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Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

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Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

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  • Myanmar-Burma-people-events40.jpg
  • I gave up on trying to find my paddle, and tried to find a quiet stretch of beach to make camp; I wasn’t really in the mood for attracting a big audience that evening. But as I was racing through the surf towards the beach I saw some people pouring out of the trees and racing towards me, and they eagerly helped to drag my kayak away from the surf. Looking along the beach I could see a line of huts set back from the beach, and there were more people swarming towards me! Greetings ensued and then I started collecting firewood. I assembled a big pile of wood to be fed to the fire gradually whilst cooking my dinner and when I turned around I was horrified to see that they had set the whole pile ablaze; it was party time and the occasion called for a blazing bonfire to celebrate my arrival. It was time to chill out, so I relinquished any prospect of dinner and a quiet evening, and joined the party. I made tea and tried to find as many drinking containers as possible. Darkness settled and the crackling fire illuminated the circus of animated laughing faces around me. My phrasebook once again became the centre of attention and everyone wanted to have a go at trying to speak some English. The trials and tribulations of the day were soon forgotten amidst the laughter.<br />
I camped near the village for a couple of days, doing more repairs and trying to heal my sores. I continued to be the centre of attention of the village, and many people stopped by to observe the strange piece of flotsam that had washed up on their beach. The apparent village leader milked me as frequently as possible for new English phrases. His big opportunity came when it was time for me to leave, and he put his newly learnt expressions into practice by giving a running commentary on my departure - “Duncan Murrell is leaving today and the sun is shining, it is not cloudy, he had a good time here” – all perfectly enunciated like David Attenborough describing the actions of a wild animal.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-journey17.jpg
  • I gave up on trying to find my paddle, and tried to find a quiet stretch of beach to make camp; I wasn’t really in the mood for attracting a big audience that evening. But as I was racing through the surf towards the beach I saw some people pouring out of the trees and racing towards me, and they eagerly helped to drag my kayak away from the surf. Looking along the beach I could see a line of huts set back from the beach, and there were more people swarming towards me! Greetings ensued and then I started collecting firewood. I assembled a big pile of wood to be fed to the fire gradually whilst cooking my dinner and when I turned around I was horrified to see that they had set the whole pile ablaze; it was party time and the occasion called for a blazing bonfire to celebrate my arrival. It was time to chill out, so I relinquished any prospect of dinner and a quiet evening, and joined the party. I made tea and tried to find as many drinking containers as possible. Darkness settled and the crackling fire illuminated the circus of animated laughing faces around me. My phrasebook once again became the centre of attention and everyone wanted to have a go at trying to speak some English. The trials and tribulations of the day were soon forgotten amidst the laughter.<br />
I camped near the village for a couple of days, doing more repairs and trying to heal my sores. I continued to be the centre of attention of the village, and many people stopped by to observe the strange piece of flotsam that had washed up on their beach. The apparent village leader milked me as frequently as possible for new English phrases. His big opportunity came when it was time for me to leave, and he put his newly learnt expressions into practice by giving a running commentary on my departure - “Duncan Murrell is leaving today and the sun is shining, it is not cloudy, he had a good time here” – all perfectly enunciated like David Attenborough describing the actions of a wild animal.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-journey16.jpg
  • In the early 90s I bought a new kayak; a small double kayak that would enable me to carry more supplies and take anybody out with me if I ever wanted to. The French Nautiraid Raid double kayak is designed to have the versatility of being paddled well as a large capacity single kayak as well as a double. I ordered it from my regular supplier of kayak gear in Sitka, Baidarka Boats, and it was delivered to Tenakee Springs. At that time I was also using an old pilot boat, “Selena”, that I had bought with the help of a natural history filming company that I was going to do some work for, but it never really worked out, and my filming career was very short-lived. Although I had progressed to using a larger kayak it was still a challenge to get everything in, including myself. The two clear containers strapped above the blue dry bag on the bow are my mobile “garden” in which I grew bean sprouts. The wheels strapped to the deck are for a kayak cart that didn’t survive very long. I had always used two polystyrene crab-pot floats strung on rope as rollers to haul my kayak up and down the rocky beaches. I discovered very few sandy unobstructed beaches in Southeast Alaska to make launching and landing any easier. Packing and launching, and then beaching and unloading was always time-consuming especially when I was either impatient to get underway, or tired from a hard day’s paddling and just wanting to make camp, a fire, cook dinner and sleep.
