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RECENT SIGHTINGS
"Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magical..." these are the descriptions we hear as our guests depart the Whale Watcher. While every whale watch cruise is different, each experience is sure to be memorable. Below are our most recent whale sighting reports, outlining the sighting trends and migration patterns.
06/20/09 - 06/30/09
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Although several trips this past ten days were cancelled because of a rare springtime Nor’easter. On those days that we ran, we continued to encounter whales and other marine life. We sighted humpbacks, finbacks, and minke whales, some bluefin tuna, and even a basking shark!
Humpbacks were numerous and continue to impress our visitors with a variety of behaviors. Some whales have been traveling in small groups of two to three animals, while other whales have been sighted alone. Many of the animals we saw seem to be moving around, looking for concentrations of baitfish. Large concentrations of bait we encountered earlier in the season, may be dispersed by the recent weather. Some humpbacks were seen feeding: some with bubble clouds, others by “kicking” their tails and following up with elaborately conceived bubble nets.
Our passengers have also been treated to tail slapping, logging, rolling, and flipper slapping. Some trips have been marked by the close approach of individual humpback whales. There is truly nothing more awe inspiring than having one of the largest animals on earth rolling over only a few meters away, and looking up at us!!
We have seen an increased number of Finback whales this week, with the majority of them being sighted in close proximity to other whales. Many of the finbacks were also seen searching for food and feeding. Several of the whales were using circular patterns while others were swimming in zig-zags and figure eight patterns.
For the birders there has not been a better stretch of weather. This storm brought with it increased numbers of pelagic birds. Species sighted included: numerous greater, sooty, Manx, Cory’ shearwaters. Several late northern fulmars were also seen. Wilson’s storm petrels are everywhere. Immature northern gannets impress with their size and occasional feed shows. Parasitic and pomarine jaegers were both seen from the boat, with several reports of long-tailed jeagers surfacing around the area. Both northern (red) and red-necked phalaropes have been seen. Wow, great birds! Grab you bins, and we’ll see you aboard.
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06/08/09 - 06/19/09
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The past ten days have brought continued success on our whale watch trips. Although we have endured some rain and fog, and lower than average temperatures, we have been fortunate to have enjoyed beautiful weather and calm seas on most days. Humpback, finback, and minke whales have all been sighted recently.
Humpback whales again dominated our sightings during the past week and a half. Although some of the whales were sighted traveling alone, most of the whales we saw were in small groups of two to four. With a large abundance of sand lance (a small schooling fish, and the favorite food of our whales) present on the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, the majority of the whales we saw have been heavily feeding.
Whales have been kick feeding (slapping their tails on the surface to stun prey), bubble feeding (blowing bubbles around a school of fish), and even lunge feeding (lunging quickly into a school of fish with their mouth wide open). Some of the bubble nets have been cooperative, which means that more than one whale surfaced in the middle of the same bubble ring. Passengers have had some incredible views of these large animals surfacing with large pouches of food, on many occasions the whales’ mouths were wide open, exposing their baleen!
In addition to feeding, numerous, beautiful tail shots have been displayed as the whales dove below the surface. Other behaviors observed from this past week’s humpbacks included flipper waving and slapping, tail breaches (when the whale quickly thrusts its tail out of the water), chin breaches, and even several full breaches! It is always impressive (and special) to see these large animals completely leave the water for a few seconds. Humpbacks that we were able to identify include Nile and calf, Percussion, Seal, Salt and Cardu, Mars, Aerospace, and Glo and Calf.
Birdlife continues to increase as well with numerous sooty, and greater shearwaters, wilson’s storm petrels, and immature northern gannets. Manx shearwaters, parasitic jaegers, along with sundry gull species have also been sighted.
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06/01/09 - 06/07/09
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The month of June brings with it the longest days of the year. The marine life at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is gearing up for this time of plenty in much the same way as local business owners on Cape Cod look forward the sweet, if ever brief, summer season. Aboard the Whale Watcher, humpback whales continued to dominate the sightings this past week. These animals have been giving us great shows both with feeding and with other observed behaviors.
On one trip this past week, there were no fewer than 30 individual humpbacks observed feeding within the sightline of the boat! At times, groups of individuals were seen feeding cooperatively. Sometimes an individual would slap its tail on the surface, a behavior called ‚"kicking", one, twice or even three times in an attempt to scare the baitfish into a tight group.
After the kick, the animal would then dive. Shortly thereafter, columns of bubbles, blown through the baleen plates in their upper jaw, began to form in a rough circle around the location of the dive. Moments later, up to five whales would surface within the ‚"bubble net‚" sometimes with their mouths, full of tiny fish, wide open. A sight that still awes the most seasoned of whale watchers!
On a couple of trips following changes in weather, we found the animals searching for the next big concentration of prey. During these periods, some whales actually took time to do some people watching! We enjoyed several close approaches by mother humpbacks with their calves. On other occasions, adult humpbacks have made close approaches often staying with the boat for extended periods, giving our passengers the thrill of a lifetime and photo opportunities that few other whale watching locations can offer.
This first week of June has also seen the first big schools of bluefin tuna in the area. These top predators are an amazing sight when they hunt near the surface. Finback whales have been seen with increasing regularity, as have minke whales. Pelagic birds are on the increase with every day bringing a few more sooty and greater shearwaters to the area. Immature northern gannets are seen daily, and sometimes in groups of 20-30 birds in the area.
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05/16/09 - 05/31/09
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Our 2009 season is off to a great start! Spring is always a fickle mistress here on the Cape, though the whales don’t seem to mind the often abrupt changes in the weather. We have had whales on every trip out, and mind you that is whales with an “s”, lots of whales.
Humpback whales have made a return to their summer feeding grounds at Stellwagen Bank in force. These whales summer here to take advantage of the seasonal productivity of the area. Sand lance or sand eels, one of the humpback’s favorite prey species, have been seen in dense schools at the Sanctuary, and the whales are ready for the buffet spread before them. The humpback’s use of bubble clouds and nets to corral the schools of fish along with kick-feeding (where the whale slaps its tail to create a concussion) have been observed on most trips.
Humpback whales never fail to please. They are best known for their acrobatics, and we have seen plenty of that. Tail lobbing and flipper flapping, both of which may (but not for certain) be forms of short distance communication have been seen, as have some tail breaches. Full breaches, an uncommon but regular behavior where the whale launches itself out of the water, have been witnessed several times already this season with one whale breaching more than eight times in a row!
There were also a number of cow/calf pairs seen in the past couple weeks. At this early stage of the summer, the calves are often staying close to their mother’s sides. On a couple of occasions though, baby humpback whales have swum right up to take looks at us.
Finback and minke whales along with Atlantic white-sided dolphins have made some guest appearances on some whale watches, but it is the humpbacks who are taking center stage!
Birdlife is going through seasonal changes with over-wintering species continue to thin out as they disperse to their northern breeding grounds. Mid-May trips yielded: razorbills, northern fulmars, parasitic jaegers, and adult northern gannets along with resident gull species. Summer species have also begun to arrive: sooty and greater shearwaters, laughing gulls, many common and two arctic terns along with red necked phalaropes were all seen on May 31. A real late season bonus that same day was a 2nd year glaucous gull which was feeding around the whales.
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10/01/08 - 10/29/08
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Close of season: 0ctober 2008
The days are getting markedly shorter, the sun has weakened in the northern hemisphere sky, and the seas are rougher and getting colder. The close of our 2008 whale watch season has featured great studies of humpback whales. Many humpbacks were reported from various locations on or near Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, but the majority of our trips focused on a group of four, and sometimes up to six humpback whales that we know as individuals. These whales include Canopy and her calf, Milkweed, and Pele. Whisk and her calf have been with this group more often than not during the month of October.
We spoke of this group in our previous sightings report, and it is quite interesting to be writing about them again two weeks later! In general, baleen whales are not considered to be animals which form long lasting bonds with other individuals of the same or other species. At roughly six weeks together, this group’s cohesiveness surprises the most veteran of our crew. What this meant for us is that we got to observe these individuals more intimately.
The adults appear to be feeding on sand lance at the bottom. This is evidenced the long abrasions on sides of their lower jaws. Sand lance bury themselves tail first into the sand with only their heads sticking out for purposes of feeding and breathing. The whales get these wounds from scraping their jaw line along the bottom to frighten the sand lance from their hiding spots. Once the little fish are dislodged, they form a protective school or “bait ball” making them easier targets for the humpbacks. These wounds generally do not seem to trouble the whales, and over time, will heal completely.
Pele, and the two mothers, Canopy and Whisk are all business. Feeding, feeding and then feeding some more! Milkweed is less predictable. Often forging with the group, but also commonly abandoning the group to investigate other whales in the area. At several times, Milkweed’s behaviors were not well received by the other adults with the group trumpeting (a pitched exhalation) loudly and trying to ward Milkweed. Why? Your guess is as good as ours! This lack of acceptance seemed to not sit well with Milkweed, who on more than one occasion started tail breaching, flipper flapping, and breaching as if in a sign of displeasure.
The calves continue to be calves. They are almost always either feeding with the adults, playing by themselves, sleeping, or nursing. Their curiosity, and need to play delighted our passengers as often approached the boat very closely, and gave front row displays of tail breaching, spy hopping, head-standing, flipper flapping, lob-tailing. Full, partial and chin breaches were also behaviors observed from the calves. We even saw some instances where the calf were off on their own and were playing near or with each other!! Incredible stuff!
Other marine life included sightings of blue-fin tuna, ocean sunfish, and gray seals. Bird sightings have been great as well with over-wintering species joining lingering summer residents. Sightings have included: greater, Cory’s, sooty, and Manx shearwaters continuing to be seen in good numbers on some days. Parasitic jaegers in both light and dark morphs were seen almost daily. Northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes have begun to become more numerous. White-winged, and surf scoters and well as common eider ducks have begun to show up in large numbers. Huge flocks of northern gannets have invaded Cape Cod Bay with legions of common loons in tow. Can the first snowflakes be far behind? Stay safe and warm this winter, and don’t forget to vote!! See you in the spring!!!
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09/17/08 - 09/30/08
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9/17/08-9/30/08
Weather these past two weeks has forced some cancellations though those days we have ventured out have been great! Humpback, finback and minke whales have all been sighted as have a couple of late season treats.
Humpback whales continue to make up the bulk of our sightings with as many as 15 whales seen on a single trip! A smaller group of 4 -9 whales has been seen with startling regularity. Humpback whales do not generally form long lasting groups, so we have been quite surprised to find this group more or less sticking together for over 3 weeks. Included in this group are: Milkweed, Pele, Canopy and her calf. Whisk and her calf have been frequent additions as have Draco, and Aerospace.
The calves, at 8-9 months of age are getting older, bolder, and more inquisitive about the world around them. Canopy’s calf likes to play with pieces of seaweed at the surface. The calves are often engaging in playful behavior with the animals: tail breaching, spy hopping, head-standing, flipper flapping, lob-tailing and on more than one occasion, breaching!!
At other times the calves are actively hunting with the adults. Though the calves are still been nursed by their mothers, they are learning and practicing the skills they will need later in life. Whisk’s calf seems to be taking to hunting excursions than does Canopy’s calf, who always seems to be nursing, sleeping or playing.
A large pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided passengers with quite the thrill! Approximately 70 dolphins, including many calves spent time around our boat and its wake. Atlantic white sided dolphins are the most common dolphin that we see in our area, though they spend most of their time off-shore. Occasionally they do travel inshore and we are always happy to see them.
A special treat this week was a basking shark that suddenly appeared off the bow of the boat! Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world, and can reach lengths of 30 feet! These sharks feed on plankton using gill-rakers, a comb-like device, to trap their prey. Often when we see these large sharks from the boat, they are swimming slowly with their mouths open, feeding. Our passengers were able to get good looks at this 25ft individual before it dove and was swallowed up by the deep.
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09/02/08 - 09/16/08
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9/2/08-9/16/08
September is here. Although we have endured some rain and fog, we have been fortunate to have enjoyed beautiful weather and calm seas on most days. The days are getting shorter and the sea-scape is changing, but whales have been abundant. Humpback and minke sightings have been consistent and observed behaviors varied.
We have been seeing groups of as many as 8 adult humpback whales feeding in the mid-water column trying to pack on the extra fat they will need to carry them through the winter. This of course was their strategy since they arrived, but their feeding seems more urgent. Daylight is waning in the northern hemisphere and the animals must get ready for their annual migration to their wintering grounds in the Caribbean.
Shortening day length triggers other changes in behaviors as well. Some whales are occasionally displaying what appear to be “hormonal outbursts”. As a group of adults are surfacing or traveling, one or two individuals will roll into each other or cut one another off!! These events are often followed by loud “trumpeting” (a pitched and emphatic exhalation), and erratic zigs and zags. These behaviors are likely linked to the coming breeding season.
Other behaviors we observed this past week included tail breaching, flipper slapping, logging, rolling, and breaching. One calf breached over twenty times!!! We received more than our share of great tail shots as the whales went down for deeper dives. Humpbacks we were able to identify included Ventisca /calf, Canopy/calf, Whisk/calf, Aerospace, Draco, Pele, Tongs/calf, Apostrophe/calf, Milkweed, Ithsmus, Rune, Tear, and Banyan.
Pelagic bird sightings have been numerous these past couple weeks. Shearwaters are still in some numbers with Greater, Cory’s and Manx being seen in that order of descending abundance. Some straggling Wilson’s storm petrels have been seen as have a number of Leach’s storm petrels leaving their breeding islands to the north. Parasitic jaegers in both light and dark morphs have been common sightings especially near groups of migrating terns. Some light phase northern fulmars have begun to show up as well.
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08/22/08 - 08/28/08
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Sightings 8/22/08 – 8/28/08
We have already made it to the end of August! Whale watching continues to bring nice weather and exciting trips, and there is still plenty of time to join us this season. Sightings this week brought humpback, finback, and minke whales as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Every one of our trips during the past week brought a large number of humpback whales, sometimes a dozen or more on one trip. Whales this week displayed quite a variety of behaviors. Although there was some bubble feeding seen during the past week, most of the whales seem to have been feeding deeper in the water column. Our humpbacks will be leaving this area in a couple months, so they need to take advantage of whatever food is available to them. Whales tended to dive somewhere between four and seven minutes. Logging (sleep) was seen from some whales, and several calves were seen nursing. Flipper slapping, tail breaching, tail slapping (lob-tailing), and breaching were also seen on numerous trips. On one trip alone Aerospace, who was just named this past spring, displayed all of those behaviors! On another trip, Milkweed flipper slapped for over 15 minutes and then lob-tailed for over 10 minutes. Humpbacks we were able to identify included: Aerospace, Canopy and calf, Coral, Crown, Hancock, Milkweed, Pele, Percussion, Pumba, Soot, Tear, Tornado and calf, and Whisk and calf. Many of these whales were seen on multiple trips throughout the week.
Finback and minke whales were seen during the past week on occasion. Both of these species tend to be a little more elusive in nature, especially compared to humpback whales. That is one of the reasons that neither of these types of whales is as well studied as humpbacks. On one trip towards the middle of the week, six finbacks and at least ten minkes were spotted nearby some humpback whales. All of these animals appeared to be feeding below the surface. It is not uncommon for all three species of whales to be seen in close proximity to one another, particularly when there is a lot of food in that area. That certainly seemed to be the case on this particular trip.
A special bonus sighting this past week was that of a large pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins. There were approximately 40-60 dolphins of all sizes (adults and juveniles), including many calves! These animals are one of the prettiest dolphins in the ocean with their very striking colors and stripes. This particular pod swam right along side our boat, giving our lucky passengers some fantastic up-close looks at these dolphins. Some of the dolphins were seen jumping up above the water and riding the waves from the wake of our boat. Atlantic white sided dolphins usually spend most of their time offshore, so it is always a treat when we get a chance to see them!
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07/30/08 - 08/13/08
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Sightings 7/30/08 – 8/13/08
August has arrived and is now in full swing. We have been fortunate to be enjoying beautiful summer weather and some truly phenomenal whale 2008-08-13eks including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. Atlantic white sided dolphins, tuna, and a variety of sea birds have added a little variety to our sightings.
