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2009 whale sightings reports: ________________________ 2008 WHALE SIGHTINGS REPORTS: View photographs and view sightings reports from the memorable 2008 whale watching season 2009 PELAGIC BIRD REPORTS : A new section of this site reserved just for ocean birds and birders |
2009 WHALE SIGHTINGS REPORT: MAY 31, 2009 Total Sightings: 13 HUMPBACK WHALES, 1 FIN WHALE, 2 MINKE WHALES, and 1 HARBOR SEAL
A Humpback Whale Called "Glowstick" Breaching was the Highlight of our Morning Whale Watch Our whale watch today began with us departing the dock under clear skies with calm seas… perfect weather for whale watching and the whales did not disappoint. Upon arriving on Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary we started seeing the spouts of whales in the area. The first pair of whales that we stopped on was a beautiful mother and calf pair that we identified as a Humpback whale called “Ase” and her calf. This was out first sighting of Ase and calf and they were a wonderful sight to see as they make a grand total of 15 (!) mother and calf pairs that we have seen so for this young season. The little calf circled the boat a few times affording us great looks, and Ase herself often surfaced close by as well which allowed us to compare the dramatic difference in size between mother and calf. It is also great to see a mother and calf of an endangered species in their natural environment too! Our good friend Oktay managed this fantastic photo of a Humpback Whale breaching last week from our whale watch boat the Privateer IV After watching Ase and calf for a while we ventured west to where a few whale had been reported feeding. We have been seeing a lot of feeding recently which is great because feeding, as many of you know, is the main reason whales gather here in New England waters each year. Humpbacks can consume over a ton of food a day as they deliberately build up the thick layer of blubber that will help sustain them during their long migration south towards their breeding ground in the Caribbean. Note the "Baleen"
hanging from the upper jaw of this feeding whale When the Humpback Whales feed they blow huge rings of bubbles around schools of fish and then lunge to the surface, often with mouths wide open, gulping hundreds of gallons of fish and water each time. The water is then strained out through thousands of plates of baleen (plate-like material suspended from the upper jaw of the whales) leaving only the fish trapped inside. In this way the whales can consume mouthful after mouthful of fish without becoming engorged with sweater. Sine we have seen so much feeding recently I have put together a “feeding montage” of video that I have taken over the past week that you can watch below. Be sure to click the “HD” button in the lower right corner of the YouTube player (it will appear after you click play) to view the video in greatest detail.
Anytime you see so many whales feeding so intently in the area you can be sure that we will have whales in the area for a good while to come. Then the highlight of the morning trip…. We were just about to head home after what was already a very successful trip when we noticed a whale being VERY active at the surface a few miles to the east. Not wanting to head for home before showing our passengers as much as we possibly could, we decided to take the extra time, go the extra mile (or miles) and head for the active whale in hopes that the surface activity would continue long enough for us to get a close look. Even from a distance we could see that the whale was alternating between flipper-slapping (laying on its side or back and pounding the surface of the water with its flippers) and breaching (leaping clear of the water.)
As soon as we arrived the whale arched its back and dove; giving us a good look at the black and white pattern on the underside of its tail. I recognized the whale as a whale called “Glowstick” and just as I turned to tell our intern the whale’s ID it leapt from the water, spun nearly 360 degrees in mid air, then came crashing down with a thunderous splash! Luckily I had a suspicion that this might happen so I was able to capture this sequence of photos of Glowstick breaching (above.) This was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.
Lunge Feeding Humpback Whales Filmed From the 7 Seas Whale Watch Boat Privateer IV in May 2009 As I said at the end of my last update, if you have been thinking of going on a whale watch RIGHT NOW might be the best time to go. While it is possible that sightings will remain this good for a few more weeks (or maybe even months) there is absolutely NO guarantee of that. We always guarantee whale sightings, but the sheer abundance of whales in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary right now is unusual and is a sight not to be missed.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ All photos on this page were taken aboard the 7 Seas Whale Watch boat "Privateer IV" Some of the BEST photographs on this site were taken aboard our whale watching trips 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
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Humpback Whale Diving on Stellwagen Bank
Mother and calf Humpback Whale
Feeding Humpback Whales
"Glowstick" Flipper-slapping