    Alaska-camping-kayaking16.jpg
  • Madagascar is home to about half the world’s chameleons, including both subfamilies, typical chameleons and dwarf chameleons (Brookesiinae). Chameleons are small to mid-size reptiles that are famous for their ability to dramatically change colours. Contrary to popular belief, they do not change colours to match their surroundings. Instead colour is usually used to convey emotions, defend territories, and communicate with mates. They have two layers of specialized cells that lie just beneath the lizard’s transparent outer skin. The cells in the upper layer, called chromatophores, contain yellow and red pigments. Below them is another layer of cells called guanophores, containing the colourless crystalline substance guanin, which reflect the blue part of incidental light. If the upper layer of chromatophores is yellow, the reflected light becomes green (blue plus yellow). A layer of dark melanin containing melanophores is situated under the blue and white light-reflecting guanophores. These melanophores influence the lightness of the reflected light. All these different pigment cells can relocate their pigment, thereby influencing the colour of the light that is reflected.<br />
Other notable features are bulging eyes that move independently, enabling them to be able to look ahead and behind at the same time, feet with paired toes fixed in a grasping position, and the existence of horns or crests on the heads of many species. Additionally, arboreal species have prehensile tails used for grasping objects when climbing, and some species have long extensile tongues for catching insects or small vertebrates at a distance often greater than their length.<br />
They are diurnal, solitary, and often aggressive towards members of their own species (marked by rapid colour change and aggressive posturing). They are opportunistic hunters that wait for their prey, and move in a curiously, tentative swaying manner. Their bodies are very narrow enabling them easier passage through foliage.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-reptiles35.jpg
  • Madagascar is home to about half the world’s chameleons, including both subfamilies, typical chameleons and dwarf chameleons (Brookesiinae). Chameleons are small to mid-size reptiles that are famous for their ability to dramatically change colours. Contrary to popular belief, they do not change colours to match their surroundings. Instead colour is usually used to convey emotions, defend territories, and communicate with mates. They have two layers of specialized cells that lie just beneath the lizard’s transparent outer skin. The cells in the upper layer, called chromatophores, contain yellow and red pigments. Below them is another layer of cells called guanophores, containing the colourless crystalline substance guanin, which reflect the blue part of incidental light. If the upper layer of chromatophores is yellow, the reflected light becomes green (blue plus yellow). A layer of dark melanin containing melanophores is situated under the blue and white light-reflecting guanophores. These melanophores influence the lightness of the reflected light. All these different pigment cells can relocate their pigment, thereby influencing the colour of the light that is reflected.<br />
Other notable features are bulging eyes that move independently, enabling them to be able to look ahead and behind at the same time, feet with paired toes fixed in a grasping position, and the existence of horns or crests on the heads of many species. Additionally, arboreal species have prehensile tails used for grasping objects when climbing, and some species have long extensile tongues for catching insects or small vertebrates at a distance often greater than their length.<br />
They are diurnal, solitary, and often aggressive towards members of their own species (marked by rapid colour change and aggressive posturing). They are opportunistic hunters that wait for their prey, and move in a curiously, tentative swaying manner. Their bodies are very narrow enabling them easier passage through foliage.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-reptiles36.jpg
  • Madagascar is home to about half the world’s chameleons, including both subfamilies, typical chameleons and dwarf chameleons (Brookesiinae). Chameleons are small to mid-size reptiles that are famous for their ability to dramatically change colours. Contrary to popular belief, they do not change colours to match their surroundings. Instead colour is usually used to convey emotions, defend territories, and communicate with mates. They have two layers of specialized cells that lie just beneath the lizard’s transparent outer skin. The cells in the upper layer, called chromatophores, contain yellow and red pigments. Below them is another layer of cells called guanophores, containing the colourless crystalline substance guanin, which reflect the blue part of incidental light. If the upper layer of chromatophores is yellow, the reflected light becomes green (blue plus yellow). A layer of dark melanin containing melanophores is situated under the blue and white light-reflecting guanophores. These melanophores influence the lightness of the reflected light. All these different pigment cells can relocate their pigment, thereby influencing the colour of the light that is reflected.<br />