Once again, humpback whales have dominated our sightings, having been seen on every trip. These mid-sized baleen whales have been feeding heavily during the past two weeks. Open mouth feeding is one of the most exciting behaviors to watch, especially when the whales feed in cooperative nets (when more than one whale surfaces within one bubble net). Bubble feeding has been a common sight, with sometimes 25-30 (or more!) whales feeding in close proximity to one another. Kick feeding has also been seen frequently. Our visitors have been lucky enough to see many open mouths, allowing for spectacular looks at the whales’ baleen. The whales use their baleen to strain, or filter, the little fish that they eat from the water. In addition to feeding, many active surface behaviors have been seen including flipper slapping, tail breaching, spy hopping, and many full breaches. While adult whales have displayed these types of behaviors, most of what we have seen has been from calves, particularly when their mothers were busy feeding. Dome’s calf in particular has been quite the active calf of late. Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Apex, Ampersand, Alpha, Bandit, Cygnus, Dome and calf, Ivory, Walrus, Filament, Colt, Polaris, Gar, Barb, Entropy, Anchor, Coral, Ember, Meteor, Orbit and calf, Reflection, Kohoutek, Underline (with new propeller scars), Rocker, Grackle, Fracture, Isthmus, Sockeye, Alphorn, Gunslinger, Freckles, Exclaim, Tunguska, Touche, Mars, Salt and calf, Milkweed, Tear, Division and calf, Ganesh, and Zeppelin.
Finback and minke whales continue to be seen frequently. Finbacks, the largest whales we see in our area, were seen charging around feeding on several trips. These very fast moving whales were sighted traveling alone and in pairs. A special sighting on August 10th involved a cow/calf pair of finback whales. Scientists currently do not know where these animals go for breeding or calving, so it is always a treat to see. This particular calf was doing barrel rolls right at the surface, giving some very lucky passengers beautiful looks! In contrast to the finbacks, minke whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see. These are also very fast moving animals, and they tend not to spend a lot of time up at the surface. Most of the minke whales we saw during the past two weeks were charging around (sometimes around larger whales) and staying up at the surface for several breaths before diving. On Tuesday, August 12th we had some choppy seas for our morning trip, but our passengers were treated to a breaching minke whale! This whale breached at least 8 times, allowing our passengers an amazing opportunity to see the whales flippers, belly, and tail!
Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for some lucky visitors on August 5th. There were between 30-40 dolphins in the pod, and they were seen very close to approximately 25 feeding humpback whales. These very striking dolphins are usually found further offshore and occasionally come closer to our area. These particular dolphins were moving very quickly through the area, most likely feeding on the same little fish as the whales. Passengers were able to see their beautiful stripes streaking underwater as they swam close to the boat. Bluefin tuna were seen a few times during the past two weeks as well as a variety of seabirds. Greater, Cory’s, and Sooty shearwaters continue to be seen regularly. Manx and Audubon’s shearwaters were also sighted as well as wilson’s storm petrels, laughing gulls, terns, great skuas, and a few parasitic jaegers.
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07/23/08 - 07/29/08
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Sightings 7/23/08 – 7/29/08
The end of July has given us some truly spectacular whale watches! Although we have endured some fog and rain, the majority of our weather has been warm and sunny. Whales have been seen in large numbers during the past week including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes as well as a variety of sea birds.
Humpback whales continue to dominate our sightings, and there have been feeding frenzies galore! Our whales are taking full advantage of the sand lance that has moved into the southwest corner area of Stellwagen Bank. Much like last week, a wide variety of feeding behaviors have been seen. Bubble nets and bubble clouds were most common while many other whales were seen kick feeding. One interesting feeding style observed during the past week was that some whales would chin breach (come up quickly head first and land on their chin) before blowing a bubble net. This works much like kick feeding except that the whale uses its head instead of its tail. Another interesting feeding style displayed this past week was slashing. There seems to be only one whale who feeds like this, and his name is Bandit. Instead of raising his tail up and slapping it down on the surface like the whales that kick feed, Bandit swims at the surface and raises his tail upwards very quickly, sort of rolling slightly as he swims. He then blows a bubble net after several slashes in an upward direction. He is a lot of fun to watch when he feeds! Many of the whales this week were seen dragging, which is when the whale swims with its head slightly above the surface and its mouth is partially open. This allows the water to drain out of the whale’s mouth after it is pushed through the baleen. Sometimes whales, for whatever reason, swim upside down after they feed. Ganesh was doing just that on one trip this past week. This allowed passengers to clearly see her belly and her rorquals, which are the pleats (lines) that run down the stomach. They are what allow the whales to form the giant pouches that we are so fortunate to see when they open mouth feed!
In addition to feeding, humpbacks were also seen traveling, tail breaching, flipper slapping, spy hopping, and breaching. Many of these active behaviors were exhibited by Dome’s calf on several trips as Dome was busy feeding. Calves do not usually start to eat fish until the end of August or so, which means they often have time to get a little playful when their mothers are busy feeding. Dome’s calf was certainly a good example of that this past week displaying multiple tail breaches, flipper slaps, and spy hops. Leukos’ calf was also seen spy hopping multiple times on one trip while Leukos was busy feeding. No wonder why humpbacks are often considered to be the favorite among whale watchers! In addition to Dome and Leukos and their calves, other whales we were able to identify included: Ampersand, Anchor, Bandit, Broomball, Colt, Coral, Draco, Ember, Entropy, Fern, Filament, Fracture, Ganesh, Gar, Gimlet, I-vee and calf, Ivory, Kohoutek, Mars, Meteor, Skateboard, Venom, and Walrus.
Finback whales were also quite numerous during the past week. On several trips, three or more of these large whales were seen charging around in the same general area as the feeding humpbacks. Finback whales tend to do most of their feeding below the surface, however this week allowed our passengers multiple opportunities to see some surface feeding. On particular trip, there was a pair of very large finbacks, probably 65-70 feet long, feeding just below the surface. As they came up to take a breath, they would roll slightly, enough for us to see their huge pouch “glowing” beneath the surface! Finbacks are all white on the belly and because of all the phytoplankton (microscopic plants) in the water, anything white below the surface looks like its glowing green. One of the whales rolled onto its side enough so that part of its tail was sticking up above the surface. On another trip, there were 8-10 finback whales seen lunging in pairs right at the surface. Some very lucky passengers witnessed one whale roll as it surfaced directly in front of our boat! There are few things more impressive than lunging finback whales!
Minke whales were seen on almost every trip, and in typical minke fashion were seen quickly charging around. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see in our area, and they are very fast moving animals that tend to spend little time at the surface. In fact, they don’t even put up a spout most of the time. This is because they usually surface chin first, so their spout gets lost in the water behind them. Minke whales are called the “little piked whale” for this reason.
Once again, a large number of sea birds have been sighted in our area. Wilson’s storm petrels were seen frequently during the past week in addition to Cory’s shearwaters, greater shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, and even several manx shearwaters. Smaller numbers of great skuas and parasitic jaegers were also spotted in addition to terns and gulls.
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07/15/08 - 07/22/08
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Sightings 7/15/08 – 7/22/08
What a wonderful time to come whale watching! The past week brought beautiful summer weather to our area, and of course, lots of whales! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past week in addition to a variety of sea birds.
Humpback whales dominated our sightings this past week, as they were seen on every trip. In fact, on several trips 20 or more whales were spotted. Seeing that many whales usually means one thing: feeding. Humpback whales are summer visitors to our area, usually arriving sometime in April and staying until the end of October. Stellwagen Bank is a very productive area, and is therefore an extremely important feeding ground for the whales. Our humpback whales spend their winter months in the Caribbean and do not eat anything when they are there. In order to survive through the winter and make their migrations down and back, they really need to eat everything they possibly can while they are here. Luckilly for us, many of our trips this past week allowed us to see a large number of whales open mouth feeding. Humpbacks are known for using different styles of feeding all with the same goal: to corral as many little fish as they can in one small area so that it is easier for the whale to eat many fish at once. Some whales use bubble nets, which is when they exhale a stream of bubbles as they swim in a circle around the fish. This forms a curtain of bubbles around the little fish, and the whales are able to shoot up through the middle with their mouths open. Kick feeding is another technique that some humpbacks use. In this style, the whale “kicks,” or slaps its tail several times in the same spot and then usually blows bubbles around the spot that it kicked. Slapping their tails against the surface creates a loud noise underwater that presumably scares the fish to stay tightly together, allowing the whale to take in a larger number of fish in one mouthful. Open mouth feeding gives us spectacular looks at the inside of the whales’ mouths! Passengers are able to see the baleen hanging down from their upper jaws, and sometimes we get to see the pallet, which is the roof of the mouth.
In addition to feeding, we saw humpbacks traveling, logging (whale sleep), tail breaching, flipper slapping, full breaches, and even a close approach. Sometimes the whales seem to get curious and will swim over to the boat. That’s just what happened to us on one trip. A whale named Milkweed swam right over to our boat and spy hopped a few times. A spy hop is when the whale sticks its face up above the water. Milkweed also swam around our boat a few times, and our visitors could see Milkweed’s eyes! Our close boat approach lasted for about ten minutes before the whale swam away and we had to head back home. Another really interesting thing that we saw at the beginning of the week was Apostrophe and her calf flipper slapping in unison. It appeared as though the calf was imitating Apostrophe, because whichever way mom was slapping her flipper(s), the calf very quickly copied the behavior. Both whales were flipper slapping one one side and while swimming upside down with both flippers up in the air. What a special treat!
In addition to Milkweed and Apostrophe (and calf), humpbacks we were able to identify included: Thread, Tau and calf, Tear, Bullet, Scylla and calf, Wyoming, Reaper, Freckles, I-vee and calf, Infinity, Stub, Walrus, Coral, Agassiz, Lariat, Loon, Sockeye, Exclaim, Flounder, Fez, Pogo, Dome and calf, Fulcrum, Cajun and calf, Tornado and calf, Rattan, and Ganesh.
Finback and minke whales were also sighted on numerous trips during the past week. Finback whales are the largest whales we see in our area, and minke whales are one of the smallest that we see in our area. Both of these species are very fast moving whales because they are both very sleek and streamlined animals. This past week, most of our sightings of these whales were quick looks as the animals were charging around here and there, most likely chasing down small fish.
A number of pelagic bird species were seen this past week! Wilson’s storm petrels were frequently sighted as well as greater and sooty shearwaters. All three of these are regularly seen in large numbers in our area. We have been fortunate enough to be seeing large numbers of Cory’s shearwaters in our area. These birds are larger than greater shearwaters and have a very distinct yellow beak, and lack the black cap that greater shearwaters have. We also had sightings of parasitic and pomarine jaegers, audubon’s shearwaters, and several great skuas.
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06/23/08 - 06/30/08
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The end of June has brought spectacular whale watch adventures on Stellwagen Bank! Although the weather was sometimes cloudy, rainy, or foggy, all of our trips brought sightings of many whales and even a basking shark.
Humpback whales were very numerous during the past week, particularly feeding humpbacks. On several trips large patches of sand lance (also called sand eels) could be seen swimming right at the surface of the water. With all of the bait around, no wonder we witnessed a lot of happily feeding whales, many of which were lunging right up through all the little fish! In many instances, the only way to know where the whale would surface was to watch all of the little fish desperately trying to get out of the way! A few whales were repeatedly lunging through the same bait patches hardly moving at all from one mouthful to the next. Some whales were also seen blowing bubble nets and would then surface with wide open mouths, allowing our passengers a great opportunity to observe the baleen hanging from the upper jaw.
We also observed multiple mother and calf pairs during the past week. Humpback calves are born between January and February in the warm waters of the Caribbean, usually somewhere off of the Dominican Republic. Calves usually stay with their mother for a year, and are using this time to observe and learn the feeding techniques they will need to use throughout their life. Many of the calves we saw this week were very active, particularly while their mothers were busy feeding. Some calves were seen rolling, flipper slapping, tail breaching, and even breaching! In addition to feeding, adult whales were seen giving beautiful tail shots, close approaches, flipper slapping, and even a few full breaches!
On Friday’s trip (June 27th), we saw a humpback whale named Ebony entangled in fishing line. Seeing this animal gave passengers a first-hand look at some of the threats the whales in our area face, even though they are no longer commercially hunted here. Unfortunately many of the whales that we recognize have some type of scarring on their bodies whether those scars came from entanglements in fishing gear or boat strikes, particularly propeller scars. Our boat stayed with the whale until another boat could take our place and wait for the disentanglement team from the Center for Coastal Studies to scope out the situation.
In addition to Ebony, other whales that we were able to identify included Aerospace, Cardhu and calf, Giraffe and calf, Raccoon, Terrace and calf, and Ventisca and calf.
Finback whales were seen in abundance during the past week, sometimes a dozen or more on a single trip! These very large and fast-moving whales were often seen charging along in the same areas as feeding humpback whales. Several trips brought lunging finback whales, which is one of the most impressive behaviors to see. Often, the whale charges right into an area of bait and then quickly rolls onto its side as it lunges up at the surface. Since these animals are so large, there is usually a large amount of white water generated at the surface, like a giant wall of water moving away from the whale. Many times when finback whales lunge, they expose at least a pectoral flipper if not a tail too! What an unbelievable sight!
Minke whales were also seen on numerous trips. These are the smallest baleen whales that we see in our area. They usually are harder to watch because of their small size and speed. However, we often saw these whales charging around in the same areas as the other, larger whales. Our visitors on one trip were even treated to a minke whale lunging through a patch of sand lance right at the surface!
Other marine life that we observed during the past week included a basking shark, a gray seal, and many species of birds. The basking shark that we saw was approximately 20 feet long and was feeding just below the surface. Basking sharks eat plankton, which they catch on gill rakers, comb-like structures found between each of their gill slits. Therefore, when a basking shark is seen feeding, its mouth is wide open and its gill slits are all puffed out. This particular animal was just slowly swimming right along side our boat! The gray seal that we saw was seen briefly as it popped its head up above the water for a few seconds to take a look around. Passengers could clearly see its very boxy snout, which gives gray seals their nickname “horse head.” The bird activity is certainly picking up as we have seen wilson’s storm petrels, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, immature northern gannets, terns, and a variety of gulls.
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06/14/08 - 06/22/08
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Happy solstice from Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises! Great whales in the past week! Finback and minke whales have been seen in good numbers as many humpback whales. Sand lance or sand-eels have become more abundant, the whales have been in seeking (and eating) this seasonal abundance of prey. In short, the whales are hungry the feed-bag is in place, and we have been witness to some amazing feeding shows!!
Finback whales are the second largest animal on earth. Finback whales are primarily lunge feeders using their streamlined shape and great speed to consume entire schools of fish at one time! Finbacks will feed singly and occasionally in pairs or groups of three or four.
When the bait is located, they pour on the speed and rush forward opening their mouths, engulfing the fish, and then straining the seawater through the plates of baleen located in their upper jaw. Though you must be in the right place at the right time, catching these huge animals hunting prey near the surface is truly one of the most impressive sights in whale watching. We have been just that lucky on several occasions in the past week!!
Humpback whales make up for their greater girth and slower speed with a more tactical approach to hunting, and we have recently observed this species employing both bubble netting and kick feeding. Kick feeding is a Stellwagen Banks specialty. The animals will us their tail to impart a splash at the surface with their tails or more rarely, their chins. . This concussion presumably scares the fish into a tight school. Bubble traps can then be employed to further corral the fish, making them higher value targets.
Interestingly, not only is kick-feeding a north Atlantic specific strategy, but also it was only developed in the past 20 or years or so. Animals of older generations are not known to employ this technique. Sometimes the animals are feeding singly, but groups of up to six are not uncommon and 15 to 20 animals feeding in the same area have been observed. Humpbacks we have identified this week include: Pisces, Draco, Compass, Salt/calf, Scylla/calf, Ventisca/calf, Dome/calf, Tongs/calf, Neuages/calf, and Reaper/calf.
Other marine life in the area has included: bluefish, striped bass, bluefin tuna, basking shark, and gray and harbor seals. Bird wise, this week both Wilson’s storm petrels, and greater shearwaters finally arrived. Both sooty shearwater and immature gannets are being seen in increasing numbers. What a great time visit with us, we hope to see you aboard!!!
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05/28/08 - 06/11/08
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Our trips have been getting better by the day!! We now find the waters around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary living up to their reputation as being very productive areas. We have had more and more whales being seen along with other marine life.
Many schools of large striped bass and bluefish are present in the sanctuary's waters. On some the many calm, sunny days we have enjoyed, we have gotten great looks at schools of these two predatory fish numbering in the hundreds, prowling just below the surface. On one trip we here able to watch a school of large blue fin tuna. Top predators on the food pyramid, the tuna we saw probably averaged five to six ft. (2 m.)in length and would weigh in at 400lbs. (200kg.). These however are not the true giants. The biggest blue fin tuna can grow to more than 8 ft. in length, and weigh more than 1000 lbs. Several basking sharks were also seen in the area. Take a look at our section on fish and other marine life in the About the Whales portion of our web page.
