Happy feet

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Before I started recording, the herring gull was actually getting a meal out of this little tap dancing routine. I was kind of far away, but every now and then I could see a silvery flash of something he grabbed out of the wet sand. Maybe performance anxiety doomed his success after that. My favorite part is 0:27 when the ring-billed gull on the left starts half-heartedly imitating him, and then they both look embarrassed.

Before I started recording, the herring gull was legitimately scaring up a meal via this little tap dancing routine (I was kind of far away, but I could see an occasional silvery flash of something he grabbed out of the wet sand). Maybe performance anxiety doomed his success after that.

My favorite part is 0:27 when the ring-billed gull on the left starts halfheartedly imitating him, and then they both look embarrassed.

Eco-whaling

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A 173-year-old whaling ship returns to the sea for the first time in almost a century and sends a whaleboat out to meet some humpbacks. Somehow those whales can tell there's no harpoon aboard.

The CHARLES W. MORGAN sails with the whales on Stellwagen Bank. July 11, 2014

Video by Mystic Seaport

This might sound odd, but I once spent an evening in the belly of that ship, reading passages of Moby-Dick aloud (Chapter 113: The Forge). I have also climbed its rigging.

Aug. 15 update: click here.