Other notable features are bulging eyes that move independently, enabling them to be able to look ahead and behind at the same time, feet with paired toes fixed in a grasping position, and the existence of horns or crests on the heads of many species. Additionally, arboreal species have prehensile tails used for grasping objects when climbing, and some species have long extensile tongues for catching insects or small vertebrates at a distance often greater than their length.<br />
They are diurnal, solitary, and often aggressive towards members of their own species (marked by rapid colour change and aggressive posturing). They are opportunistic hunters that wait for their prey, and move in a curiously, tentative swaying manner. Their bodies are very narrow enabling them easier passage through foliage.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-reptiles39.jpg
  • Madagascar is home to about half the world’s chameleons, including both subfamilies, typical chameleons and dwarf chameleons (Brookesiinae). Chameleons are small to mid-size reptiles that are famous for their ability to dramatically change colours. Contrary to popular belief, they do not change colours to match their surroundings. Instead colour is usually used to convey emotions, defend territories, and communicate with mates. They have two layers of specialized cells that lie just beneath the lizard’s transparent outer skin. The cells in the upper layer, called chromatophores, contain yellow and red pigments. Below them is another layer of cells called guanophores, containing the colourless crystalline substance guanin, which reflect the blue part of incidental light. If the upper layer of chromatophores is yellow, the reflected light becomes green (blue plus yellow). A layer of dark melanin containing melanophores is situated under the blue and white light-reflecting guanophores. These melanophores influence the lightness of the reflected light. All these different pigment cells can relocate their pigment, thereby influencing the colour of the light that is reflected.<br />
Other notable features are bulging eyes that move independently, enabling them to be able to look ahead and behind at the same time, feet with paired toes fixed in a grasping position, and the existence of horns or crests on the heads of many species. Additionally, arboreal species have prehensile tails used for grasping objects when climbing, and some species have long extensile tongues for catching insects or small vertebrates at a distance often greater than their length.<br />
They are diurnal, solitary, and often aggressive towards members of their own species (marked by rapid colour change and aggressive posturing). They are opportunistic hunters that wait for their prey, and move in a curiously, tentative swaying manner. Their bodies are very narrow enabling them easier passage through foliage.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-reptiles37.jpg
  • Madagascar is home to about half the world’s chameleons, including both subfamilies, typical chameleons and dwarf chameleons (Brookesiinae). Chameleons are small to mid-size reptiles that are famous for their ability to dramatically change colours. Contrary to popular belief, they do not change colours to match their surroundings. Instead colour is usually used to convey emotions, defend territories, and communicate with mates. They have two layers of specialized cells that lie just beneath the lizard’s transparent outer skin. The cells in the upper layer, called chromatophores, contain yellow and red pigments. Below them is another layer of cells called guanophores, containing the colourless crystalline substance guanin, which reflect the blue part of incidental light. If the upper layer of chromatophores is yellow, the reflected light becomes green (blue plus yellow). A layer of dark melanin containing melanophores is situated under the blue and white light-reflecting guanophores. These melanophores influence the lightness of the reflected light. All these different pigment cells can relocate their pigment, thereby influencing the colour of the light that is reflected.<br />