Finback whales have returned to the Bank in numbers after a brief absence. Finback whales are wide ranging. They do not follow the set migration routes and schedules whales like humpbacks adhere to. In fact, very little is known about their movements. It seems that they have no hesitation traveling long distances to find their favorite seasonal prey species like the alewife and herring. These sleek giants are second in size only to blue whales as the largest animals to ever live on earth! Finback whales of 60 ft. (20 m) are not uncommon at the Sanctuary.
Two of the finbacks we saw could be identified as individuals we have encountered in years past. Unlike humpback whales who conveniently show their tail when they dive, giving us looks at the unique markings on their flukes, finback whales rarely "fluke up". They are instead identified as individuals by the light-colored blaze patterns and chevron markings on their backs. They are also identified by dorsal fin shape, and by scars they exhibit. Sadly, the two finbacks we identified bear scars from collisions with boats. Both Braid and Tracks were seen during the past two weeks. These animals were seen hunting and sometimes lunge feeding at the surface. On several trips, we got incredible looks at these titans of the whale world.
Humpback whales have been numerous on Stellwagen. Not surprisingly, their increase in numbers seems to have coincided with a boom in the population of their base prey the sand lance or sand eels. On some overcast days when these small schooling fish make their way up the water column, we have seen shoals of hundreds of thousands of these small, pencil thin fish. Humpbacks were observed hunting lunge feeding, kick feeding and bubble feeding strategies. On one trip we had a group of six humpback surface with open mouths full of fish with hungry gulls wheeling overhead looking for any stray morsels. We watched the animals strain the seawater from their mouths and finally swallow the mouthfuls of prey all within about 10 feet from the front of our boat!!
We have encountered many old friends from the humpback whale world. Individuals identified in the past two weeks have included: Habanera/calf, Pinpoint, Venom, Tulip, Zeppelin, Mural/calf, Walrus, Compass and Salt/calf. One young whale named Circus really lived up to his name on a couple of trips staying close to the boat and flipper flapping, and breaching multiple times!!!
We have encountered many cow/calf pairs. The calves of two mothers in particular have taken a real interest in our boat during our encounters. Both Tornado and Vultures' calves have spent a lot of time playing near, and exploring underneath, the Whale Watcher. Flipper flapping, tail breaching, tail slapping and breaching are forms of play for these young whales and apparently, play is what these whales wanted to do. We saw a lot of these behaviors at very close range. With two weeks of great trips under our belts, we can't wait to see what the upcoming days will bring!!
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05/17/08 - 05/27/08
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Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises’ 2008 season has begun!! High winds have kept us in some days, but the trips we have run over the past two weeks have been winners! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all spotted since our first trip of the season.
Springtime weather on Cape Cod is always a bit fickle, but this we have had a decidedly wet and cold April and May. This prolonged weather trend has put us here on the Cape about a week behind on a number of ecological calendar events. On land, many trees are just putting forth this years’ foliage, and many northbound bird species are just now arriving to begin nesting activities. The eagerly awaited striped bass fishing season has been off to a slow start. Everyone seems to be waiting for things to get caught up, the whales included.
In the late winter and early spring, northern right whales made big local news as they were feeding close to shore in Cape Cod Bay to the delight of onlookers. Northern right whales are the most critically endangered species of large whales. There are less than 350 of these amazing animals left on earth. At this point, the right whales have left for more northerly waters in the Gulf of Maine, and the Bay of Fundy where they will spend the summer feeding on plankonic animals. Right whales aside, we have seen whales every trip this season!
We have seen minke whales on some trips. Minkes are the smallest of the baleen whales averaging about 20 feet (6m). They are quick, and present a real photographic challenge! We have also seen Finback whales. Finbacks are the second largest animals on earth! The individuals that inhabit our waters average around 60 feet (20m) in length and may weigh up to 70 tons! On one trip we had a cow and calf finback pair. The calf was roughly 20 feet (6m) in length and surprised everyone with some rolling and porpoising. The mother was a large female and gave everyone an appreciation for the size and grandeur of this species, as she passed just very close to the boat!
Humpback whales were seen on every trip. The whales seem to be looking for the mother lodes of schooling fish in the cold springtime waters. Upon finding prey, we have been seeing kick feeding and bubble-netting strategies with groups of up to ten individuals. Cow/calf pairs have been seen on many trips. We have actually seen the calves nursing! Some calves have shown curiosity at our boat and gave us great close approaches!! We have also seen individuals flipper-flapping, tail breaching, and we have even seen a couple of full breaches. Humpback whales we were able to identify include: Anvil, w/ calf, Meteor, Putter, Anchor, Black hole, and Fulcrum.
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10/07/07 - 10/13/07
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Sightings 10/7/07 – 10/13/07
Our 2007 season is very quickly nearing its end. With only one week remaining, there is still a little time left to join us on a whale watch adventure. This past week encountered cool weather, with some high winds and rough seas for a better part of the week. In fact, several trips were cancelled this past week due to weather. October weather can change very quickly. Regardless of the weather, whale watches continue to bring sightings of whales. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were seen during the past week as well as a variety of sea birds.
Humpback whales once again dominated the sightings during the past week. Whales were seen traveling alone or in small groups of 2 to 3 animals. A majority of the whales appeared to be feeding sub-surface because we did not see any feeding behavior right at the surface. In addition to traveling, humpbacks were seen rolling, flipper slapping, and displaying beautiful, high tail shots as they dove. An exciting sighting this week was that of Apostrophe, who was seen flipper slapping for the better part of 20 minutes! She came up on one side, raised one flipper, and then very quickly rolled onto her back so she was completely upside-down! Our very lucky passengers had some beautiful looks at her large white flippers and her rorquals (throat grooves). Filament and her calf were seen tail breaching, tail slapping, chin breaching, and even displaying multiple full breaches!
A pair of finback whales were sighted off the backside of Provincetown toward the end of the week. These very large whales were cruising along the beach, most likely feeding below the surface. Finback whales are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet, reaching lengths of 80 feet. It is always so impressive to see these massive animals up close.
Minke whales were seen sporadically throughout the week. Most of these small baleen whales were seen quickly traveling, however, in the middle of the week some very lucky visitors were treated to a minke whale breaching! This particular minke whale was sighted just past Race Point, and was repeatedly seen jumping completely out of the water! Minke whales are usually a challenging whale to watch because of their small size and fast speed, so it is always a special treat to be able to see the entire length of the whale, as well as its beautiful coloring, clearly.
Another special sighting this week was that of an ocean sunfish! These very large, very bizarre looking fish are sometimes found up at the surface “basking” in the sun. This particular sunfish was doing just that. Ocean sunfish can reach lengths of 15 feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds! They are quite a sight to see!
A variety of birds were seen during the past week including greater shearwaters, manx shearwaters, immature northern gannets, common eiders, and a variety of gulls.
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09/23/07 - 09/29/07
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Sightings 9/23/07 – 9/29/07
It’s hard to believe, but we have already reached the end of September. Our 2007 whale watch season is winding down, but there are still a few weeks left. Although we have been enjoying a mild fall, we did have to cancel a few of our trips this past week due to windy weather and rough seas. Sightings this week included humpback and minke whales as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Humpback whales made up the majority of the whales that we saw during the past week. Whales were seen traveling alone or in small groups of 2-5 animals traveling together. Isthmus and her calf were seen logging (resting) at the beginning of the week, and then later in the week gave our passengers a wonderful close approach. Both whales swam right along the sides of our boat, allowing passengers to clearly see their tubercles (bumps on the head that contain hair follicles) and blowholes. At the end of the week, our visitors were treated to an amazing look at bubble feeding whales! Milkweed, Crown, Apex, and Whisk were all seen kick feeding, bubble feeding, dragging, tail breaching, and flipper slapping! What a sight! Humpbacks we were able to identify included Apex, Crown, Draco, Isthmus and calf, Milkweed, Nile and calf, Perseid and calf, Tear, Tectonic, and Whisk.
Minke whales were spotted occasionally throughout the week, often in the vicinity of humpback whales. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale we see in our area, and are probably the most challenging whale to watch. They are very fast moving whales, and tend not to spend a great deal of time up at the surface. Most of the minke whales we saw this past week were in passing, as we traveled to humpback whales.
A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat during the middle of the week. On Thursday’s trip, 10 dolphins were spotted traveling around a group of humpback whales. This pod contained many juvenile dolphins
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09/07/07 - 09/22/07
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Sightings 9/7/07 – 9/22/07
The middle of September has brought absolutely beautiful weather to our little neck of the woods. Bright, sunny blue skies along with calm seas and great visibility have given us wonderful whale watch adventures. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Humpback whales have once again dominated our sightings. Whales have been seen traveling alone and traveling in small groups of 2- 5. As was the case during the past couple of weeks, these past two weeks also brought deep feeding whales as well as whales feeding right at the surface. Humpbacks were seen bubble feeding with nets and clouds, and were also seen gulping without the use of bubbles. Other behaviors we saw included tail breaching, flipper slapping, logging, rolling, and breaching. Our visitors were also treated to a number of beautiful tail shots as these whales went down for their dives. Humpbacks we were able to identify included Alpha, Apex, Apostrophe, Coral, Crown, Evolution, Isthmus and calf, Nile and calf, Parens, Pepper and calf, Reflection and calf, Roswell and calf, Rune and calf, Twister, Valley and calf, and Ventisca.
Finback and minke whales were also quite numerous during the past two weeks. Both types of whales were seen charging around, most likely chasing little fish. Our passengers had some beautiful looks at these whales cruising right along the sides of our boat, including lunging finback whales, one of which flipped completely upside down! Visitors were able to see the white stripes that minke whales have on their flippers, as several of these small whales swam right by us. A special sighting was that of a breaching minke whale in the middle of Cape Cod Bay! The whale was approximately a mile behind us when we first saw it jump completely out of the water, and it continued to breach several more times as we continued traveling towards Stellwagen Bank. Although humpback whales are known for their aerial displays, occasionally the smaller minke whales breach as well, and it is certainly exciting to see!
A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided passengers with a special treat towards the beginning of the first week. Approximately 15 dolphins, including several calves, were seen in the company of some humpback whales. Although Atlantic white sided dolphins are the most common dolphin that we see in our area, they spend most of their time off shore. Occasionally they come closer to shore, usually when they are chasing prey. It is always fun to see these fast moving dolphins right along side the boat!
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08/24/07 - 09/06/07
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Sightings 8/24/07 – 9/6/07
August has turned to September, and we have enjoyed spectacular whale watch adventures. Humpback, finback, minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins, blue fin tuna, basking sharks, a variety of birds, and even an ocean sunfish!
Humpback whales were sighted on every trip during the past two weeks. Although feeding behaviors were still sighted, the whales recently have been feeding deeper, and have not as often been feeding right at the surface. The past two weeks have been full of active whales, including spectacular breaches! Ventisca, Reflection and her calf, Isthmus and her calf, Pepper’s calf, and Perseid’s calf were all seen breaching throughout the two week period. Of those, Ventisca won the award for most acrobatic as she spent over 15 minutes breaching on one trip alone! There are a number of theories as to why whales breach (jump completely out of the water), including playfulness, communicating, stunning prey to help them feed, and a way to dislodge parasites, we might never know completely why they do that on any given day. Our visitors were also lucky enough to receive close approaches from Anchor’s calf, Pepper’s calf, and Pepper herself, who spy-hopped (stuck her head out of the water) twice right next to the boat! Other behaviors we saw included tail breaching, chin breaching, flipper slapping, lob-tailing (tail slapping), and logging (resting). Humpbacks we were able to identify included: Alpha, Anchor and calf, Anvil, Bat, Blanco, Calderas, Conflux, Crystal, Fern and calf, Giraffe, Isthmus and calf, Leukos, Milkweed, Nile and calf, Peninsula, Pepper and calf, Perseid and calf, Rapier, Ravine, Reflection and calf, Sloop, Springboard, Trident, Trident ’06 calf, and Ventisca.
Finback whales were also numerous during the past two weeks. Like many of the humpback whales, the majority of the finbacks we saw were deep feeding. Most of these large whales were sighted traveling alone; however there were some pairs and trios seen as well. Several of the finback whales were lunge feeding right at the surface, rolling onto one side and exposing flippers and parts of their tails! One of the finbacks we saw is a whale named Braid. Braid got her name from propeller scars on her back that look like a “braid.”
Minke whales were seen infrequently during the past two weeks. These small whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see in our area, and are often difficult to watch for long periods of time because of their quick movements. Minke whales are very streamlined animals, which makes them fast swimmers. When these small whales are sighted, they are most often seen charging around from one spot to the next and tend not to stay up at the surface for very long. Regardless, when a minke whale swims right along the side of the boat, it is very exciting to see one of these beautiful whales up close.
Atlantic white sided dolphins were sighted twice during the last two weeks, both in small pods. One trip saw a pod of 30 dolphins, and the other saw a smaller pod of 15 dolphins. On both occasions the dolphins were seen quickly traveling along the sides of our boat, and several of them were jumping out of the water and riding the waves from the wake of our boat. It is always exciting to see these beautiful dolphins up close.
Our passengers have enjoyed some bonus sightings during the past two weeks, including basking sharks, blue fin tuna, and even an ocean sunfish! Since all of these are fish and do not have to come up to the surface like whales do, it is always a special treat to see any one of these fish. Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world, and can reach lengths of 40 feet! Much like baleen whales, basking sharks are filter feeders, eating a variety of plankton and jellyfish which sticks to their gill rakers (comb like devices between each gill slit). Blue fin tuna are a large apex (top) predator in our waters, eating a variety of small fish. They are extremely fast swimmers, and sometimes visitors are lucky enough to see them working a school of fish at the surface. In this case, the blue fin tuna we saw were chasing blue fish. Ocean sunfish (also called Mola mola –their scientific name) are probably one of the most bizarre fish one could ever see. They can be quite large: sometimes larger than 15ft. and can weigh over 2,000lbs.! These fish lack a true tail, and instead swim by using their dorsal (upper) and ventral (lower) fins to propel themselves through the water. They are round and disc-shaped, like a giant pancake! Ocean sunfish have a small mouth with fused teeth, and eat a variety of larger zooplankton including jellyfish.
In addition to all of these swimming animals, we also saw a variety of pelagic birds during the past two weeks. Greater, sooty, and Audobon’s shearwaters were all sighted, as well as red-necked phalaropes and a variety of gulls.
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08/10/07 - 08/23/07
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Sightings 8/10/07 – 8/23/07
The middle of August brought us beautiful summer weather perfect for whale watching: blue, sunny skies and calm seas. We even experienced some drier weather, which provided amazing visibility. On some of our whale watch adventures we were able to see the skyline of Boston (the John Hancock and Prudential towers), which were over 30 miles away! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins, blue fin tuna, seals, and a variety of birds.
Humpback whales are often considered to be the favorite whale amongst whale watchers because of their active surface displays. Luckily for us, humpbacks have once again dominated our sightings and have done nothing short of impress our visitors. Many of the whales were feeding heavily using bubble nets and bubble clouds at the surface, while some were feeding deeper. Our visitors were treated to amazing looks at wide open mouths, including views of the baleen hanging down from the whales’ upper jaws. We saw many mother/calf pairs over the past two weeks, and many of the calves were very active. Tulip’s calf, Rune’s calf, and Anchor’s calf were all seen breaching and flipper slapping, while Roswell’s calf and Anchor’s calf treated our passengers to close approaches for over twenty minutes! Other behaviors that we saw included traveling, rolling, chin breaches, tail breaches, tail slaps (lob-tails), many full breaches, and even a spy hop! Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Agassiz, Anchor and calf, Calderas, Cardhu, Colt, Columbia, Coral, Cygnus, Dome, Ebony and calf, Ember, Exclaim, Falcon, Filament and calf, Freckles and calf, Isthmus and calf, Leukos, Liner, Nile and calf, Pepper and calf, Putter, Rapier, Reflection and calf, Roswell and calf, Rune and calf, Salt, Seal, Sloop, Tear, Tulip and calf, Vertex, and Wizard.
Finback whales are not only the largest whales we see in our area, but they are the second largest animals to ever have lived on this planet! They can reach lengths of 80 feet, and sometimes even longer! We saw a large number of finback whales in our area during the past two weeks, sometimes 10 or more were sighted on one trip. While most of these large whales were seen traveling alone, many were also sighted swimming in pairs and sometimes even trios. Like other baleen whales, finbacks are considered to be social but solitary. This means that they may form very loose associations with other individuals, but usually not for extended periods of time. Some of the finbacks that we saw over the past two weeks were traveling and searching, others were deep feeding, and others were feeding closer to the surface. It is always exciting to see these large whales charging, rolling, and lunging onto their prey (little bait fish). On several occasions the lunge feeding finbacks would expose a pectoral fin (flipper) and part of their tails. One whale was moving around so much that it flipped completely upside down while laying at the surface! Our lucky passengers could see that whale’s entire tail as well as its all white belly!
