Daniel Fildes Photography

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Daniel Fildes Photography

Photos and Videos of Wildlife, landscape, underwater and more. Feel free to share, PM for any photos or photo inquiries. Website: dfwild.com

09/09/2026

Tail fluking is when a cetacean’s tail becomes visible for a moment just before they prepare to dive.

Very often seen with humpback whales and exceptionally exciting when you can view it closely.

03/09/2026

Bigg Breach

Biggs or transient orca aren’t as well known for breaching as the likes of the resident orca, nonetheless it’s equally exciting.

24/08/2026

Closeup of an icon..

Bald eagles are as impressive as they are a common sight around British Columbia.

Looking up into a cliffside covered in trees, you can spy the white plumage of their “bald” heads from quite a distance.
These powerful birds of prey mate for life, and quite often where there’s one, the mate isn’t too far away.
Mating for life, they rebuild the same nest year after year.
After a number of years the nest will weigh hundreds of kilograms.
I came across this eagle sitting atop a rock off the shore, possibly hoping for a free meal from some nearby stellar sea lions.

Growing up and seeing these birds on a tv screen or laptop was still impressive, but seeing them up close in person reiterates the word magnificent.

22/08/2026

Flying fish.. sort of..

My first time photographing an Osprey, and amazingly it wasn’t alone..
Ospreys, otherwise known as Sea-hawks, are a large bird of prey that catches fish from the surface or shallows with its talons.
These magnificent raptors have some unique features to help them with their 99% fish diet.
Reversible outer toes, barbed foot pads, and sealable nostrils to allow them to plunge completely into the water.

In this situation you can perfectly see how ospreys turn their prey head-on for better aerodynamics in flight.
This starry flounder is being carried in such a way that jt wont affect the flight.

A species that I’ve wanted to capture on camera for a very long time ✅

Canada proving to be one of the best places I’ve ever been to find wildlife!

18/08/2026

Humpback Eruption

Lunge feeding humpback whales always come as a surprise when viewed at the surface.
Bubble-Net feeding can be seen from the surface, offering insight into where the whale is going to appear.

Lunge feeding is slightly different.. the only immediate give away is the flock of seagulls on patrol above, anticipating the free meal of stunned anchovies or herring that come to the surface post-lunge.

Without gull’s present, it’s a guessing game.. and quite an exhilarating one!
This humpback whale erupted out of the water, seemingly from nowhere.
If you look closely you can see several small fish that didn’t quite make the “gulp”, but much then have to survive the onslaught of gulls hovering above.

The natural world is the best form of entertainment..

13/08/2026

Jumping for joy..

Breaching behaviour is something seen more so in the warmer waters of the breeding grounds such as Mexico or Hawaii, but occasionally that changes and you’re treated to a show.

40 ton animals clearing the surface and crashing back into the waves always makes for a jaw dropping encounter.

04/08/2026

Lunge feeding Giant

Humpback whales have a couple of methods of feeding and one of the more prominent methods is one called Lunge Feeding.
The whale will come to the surface to take a mouthful of its prey such as anchovies or herring.
The spectacle on the surface is mind blowing to behold.
The whale accelerates towards the surface, opening its mouth to a huge degree, engulfing both water and fish, after which the whale filters the water back out of its mouth through its baleen which act like a sieve or filter.

This behaviour isn’t seen all too often but when it is, it’s incredibly impressive to witness.

03/08/2026

Sunset dancer

It’s not often that I get to see humpback whales breaching in this area but when it happens, it’s usually pretty spectacular..

This individual breached a handful of times right as the light was turning golden.
The three main theories for this behaviour are;
- playfulness and fun
- removal of parasites
- communication

Aside from seeing this as playful fun, with an occasional photo capturing a parasite being flung off a fin or tail fluke, one of the more interesting theories is communication.

The sound of a 40 ton animal crashing back into the waves will carry long distances underwater. Very often on a day where one breaches, another will breach in the distance. Potentially signaling food to one another.

Aside from looking at this from a scientific point of view.. it was breathtakingly beautiful lighting and a spectacle to behold.

24/07/2026

Eye spy..

A harbour seal floating just below the waves outside of the harbour.
Harbour seals have discovered that local fishing boats often discard leftover bait or “scraps” and now quite literally “eye-up” any boats that look like they may have a potential snack for them.

I captured this one in surveillance-mode.

Address

Ratoath
CO. MEATH

Website

http://DFwild.com/

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