Other notable features are bulging eyes that move independently, enabling them to be able to look ahead and behind at the same time, feet with paired toes fixed in a grasping position, and the existence of horns or crests on the heads of many species. Additionally, arboreal species have prehensile tails used for grasping objects when climbing, and some species have long extensile tongues for catching insects or small vertebrates at a distance often greater than their length.<br />
They are diurnal, solitary, and often aggressive towards members of their own species (marked by rapid colour change and aggressive posturing). They are opportunistic hunters that wait for their prey, and move in a curiously, tentative swaying manner. Their bodies are very narrow enabling them easier passage through foliage.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-reptiles38.jpg
  • The west coast of Scotland is one of the best places in the world, along with my home region of the SW of England, for seeing basking sharks, the second largest fish in the world. They can grow up to 10m (33ft) long. They are an open water shark, but move closer to shore in summer to feed on the plankton bloom. They are usually solitary, but occasionally gather in aggregations of 100 or more where there are large concentrations of plankton, usually where there are tidal fronts where different water masses meet. They are filter feeders, and in 1 hour they can filter 1.5 million litres (330,000 gallons) of water through their gills. They are highly migratory, but long-distance tracking of individuals only began recently, and it is still unknown whether they migrate between lower and higher latitudes, or between deep and shallow water. Their livers contain a large proportion of oil typical of deepwater sharks, which may indicate that they spend some time in deep water. Very little is known about their breeding. They probably mature late and reproduce slowly, making them particularly vulnerable to overfishing, especially as fisheries catch more females than males. They were once fished commercially on a small scale around Scotland for their huge livers, which contain oils formerly used in various industries, with a peak recorded catch of 250 sharks in 1947. But in response to dwindling numbers the basking shark has been fully protected since 1998. <br />
Because they swim at the surface, these magnificent sharks are easily harmed, either deliberately or accidentally. Currently, potential threats include bycatch in fishing nets, and disturbance or impact by jet-skis, speedboats and other vessels. Globally its conservation status is currently listed as vulnerable.
    Kayaking-West-Coast-Scotland13.jpg
  • Ardnamurchan is undoubtedly one of the dramatic and stunning parts of the Scottish coast. It is very wild and unspoilt, and its remoteness is accentuated by the main access route being just a single-track road for much of the length of the 50-square-mile (130 km2) peninsula. This is a view across the rocks of Eilean Chaluim Cille Bay towards the 36 metre (118 ft) tall lighthouse on the point. The peninsula has great geological and historical interest. The whole northwestern corner of Ardnamurchan contains a complex of underground volcanic structures that originate from a 55 million-year-old volcanic complex. Small areas of lava that that were ejected onto the surface are found in some parts of the peninsula. At least seven other similar complexes of the same tectonic episode are dotted up the west coast of Britain. The sub-concentric rings of the volcanic complex can easily be seen in satellite photographs and topographic maps, though they are less obvious on the ground.<br />
In 2011, a Viking ship burial, probably from the 10th century, was unearthed at Port an Eilean Mhoir on Ardnamurchan. Grave goods buried alongside a Viking warrior found in the boat suggest he was a high-ranking warrior. He was found buried with an axe, a sword with a decorated hilt, a spaer, a shield boss and a bronze ring pin. Other finds in the 5 metre long (16ft) grave included a knife, what could be the bronze tip of a drinking horn, a whetstone from Norway, a ring pin from Ireland and Viking Age pottery. Another Viking ship burial was also discovered in Cul na Croise on the peninsula
    Kayaking-West-Coast-Scotland28.jpg
  • I never tired of photographing the whales when they were sounding, because the flukes are such a beautiful shape and the motion is so graceful as they raise them just before slipping into the water, whilst shedding a sparkling waterfall. There was also the additional aesthetic element of their ethereal breath, but it had such a foul unbecoming fishy smell; research has revealed many harmful pathogens contained in their breath. There are also droplets of mucous that often coated myself and my lens, giving the soft-focus effect evident in this photo, but I usually tried to avoid getting engulfed by their foul-smelling breath.
