Southern Hemisphere

Daily Pic 09/28/18 (Southern Right Whale)

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Southern right whales sail home to South Africa

Each year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and early spring months (June through November), southern right whales migrate from the far Southern Ocean near Antarctica to the coast of South Africa to mate and calve. Their tendency to swim in shallow waters near the shore—and their curiosity around boats—delight tourists here, making the town of Hermanus, South Africa, an international whale-watching hot spot. The town even employs its own ‘whale crier,‘ who sounds a horn when a sighting is made. Today marks the start of the Hermanus Whale Festival, a celebration of these mighty migrants.

Daily Pic 09/28/17

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Mount Ibuki Driveway in Maibara, Shiga, Japan



Daily Pic 09/14/18 (Black-Browed Albatross)

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Back to the nest

Spring is nearly here—if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. And these black-browed albatrosses, sometimes called mollymawks, have returned to their nesting grounds in the Falkland Islands where they will reunite with their mates. Each bird pair will lay a single egg in September or October and nurture the hatchling from December until April, when it’s time to take off and hunt the high seas again.

Daily Pic 09/14/17

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View from the Udaipur City Palace, Rajasthan, India