Several of the finback whales that we saw these past two weeks exhibited propeller scars on their bodies (one is named Braid), and one whale was even missing most of its dorsal fin (named Hercula). Luckily for these whales however, their scars have healed and the whales seem to be living life normally. We see a number of whales over Stellwagen Bank that exhibit some type of scarring, whether it is from propellers, boat strikes, or entanglements in fishing gear. These scars provide an obvious reminder to us that these whales still face many threats and need our help to survive.
Minke whales were seen on almost every trip during the past two weeks. As in weeks past, these small baleen whales were seen charging around quickly at the surface, most often in the vicinity of other whales. While some of these whales were seen moving quickly, or just in passing on the way to other whales, several of the minke whales we saw swam very close to the boat. Minke whales actually have very striking markings, most notably their white flipper bands which were clearly visible from those whales that swam along side our boat.
Atlantic white sided dolphins were seen on four occasions during the past two weeks. Some of the groups we saw were small pods of 10-20 animals, while others consisted of 50 to 100 or more dolphins traveling together! The pods that we saw had all sizes of dolphins including mature males and females, immature dolphins, and even several calves! It is thought that Atlantic white sided dolphins give birth sometime between June and July after a gestation period of almost a year (11 months). Many of the dolphins we saw were feeding, sometimes in association with humpback and finback whales. Dolphins are known for their acrobatic displays, and our visitors were treated to lots of jumping. Atlantic white sided dolphins are one of the most beautiful of all the dolphins, and it is certainly a treat to see them up close.
Added bonuses over the past two weeks were the sightings of blue fin tuna and seals. On one trip, 500-600 pound blue fin tuna were chasing a school of blue fish right at the surface. Blue fin tuna are a top predator in the Gulf of Maine, and can reach lengths of over 12 feet (weighing over 1,200 pounds)! They feed on small schooling fish like herring, mackerel, and alewives. These fish though large, are tremendously fast! Their bodies are built like torpedoes and they are extremely strong. It is a special thing to see these fish pushing bait towards the surface and trying to catch a meal. In addition to the tuna, we also saw both gray seals and harbor seals during the past two weeks. Unlike whales which spend all of their time in the water, seals are only in the water when they are feeding or moving from one spot to the next. Therefore, it is a nice surprise to see the seals pop their heads up to take a breath or just to look around.
Finally, a large number of birds have been seen over Stellwagen Bank during the past two weeks including: wilson’s storm petrels, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, manx shearwaters, audobon’s shearwaters, immature northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, laughing gulls, and even a pomarine jaeger.
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08/03/07 - 08/09/07
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Sightings 8/3/07 – 8/9/07
August is in full swing, and our whale watch adventures have brought outstanding sightings of whales! We did encounter some fog and slightly rough seas on a few trips during the past week, however, the majority of our trips brought beautiful summer weather and calm seas: perfect for whale watching! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted over the past week, in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Humpback whales were seen in abundance throughout the past week. Many of our trips have showcased feeding whales, in what can only be described as feeding frenzies! Many times when there is a lot of food in an area (small schooling fish like sand lance), the whales will congregate in that one area, sometimes cooperatively feeding together. Bubble clouds, bubble nets, and kick feeding were all seen from our humpbacks this past week. Our visitors were able to get great looks inside many of the whales’ mouths as they surfaced facing the boat. We could clearly see the baleen hanging from the upper jaws of many of the whales, in addition to their palettes (the roof of the mouth). Like last week, we saw many cow/calf (mother/calf) pairs this week, and several of the calves were paying very close attention to their mothers as they fed. Some of the calves were even practicing blowing bubbles; pretty soon they will start eating fish on their own.
One of the whales we saw feeding this past week (as well as in weeks past) was a large female named Salt. Salt was actually the first humpback whale ever to be named, in 1976! She is considered to be the Grand Dame of Stellwagen Bank since she has been seen every year except one since 1976. Though most humpbacks are identified and named based on the patterns on the underside of their tails (flukes), Salt was named for the white on her dorsal fin: it looked like someone had sprinkled salt onto her back. Salt is also a very productive whale; she had her 10th recorded calf last summer (named Soya). Other behaviors we saw this week included flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaching, a spy hop (when the whale sticks its head above water), and even several full breaches. Humpbacks we were able to identify included: Agassiz, Apostrophe, Bat, Cardhu, Coral, Cygnus, Dome, Entropy, Filament and calf, Fulcrum and calf, Giraffe, Iris, Isthmus and calf, Perseid and calf, Photon and calf, Ravine, Salt, Seal, Tulip and calf, and Walrus.
Finback whales were sighted every day during the past week, sometimes a dozen or more of these large animals were seen on one trip! Finbacks can reach lengths in excess of 80 feet, and are the fastest of the baleen whales. We saw these large animals traveling alone or in small groups of 2 to 4 animals traveling together. Some of the whales were seen traveling and searching, while others were performing behaviors related to feeding. Finbacks were seen charging, swimming in zig-zags, and swimming in clockwise circles as they tried to corral their prey. Many of the finbacks we saw were even seen lunging right at the surface, often exposing half of their tails as they rolled onto their sides. A special sighting of finback whales this past week was a mother/calf pair. Finback whales are not as well studied as humpback whales, and currently there are no known breeding or calving grounds for this species. Although we do occasionally see mother/calf pairs of finback whales in our area, it is certainly a special thing for us to see.
Minke whales were also seen frequently throughout the week. These are the smallest baleen whales that we see in our area, generally reaching lengths of up to 30 feet. Minke whales are very streamlined animals, and are very fast moving and are usually somewhat of a challenge to watch. Most of these small whales that we saw were just up for a couple of breaths before disappearing, but a few swam right along the sides of our boat, and one even swam right underneath our pulpit! As the whales swam close to our boat, our passengers could clearly see the white bands that they have on each of their pectoral fins (flippers).
Atlantic white sided dolphins once again provided a special treat towards the beginning of the week. A large number of dolphins, 150-200, were sighted traveling in smaller groups that were spread out. Although dolphins usually travel in smaller groups (pods) of 10 to 30 animals, sometimes they form large groups called superpods, consisting of several hundred animals. This particular superpod of dolphins was seen traveling along the sides of our boat and jumping, giving our visitors spectacular looks at their beautiful markings.
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07/27/07 - 08/02/07
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Sightings 7/27/07 – 8/2/07
July has come to an end, and August is already here! Whale watching has been tremendous over the past week, and there is still plenty of time left in the season! Although we encountered some foggy trips in the middle of the week, most of the weather has been beautifully sunny and warm. In fact, being on the water has provided some relief from the heat and humidity on land. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past week as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins and a gray seal.
Humpback whales continue to impress our visitors with their active surface displays, which were certainly abundant during the past week. Feeding frenzies were sighted almost every day, with humpbacks kick feeding, lunging, and bubble feeding (nets and clouds). Sometimes bubble nets were cooperative, meaning two or more whales surfaced in the same bubble net. Our humpbacks travel to the warm waters of the Caribbean in the winter months for breeding and calving, and while they are there, they aren’t eating anything at all. Therefore, these whales are looking to eat as much as they can throughout the summer and early fall before they head south. In fact, these whales ideally like to eat somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds of fish every single day! The whales we saw during the past week were certainly taking advantage of the large presence of sand lance. On many trips, our passengers could see (and hear) the little fish swimming right at the surface. Spectacular views of open mouths, including baleen, were frequently sighted as the whales surfaced with mouthfuls of fish and seawater. Many whales were then seen dragging, pushing the water back out of their mouths and keeping the little fish trapped inside. We saw several mother/calf pairs this past week, and some of the calves appeared to be practicing different feeding techniques. Although the calves are still nursing, they will start to actually feed on fish pretty soon. Right now they are still observing their mothers and practicing things like blowing bubbles to prepare for when they start to eat fish. Other behaviors we saw this past week included tail breaching, chin breaching, flipper slapping, logging (resting), tail slapping (lob-tailing), and many full breaches. Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Barb, Colt, Coral, Dome, Ebony and calf, Echo, Ember, Entropy, Exclaim, Giraffe, Iris, Pepper and calf, Perseid and calf, Reaper and calf, Roswell and calf, Salt, Sickle and calf, and Walrus.
Finback whales were sighted every day over the past week. These very large whales were seen traveling and feeding. While feeding, finbacks were seen swimming in zig-zags, circles, and even multiple lunges right at the surface! It is always exciting to see these enormous animals charge through an area while chasing small fish. It is even more exciting to see them lunge onto their side as they take in a large mouthful!
Minke whales were sighted almost every day during the past week. These small whales are very sleek and streamlined, and are therefore very fast moving. Minke whales are known as the “little piked whale” because they usually surface chin first. Since the spouts usually get lost in the water behind them, these whales are often heard surfacing before they are seen. Most of the minke whales we saw this week were surfacing quickly and charging in and around other feeding whales.
Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for those passengers aboard Monday morning’s trip. This was a fairly small pod that we saw, consisting of 15-20 dolphins, including a couple of small calves! Our visitors were lucky enough to see these fast-moving dolphins swimming around our boat. Some of them were also seen jumping! Although our area is part of the range for this species, they usually spend most of their time offshore, often coming closer to shore chasing food. We are lucky enough to see them occasionally throughout the season.
Another bonus this past week was a gray seal that stuck its head above the water for several minutes on Tuesday afternoon. Gray seals are common to our area, especially on the south side of the Cape around Chatham and Monomoy Island. They are often called “horseheads” because of their large, broad snouts. Seals do not spend all of their time in the water like whales do; they are usually in the water when they are finding food or traveling from one area to the next. Occasionally when a seal is foraging it will pop its head up momentarily to take a breath or maybe just to briefly rest. Regardless, it is always a treat to see a seal while out at sea.
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07/20/07 - 07/26/07
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Sightings 7/20/07 – 7/26/07
What an unbelievable week of whale watching! Each time we go out, we are truly amazed at seeing these spectacular animals up close. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past week. In addition to all of the whale activity, we also saw Atlantic white sided dolphins and an abundance of birds.
Humpback whales continue to be sighted in abundance. A majority of the behavior we saw this past week involved feeding. Kick feeding and bubble feeding (nets and clouds) were seen very frequently. In fact, many of the trips witnessed “feeding frenzies” of humpback whales, where many whales (sometimes 15 or more) would group up and feed in the same area. Sometimes the bait was so thick on the surface; we could clearly see the little sand lance swimming right at the surface along the sides of our boat. On several occasions as the whales were coming up through their bubbles with open mouths, we could see the little fish trying to jump or swim out of the way of the whales! Sometimes cooperative bubble nets were seen (2 or more whales surface in the same bubble net). Our visitors have had some remarkable looks at wide open mouths, with the whales’ baleen often visible hanging from their upper jaws. Other behaviors we saw during the past week include dragging, flipper slapping, chin breaching, tail breaching, and multiple full breaches! Individuals that we were able to identify included: Anchor and calf, Barb, Candelabra and calf, Dome, Echo, Exclamation, Fulcrum and calf, Isthmus and calf, Nile and calf, Peninsula, Pepper and calf, Rapier, Rapier ’06 calf, Reflection and calf, Roswell and calf, Salt, Trident, and Wizard.
Finback whales were sighted almost every day over the past week. Morning trips on Tuesday and Wednesday brought the largest number of finback sightings, especially Tuesday when we saw at least a dozen of these large animals within a short distance of each other. Some of these whales were seen traveling, but the majority were seen feeding. Some finbacks were deep diving, some were swimming in zig-zags, and some were swimming in clockwise circles; all ways to chase and corral the little fish that they eat. On many trips, some of the finbacks were seen lunge feeding right at the surface! There are few things more impressive than an incredibly large animal quickly charging into a school of fish and then rolling onto its side as it opens its giant mouth (usually exposing a flipper and half of its tail). We had some very close looks at a number of finback whales as well. Finbacks are the only whales to have asymmetrical coloration: the right half of their face is white while the left side is dark gray. Scientists believe the whales use this to help them feed: exposing the right (white) side to the fish they want to corral, and then face the fish with their left (gray) side while they open their mouths, so that the fish can’t really see that darker side of the whale coming towards them. This allows the whale to “sneak up” on the fish it wants to eat.
Minke whales were also sighted on most trips during the past week, although many times the whale only surfaced for a couple of quick breaths before diving deeper. These small baleen whales tend not to spend as much time up at the surface as the larger whales we see in our area (especially humpbacks), but they do surface here and there, and are sometimes seen charging into areas with other feeding whales.
A special treat this week was the sighting of Atlantic white sided dolphins on Tuesday afternoon’s trip. This particular pod had at least 25-30 dolphins, and was seen swimming along the side of our boat, and even feeding amongst a group of humpback whales! Some of the dolphins were even jumping into the air! Our lucky visitors had some amazing looks at these very beautiful dolphins.
In addition to all of the whales, we have seen a number of birds. On days when the whales were heavily feeding, the birds were usually right there in on the action and picking off any little scraps of fish that the whales might have left behind. Greater and sooty shearwaters were seen in abundance as well as wilson’s storm petrels. Black legged kittiwakes, laughing gulls, herring gulls, black-backed gulls, common terns, and immature gannets were also repeatedly seen. There were even sightings this week of a parasitic jaeger and a south polar skua!
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07/13/07 - 07/19/07
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Sightings 7/13/07 – 7/19/07
The middle of July has been outstanding for whale watching! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Most of our trips last week had beautiful weather with sunny blue skies; however, Thursday’s trips experienced heavy fog. Although it is more of a challenge to find whales in the fog, we were able to find them by moving slowly and then stopping to listen for exhalations.
Humpback whales have certainly been dominating our sightings lately. Sometimes 40 or more whales have been sighted on a single trip! Such a large number of whales in an area usually means one thing: lots of food! Feeding frenzies of humpbacks were seen on multiple trips, with several feeding styles being used by the whales. Kick feeding, bubble feeding (nets and clouds), and lunge feeding were all observed. Sometimes a whale would even chin breach before blowing a bubble net, very exciting! A majority of these happily feeding whales came up with their mouths wide open, allowing us to see their baleen (what they use to feed with instead of teeth), and sometimes even their palate (roof of the mouth). Our visitors had some incredible looks at these large animals as they fed all around the boat.
Another behavior we saw repeatedly this past week was flipper slapping, which is when the whale raises one (or both) flipper(s) out of the water and slaps it on the surface. Most often the whale rolls onto one side and slaps one flipper (and will usually switch sides), but sometimes the whale will lie upside down, stick both flippers in the air and slap them both at the same time. Humpback whales have the longest flippers of any whale. They can reach 15 feet long in adult whales, which can be a third of the length of their body! There are several potential reasons that whales flipper slap. It could be a way to knock parasites (barnacles, etc.) off of their flippers; a way to communicate with other whales; to stun prey before feeding; to cool themselves off (whales don’t sweat), or maybe just because! We saw both calves and adults flipper slapping this week, particularly an adult male named Colt, who flipper slapped along side our boat for over 15 minutes! Other behaviors we observed included: traveling, rolling, tail breaching, chin breaching, lob-tailing (tail slapping), a spy hop, and many full breaches! Humpbacks that we identified over the past week include: Anchor and calf, Colt, Coral, Cygnus, Dome, Echo, Exclaim, Fern and calf, Freckles and calf, Fulcrum and calf, Giraffe, Roswell and calf, Salt, Scratch and calf, Trident, and Tulip and calf.
Finback whales and minke whales were seen less frequently during the past week, though they still remain in the area. Many of these whales were seen charging into areas with feeding humpbacks, most likely feeding as well, though below the surface. Sometimes finbacks were swimming in clockwise circles trying to corral prey, and other times they were swimming in pairs.
A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins was spotted at the beginning of the week, providing a special treat for our visitors. These beautiful dolphins were seen swimming right alongside our boat, often jumping as they swam. It is always very exciting to see these fast-moving dolphins up close.
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07/06/07 - 07/12/07
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Sightings 7/6/07 – 7/12/07
What a wonderful time to come whale watching! We have been enjoying beautiful summer weather, and an abundance of whales! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted this week, as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Humpback whales were seen on every trip during the past week. On many occasions the whales were seen heavily feeding. Bubble clouds (a single burst of bubbles) and bubble nets (spirals of bubbles) were both seen at the surface, and our passengers were able to witness these animals coming up through their bubbles with wide open mouths. Some of the whales were dragging after they fed, which is when the whale holds its chin and head above the water as it swims forward. When whales are seen dragging, their mouths are partially open, allowing the water that’s inside to be forced out. Kick feeding was also seen on multiple trips during the past week. In addition to all of the feeding, our visitors have enjoyed close approaches by a number of whales, particularly Roswell’s calf. Her calf seemed to be very curious in our boat because it swam right next to us for at least 15 minutes! Sometimes the calf would roll onto its side, and even swim upside down right next to us. The calf was also seen waving its tail from side to side at the surface. We certainly got some amazing looks at this little whale! Other behaviors that we observed during the past week included flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaches, tail slapping, and several full breaches. Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Nile and calf, Roswell and calf, Reflection and calf, Anchor and calf, Sloop, Circus, Coral, Bandit, Salt, Trident, Wizard, and Barb.