    Alaska-humpback-whale-sounding19.jpg
  • Here is one member of the “Fantastic Five”, as I dubbed them, feeding on the Morris Reef. It clearly illustrates the moment when the whale shuts its jaws very quickly and firmly, and any water contained is forcefully ejected out through the baleen plates, and any prey is trapped inside its mouth. Also clearly visible are the distinctive bumps or “tubercles” on the rostrum of a humpback whale that are found on no other species of whale. Each tubercle has a small hair or “vibrissae”, that probably act like whiskers as sensory organs for detecting their prey.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet10.jpg
  • Skunk cabbage is the definitive plant of the damp Southeast Alaskan terrain. It's large leaves and thick stems can be found anywhere where the ground is saturated enough both inside the forest and outside. Apart from its prominent appearance its distinctive musky smell is a prevalent feature in and around the forest. The distinctive odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles. The plant grows from rhizomes that measure 30 cm or longer, and 2.5 to 5 cm in diameter. The leaves are the largest of any native plant in the region, 50–135 cm long and 30–80 cm wide when mature. Its flowers are produced in a spadix contained within a large, bright yellow or yellowish green spathe 30–40 cm tall; it is among the first flowers to appear in spring.While some consider the plant to be a weed, its roots are food for bears, who eat it after hibernating as a laxative or cathartic. The plant was used by indigenous people as medicine for burns and injuries, and for food in times of famine, when almost all parts were eaten.
    Alaska-vegetation23.jpg
  • Ankarana National Park in north-west Madagascar is a spectacular eroded limestone fortress of sharp ridges, interspersed with patches of dense tropical rainforest, deciduous forest, gorges, deep caves and underground rivers. About 100 kilometres of cave passages have been mapped within the massif. It is a small, partially vegetated plateau composed of 150-million-year-old middle Jurassic limestone, with an average annual rainfall of about 2,000 mm that has led to the erosion that has created the classic “karst” topography, or locally known as “tsingy”.<br />
Ankarana contains one of the highest densities of primates of any forest in the world. Its dense forests supports large populations of crowned lemurs and Sanford’s brown lemurs, in addition to Perrier’s sifaka, northern sportive lemurs, brown mouse lemurs, fork-marked lemurs, eastern wooly lemurs, western lesser bamboo lemurs and fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, and also ring-tailed mongoose, fossa, tenrecs and Madagascar striped civet. There are almost 100 bird species, 50 reptile, including some endemic and threatened snakes and geckos, and 10 species of frogs. Inside the huge labyrinth of caves there are 14 species of bats, along with local endemic blind shrimps and the world’s only cave-living crocodiles.<br />
More than 350 plant species grow in the park; the luxuriant forests around the gorges are always green and are the richest in numbers of species.
    Kayaking-Madagascar-journey47.jpg
  • This photo was taken in my early days with Avalon and my Klepper kayak when the Seymour Canal was my regular haunt with the whales. As mammals, humpbacks must come to the surface to breathe.  Typically, humpbacks dive for 5-10 minutes although they can hold their breath for much longer if necessary. Unlike land mammals who store the majority of air in their lungs, whales store less than 25% in the lungs with almost half of the oxygen contained in hemoglobin molecules.  They also store oxygen in myoglobin molecules in the muscles.  When a whale dives, their metabolism and heart rate decrease so that they use oxygen stores more slowly.  At the same time blood is shunted away from the extremities.  These adaptations allow them to breathe much less frequently than land mammals. They also have a higher tolerance for carbon dioxide (CO2). Their brains do not trigger a breathing response until the levels of CO2 are much higher than what humans can tolerate.
