Beached Humpback Whale Fran

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Stephen Johnson

I had a very emotional visit to the remains of what turns out to be a famous whale. Fran was a 17 year old, 49 foot, female Humpback Whale known to the scientific community. A sighting in June 2022 observed her with a calf.

Even in her death, there was still beauty evident. But after her autopsy, the scene was grotesque. Apparently she was hit by a body breaking ship strike.

I had to pay my respects, I had to reach out and touch her. I will be looking through my fluke photos to see if I might have met her before.

Of course, the more I learn about Fran, the more tragic her death clearly is. The details in the SFGate article brought tears.

From SFGate: In the database we built, we have 70,000 whales and I recognized her immediately,” Ted Cheeseman, who runs Happywhale, a citizen science project that identifies the world’s whales, told SFGATE. “Ship strikes are tragic. This is the most beautiful animal in the world, being killed literally as road kill. It’s such a waste. Quite honestly, I’m both sad and mad.”

Fran on Happywhale: https://bit.ly/3AXb89w

SFGate: https://bit.ly/3KzO049

Some of Fran’s Sightings around Monterey Bay, CA. from Happywhale

website: http://www.stephenjohnson.photography

Barn Swallows

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Stephen Johnson

And now for something completely different. From my studio, Barn Swallow chicks with quick parental feeding fly in.

With a few variations.

website: http://www.stephenjohnson.photography

Valley Henge

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Stephen Johnson

Back in the great valley of my homeland for a few days in the heat of summer. Things continue to look quite curious to me, curiosities I’ve noticed since I was a boy.

This is actually a section of California’s new High Speed Rail System under construction.

It was fascinating to walk around the structures, trying to refine the scene down to the bare elements I kept sensing. One issue was the reality of the color making the strange form strangely real or the abstraction of black and white making the scene more abstract. Both versions seem to have their strengths.