by Judith Deutsch | Photos by the Author
Sometimes our most memorable experiences with the animal kingdom occur when we least expect them, both in and out of nature’s settings. On a humpback whale-watching cruise in Juneau, Alaska, I watched from our deck an amazing rescue at sea. A mother whale became entangled with a buoy and could not dive. Her young calf remained close by her side, clearly distressed and spooked. A rescue helicopter arrived within the hour and dropped divers into the water, where they were visible to the mother humpback. She calmed immediately and held still for over an hour while the divers cut her loose and the baby nestled. As mother and calf turned seaward, mom dove and breached, signaling her thanks. The rescue divers were amazing, and the rescue helicopter kept on station as boats arrived. Rescue attempts are not always successful, and Golden Eagles were circling the calf, but we had a happy ending that day.
My first close encounter with a whale was at SeaWorld in San Diego, California, currently home to many orphaned and injured ocean inhabitants. I took the back scene tour that raised funds for animal rescue and welfare including “Lunch with Shamu,” one of several generations of Shamu-named orcas. Seated at a table alongside Shamu, I bit into my peanut butter sandwich only to have Shamu leave the water and slide down our eight-person table to my sandwich. Whales have huge, muscular tongues they use to lick food off of their baleen, much as we lick peanut butter off of the roofs of our mouths. From the response of the trainer, this was an unplanned snack.
At home, I spend a lot of time in and on the water of Marina del Rey near Santa Monica, California. Frisky sea lions, Mallards, and Brown Pelicans bask on piers and boat sterns. On occasion they keep pace with our kayak. Cloudy days we walk a path along the Ballona Wetlands with its Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Allen’s Hummingbirds, Mourning Doves, squirrels, and other wildlife.
Wherever we tend to be, there are wonderful adventures to be found in and around nature.