    Alaska-humpback-whale-blowing2.jpg
  • Skunk cabbage is the definitive plant of the damp Southeast Alaskan terrain. It's large leaves and thick stems can be found anywhere where the ground is saturated enough both inside the forest and outside. Apart from its prominent appearance its distinctive musky smell is a prevalent feature in and around the forest. The distinctive odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles. The plant grows from rhizomes that measure 30 cm or longer, and 2.5 to 5 cm in diameter. The leaves are the largest of any native plant in the region, 50–135 cm long and 30–80 cm wide when mature. Its flowers are produced in a spadix contained within a large, bright yellow or yellowish green spathe 30–40 cm tall; it is among the first flowers to appear in spring.While some consider the plant to be a weed, its roots are food for bears, who eat it after hibernating as a laxative or cathartic. The plant was used by indigenous people as medicine for burns and injuries, and for food in times of famine, when almost all parts were eaten.
    Alaska-vegetation24.jpg
  • Skunk cabbage is the definitive plant of the damp Southeast Alaskan terrain. It's large leaves and thick stems can be found anywhere where the ground is saturated enough both inside the forest and outside. Apart from its prominent appearance its distinctive musky smell is a prevalent feature in and around the forest. The distinctive odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles. The plant grows from rhizomes that measure 30 cm or longer, and 2.5 to 5 cm in diameter. The leaves are the largest of any native plant in the region, 50–135 cm long and 30–80 cm wide when mature. Its flowers are produced in a spadix contained within a large, bright yellow or yellowish green spathe 30–40 cm tall; it is among the first flowers to appear in spring.While some consider the plant to be a weed, its roots are food for bears, who eat it after hibernating as a laxative or cathartic. The plant was used by indigenous people as medicine for burns and injuries, and for food in times of famine, when almost all parts were eaten.Streptopus amplexifolius was used as a food plant by Native Americans in Eastern North America and as a medicine. The plant was referred to by early settlers of Eastern and Western North America as "wild cucumber" and as "scoot berries" for the mildly laxative effects of the berries if they are eaten in excessive quantities.<br />
Twisted stalk or wild cucumber is one of my favourite plants in Southeast. It is a very elegant plant with its ornately arranged lanceolate leaves attached to each kink in the stem. It has delicate little ivory flowers that hang down like fairy's hats.The tender young shoots of this plant were eaten by some aboriginal peoples as a salad green, but most considered the plant and berries poisonous.The shoots are sweet with a cucumber-like flavor. The berries are juicy and sweet, with a watermelon-like flavour. The juice of the berries was used as a soothing treatment for burns by American Indians.
    Alaska-vegetation25.jpg
  • A pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) sounding, Icy Strait, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
I never tired of photographing the whales when they were sounding (diving), because the flukes are such a beautiful shape and the motion is so graceful as they raise them prior to sliding into the water, whilst shedding a sparkling waterfall. There was also the additional aesthetic element of their ethereal breath, which always looked much better than the smell, which is foul and very fishy; research has revealed many harmful pathogens contained in their breath. There are also droplets of mucous that often coated myself and my lens, giving the soft-focus effect evident in this photo, but I usually tried to avoid getting engulfed by their foul-smelling breath.
    Humpback whales-8.tif
  • It was so beautiful to be out on Frederick Sound where it meets Stephens Passage to the North. It is surrounded by the mountains of the mainland to the East and the North, Kupreanof Island to the South, and Baranof and Admiralty Island to the West.  There are passages to get out to the Pacific Ocean, but it seems contained like a massive lake. It can be tranquil like a millpond like this photo, but very quickly transformed into a maelstrom by powerful South-easterly winds, and strong currents.
    Southeast-Alaska-Avalon10.jpg
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeanglia) cooperative feeding using a bubble net, the Morris Reef, Chatham Strait, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
Here is one member of the “Fantastic Five”, as I dubbed them, feeding on the Morris Reef. It clearly illustrates the moment when the whale shuts its jaws very quickly and firmly, and any water contained is forcefully ejected out through the baleen plates, and any prey is trapped inside its mouth. Also clearly visible are the distinctive bumps or “tubercles” on the rostrum of a humpback whale that are found on no other species of whale. Each tubercle has a small hair or “vibrissae”, that probably act like whiskers as sensory organs for detecting their prey.
    Humpback whales-13-2.tif