Finback whales were sighted on several trips throughout the week. Finbacks are the second largest animal in the world, second only to the blue whale. Finbacks are the largest whales that we see in our area, reaching 80 feet long (blue whales can reach 100 ft.). Some of the whales were seen traveling and searching for food, some were deep feeding, and some were seen quickly charging into areas of bait. Several of the finbacks were seen lunge feeding right at the surface! It is certainly impressive to see these enormous animals lunge quickly into an area with bait, open their giant mouths, and roll onto their sides. When they feed like this they often expose a flipper (pectoral fin) and half of their tail. It’s also easier to see just how large they are when one can see the animal’s entire length at the surface.
Minke whales were also sighted on several days during the past week. The majority of these small baleen whales were sighted quickly surfacing in an area, usually in the vicinity of other whales. Several minkes surfaced very close to the boat, allowing our passengers to clearly see their white flipper bands and blowholes. A very special treat for our visitors towards the beginning of the week was when a minke whale was seen breaching! A behavior that is far more commonly seen from humpback whales, breaching is also occasionally seen from minke whales. This particular minke breached at least eight times, many times fairly close to the boat. What a spectacular surprise!
Another wonderful surprise in the middle of the week was the sighting of Atlantic white sided dolphins. These dolphins are common in our area; however, they usually spend most of their time offshore, usually coming closer when they are following food. That seemed to be the case with this pod of approximately 30 dolphins, as they were seen swimming and feeding amongst feeding humpback whales. As the dolphins swam along side our boat, passengers could see their beautiful markings and even their blowholes as they surfaced.
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07/01/07 - 07/14/07
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Sightings 7/1/08 – 7/14/08
The beginning of July has brought many phenomenal whale watches for us! We have been enjoying some truly beautiful summer weather and lots of whales. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins and a variety of birds.
Humpback whales have been seen in large numbers during the last two weeks, with several trips bringing 25 or more whales! Humpback whales are medium sized whales and are often considered the favorite among whale watchers because they are known for displaying a variety of behaviors. Our humpbacks have certainly lived up to their reputations throughout the two week period. Much of the whales’ activity has involved feeding, and the term “feeding frenzy” would be an adequate description of what we saw. Humpback whales come up with a variety of ways to corral or trap all of the little fish that they eat, so that it makes it easier to eat a large amount of fish at once. Bubble feeding is a common sight when the bait is close to the surface. When humpbacks blow bubble nets, they actually exhale a stream of bubbles as they swim around the fish below the surface. All of these bubbles form a curtain and surround the fish that the whale is trying to eat. Once the whale has finished blowing bubbles, it swims below the fish and then comes up right in the middle of the net that it just blew. Often times, the whale will surface with its mouth still open, allowing us a glimpse at the inside of the mouth. We were lucky enough to see many cooperative bubble nets during the past two weeks as well. That simply means that more than one whale will surface in the same bubble net. Most of the cooperative nets we saw involved two whales feeding together, but we also saw nets with three, four, five, and even sometimes six whales surfacing together! Other feeding behavior that we observed included kick feeding, which is when the whale will slap its tail several times in the same spot to stun the little fish, and then usually the whale will blow bubbles right around the spot where it kicked. What a sight!
In addition to all of the feeding, we also observed the whales traveling, rolling, flipper slapping, lob-tailing (tail slapping), tail breaching (particularly Ventisca’s calf), and several full breaches too! Humpbacks we were able to identify during the past two weeks included: Abrasion, Anchor, Anvil and calf, Apex, Apostrophe and calf, Bandit, Barb, Bullet, Buzzard, Coral, Cygnus, Division and calf, Draco, Ebony, Ember, Exclaim, Fulcrum, Giraffe and calf, Glo, Isthmus, Loon, Meteor, Pogo, Salt and calf (Sanchal), Scylla and calf, Soot, Stub, Tear, Thread, Tornado and calf, Underline, Venom, Ventisca and calf, Viking, and Walrus.
Finback whales were also very numerous during the last two weeks. Finbacks are the largest whales that we see in our area, and in fact they are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet. They can get to be 80 feet long! Most of the finbacks that we saw during the past two weeks were charging around in similar areas as the feeding humpback whales. Most of the finbacks we saw were traveling alone, but we did see some pairs, a few trios, and even one quartet of whales traveling together! In fact, on that particular trip, our passengers were treated to amazing looks at the four adult whales traveling not only close together, but they surfaced right next to us and swam along side our boat for at least five breaths. What a wonderful opportunity to appreciate just how big these animals are! Some of our passengers were very lucky to get good looks at a cow/calf (mom and baby) pair of finback whales! Because finback whales are so fast, they tend to be somewhat elusive in nature, and are not nearly as well studied as humpback whales. Therefore, scientists have not determined where these large whales breed or calve. It is always a special treat to see a mom and baby finback whale swimming together in our area. Even more of a special treat, some of our passengers were extremely lucky to witness the rarest of the rare: a finback whale breaching! This particular whale was on the smaller side, and it breached at least three times on a day that was fairly windy. What an unbelievable sight, seeing an animal so large out of the water!
Minke whales were around here and there throughout the past two weeks, usually seen charging around in areas with other feeding whales. Minke whales, like finbacks, are very fast moving whales, and these small whales tend not to spend a lot of time up at the surface. A few trips did bring minke whales that traveled close enough to our boat for passengers to see their white flipper bands.
A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for some of our passengers at the beginning of the second week. These dolphins usually spend most of their time further offshore, but come in closer occasionally. There were approximately 20-30 dolphins in this particular pod, and they were seen traveling quickly through an area of feeding humpback whales. The dolphins sort of appeared out of nowhere, and just as quickly disappeared as we continued to watch the humpbacks. We have been seeing an increase in the number of birds that are around as well. Wilson’s storm petrels, sooty shearwaters, and greater shearwaters have been increasing in numbers lately, and we have seen many Cory’s shearwaters around as well. We have also been seeing laughing gulls, black back gulls, herring gulls, and common terns.
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06/29/07 - 07/05/07
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July has arrived with amazing success! Whales continue to be active and have been seen on every trip. Our sightings this week include humpbacks, finbacks and minkes.
Humpback whales have once again dominated our sightings. These mid-sized baleen whales have been seen deep feeding, sometimes in small groups of two to four whales. We have had several mother/calf pairs give fabulous close approaches. Nile and Pepper have both been spotted with their calfÅfs. On some trips, passengers have even seen the calves nursing! When whales nurse they are often seen switching sides as they swim under their mothers and then surface. The mother squirts the milk into the calfÅfs mouth while the calf is below her.
Other behaviors we have seen this week include, flipper slapping, tail breaching, and tail slapping. A whale named Circus was particularly playful on Thursday mornings trip. The humpbacks we were able to identify this week include Nile and her calf, Pepper and her calf, Circus, Coral, Colt and Bandit.
Finback and minke whales were sighted infrequently during the week, but they still remain in the area. Most of the sightings of these whales have been in the vicinity of humpback whales.
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06/14/07 - 06/30/07
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One of the most exciting things about Whale Watching is that from one day to the next, we never know what we may see. The last two weeks of June have brought beautiful warm weather, calm seas, and lots of whales! Humpback, Finback, and Minke whales were all sighted as well as a basking shark.
Humpback whales were sighted everyday and have been putting on quite a show. Feeding frenzies were seen on many occasions,with a large amount of sand lance present in the area. Some days the bait was so thick at the surface, our passengers could see all the little fish swimming and trying to jump out of the way of the whales mouth. On those days the whales didn' t even need to blow bubbles to corral the fish, they just lunged through them with wide open mouthes! On other days bubble feeding (clouds and nets) and kick feeding were also sighted. In addition to feeding humpbacks have also been seen flipper snapping, tail breaching. tail slapping , traveling, chin breaching, rolling and even several full breaches! Many mother and calf pairs have been seen. Several of which have given our visitors some amazing close approaches. Humpbacks we were able to identify included : Nile and calf, Pepper and calf, Terrace, Giraffe, Circus and calf, Reaper and calf and Trident.
Finback and Minke whales were sighted less frequently during the last two weeks, although they still remain in the area. We have had some close looks at Minke whales as they swim along side our boat.Our passengers could very easily see their white flipper bands.
Most of the finbacks saw were traveling, however, some of these whales were lunge feeding in areas with lots of bait. It is always impressive to see very large animals swim quickly and lunge right at the surface.
A special treat was the sighting of a basking shark. This particular shark was roughly 25 ft. long (They can reach up to 40 ft.) and was seen feeding just below the surface. Basking sharks trap their prey ( plankton ) on their gill rakers, much like a baleen whale filters its food from the water. Basking sharks are fish and don' to need to come up to the surface, so it is always a nice surprise when we see them.
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06/08/07 - 06/14/07
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We have enjoyed a truly wonderful week of whale watching! The weather has primarily been sunny and warm with calm seas, though we did experience a bit of a swell towards the end of the week. Whales were sighted every day, including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. We even saw a pair of basking sharks!
Humpback whales, once again, stole the show this week. A large number of humpbacks have been seen in the area, sometimes 30 whales or more! While some of the whales we saw were slowly traveling, the majority of them were very active, especially actively feeding. There has been a large abundance of sand lance over Stellwagen Bank, and passengers could actually see large balls of bait swimming right at the surface. On many occasions, we could see waves of sand lance moving quickly, with one or more humpbacks lunging right up through the little fish with their mouths wide open. Our visitors had some amazing looks at these whales as they were lunge feeding all around. The whales’ baleen was often visible inside their mouths as well. In addition to lunge feeding, kick feeding and bubble feeding were also seen. Several mother and calf pairs were seen this past week, including Pepper and her calf. While Pepper was busy feeding, her calf was rolling around at the surface, exposing its long white flippers. Other behaviors we saw included flipper slapping, chin breaching, several full breaches, and even a spyhop (where the whale sticks its head above water)! Humpbacks that we were able to identify included Pepper and calf, Coral, and Ventisca.
Finback whales were also seen on numerous occasions over the past week. These large animals are the fastest of the baleen whales, and are nicknamed “greyhounds of the sea.” They can reach speeds up to 25 knots (almost 30 miles per hour!) in short bursts. Though very large, their bodies are very sleek and streamlined. Many of the finbacks we saw this past week were displaying some of that speed as they traveled and charged into areas to feed.
Minke whales were seen on several trips. A few of these small baleen whales swam close enough to the boat for passengers to clearly see their white flipper bands. As in weeks past, many of the minke whales that we saw were swimming in areas nearby other, larger whales.
A special treat this week were a pair of basking sharks that were swimming at the surface! Basking sharks are the second largest fish (and shark) in the world, and can reach lengths of 40 feet! These sharks feed on plankton using gill-rakers, a comb-like device, to trap their prey. Often when we see these large sharks from the boat, they are swimming slowly with their mouths open, feeding. Our passengers were able to get good looks at this pair, swimming one in front of the other.
Birds were quite numerous this week, and many were seen actively feeding near feeding humpback whales. Wilson’s storm petrels, greater shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, immature gannets, northern fulmars, and even a black legged kittiwake were all sighted.
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05/30/07 - 06/07/07
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The past nine days have brought continued success on our whale watch trips. Although we have endured some rain and fog, we have been fortunate to have enjoyed beautiful weather and calm seas on most days. Humpback, finback, and minke whales have all been sighted recently.
Humpback whales dominated our sightings during the past week and a half. Although some of the whales were sighted traveling alone, most of the whales we saw were in small groups of two to four. With a large abundance of sand lance (a small schooling fish, and the favorite food of our whales) present on the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, the majority of the whales we saw have been heavily feeding. Whales have been kick feeding (slapping their tails on the surface to stun prey), bubble feeding (blowing bubbles around a school of fish), and even lunge feeding (lunging quickly into a school of fish with their mouth wide open). Some of the bubble nets have been cooperative, which means that more than one whale surfaced in the middle of the same bubble ring. Passengers have had some incredible views of these large animals surfacing with large pouches of food, on many occasions the whales’ mouths were wide open, exposing their baleen! In addition to feeding, numerous, beautiful tail shots have been displayed as the whales dove below the surface. Other behaviors observed from this past week’s humpbacks included flipper waving and slapping, tail breaches (when the whale quickly thrusts its tail out of the water), chin breaches, and even several full breaches! It is always impressive (and special) to see these large animals completely leave the water for a few seconds. Humpbacks that we were able to identify include Nile and calf, Trident, Seal, Patchwork, and Circus.
Finback whales, the largest whales we see in our area, were sighted on several trips during the last week and a half. All of the whales were traveling alone, though nearby other whales, usually humpbacks. Some of the whales were seen swimming in a clockwise circular pattern, most likely trying to corral their prey. Finbacks feed on the same small, schooling fish that the humpbacks are eating, primarily sand lance. A few of the finback whales we sighted were lunge feeding at the surface.
Minke whales, the smallest baleen whales we see, were also sighted on several trips. A majority of these whales were seen quickly swimming in the areas of other larger whales, particularly humpbacks. The minkes were also probably feeding; however, it is usually less obvious when these whales are eating because they tend to spend less time at the surface.
In addition to all the whales we have been seeing, these past few trips have brought sightings of pelagic birds. Most of these birds spend their entire lives out at sea, except when breeding. We were able to see a number of immature northern gannets, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, wilson’s storm petrels, and a northern fulmar. We also regularly saw herring, laughing, and black back gulls.
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05/14/07 - 05/29/07
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The 2007 whale watching season has started with tremendous success! Although some of our early trips were cancelled due to wind and rain, we have enjoyed some truly fantastic weather for whale watching: bright blue, clear skies, calm seas, and great visibility. Most of our trips during the past two weeks have taken us to the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, where we have encountered humpback, finback, and minke whales in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Our 2007 season opened with crowd pleasing humpback whales, sometimes in very large numbers. On many trips we saw at least 20 animals, and even up to 50 whales on one trip! Humpback whales are mid-sized baleen whales, reaching lengths of 50 feet. They are often considered to be the favorite among whale watchers because they are known for a variety of behaviors. The humpbacks we saw were seen feeding heavily on every trip so far. These whales eat a variety of small schooling fish, though sand lance (sometimes called sand eels) are their favorite. On one trip passengers could actually see a very large school of sand lance swimming up at the surface. Some of the humpbacks were seen kick feeding(slapping their tails on the surface to stun fish), while others were seen bubble feeding (blowing rings of bubbles around fish to keep them trapped in one place). Flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaching, logging(sleeping), and even several full breaches were also observed during the past two weeks. Several mother and calf pairs were sighted, including Rapier who was still traveling with her 2006 calf. Usually humpbacks stay with their calves for up to 12 months, and separate sometime during their migration from the Caribbean towards their feeding grounds. Humpbacks we were able to identify included Coral, Rapier, and Rapier’s 2006 calf (not yet named).
Finback whales were seen periodically over the last two weeks, usually in the vicinity of feeding humpbacks. Finback whales are the largest whales that we see in our area, reaching lengths of 80 feet. Not only are they the second largest baleen whale, they are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet! A majority of the individuals we saw were traveling, and probably feeding deep. A few of the whales, however, were seen lunge feeding right at the surface. When finback whales lunge feed, they swim very quickly into a school of fish with their mouths open, often rolling onto their side. It is certainly an impressive sight to watch these large animals in action. One of the finback whales that we saw is a whale we know as Tracks. This whale has propeller scars on its side that resemble railroad tracks. Unfortunately, many of the finback whales that we know in this area are recognized for scars along their bodies.
Minke whales were seen infrequently during the last two weeks. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales we see in our area, reaching lengths of 30 feet. These small whales are very streamlined, like the Finbacks, and therefore travel very quickly. Sometimes their speed makes them difficult to watch. The minke whales we saw were sighted alone, but traveling near other, larger, whales.
A special treat for passengers was the sighting of Atlantic white sided dolphins. We came across a small pod, approximately 10 dolphins, just before leaving Cape Cod Bay. These are the most common type of dolphin we see in our area, however, they tend to spend most of their time further away from shore. The group we saw was slowly traveling as we approached, and we could see their dorsal fins breaking the surface of the water. They swam right along side our boat for several minutes. Our visitors were able to get great views of these beautiful animals as they lept from the water.
