previous whale sightings reports:
May 15, 2008 (photographs as promised...)
JULY 13, 2008
total sightings from today's whale watches:
14 HUMPBACK WHALES, 9 FIN WHALES, and 7-10 MINKE WHALES
A Humpback Whale called "Trident" Breaching
Whale sightings continue to excellent. In fact, the 2008 whale watching season is fast becoming one of, if not THE BEST whale watching season on record. On July 12, 2008 we sighted 14 HUMPBACK WHALES (and there were reports of more Humpbacks nearby), 9 FIN WHALES, 7-10 MINKE WHALES and 1 BASKING SHARK! We also had some excellent bird sightings with as many as 40 CORY’S SHEARWATWERS seen in the same area as the feeding whales. I added some additional information on the sharks and birds at the end of this “current sightings update” but I know most people are most interested in hearing more about the 20-30 whales which have been busy feeding nearly everyday just 12-14 miles from Gloucester…
The number of HUMPBACK, FIN, and MINKE WHALES on Stellwagen Bank right now is truly incredible. The abundance of small schooling fish in the area (particularly a small schooling fish called the “American Sand Lance”) is no doubt responsible for attracting and keeping these whales in the area. To understand why this is you must realize that the whales we have feeding just a few miles off our coast right now are preparing for their migration south to their breeding grounds which will begin in just a few short months. The Humpback Whales, for example, will migrate 1,500 miles south to the warm, tropical waters of the southern Bahamas and the Caribbean during the winter. This is where all the mating and calving takes place for these whales. The problem is that the Caribbean waters are much less productive than the cold, nutrient-rich waters off of New England and therefor the massive schools of fish that have supported these whales all spring and summer (and made Gloucester into the famous fishing port that it is) will no longer be available for these whales to feed upon. Thus the whales will be forced to fast for 4 to 5 months (between the months of November though March). During this prolonged fast an adult Humpback Whale may loose up to ¼ of it’s total body weight (as many as 15,000 pounds!). This is why these whales are so focused of feeding while they are in these northern waters during the summer: they know that they need to meet their energy requirements not only for the day but for the entire winter season as well.
Feeding
Humpback Whale
In this respect the whales are in a sense easy to figure out during the summer: THE WHALES ARE GOING TO BE FOUND WHEREEVER THE FISH ARE MOST ABUNDANT. And this year the fish are VERY abundant on Stellwagen Bank. This is why we have seen so many whales on such a consistent basis. It is a rare biological event which has given us the opportunity to spend just a few hours on the water and see sights that someone would normally have to spend days at sea or travel to distant corners of the Earth to witness: Groups of 3, 4, 5 or more Humpback Whales working together to blow huge clouds of bubbles around dense schools of fish, Fin Whales lunging through schools of fish at the surface, and a myriad of bird and other wildlife species also taking advantage of the sheer amount of food in the area. (For more detailed information on how these whales feed please see my “current sightings update” from July 2nd here)
"Pinpoint"
We are glad to have had the opportunity to share these sights with so many people already this year, and we hope that if you have not had the chance to visit with these whales but have been thinking of going whale watching you will do so soon. We never can tell how long these sighting will last. Remember, these whales that we are seeing are WILD, and very much ENDANGERED animals that are free to roam the ocean at will in search of the best places to feed. While we hope that Stellwagen Bank will continue to be home to these animals for at least the next few months, the ocean environment is very dynamic and things could change at any time…but let’s hope they don’t…..
"Tear"
Individual Humpback Whales sighted recently include: Compass and calf, Tornado and calf, Trident and calf, Fulcrum, Nile, Pepper, Pinpoint, Milkweed, Underline, Geometry, Etch-a-sketch, Cajun and calf, Reflection, and Tear.
Basking
Shark with mouth wide open!
We have also still been seeing a few basking sharks in the area. This is to be expected as the water on Stellwagen Bank gets a bit warmer (sightings of Basking Sharks usually peak in late July and August). These fish are the second largest fish in the world (second only to the whale shark) and can reach lengths of nearly 35 feet!
For the Birds:
Bird sightings have also been excellent recently. In addition to the three species of shearwaters (Greater, Sooty and Manx) that we normally see in the area we have also seen A LOT of Cory’s shearwaters recently. For the past couple of weeks I have counted as many as 40 Cory’s on many of our whale watching trips. Cory’s shearwaters are a more southern, warmer water species that we see in very small numbers each year but usually not until late August.
Cory's Shearwater (center) with 5 Greater Shearwaters and 1 Sooty
Shearwater (bottom left)
Another interesting bird sighting was a juvenile Pomarine Jaeger that flew past the boat on July 11th while we were making our way back to Gloucester. This was my first sighting of this species of the year however I expect that as fall approaches we will start seeing Pomarine (and Parasitic) Jaegers with a bit more regularity. Speaking of the fall, on the same day I saw the Jaeger I also saw my first Bonaparte’s Gull of the season near Ten Pound Island in Gloucester Harbor. This small gull species is a winter resident in Massachusetts and by September they have left their breeding grounds in the high Arctic and we usually find them gathering in the harbor in large numbers. So even as summer is still in full-swing and the whales are abundant the first signs of the coming fall are here….
Pomarine Jaeger
ALL PHOTOS TAKEN IN JULY 2008 FROM THE 7 SEAS WHALE WATCHING BOAT PRIVATEER IV
Some of the above photos were taken by our good friend Oktay Kaya. To see more of Oktay's beautiful whale photographs and other wildlife pictures he has taken please visit his site at http://www.whalesandwhales.com