#delphinapterusleucas

7 December, 2022 As the tide turned, three white belugas showed up below Willow St. They were followed by two grey belugas. They went upstream who knows where. Once they had all passed, another white gallumphed by. It is not unheard of for the whales to show up in the river at any time, though it is unusual for December, especially in numbers. I don't know why they've shown up. It could be that there are orcas in their normal winter hunting grounds. It could be that their winter food source disappeared (over a billion crabs went missing near here). Or it could just be nobody has noticed them before. The days are short, with less than two tidal cycles per day, and for them to coincide is rare. There is also ice in the river, and many days for or snow. But I don't know. #cibw20221207 #cibw #delphinapterusleucas #beluga #belugawhale #kenai #kenairiver #kenairiverwhales #alaska #alaskawildlife #alaskaphotography #alaskawildlifephotography (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl65KZXSrdd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Visitor About twenty minutes before the tide turned, a beluga other than Saddle came up the river. Didn't see Saddle today. #cibw20221129 #cibw #delphinapterusleucas #beluga #belugawhale #kenai #kenairiver #kenairiverwhales #alaska #alaskawildlife #alaskaphotography #alaskawildlifephotography (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/Clk4mmSO8sC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Belugas After Sunset Just after the sun set, just after the moon rose, the belugas made their way down around the last bend in the river. They were feeding there, presumably on something at the bottom of the river in the shallows. I could see them in the gloaming spyhopping, barrel-rolling, diving tails-up-and-out, going this way then that... There will shortly be less opportunity for them to get in the river with the early onset of ice, which eventually may get so thick that it will settle on the bottom as the tide goes out and otherwise seal off any access to the air above. They are in the mouth of the River right now, but the car battery froze and needs to thaw before I can go anywhere (it was -20⁰C (-4⁰F) last night, which it still is right now!). There is less opportunity for me to see them as well, as the hours of daylight shrink, and the times of favourable tides do not overlap with those of daylight, often for days on end. Yesterday, for example, they came in well before dawn and were only leaving just after sunset. The night before, while looking at Jupiter and Saturn from the City Dock boatyard, I could hear them making their way up with the tide; strange sounding exhalations echoing from an adjacent and more ancient world. Today, depending on how far they make it up-river, they will most certainly be leaving after dark. That they are at the mouth now, however, indicates to me that they may no longer deem it safe to go much further upstream. #sonydschx400v #sonydsc #sonycybershot #SonyCameras #delphinapterusleucas #belugawhales #belugas #belugawhale #beluga #kenairiver #kenai #kenaialaska #alaska #alaskawildlife #alaskaphotography #alaskawildlifephotography (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWTt3fzPRbG/?utm_medium=tumblr

Vigorous Though I missed them on Sunday, the whales were back in full force on Monday. I had checked the bluff at the started low tide time, but it wasn't yet slack, and there was no sign of them even out in the Inlet. I went back to the car (Hey! It was cold...) to check on some things. I was able to see about half the entrance, and glanced up and out to see regularly, but they got by me! They were moving swiftly. When they got to the bluff at Spur View Picnic Grounds they headed for the shallows across the river. You could see their wakes as they swam beneath the surface. At first I was thinking it may have been seals, but sure enough, when they breached: belugas! I don't know why the vigor. They were pushing through the water, often causing turbulent bubbles when they breached. #sonydschx400v #sonydsc #sonycybershot #SonyCameras #delphinapterusleucas #beluga #belugawhales #whales #kenairiverbelugas #kenairiver #kenai #kenaibluff #kenaialaska #alaska #alaskaphotography #alaskawildlife #alaskawildlifephotography (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEfYziv-fy/?utm_medium=tumblr

Tail of a whale. #sonydschx400v #sonydsc #sonycybershot #SonyCameras #delphinapterusleucas #beluga #fluke #whaletail #kenai #kenaialaska #kenairiver #kenairiverwhales #alaska #alaskaphotography #alaskawildlife #alaskawildlifephotography #kenaicitydock (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVpEQQUL7m1/?utm_medium=tumblr

Not sure what's going on here. The belugas were going downstream on Wednesday, a landing craft sped by, then they were making a mad dash upstream. #sonydschx400v #sonydsc #sonycybershot #SonyCameras #delphinapterusleucas #belugawhales #belugas #cibw #kenairiverbelugas #alaska #alaskawildlife #alaskaphotography #alaskawildlifephotography #kenai #kenairiver (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVD1Rf5PBjh/?utm_medium=tumblr

More beluga shots from Friday. These are all from far behind as they exhale. They haven't returned, yet... #kenairiver #beluga #belugawhales #delphinapterusleucas #sonydschx400v #sonydsc #sonycybershot #SonyCameras #kenaipeninsula (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTeKu_cr5iK/?utm_medium=tumblr