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10/15/06 - 10/28/06
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Sightings 9/15/06 – 9/28/06
Our season is winding down, with only a week to go! September has given us beautiful weather, which has made for very enjoyable whale watch adventures. Sightings of whales have continued on a daily basis. Humpbacks, finbacks, minkes, atlantic white sided dolphins, and even a basking shark were all sighted during the past two weeks.
Humpback whales have once again dominated our sightings lately. These mid sized baleen whales were seen displaying a variety of behaviors, which is what these whales are probably best known for. Feeding, logging, rolling, traveling, deep diving, flipper slapping, chin breaching, tail slapping, and even several full breaches were all sighted during the past two weeks. Whales were seen traveling alone or in small groups of two to four whales. Once again, several mother/calf pairs were sighted. Individual humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Apostrophe and calf, Cardhu and calf, Columbia and calf, Colt, Coral, Glo, and Tulip.
Finback whales were a frequent sight over the past two weeks. The majority of these very large baleen whales were traveling alone, however there were some whales seen swimming in pairs. Most of the finbacks were exhibiting traveling and searching behaviors, and many were performing deep dives. However, several of these large whales were seen lunge feeding in close proximity to our boat. Our passengers were treated to some beautiful looks at these whales as they surfaced with large mouthfuls of food.
Minke whales were still sighted, but not as often as in past weeks. Minke whales tend not to spend very much time at the surface, and the whales that we saw during the past two weeks were certainly living up to their reputation. We saw these small whales briefly as they surfaced once or twice before they disappeared to deeper water.
A large pod of atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for many passengers towards the beginning of last week. There were at least 100 dolphins traveling together, including many juveniles. Typically these dolphins are seen in smaller pods, usually around 20 animals or so, however, sometimes they do form these larger pods called superpods. Our lucky visitors got some amazing looks as these beautiful dolphins were seen playfully jumping from the waves.
Some of our visitors were able to see a basking shark very close up. The shark was approximately 20 feet long (which is about half the length that they can reach), and was seen swimming right at the surface with its mouth open. When a basking shark is seen like this, it generally means that it is feeding. Basking sharks are filter feeders, trapping the plankton they are eating on comb-like structures called gill rakers. Our lucky passengers were treated to fantastic looks at this shark!
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09/01/06 - 09/14/06
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Sightings 9/1/06 ñ 9/14/06
September has arrived! Although some of our trips were cancelled due to weather, when we were able to go out we enjoyed beautiful weather and seas that were so calm they resembled glass. There is still a large presence of whales in our area including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. Basking sharks were also sighted during the past two weeks.
Humpback whales have been seen feeding heavily, both at the surface using bubbles, and diving a little deeper. Many whales were seen surfacing with large pouches of food. Our humpback whales will remain in this area until the end of October, when they will begin their migration south toward the Caribbean. While the whales are down south for the winter months they wonít eat anything at all, so the whales have been happily feasting here while food is still abundant. On several trips over the past two weeks passengers could see the abundance of sand lance (little schooling fish that is one of their favorite foods) right at the surface. There were so many fish that it looked, and sounded, like rain drops hitting the surface of the water. On one particular trip, our visitors were able to see humpbacks lunging horizontally at the surface as they fed, something which is usually seen with finback whales. Passengers were able to clearly see the whalesí baleen as they swam on their sides with their mouths open. Several mother/calf pairs have been frequently sighted in the area. What a special treat for those visitors that were able to watch the calves trying to feed! In addition to feeding, other behaviors we sighted included logging, rolling, flipper slapping, tail slapping, and tail lobbing. Humpbacks that we were able to identify were Apex and calf, Columbia and calf, Coral, Istar, and Tulip.
Finback whales were sighted frequently over the past two weeks, and like the humpbacks, were heavily feeding. These large baleen whales were sighted traveling alone or in small groups of two to three animals. Finbacks were exhibiting lunge feeding and deep feeding, where the whales would surface with expansive pouches of food. Whales were also seen swimming in zig-zags and large clockwise circles, as they tried to corral their prey. Our passengers were able to view the whalesí beautiful coloration as they swam right along side our boat.
Minke whales were a very common sight, with 25 of these small whales being sighted on one trip! Many of these fast moving whales were seen charging around in areas where other, larger, feeding whales were present. Minke whales are called the ìlittle piked whalesî because they often surface chin first, so their spout gets lost in the water behind them. Our visitors were able to get some great looks at these little whales.
In addition to many whales being in the area, several basking sharks were sighted as well. Basking sharks are the worldís second largest fish, reaching lengths of 40 feet. Most of the basking sharks sighted over the past two weeks were feeding. Unlike most sharks, these animals eat plankton. When they feed, they swim slowly with their mouths open, allowing the plankton to stick to their gill rakers (a comb like device in between their gill slits). What an amazing sight!
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08/25/06 - 08/31/06
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8/25/06 ñ 8/31/06
August has come to an end with continued success on our whale watch adventures. We have enjoyed beautiful weather, calm seas, and an abundance of whales. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted this past week, as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Humpback whales were quite numerous over the past week, having been sighted on every trip. A majority of the behavior we saw involved feeding. Bubble feeding, kick feeding, and deep feeding were all sighted this past week. Bubble feeding included both bubble clouds and bubble nets. Passengers were treated to beautiful looks at the whalesí large open mouths, often showing their baleen. Other behaviors sighted over the past week included traveling, logging, rolling, chin breaches, flipper slapping, lob-tailing, tail slapping, a spy hop, and several full breaches. On one particular trip, Nile was seen displaying a variety of behaviors including multiple breaches, sometimes very close to the boat. When one sees a whale completely leave the water, it certainly leaves a sense of awe. Individuals we identified included Trident and calf, Columbia and calf, Salt and calf (Soya), Colt, Coral, Dome, Nile, and Reflection.
Finback whales, the largest baleen whales in our area, were not sighted very often over the past week. The animals that we did see were traveling and searching for food. Our passengers were able to see the beautiful coloration that these whales have as they swam along side our boat.
Minke whales continue to be sighted, especially in areas where other whales are present. Over the past week, the majority of minke whales were seen traveling near Humpback whales. These small baleen whales are known for their eradic, elusive behaviors, and the minke whales this week were demonstrating those behaviors well.
A special treat this week was the sighting of a large pod of atlantic white sided dolphins. The pod consisted of 40 to 50 dolphins of all sizes, including several calves. The dolphins were traveling slowly in the area, probably feeding as well. Our lucky visitors were treated to wonderful close approaches by these dolphins as they swam along side our boat. In addition, several of the animals were seen riding in our wake and jumping into the air. What a fabulous ending to a whale
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08/18/06 - 08/24/06
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Sightings 8/18/06 ñ 8/24/06
We have enjoyed a truly wonderful week! Beautiful summer weather and calm seas have made for very enjoyable rides across Cape Cod Bay to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, where whales continued to be seen in large numbers. Over the past week humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted as well as a variety of birds.
Humpback whales this past week have again delighted passengers with their intriguing behaviors. Feeding remains a common sight, with whales bubble feeding, kick feeding, and deep feeding. Some of the bubble nets have been quite large, with multiple whales cooperatively feeding. We saw anywhere from two to eight whales sometimes sharing one bubble net! Our visitors have enjoyed beautiful looks at their baleen and large pouches of food as the whales surfaced with open mouths. A number of whales were also seen flipper slapping. Itís amazing to see (and hear) these large flippers smack the waterís surface. We had one extremely close approach from a whale on Thursdayís trip where the whale was checking out our boat for over half an hour! We turned off our engines as the whale swam around and under the boat and even spy-hopped a couple times. Those incredibly lucky passengers were able to get a true sense of how large these whales actually are! Unfortunately, we donít know who the whale was because we never saw the underside of its tail. Other behaviors sighted over the past week included logging, rolling, tail slapping, lob-tailing, and even several full breaches! Whales that we were able to identify included: Baja and calf, Midnight and calf, Trident and calf, Rapier and calf, Tornado and calf, Alphorn, Bandit, Colt, Coral, Freckles, Isthmus, Nile, Owl, and Walrus.
Finback whales were sighted almost every day over the past week. While some whales were swimming in groups of two to three, the majority of the whales were traveling alone. Lunge feeding was seen several times, sometimes very close to the boat. Many of the whales were seen swimming in zig-zags and circular patterns, probably trying to chase and corral their prey. Our passengers were treated to fabulous looks at their asymmetrical coloration. Finback whales are the only whales to have asymmetrical coloration. The right side of their face is white while the left side is dark gray like the rest of their body. Scientists believe the whales use this to help corral their prey by swimming around the fish in a circle, scaring the fish into staying tightly together.
Minke whales have been a very common sight, having been sighted on almost every trip this past week. Although known for being very elusive, some of these small baleen whales were sighted surfacing very close to the boat. Our visitors were able to view their white flipper bands as they surfaced and swam along the side of our boat.
In addition to whales, a large number of birds have been sighted as well. Greater, sooty, manx, and coryís shearwaters have all been seen as well as wilsonís storm petrels, parasitic jaegers, common terns, and a variety of gulls.
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08/11/06 - 08/17/06
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This past week has again brought amazing success on our whale watch adventures, and there is still plenty of time left this season. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Humpbacks have been putting on quite a show as they continue to feed heavily over Stellwagen Bank. During this past week it was common to see groups of between two and eight whales traveling and feeding together. Cooperative feeding with bubble nets has been very abundant, with some fabulous looks at these whales surfacing with wide open mouths. Passengers have been able to clearly see the whalesí baleen hanging in their mouths. In some cases, our visitors have also been able to see the little sand lance that the whales are feeding on trying to swim away from the whalesí mouths! Kick feeding was also frequently seen over the past week by several whales. Tornado has a very unique feeding style. Sometimes she will come up and slap her chin on the surface, thrust her flippers forward, and then kick the surface with her tail before blowing bubbles. What a sight! While she was feeding, her calf was nearby rolling and flipper slapping. In addition to feeding, other behaviors we have seen this week include logging, dragging, tail slapping, tail breaching, flipper slapping, spy hopping, and even several full breaches. Individuals we identified over the past week include, but are not limited to; Nile, Tornado and calf, Salt and calf (Soya), Lace and calf, Dome, Freckles, Anchor, Stub, Cardhu and calf, Bandit, Colt, and Coral.
Finback whales were not quite as numerous over the past week, but were still sighted frequently. These large whales were also seen feeding in areas nearby other feeding whales. Many of the whales were seen charging into areas at fast speeds, as well as swimming in circular patterns and zig-zags, trying to corral their prey.
Minke whales were sighted almost every day this past week, usually in the vicinity of the other, larger, feeding whales. Some of these whales swam right along side our boat, allowing our visitors to catch a glimpse at their white flipper bands as they swam by.
Atlantic white sided dolphins were sighted twice over the past week, giving some of our lucky visitors a very special treat. On both occasions the dolphins were sighted in very large numbers, more than 100! The dolphins were spread out over a short distance, and could be seen traveling near other whales in the area. On one day, the dolphins were mostly seen traveling, and the other day they were seen feeding with some slow traveling. Dolphins of all sizes were seen on both trips, including several mothers with calves. The dolphins could be seen jumping and riding the wake of our boat as we left the area. What a fantastic sight!
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07/28/06 - 08/10/06
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Sightings 7/28/06 – 8/10/06
July has turned to August, and we have continued to enjoy truly spectacular whale watch adventures. In addition to beautiful summer weather, a large number of whales remain over Stellwagen Bank. On many trips we have sighted 35 whales or more! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all seen over the past two weeks as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins and birds galore.
Humpbacks were seen on every trip over the past two weeks, often in very large numbers; sometimes 25 whales or more! These whales have continued to delight our passengers with fantastic looks at a wide variety of behaviors. Feeding was a daily occurrence, with both kick feeding and bubble feeding sighted. A majority of the whales that were using bubbles to feed were blowing bubble nets. This is where the whale will get below a school of fish and exhale as it swims around the fish in a clockwise circle. All of the bubbles form a curtain that surrounds the fish, keeping them tightly together. The whale is then able to lunge vertically through the “net” with its mouth open, taking in all of the little fish in one gulp. On many occasions, whales were cooperatively feeding, with two to seven whales surfacing within one bubble net! Our visitors have had some truly amazing looks at whales coming up with wide open mouths, exposing their baleen. Individuals that we were able to identify included: Nile, Fulcrum, Salt and calf (Soys), Cardhu and calf, Baja and calf, Coral, Colt, Wizard, Freckles, Tulip, Rune, Bandit, Echo, and Dome.
Finback whales, the world’s second largest animal, have also been sighted frequently over the past two weeks. Some of these whales were traveling alone while others were sighted in pairs or groups of three. In many cases, the finbacks were lunge feeding right at the surface, sometimes exposing flippers and tails as they rolled onto their sides. Some very lucky passengers were able to see a pair of whales lunge right near the front of our boat! Other finbacks were seen swimming in a circular pattern, probably trying to corral their prey. On some occasions, these large whales were seen charging into areas where other whales (humpbacks and minkes) were feeding. Our visitors were then able to catch a glimpse at their very impressive speed. Their sleek and streamlined bodies allow them to swim fast, sometimes 25 knots in short bursts! “Greyhound of the sea” is certainly an appropriate nickname!
Minke whales were also sighted every day over the past two weeks. Although these small whales are known for being difficult to watch, some of the whales were seen surfacing very close to our boat. Passengers could track these whales’ movements by watching their white flipper bands below the surface.
On two of our trips, we were lucky enough to get a special treat of Atlantic white sided dolphins! One of the pods contained 60 dolphins or more, while the other was slightly smaller with 30-40 animals. Each pod consisted of dolphins of all sizes, including several mother/calf pairs! Atlantic white sided dolphins are generally 7-9 feet long, with males slightly larger than females. They are the most common type of dolphin that we see in our area, however, they spend most of their time further offshore. It is always exciting to see them up close swimming along side the boat and jumping in our wake.
While the whales have been happily feeding, the birds are following suit. A large number of greater shearwaters were seen in addition to sooty shearwaters, manx shearwaters, cory’s shearwaters, parasitic jaegers, wilson’s storm petrels, common terns, herring gulls, laughing gulls, and black back gulls.
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07/21/06 - 07/27/06
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Sightings 7/21/06 – 7/27/06
It continues to be a fabulous time to come whale watching… and there are still a few months to go! We have again been treated to daily sightings of whales, including Humpbacks, Finbacks, and Minkes, as well as birds galore. We were also fortunate enough to have surprise sightings of blue fin tuna.
Humpbacks have remained very active at the surface, treating passengers with amazing looks at a variety of behaviors. Bubble feeding and kick feeding were seen on almost every trip, with many whales coming up with wide open mouths. Our visitors were able to get some incredible looks at these whales’ baleen hanging from their upper jaws. Dragging was also seen frequently over the past week. Dragging is a behavior humpbacks do after coming up with a mouthful of fish and seawater. The whales will swim slowly with their heads above the surface and their mouths partially open, allowing the water to drain out and keep the little fish trapped inside. Bandit was again sighted slashing several times this week. In addition to feeding, humpbacks were seen flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaching, and even several full breaches! When whales breach, especially adults, it truly leaves passengers with a sense of power and awe. Humpbacks that we were able to identify this past week included: Tornado and calf, Colt, Coral, Cardhu and calf, Bandit, Salt and calf (Soya), Baja and calf, and Fulcrum.
Finback whales have also been taking advantage of an abundance of food. Finback whales are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet. It is always very impressive to see these very large whales up close. While the majority of the whales we saw this past week were traveling alone, we did find some groups, ranging from 2-4 whales traveling together. Finbacks were seen traveling, searching for food, and lunge feeding at the surface. Some very lucky passengers were even able to see a fin whale fluke up! Even though finbacks are very large whales, they are very sleek and streamlined animals, which means that when they dive they usually only need a strong arch of their back to get all the leverage they need for a dive. Seeing a finback fluke up is not a common occurrence at all.
Minke whales were sighted every day over the past week. Most of these “little piked whales” were seen charging around other, larger whales that were feeding. Minke whales get that nickname because they usually come up chin first. As a result, one very rarely sees a blow from these whales because the spout gets lost in the water behind the whale as it surfaces.
A very special treat this week were two sightings of blue fin tuna. Blue fin tuna are one of the largest fish, and top predator, that reside over Stellwagen Bank. Often when they are seen from the boat, they are forcing up smaller fish (their prey) in large schools. Tuna are incredibly fast swimmers, and passengers see a lot of disturbance and white water as their fins break the surface.
