every evening, they won't appear when I'm out watching for them. Oh, sure, there's the joker who knew I'd just arrived on the cliffs and waited for me to get out of the car. Just in front of me, a hundred yards off the cliffs, the bugger breached big style because he knew I didn't have my camera ready. Once I'd got myself set up, and admittedly that takes a little longer than it used to (my old camera had few buttons and didn't need a lense to be attached to it) he'd dived and was long gone.

I say male because I think he was alone and that tends to be the way here - females have calves so if you see two whales or spouts close by it's almost certainly a mother and calf. Off in the distance I could see several pairs of spouts from mothers and their children but they were too far away. I took a few photos anyway but they would compete for the most boring photographs ever of distant smudges.

At dawn this morning I was awake and thought I'd surprise the whales since they know I tend to look for them in the evening, but they'd all buggered off. So I took a picture of the cliffs instead. This is a few hundred yards south from where I live. It's a great spot for whale watching unless you bring a camera.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a beauty! Love the composition of this shot.

Tom said...

This is definitely one of my favourites. Think I might frame it and send it to my mum for her birthday!

Tom

Hilary said...

Wow.. this is stunning!

Zuzana said...

Congratulations dear Tom on POTW.;) Hilary always chooses a great winner.;))
xoxo

Sueann said...

Oh my gosh! Such a beautiful photo!! I love it!
Congrats on your POTW...it is definitely well deserved!!
Hugs
SueAnn

Anonymous said...

Such a fabulous shot!

Congratulations on POTW over at The Smitten Image! Truly a joy to visit your blog today.

DI

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

This is my first visit to your site, and I can't get over your talent with a camera. This image is absolutely stunning. Congratulations on a well-deserved POTW.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Now that's just amazing. I thought it was a painting at first! I went whale watching a few months back in New England...it was beyond words. Congrats!

Lori said...

Absolutely amazing! I think I would enjoy whale watching. Congrats on POTW at Hilarys...very well deserved!

Suldog said...

Wow. You take some really beautiful shots. I, as with Elizabeth above, thought that it was a painting at first. Magnificent, and well worthy of the POTW at Hilary's.

Anonymous said...

This made me laugh out loud! And what a beautiful shot! Watching cliffs is kind of meditative - isn't it?

abb said...

This - and all your photography is simply stunning! Very deserving POTW.

Robin said...

What a beautiful part of the world - most conducive to stunning photography...

Anonymous said...

I have the same relationship with several birds near where I live, including a Great Blue Heron. Beautiful photo even without the whales! Congrats on the POTW!

Friko said...

Don't I know what that feels like. By the time I've gone to fetch binoculars and camera any wildlife in the garden and/ or field has buggered off. Typical!

Lovely post. Congrats on POTW

Wendy said...

Gorgeous shot! Too bad the whales won't cooperate.
Congrats on POTW award!

Moannie said...

A POTW winner, of course. Superb. Who knew such beautiful places existed.

The veri word is cortim: not this time eh?

Unknown said...

Beautiful shot! Congratulations on having been selected for a post of the week by Hilary!

Tom said...

When I woke up this morning and checked my email and saw so many comments of all of sudden, I immediately wondered if I'd written something horribly controversial and offensive!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and for spending a couple of minutes here, I do hope you enjoyed this picture and if you had time, some of the others I've been posting. This picture-taking lark is purely a hobby but it's so nice when others enjoy the pictures as well!

Thanks again, everyone, especially Hilary.

Tom

Joanna Jenkins said...

Stopping over from Hilary's-- What a gorgeous photo-- WoW. As for those whales, hopefully you'll catch them one of these day.
Congrats on your POTW!
jj

Anonymous said...

How absolutely amazing to live with the sea. Just awesome. My honey and I are considering checking out the islands together. I hope to see some of this or whales would be good too. either way I would love it.
peace n abundance,
CheyAnne
and just hide your camera behind your back with one hand and hold out an apple with the other. Hey it works on horses.

Steve Gravano said...

Stunning photo, looks more like an oil on canvas.

Juana said...

Breathtaking view with or without whales!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!

Scott Law said...

Better late than never. That is a gorgeous photo! Way to go!

ethelmaepotter! said...

Fabulous! I love the short story as well as the photo - which, yes, looks like a great work of art!

Congrats on your POTW!

Ed said...

Tom
Great pic! I know right where that was, I was there a few weeks ago.
Hope to be back soon

Ed in California

Tom said...

Thanks to everyone who has commented since I last wrote something here, you are all too kind! Wish I had the time to reply to each individual comment, but...

Ed - if you don't mind, where did you stay? When I took this shot the house right next to me (on my right but out of shot) used to be a vacation rental, and wondered if that's where you were. It might still be a rental, not sure. I've had friends stay there and they loved it!

Tom