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2009 whale sightings reports:

May 14, 2009

May 9, 2009

April 25-26,2009

April 18, 2009

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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

MAY 20, 2009

Total Sightings: 16 HUMPBACK WHALES, 2 FIN WHALES, 3 MINKE WHALES, 1 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, and 1 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

Breaching Humpback Whale in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

After a few days a shore we were finally able to get out whale watching again today and it was a GORGEOUS day on the water from the standpoint of both whale sightings and weather. 

Our morning trip departed at 8:30 under sunny skies and calm seas with a group of kids from the Apollo school in Rochester, NY.

The first whale we found was our old friend “Etch-a-sketch” doing what she does best: feeding voraciously on schools of Sand Lance (a type of small, schooling fish) right on the northwestern tip of Stellwagen Bank. 

Etch-a-sketch feeding on May 20, 2009

Etch-a-sketch repeatedly engaged in her signature “kick feeding” where she slams the surface of the water with her tail several times before diving beneath the surface and blowing a HUGE cloud of bubbles around the now stunned fish.  She would then rise to the surface with her mouth wide open allowing us to see her baleen (a comb-like structure in the whale’s mouth used to filter fish from the water.)  The fish must have been very close to the top of the water column as the whale seemed to hang at the surface with its mouth open for a very long time.  This allowed me to get some great photos and video (coming soon!)

  Etch-a-sketch kick feeding

After watching “Etch” (as we affectionately call her now) feed for a while we ventured farther to the southeast in search of more whales and soon came across a mother Humpback Whale and her calf.  I was not able to identify the mother, unfortunately, as she never lifter her tail and I was thus unable to see the identifying black-and-white markings on the underside of her fluke (tail.)  The calf, however, put on quite a show as it repeatedly circled our boat and spy-hopped (lifted its head out of the water) to look at the people onboard.  On such a calm day as today we could see every last detail of the whale as it swam beneath the surface.

The Unidentified Mother Had a Unique dorsal fin: Curved, pointed with many white barnacle scars

While watching this mother and calf pair we noticed a group of 3 Humpback whales swimming in our direction.  These whales turned out to be a second mother/calf pair traveling with a third whale (often called an “escort” whale.)  The escort was a beautiful male Humpback known as “Pinpoint” because he has just one very small black spot on an otherwise purely white tail.  The mother was a very well known whale called “Isthmus.”  We got just a couple of good looks at these whales before the captain informed me it was time to head back to shore.  I guess time flies when you’re having fun.

  Isthmus

Pinpoint

Our second trip left at 1:30PM and I must warn you now:  IF YOU DON’T WANT A SEVERE CASE OF WHALE WATCH ENVY STOP READING NOW!!!

I have worked for 7 Seas Whale Watch for 20 years now and this was one of the BEST whale watches I have ever been on.  The trip started right on the northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank again, only this time it was with a Fin Whale.  This is normally an elusive species that is difficult to get good looks at, but not today.  This whale was feeding close to the surface and thus not staying down long at all so we were able to get great looks at this Fin Whale and I managed some good video too!

A Great look at a Fin Whale surfacing on Stellwagen Bank

Then we traveled south in search of Etch-a-sketch in hopes of seeing her feeding again.  We went right to the spot where she was in the morning and did not find Etch-a-sketch but did find the same unidentified mother and calf pair from the morning trip.  The Mother and calf were slowly traveling along, affording us great looks but not much in the way of activity.

Then we saw some splashing even farther to the south so we sped off to investigate.  What we found was an aggregation of about 20 actively feeding Humpback Whales with two more mother and calf pairs (making a total of 4 for the day!)  One mother and calf pair was “Flounder” and calf who were flipper-slapping: Pounding their flippers at the surface of the water.

"Spirit" Breaching

The few whales that were not feeding were VERY surface active. One whale (a whale called “Spirit”) breached over 30 times right next to the boat.  Words really can’t describe seeing a 40-ton animal leaping out of the water.  I can only hope the pictures and video help to convey just how amazing watching breaching whales truly is.

Lunge Feeding Humpback

Eventually we left Spirit (who was still breaching) to visit with a pair of Humpback Whales (“Geometry” and “Plateau”) who were doing spectacular vertical lunges through dense schools of fish.  It was some of the most impressive feeding I have ever seen.  We could predict where the lunges were going to occur because we could see the surface of the water rippling with Sand Lance trying desperately (and in vain) to escape the whales as they rocketed up from the depths.  The whales would break the surface with their mouths wide open and fish and water flying in all directions.  All this with Spirit still breaching in the background.  Amazing. 

  "Geometry" and "Plateau" Feeding

Just as we were leaving a whale came up right next to the boat feeding and guess who it was?  ETCH-A-SKETCH!!!  She had traveled over 10 miles from where we had seen here in the morning.  So I guess the day came full circle.  As I write this we are on the way in from this amazing trip and the sun is still shining brightly through the port window of the wheelhouse. The seas are still calm and sparkling with reflected sunlight.  I wish we had another trip today, but I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

 "Geometry" and "Plateau" Engaged in Some Spectacular Lunge Feeding

BIRD VIDEO: As if this great whale watch wasn't enough, when I got home I found "the" male ruby-throated Hummingbird visiting my feeders again.  Having seen one on the morning whale watch today I decided to take some video of this bird

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*oh and by-the-way, the Hummingbird flew by the boat while we were watching Etch-a-sketch feed (AGAIN! Two trips in a row this has happened!).  Seeing migrant birds far out to sea is not so unusual, but it is still always and unexpected sight when you see a Hummingbird and a whale together!

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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

WHALE SIGHTINGS REPORTS:

  2008

BIRD SIGHTINGS REPORTS:

2009

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