When whales are heavily feeding, it is very common to see feeding frenzies from birds as well. Greater, Sooty, and Manx shearwaters have all been sighted as well as immature northern gannets, herring gulls, black back gulls, laughing gulls, common terns, and wilson’s storm petrels. In some cases, the birds (usually gulls) would land on a whale’s head after it surfaced with a mouthful of food!
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07/14/06 - 07/20/06
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Sightings 7/14/06 – 7/20/06
Our amazing success continues! The middle of July has brought a large number of whales to our area, and our whale watches have been truly spectacular! In fact, we have seen whales on every trip so far. This past week has brought sightings of Humpback, Finback, and Minke whales, tons of birds, and even a basking shark.
Humpback whales are often considered to be the favorite whale amongst whale watchers because they are often very active at the surface, displaying a variety of exciting behaviors. The humpbacks we have seen over the past week have done nothing short of impress our visitors. On many trips this past week our passengers have been able to witness feeding frenzies with a large number of whales present; sometimes twenty or more whales! Bubble feeding, kick feeding, and even some slashing were sighted. Slashing is very much the reverse of a “kick,” where the whale slaps its tail upwards towards the surface at a very fast speed. Other behaviors that we saw over the past week included chin breaching, tail breaching, lob-tailing, flipper slapping, and many full breaches. Many of the breaches were from adult whales that repeatedly breached, sometimes ten times or more! Our visitors were able to see just how powerful the whales can be with one swift flick of their tail. A wonderful sight this week was that of a very large female whale named Salt, who was seen on several trips. Salt is probably the most famous whale in our area. She has been sighted every year except one since 1976! This year she is traveling with her tenth recorded calf, named Soya. Other whales that we have identified this week include, but are not limited to, Bandit, Fulcrum, Colt, Cardhu and calf, Whisk and calf, Trident and calf, Nile, Barb, and Coral.
Although finback whales remain in our area, they were not sighted as frequently over the past week. These very large baleen whales were seen traveling alone or in pairs. Some of the whales were traveling quickly, giving passengers a glimpse at their incredible speed. Finback whales are nicknamed “greyhound of the sea” for this reason. Most of the whales were feeding, either deep feeding (below the surface) or lunge feeding (right at the surface).
Minke whales were again sighted on most of the trips this week, usually in the vicinity of other, larger whales. Most of these small baleen whales were sighted at the surface for several breaths before diving again. This kind of behavior is typical for minke whales because they are very fast moving animals. Some of the minkes came close enough to the boat for passengers to see the white bands on their flippers.
The sighting of a basking shark provided a special treat this week. Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the ocean; only the whale shark is larger. This animal was seen feeding just below the surface, with its mouth wide open. Basking sharks feed very similar to baleen whales because they are filter feeders. Our visitors were able to see its very large triangular dorsal fin, its gill slits, and the mottling of color on its body. What a nice surprise!
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07/07/06 - 07/13/06
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Sightings 7/7/06 – 7/13/06
What a wonderful time to come whale watching! We have continued to have tremendous success on our whale watch adventures. In addition to an abundance of whales we have enjoyed beautiful weather and calm seas. Sightings this past week included Humpback, Finback, and Minke whales.
Humpback whales remain in large numbers over Stellwagen Bank and continue to be very active. Whales have been traveling alone or in small groups of two to five animals. A majority of the behavior displayed by these whales involved feeding. Bubble feeding was sighted every day over the past week. Bubble feeding involves the whale swimming around a school of fish as it is exhaling (creating bubbles), which scares the small fish into forming a tight school. This allows the whale to consume more fish in one mouthful. This week, bubble feeding was done by whales individually or in small groups of whales cooperatively feeding, where several whales would surface within one bubble net. Kick feeding was also observed on several trips. Our passengers have been treated to some spectacular looks at these feeding whales! We have seen some fabulous looks at tubercles (the “bumps” on the top of their head, which are actually hair follicles), expanded rorquals (large pouches of food), and even some glimpses at baleen hanging inside their mouths! Other behaviors sighted over the past week included logging, rolling, tail breaching, chin breaching, a few full breaches, and frequent flipper slapping. In fact, one individual was slapping both of her flippers so much that it looked like she was doing the back stroke! Unfortunately, we could not identify this whale because she didn’t really show us her tail. Individuals that we did identify this week were Sockeye, Freckles, Bandit, Tornado and calf, and Tulip.
The majority of finback whales that were sighted over the past week were also feeding. While some of these larger whales were feeding below the surface, many were lunge feeding right at the surface. On one particular trip, three finback whales were sighted lunge feeding in a ring around some of the feeding humpback whales. What an exciting thing to watch! These lunge feeding finbacks created large disturbances at the surface, usually followed by the whales rolling onto one side exposing flippers, rorquals (the pleats on their bellies), and even some tails. Most of the finbacks this week were traveling alone, however some were seen traveling together in small groups of up to four whales.
Minke whales were also sighted on several trips this past week. On many occasions these small whales would surface in the vicinity of the other larger whales as they fed. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see in our area, reaching lengths of 30 feet. Unlike the larger whales that we see here, minke whales tend to always feed below the surface.
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06/30/06 - 07/06/06
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Sightings 6/30/06 – 7/6/06
July has started with amazing success! We have been enjoying warm weather, calm seas, and an abundance of whales! Humpback, finback, and minke whales have all been sighted over the past week.
A large number of humpback whales remains on the southern portion of Stellwagen Bank. Stellwagen Bank is the summer feeding ground for our humpbacks (and other whales), and food has certainly been plentiful. Much of the whales’ behavior this week involved feeding. Passengers have been treated to bubble feeding and kick feeding, and even one whale that used a chin breach much like other whales would “kick” their tails. All of these behaviors are done to stun the fish so that they remain in a tight school, which makes it easier for the whales to eat them all in one mouthful. Our visitors have also been treated to the whales logging, flipper slapping, several tail breaches, tail slaps, a spy hop, and a couple of full breaches from Coral. On many occasions we have had close approaches from the whales, particularly from Colt, who is known for coming right next to boats. Individuals we have identified over the past week include Cardhu and calf, Colt, Coral, Cygnus, Tornado and calf, and Sockeye.
Finback whales continue to be sighted regularly, and have also been taking full advantage of the abundance of food that has been around. These very large baleen whales were sighted traveling alone or in small groups of two to three whales. Some of the whales displayed slightly erratic behavior, probably because they were searching for and chasing prey around. On one particular trip our passengers were treated to some spectacular views at two finbacks repeatedly lunge feeding. When finbacks lunge feed at the surface, they swim very quickly to chase the little fish and then open their large mouths, often rolling onto one side. What an amazing sight!
The small minke whales were sighted on several trips this past week, many of which were just sighted briefly at the surface. Unlike the larger whales in the area, minke whales tend not to spend as much time up at the surface. These fast little whales often appear for one or two quick breaths before they disappear again.
Birds were again numerous over the past week, and include greater, sooty, and manx shearwaters; wilson’s storm petrels, immature northern gannets, terns, and a variety of gulls
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06/23/06 - 06/29/06
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Sightings 6/23/06 – 6/29/06
The last week of June has brought good weather, calm seas, and lots of whales. We have continued to have tremendous sightings, as a large number of whales have remained in the area. Humpback, Finback, and Minke whales were all sighted this week.
Humpback whales were again sighted every day over the past week. Known for their active surface behavior, these mid sized baleen whales are often a favorite amongst whale watchers. The whales we have seen over the past week have certainly been living up to their reputation. Many of the individuals we saw were the same as last week including Trident and her calf, Nile, Pepper, and Tongs. On several occasions the adults were seen feeding: both bubble feeding and kick feeding. Some were also lunging at the surface, coming up with their mouths wide open, allowing passengers to clearly see their baleen hanging from their upper jaws. Our visitors have also been treated to flipper slapping, logging, rolling, and even a full breach!
A large number of finback whales remain in our area as well. Like the humpbacks, many of the finbacks were seen feeding. Whales were seen swimming in circles and zig-zags, especially in areas where the bait was abundant. Passengers could clearly see sand lance (sand eels) swimming up at the surface. We have had some close approaches by several finbacks, giving our visitors some fantastic views of the whales’ beautiful coloring.
Minke whales were sighted more frequently this week. All of the whales were seen traveling alone. Many of these individuals were surfacing quickly, some close enough to the boat for passengers to see their white flipper bands. One individual surfaced so close to our boat that visitors could see the whale lifting its head as it surfaced to breathe. These visitors could see why minke whales are nicknamed “little piked whale”; because they most often surface chin first.
Some lucky passengers were able to see a small harbor seal that popped up and circled around our boat for a few minutes. While harbor seals are very common in our waters, we very rarely see them while on the boat so far from land.
In addition to very active whales, we have also seen very active birds. A large number of greater and sooty shearwaters were observed this week, especially in areas near where whales were feeding. We have also seen wilson’s storm petrels, immature northern gannets, laughing gulls, herring gulls, black back gulls, and common terns.
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06/16/06 - 06/22/05
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Sightings 6/16/06 – 6/22/06
One of the most exciting things about whale watching is the fact that we never know ahead of time what we might see. We are given an amazing opportunity to view these incredible animals in their natural environment. Whale sightings have continued to be spectacular over the past week, including Humpbacks, Finbacks, and Minkes.
Humpback whales were sighted every day over the past week, and passengers were treated to a mother/calf pair that we hadn’t seen on previous trips. The mother is Trident. The pair has frequently been traveling with Tongs, another female humpback whale. Trident and her calf were seen logging, traveling, and feeding. Some of our visitors were able to see the calf nursing. It was switching sides as it surfaced at quick intervals. Throughout the week the calf was also spotted rolling and venturing close to our boat to check it out. Other humpbacks this week were traveling, logging, and bubble feeding. Individuals identified included Trident and calf, Tongs, Nile, and Pepper.
Finback whales were also sighted every day this past week, on some days in large numbers. On several trips we sighted at least 6 of these large endangered whales. Although several of these whales were traveling alone, many were sighted traveling in small groups of 2-4. A majority of the finbacks this week were seen feeding. Some individuals were swimming in circles, while others swam in zig-zags chasing fish. Many of our guests were able to see three of these amazing animals lunging in unison at the surface. What a tremendous sight! Some very lucky passengers were treated to a mother/calf pair traveling near several other whales. The calf gave our boat several close approaches, giving our visitors some amazing looks. Unlike humpback whales, there are no known breeding/calving grounds for finback whales, so seeing a calf in our area is definitely a very special treat! Another very exciting sighting this week was that of Loon, a favorite finback in this area. This whale was hit by a boat last season, so she is showing a new propeller scar on her back. We are very happy that she has healed and has been sighted this year.
Minke whales were not sighted as frequently this past week, however they do still remain in our area. The small whales that were seen were traveling alone, sometimes surfacing close to our boat. Passengers could clearly see the white bands on their pectoral fins (flippers) as they swam by.
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06/09/06 - 06/15/06
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Sightings 6/9/06 – 6/15/06
The sun has returned over the past week, and we have had some spectacular whale watches! Daily sightings included Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, and lots of birds.
Humpbacks have continued to be seen in abundance. Some of the whales were seen traveling alone, while others were traveling in pairs, including several mother/calf pairs. With a lot of bait around, feeding has been a frequent sight. Some whales, like Rapier, have been using bubble nets, while others have been seen kick feeding. Passengers have also been treated to the whales rolling, flipper slapping, tail breaching, and even a spyhop from Rapier’s calf. Our visitors have had some amazing looks at these mid-sized baleen whales. In addition to Rapier and her calf, we have also identified Apostrophe and calf, and Nile.
Finback whales were very abundant over the past week. These very large baleen whales were also taking full advantage of the large amount of food present. Passengers could clearly see schools of sand lance (also called sand eels) at the surface. The bait was so thick that it looked, and sounded, like rain drops on the surface as the little fish moved around. Some of the most exciting behavior sighted were those finbacks that were repeatedly lunge feeding; circling and charging quickly through the schools of fish and rolling onto one side as they closed their giant mouths. Passengers were able to see the whales’ flukes and pectoral fins as they rolled. We could even see the baleen in the whales’ mouths as they closed down on all the little fish. While most whales in the area were swimming alone, we did come across a group of four whales traveling together. Visitors were able to see why these whales are nicknamed “greyhounds of the sea” as these whales were showing off their speed.
Minke whales were also sighted frequently, usually in the vicinity of other whales. Most of the minkes were surfacing quickly, giving passengers quick glimpses before they dove.
Along with the presence of bait comes increased bird activity. This past week we have seen herring, black-back, and laughing gulls, greater and sooty shearwaters, immature northern gannets, and wilson’s storm petrels.
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06/03/06 - 06/08/06
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Sightings 6/3/06 – 6/8/06
Although many of our trips this past week were cancelled because of rain, we were able to go out on Monday and Tuesday with sunny skies. On both days we ended up traveling to Peaked Hill Bars, a shallow area off the backside of Provincetown. We had sightings of Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, and even a Basking shark!
Humpbacks were numerous on both days, and continue to impress our visitors with a wide variety of behaviors. Some whales have been traveling in small groups of two to three animals, while other whales have been sighted alone. A majority of the humpbacks were seen feeding: some with bubble clouds, others by “kicking” their tails. Passengers have also been treated to tail slapping, logging, rolling, and flipper slapping. We even got a spyhop from Rapier’s calf while Rapier was kick feeding close by. In addition to Rapier and her calf, we also identified Reaper, who was sighted both days.
We have seen an increased number of Finback whales this week, with the majority of them being sighted in close proximity to other whales. Many of the finbacks were also seen searching for food and feeding. Several of the whales were using circular patterns while others were swimming in zig-zags. One of the finback whales we saw this week is named Braid. She is named for scars on the left side of her body that resembles a pair of braids. These scars are the result of a ship strike many years ago, that luckily Braid has survived.
Minke whales were quite numerous both days, particularly on Tuesday when we sighted 15 of them! These fast little whales were seen searching and feeding amongst the larger whales. Most of them were diving for only a few minutes before surfacing again. A couple of the whales popped up close to the boat, giving passengers a good look at their white flipper bands.
A nice surprise on Monday’s trip was the sighting of a basking shark! Basking sharks are the world’s second largest fish, and can reach lengths of 40 feet! These sharks feed on plankton, and use a series of gill rakers (a comb-like device) to filter their food from the sea water. The individual we saw was swimming with its mouth wide open – an obvious sign of feeding.
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05/26/06 - 06/02/06
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Sightings 5/26/06 – 6/2/06
What a fabulous start to the season! Whale watch adventures started at the end of May with tremendous success. Whales have been sighted every day, and include Humpbacks, Minkes, and Finbacks.
The 2006 season opened with crowd pleasing Humpbacks. Humpbacks are mid-sized baleen whales, and are a favorite amongst whale watchers. Known for displaying a variety of behaviors, the humpbacks we’ve seen so far have certainly been living up to their reputation. Some of the whales have been traveling in small groups, while others were sighted alone. Many of the whales have been seen feeding; some with bubble clouds, others were kick feeding (where the whale slaps its tail on the surface to try and stun prey), while others were feeding below the surface. Passengers have also been treated to flipper slapping, tail lobbing, logging (sleeping), tail breaching, and even some full breaches! Individuals we have identified to date include Rapier and calf, Cardhu and calf, Glo, and Seal.
Minke whales have been seen in abundance over the past week, usually nearby the feeding humpbacks. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales in our area, reaching 30 feet long. While some of these small whales were seen in the distance, visitors were able to get some good looks at several whales that surfaced close to the boat. Most of their behavior has included searching for food and feeding.
Towards the end of the week we started to see Finback whales. Finbacks are the second largest animal ever to have lived on this planet, and can reach lengths of 80 feet! These very large, sleek whales have also been seen searching and feeding in the same area as other whales.
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08/22/05 - 09/22/05
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September has brought beautiful weather in addition to continued sightings of Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, Pilot whales and Atlantic White Sided dolphins.
Humpbacks remain consistently sighted in our area. These whales have been commonly found travelling alone or small groups of two to three individuals. These mid-sized baleen whales have been exhibiting a variety of behaviors including deep feeding, logging, flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaching and full breaches! One close approach had the individual rolling right next to the boat so passengers could see the whale's eye. Some of the Humpbacks identified have included Tulip and her calf, Colt, Nile, Barb, Cygnus and Glo.
Finbacks, the largest baleen whales in our area, have also been frequently sighted. Like the Humpbacks, animals were travelling alone or in small groups of two to three individuals. Most of the Finbacks were usually seen swimming in clockwise circles trying to corral their prey. Some of the whales were viewed lunging and rolling. Often as they lunge they slice through the water showing guests how they received their nickname "greyhound of the sea".
Minke whales, the smallest baleen whales in our area, were swimming among the larger whales. In areas where the whales were seen feeding, the Minke whales were charging; moving very quicky and changing directions often. Passengers also got some good looks of their white flipper bands when they were swimming close to the boat.
