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2009 whale sightings reports:

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 9, 2009

Total Sightings for This Whale Watch: 8 HUMPBACK WHALES, 2 MINKE WHALES, NUMEROUS GANNETS, and 1 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER

A Humpback Whale Breaching in the Fog on May 9, 2009

We had an OUTSTANDING whale watch today.  We had to work quite hard for it, but I’m sure all aboard will agree that our hard work paid off!

A Sequence of a Humpback Whale Breaching, Photographed on May 9, 2009 from the Privateer IV

The trip started by departing our dock on a beautiful, sunny, spring day.  By the time we reached the northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank, however, a thick, gray fog had settled in that made finding whales next to impossible. 

   Keep reading to find out how this whale watch ended....!!!!

On the northern edge of Stellwagen Bank we spotted a MINKE WHALE in the fog and got a great look at this normally elusive species, but after it dove we decided to move on in hopes of finding lager whales.

This turned out to be one of our better whale watches yet this year....

After much searching we spotted a pair of adult HUMPBACK WHALES just a few yards off our port bow (of course they were just a few yards from our boat because has they been any further we would not have seen them the fog was so thick!)  We got a great look at these two whales, so good that we were able to identify one of them as a whale called “Pinpoint.”  After just one surfacing, however, we lost them in the fog. 

  Almost to the good part....!!!!

After searching a while more we came across a mother Humpback whale with a young calf.  These whales also were seen just once at the surface before they too disappeared in the fog.

This seemed like it was going to be “one of those days” where no matter how hard we tried the weather wasn’t going to let us get the caliber trip we are used to providing our passengers.  Whales kept appearing and disappearing like ghosts in the fog. Fortunately the fog lifted just enough to allow us to find another whale, a whale known as “Habanero” who saved the day. 

Habanero breached at least a dozen times, occasionally stopping the breaching only to roll on her (Habanero is a known female) side to lift her long flipper out of the water and pound it at the surface (a behavior called “flipper-slapping.)

HABANERO BREACHING IN THE FOG!!!!

I have said many times before that whale watching, like all nature watching, often requires patience.  Patience, however, is most often rewarded with great looks.  Today was a classic example of that principle in action.  We ended up having one of our better whale watches of the year to date, and I think the difficult start to the trip made people appreciate the spectacular ending even more.

So a very special thanks to all who came out with us today.  You were a great crowd and we are glad you got to see such spectacular behaviors from the whales.  Your patience was rewarded and I’m sure the memories will last a lifetime.

Best,

    Jay

BIRD PICTURE OF THE DAY:

Seeing this American Goldfinch at my feeders was a pleasantly bright splash of color after staring at gray fog all day!

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All photos on this page were taken aboard the 7 Seas Whale Watch boat "Privateer IV" on May 9, 2009

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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