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2008 Whale Sightings Reports:
May 15, 2008 (photographs as promised...)
May 23, 2008
total sightings from today's whale watch:
10 HUMPBACK WHALES, 1 FIN WHALE, and 1 MINKE WHALE
Cardhu's calf breaching Cardhu flipper slapping
The whales continue to be found on Stellwagen Bank's northwest corner (just 12 miles from Gloucester) and while feeding continues to be their main activity, on today's whale watch we did see breaching and flipper slapping from a mother calf pair of Humpback Whales (photos above). This activity started with the mother (a very large whale called "Cardhu") flipper slapping. This is when a whale will lay on it's side or on it's back and lift it's pectoral fin/fins into the air and repeatedly strike the surface of the water. While Cardhu was flipper slapping we could see that her calf was becoming increasingly excited. Eventually the calf lifted it's head out of the water and emphatically dove beneath the surface. Anyone experienced in Humpback whale behavior knows that this type of dive often precedes a breach. Thus I had my camera ready and was able to get three good photographs of Cardhu's calf as it leapt from the water...the best of those pictures you can see above this paragraph.
Many theories have been put forth to explain this and other surface active behaviors observed in whales. These theories include: surface activity being an aid in digestion, a way to dislodge parasites such as barnacles or cyamids (aka "whale lice"), or simply a form of play. While all of these theories may have some merit, most often we believe this surface activity could be a non-vocal form of communication. What the whales are trying to communicate, however, is a mystery. The exact meaning probably depends upon the context in which it is done. Whatever it's meaning I'm sure everyone would agree that it is spectacular to observe.
Many of the the other whales in the area were busy feeding just as they have been for the past few weeks. Of course this is always great to see because feeding is a wonderful thing to observe as well, and feeding is the primary reason that the whales gather in these waters each summer! Thus the fact that the we are seeing so much feeding means that the whales are finding plenty to eat and we are likely to have a good number of whales in the area for some time. In my previous whale sightings updates I have described Humpback whale feeding behavior and posted many pictures I have taken on our whale watches this year. Still I cannot resist taking more pictures and so I will post a few more that I took today. The whales featured in these pictures include many of our most familiar whales including "Nile", "Reaper", "Etch-a-sketch", "Tornado" (and her new calf), and "Geometry".
More updates (and photos) to come soon!
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