A small pod of Pilot whales were seen at the beginning of the month. These whales are usually found further offshore but, are known to move closer inshore during the Fall as they chase food. Although their favorite food is squid, Pilot whales eat a variety of small fish. In addition to their thick dorsal fins, Pilot whales are easily recognizable because of their very bulbous head, called a melon.
The most exciting treat over the last sighting period was the arrival of a super pod of Atlantic White Sided dolphins. This super pod contained at least 250 individuals of all sizes, including calves. These dolphins are occassionally seen close to shore in pods of 20-30 individuals. Super pod defines when they get together in large groups numbering in the hundreds.
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08/06/05 - 08/25/05
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The past couple of weeks continue to bring consistent sightings of Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes and Atlantic White Sided Dolphins. However, the majority of sightings over the past couple of weeks have clearly revolved around the Humpback. These mid-sized baleen whales have been putting on quite a show. Passengers have been treated to spy hopping, flipper slapping, tail breaching and a couple of full breaches.
Most of the Humpbacks have been sighted in various feeding patterns, particularly bubble nets. One of the whales has a unique feeding behavior. It does a chin breach before quickly diving and surfacing in the middle of a bubble net. Passengers have had some spectacular looks at the baleen hanging inside the mouth, the large pouch holding all of the water & fish and all of the tubercles both on top of the head and beneath the chin. During one recent adventure, visitors could actually see a huge bait ball of sand lance at the surface right near some of the feeding whales. Whales have been seen travelling and feeding in small groups of two to four individuals, while others have been spotted travelling alone. Some of the individuals identified include Coral, Barb, Wizard, Colt and Cygnus.
Finbacks were also seen in abundance over the past few weeks. The majority of these whales were also seen feeding. Some of the whales were going down for deep dives and feeding below surface, while others were seen lunging and rolling at the surface. On many occasions the whales were seen swimming in a circular pattern. This is a common occurrence with Finbacks because they are the only whales to have asymmetrical coloration. The right side of their face is white and the left side is dark gray. Scientists believe that the whales try to coral their prey by exposing the white side to the fish, which scares the fish into forming a tight ball that the whale can then lunge on. In many instances over the past few weeks the Finbacks were seen travelling together in small groups of two to three individuals. Some very lucky passengers were able to see a mother and calf. The Finbacks are not quite as well studied as the Humpbacks and scientists are unsure where the calving grounds for the Finbacks are. A mother/calf Finback is definately a special treat.
Minke whales were not spending as much time at the surface as in past sightings. Some of these small baleen whales, known for their very quick and sporadic movements, gave us some brief looks while other animals got close enough for passengers to see their white flipper bands. One
trip did provide passengers with the rare sighting of a Minke whale breaching. It is very rare to see these whales jump completely out of the water however, this individual repeatedly breached at least 15-20 times! The rorquals and entire belly of the whale were clearly visible, as well as its pectoral fins and face. Seeing a whale out of the water certainly gives one a much better sense of the size of these amazing animals.
Atlantic White Sided Dolphins have been sighted in small pods ranging from 20-25 up to large pods of 50-60. There were some calves seen travelling close the their mothers amongst the groups. Dolphins are true to form entertaining passengers with their fun loving behavior... breaching, riding the waves and playing with one another to the delight of all spectators. The small pod of Dolphins were sighted nearby a group of feeding Humpbacks. The Dolphins were swimming very close to the whales at the surface and towards the bubble nets that were forming when the Humpbacks were below surface. To see these Dolphins in the company of their larger baleen counterparts again allows visitors the opportunity to see the difference in size among these marine mammals.
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07/29/05 - 08/05/05
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It continues to be a great season for whale watching...and there still a few months to go! Although there continues to be Finback and Minke sightings, the last week has been dominated by Humpbacks.
Humpbacks have been delighting those passengers that wait to experience the much publicized antics of these playful animals. The past week has been filled with breaching, close approaches, tail slapping and open mouth feeding! In addition to many other unidentified animals, Tulip with her calf, Nile and Coral still remain within the area offering visitors great looks. One sighting offered all four animals together with lots of amazing tail shots and open mouth feeding. During one trip the animals were so close to the boat that passengers could see the barnacles on the Humpbacks face while Coral displayed some great tail slapping and breaching. Another sighting had Tulip and her calf nursing and traveling amidst 3 other animals. A group of 4 Humpbacks seemed to be
entertaining in unison as one animal would fluke and then seem to wiggle as it dove with repeat flipper flopping while another whale remained a close distance flipper flopping and tail slapping. Humpbacks also took turns logging throughout the past week which really offered passengers a great up close view of the magnificent size of these gentle at the waters surface.
Minkes were in sighted in small groups of 3 animals to as many as 20 animals in one sighting. During one sighting the Minkes seemed to be surfacing randomly and the smaller group of Minkes seemed to be traveling together and displaying the same behavior throughout the week. The larger group of Minkes were sighted on multiple occasions puffing all around the boat and offered passengers good looks chin first approach towards the boat. They also offered passengers some great sightings of their arm bands.
Although not as prominant as in past weeks, the impressive Finbacks still offered passengers great looks at their long, sleek bodies as they were traveling and feeding within the area. The sightings were scattered though and the animals were generally seen alone or in some instances a pair.
There were a few sightings of Harbor Seals this past week. Generally sightings were of a lone animal simply swimming close by.
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07/15/05 - 07/28/05
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What a wonderful time to come whale watching! The past two weeks have brought beautiful weather and lots of whales. Sightings have included Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, Dolphins, Basking Sharks, Harbor Seals and Birds.
A large group of Humpbacks, between seven to nine individuals have moved into the area over the past two weeks, including local favorites SALT and CORAL. Other Humpbacks identified in addition to these two individuals include SOOT, LINER and TULIP with her calf. While some of the whales were seen swimming in small groups, others were travelling alone. Humpbacks are mid-sized baleen whales known for exhibiting a variety of interesting bahaviors. Many of those behaviors have been seen over the past two weeks; bubble feeding, breaching, lob-tailing and flipper slapping. Passengers were able to see the baleen hanging from the upper jaw and rorquals extended into a large pouch as the bubble feeding Humpbacks rose through the waters surface with their mouths wide open. Flipper slapping is equally impressive to view as Humpbacks have the longest flippers of any whale. Flippers can reach fifteen feet long, which can be a third of an animal's body length. Some incredibly lucky visitors were treated to the most awe inspiring of behaviors this past week - Breaching. Tulip's calf breached at least 25-30 times one afternoon! What outstanding looks as it propelled itself from the water over and over again. It also seemed to be practicing flipper slapping as it repeated this behavior for at least seven minutes. The calf was rolling as it slapped the water and even came close enought to the boat so passengers could see its eyes!
Finbacks also continue to be seen frequently. They have been seen feeding and travelling either alone or in small groups of two to three animals. Although these large whales are known for their speed, the individuals this week were sighted moving fairly slowly, allowing passengers to get some beautiful looks at these "greyhounds of the sea".
Minke whales, the smallest of the baleen whales, were also seen in abundance with as many as fifteen animals in one day. Most often these small whales were seen charging into the same areas as the Humpbacks and Finbacks, particularly when these larger whales were feeding. Visitors have had some great looks at these whales as they were surfacing alongside the boat.
Atlantic White Sided Dolphins continue to be sighted. One pod had approximately 25 individuals and the other approximately 35-45. Both pods included dolphins of all sizes feeding, jumping and riding the wake of the boat. These playful animals gave passengers some great looks as they were jumping through the water showing off their beautiful colors.
Basking Sharks were sighted feeding at the surface on several occasions. It is always thrilling to see that very large dorsal fin extending above the waters surface.
A special treat this week was a couple of young Harbor Seals. These young seals, probably pups, seemed very curious as they swam close around the boat. Although common in our area, we do not often see them from the boat.
With all of the feeding whales and basking sharks around, birds continue to be sighted in large numbers. Greater Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters and Cory's Shearwaters have been seen in addition to Wilson's Storm Petrels, Northern Gannets and Gulls.
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07/08/05 - 07/14/05
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Finbacks continue to be seen in abundance and have been putting on quite a show! The animals continue to be sighted alone, including LOON, or traveling together side by side or just nearby one another. A majority of the Finbacks this week were feeding. Much of the activity was close to the boat, allowing visitors good looks at their rorquals. The close proximity also provided amazing looks of these large whales lunging and rolling at the surface, exposing flippers and tails.
Minke whales remain frequently sighted and very often in the same area as Finbacks. There were several close approaches by Minkes that enabled passengers to actually see their white flipper bands.
Atlantic White Sided Dolphins were sighted in a pod of between 25 to 35 individuals. This pod included animals of all sizes with many juveniles. The dolphins continue to leave visitors in awe as they frolic close to the boat. One cannot help but be caught up in the excitement as they playfully ride the wake of the boat and perform acrobatic type jumps and flips into the air.
Basking Sharks were seen on multiple occasions this week with 15 within one day. All of these sharks were seen feeding at the surface.
With all of these feeding animals, we continue to see a lot of birds. Greater Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters, Gannets, Wilson's Storm Petrels, Gulls and Terns.
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07/01/05 - 07/07/05
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The first week of July has brought sightings of Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, Basking Sharks, Birds and a Harbor Porpoise.
Whale watchers this past week have been treated to sightings of a Humpback cow/calf pair that we hadn't seen in prior watches. The mother is believed to be SCYLLA. The pair was seen mostly travelling however, the calf was seen feeding. Another individual, thought to be SIRIUS, was spotted travelling alone. This whale was sighted travelling, searching and showing off its tail; giving our guests some fantastic looks.
Finbacks continue to be seen in abundance. All of the animlas this week were sighted travelling alone. While most of the Finbacks were doing short dives, one individual was quite content exercising its lungs; diving for up to 20 minutes. Several of the Finbacks this past week were seen swimming in clockwise circles and feeding. One Finback offered some great close-up looks as it was viewed logging (sleeping) at the surface. A favorite among the crew, LOON, was sighted multiple times again this week. She was mostly seen feeding. To the delight of many viewers,in some instances she was lunge feeding at the surface and appearing with several mouthfuls of food. Some amazing looks!
Minke whales have also been seen in abundance over the past week. Most of the time these whales were seen in the close company of at least a few other whales. Many of the Minkes were seen feeding close to the boat, while others were spotted as they surfaced nearby.
Basking Sharks were also sighted feeding with wide open mouths right alongside the boat. There was also a lone Harbor Porpoise sighted briefly in the area that appeared to be travelling.
Birds have been sighted frequently, many times in large groups that were feeding. Multiple plunge diving Gannets were seen among Gulls, Terns and Shearwaters. Wilson's Storm Petrels have also been sighted consistently.
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06/23/05 - 06/30/05
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Never knowing what we may see or where is still a great challenge that amazes us as we have the wonderful opportunity to view these magnificent marine mammals in their natural environment. Whale sightings remained consistent through the end of the month. Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, Basking Sharks and Birds.
Humpback sightings this week have included one individual, thought to be PALETTE, travelling alone. Our guests got some great looks at this whale feeding and rolling at the surface. There were also some beautiful tail shots as it dove.
Finbacks have been seen in abundance over the past week. These whales are the second largest animals to ever have lived on this planet! It is always impressive to see Finbacks up close. The Finbacks, usually seen by themselves, are generally within a short distance of one another. LOON was spotted again in the earlier part of the week, sometimes travelling alone and sometimes in the same area as Minke whales. LOON is a fairly large female named for a scar on the left side of her body that resembles a Loon trying to fly. She has been viewed travelling, searching for food and feeding. Guests were able to see her with a large mouthful of food, as her rorquals were distended. In another sighting while feeding, she rolled onto one side exposing a portion of her fluke.
Minke whales, the smallest of the baleen whales, continue to be sighted frequently. Often times they were seen swimming very close to one another or in the company of Finbacks.
This past week has brought several sightings of Basking Sharks! Basking Sharks are the world's second largest fish. Adults can get close to 40 feet in length! One sighting included three sharks swimming in a single file right off the beach. All of the sharks were seen swimming slowly at the surface as they were feeding with mouths wide open. As these sharks eat plankton, it is very common to see these animals feeding with a wide-open mouth. As they swim slowly at the surface, the plankton is being filtered from the water and gets caught in the animal's gill rakers. These are comb-like structures that the sharks use to catch their prey. All of the sharks sighted this week were 15-20 feet in length. What amazing sightings right next to the boat.
More great bird activity including both Greater and Sooty Shearwaters, immature Northern Gannets, Wilson's Storm Petrels, Laughing Gulls and Common Terns.
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06/12/05 - 06/22/05
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What a great start to the season, daily sightings continue to be consistent. Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, Dolphins and Birds! The weather has also been cooperative with warm, mild termperatures and sunshiny skies.
The Humpback cow and calf that had been visiting through May continue to be sighted within the area. Initially we were unable to make exact identification however, the cow has been identified as TULIP. The pair are travelling with no other animals and displayed nursing and feeding behavior. The calf continues to be very playful and has delighted viewers with flipper waving and rolling.
The majority of other Humpback sightings have been in cow pairs or other adults travelling alone. There were some days where there would be a group of three to five animals with some great fluke views, flipper flopping and fluking. The Humpbacks remain a regional favorite and have been providing some wonderful photo opportunities. Last week brought the return of a local favorite - SALT. She has been travelling alone and during one trip was taking deep dives with approximately 11 minutes at the surface. GLOW was also sighted travelling solo with a pair of adults at a close distance.
The most excitement of the season thus far is certainly the ten Humpbacks that arrived together mid-June. The group included a cow, identified as Vibes, with calf. The animals were kick feeding and bubble feeding. There was great excitement with all of the bubble clouds and the animals surfacing with large mouthfuls of food.
Atlantic White Sided Dolphins entertained passengers throughout the first week of June with their playful antics. It is common for Dolphins to be sighted close to vessels as riding the waves seems to be one of their favorite activities. They clearly enjoyed their day on the water as much as we did as they were porpoising, breaching and riding the waves alongside the vessel. Lately, Dolphins have been ranging from six to fifteen animals with close to a hundred in a few instances.
There are many large Finbacks in the area. We have had some amazing sightings of distended rorquals and close approaches. These Finbacks have also provided some great views of their long sleek bodies as they were just below the surface. LOON has been sighted travelling alone and sometimes being elusive then on other trips travelling and searching with four to six other animals.
Minke Whales were sighted searching, feeding and swimming among the Finbacks, one particular trip had four animals almost charging into a group of Finbacks. There were nice Minke views of feeding and rolling behavior.
A lot of bird activity through the beginning of the month including Gannets, Shearwaters, Loons and Wilson's Storm Petrels.
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05/27/05 - 06/11/05
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Did you know that of their TOP TEN whale watching spots, the WORLD WILDLIFE FUND has recognized Cape Cod as the FOURTH BEST PLACE WORLDWIDE to view whales; and the only place in the United States.
Although the water was cold after the unseasonal winter we experienced in this area, the warm Spring weather has welcomed back plenty of whales.
HUMPBACKS, FINBACKS, MINKES, HARBOR PORPOISES AND DOLPHINS!!
Whale watch adventures started during the last week of May with visitors being treated to a nice variety of animals and behavioral patterns. All the whale watches were an average of 3 1/2- 4 hours roundtrip as the whales were not very far and on some watches there were even sightings within the Bay. On those whale watches when multiple species were sighted, the different animals were all in close vicinity of one another.
For the bird lovers in the audience...there have been some good off shore sightings of great shearwaters and w. storm petrels.
The 2005 season opened with crowd pleasing Humpbacks. The Humpbacks have been sighted amongst themselves feeding and traveling together. One specific sighting presented a cow and calf with the calf breaching a few times over while the mother was happy to be surfacing at a close distance. This same calf and cow were sighted on a couple of outings however, we are excitedly awaiting the introduction of other Humpback calfs.
Although known for their speed, Finbacks have been leisurely traveling within the area. Visitors were treated to some great visuals of these greyhounds of the sea as they have been swimming just at the surface. The Finbacks have been commonly seen throughout the watches traveling in a group of three animals.
Minke whales, one of the most hunted whales in the world, are a common sight within these waters and the past few weeks they have been appearaing on a regular basis. Minke whales are the smallest of baleen whales at over 11 tons and reaching lengths up to 33'.
Dolphins and Harbor Porpoises have been true to form with their entertaining and playful antics. These animals are always having a good time as they swim over the wake of the boat and surf the oceans waves. These animals have been sighted over the past few weeks in numbers of 30 to more than 100 in one group. Sightings included groups of adults and juveniles breaching and porpoising while another group of more than 100 consisted of a large number of juveniles.
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