𝘐𝘵'𝘴 Saddle! Sitting on the bluff Sunday morning I noticed some unusual ripples down by the cannery. I glassed it but saw nothing. A few hours later, as the tide was going out, I spotted... something. It had fins, whatever it was. The belugas left early, in mid-October. I readied the camera. There! A whale! I pressed and held the shutter, but I only had it set to single. I pressed the record button. Glass in the way, click to manual focus, adjust. There, got it! It was leaving now. I stepped out into the -10⁰C (14⁰F) weather and took some rapid bursts as it left. The tide would turn in about two hours. Upon returning, I was met by another photog. We waited, and at the proscribed time, along came a lone (was she?) beluga. It was our old familiar, Saddle! I got one burst. I was resolved Monday to do better. I arrived after the tide had turned, but, given yesterday's timing, before Saddle was due. She was early. Still, I stepped into the -13.3⁰C (8⁰F) air, raised the preset camera, pressed the shutter, and was greeted by a message saying the memory card was full!!! It wasn't, but possibly faulty nonetheless, so, after swapping it, I got in one burst, which are the first photos. Belugas run at about 35.8⁰C (96.44⁰F), and tend to maintain a 2⁰C skin-water temperature difference. That is her breath trailing behind her. Perhaps, at her advanced age, she was seeking the warmth of the fresh running water, which never gets below freezing, unlike the saltier ocean water. #cibw20221127 #cibw20221128 #cibw #saddle #saddlethebeluga #sonydschx400v #kenai #kenairiver #kenairiverwhales #alaska #alaskawildlife #whale #beluga #belugawhale (at Kenai River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CligRc0uWH0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
