Saturday, August 13, 2011 (9 am and 2 pm whale watch)

9 am and 2 pm whale watch with Leah on the Tails of the Sea and 2 pm whale watch on the Son II with Tammy (see below)

9 am whale watch trip on the Tails of the Sea:

There's definitely no way that you could ask for a more pleasant day on the water. It was flat calm out in the Atlantic Ocean, and there was a relaxed enjoyment for all. There were many humpbacks spread throughout our usual haunt of the Southeast Corner of Stellwagen.

We started with a whale named Mayo who was escorted by 2 other whales, and they were wandering around the water surfacing randomly around the boat. Then we moved along towards another group of whales that were quite numerous. There was Midnight, Buzzard and Barb and then a few others around as well.

Midnight was actively lobtailing as we entered the area and that is what originally captured our attention. Buzzard was actively kickfeeding for all to see and for such a calm day we could even see the whales effortlessly and magnificently dive under the water. The best thing about this trip was that out of all the animals we saw out there today I have only identified a handful of the whales we encountered.

We must have had 15 humpbacks around the area that we were in and it never ceases to amaze me what whales we will see. And as far as I'm concerned if a researchers work is never done then there's something amazing still to come. Also this morning I caught a photograph of a Shearwater taking off from the water and you can actually see its feet walking on the water as it takes off.

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2 pm trip on the Tails of the Sea:

The afternoon whale watch was still beautifully calm just like the morning trip and the water sort of boiled over with humpbacks. I have 14 humpbacks that I've identified so far but there's almost the same number that I haven't figured out yet. Also during this trip, we were able to observe some really cool behaviors that I have never seen with my own eyes before and that was fantastic. I've seen these unusual behaviors in pictures and have heard people talk about them, but this was the first time that I got to see it in the wild.

I've been doing research on these whales for 4 years and there's always that random chance that something new and exciting will come along, and I was fortunate enough to have one of those experiences. I will mention the behavior in a moment.

We had many humpbacks feeding during this trip. They were kick feeding and bubble netting, we had a humpback named Tracer who was lobtailing this time. We even had a few breaches that happened rather infrequently, to the point that I have a photo only of a splash at the end. But at the end of our trip we had a wonderful whale named Pixar that was doing a behavior called side lunging which was fantastic for me to actually see for the first time. It gave me a whole new angle of a humpback whale feeding to photograph. I got to photograph the whale doing this behavior next to the boat and even mouth open straight towards us.

It gives a whole new perspective on the story about Jonah and the Whale. The whales I have identified so far from this afternoons trip are Firefly, Ampersand, Buzzard, Joy, Wizard, Cajun, Centipede, Exclaim, Alphorn, Venom, Infinity, Tracer, Pixar and Midnight. And again I'm only half done with my ID's so there are a lot more whales out there. What a wonderful day!! I can't believe how fortunate I am to have a job such as this. I get to study wild animals in their natural habitat doing whatever they please.

2 pm whale watch on the Son II - Tammy

The seas were calm and glassy as we travelled offshore. As we approached the south eastern portion of Stellwagen Bank we started seeing a number of blows in front of us. We realized that we had 10-12 humpback whales scattered all around the boat.

We focused on a single humpback whale that was rolling around at the surface. After several minutes of watching this whale, it became clear that it was side lunge feeding. This whale had a distinct dorsal fin that had several barnacles on top and this unique dorsal looked like it belonged to a whale named Moonlight. We got a quick glimpse of the right fluke of this whale as it lunged across the surface on its side and we were able to confirm that this whale was Moonlight. We watched Moonlight continue to side lunge at the surface and we got amazing looks at the lower jaw and ventral throat pleats (rorquals) of the humpback.

There was another pair of humpbacks in the immediate area who were also side lunge feeding. At one point this pair surfaced on their sides, throats distended and engulfing their prey in complete unison on the port side of our boat! It was an incredible site to see the whole ventral (underside) side of two humpbacks at the same time.

We even had a couple of animals with sharp, pointed dorsal fins make a very brief appearance off our bow and our captain identified them as tuna. The tuna were likely feeding on the same small fish that the whales were consuming. Sooner than we liked, we had to head home, but on our way one of our passengers spotted a minke whale that was passing through the area behind us. Another great day of whale watching!

Humpback whales identified include: Echo, Moonlight, Snare, Zap, Pogo 2007 calf.

Saturday, August 13, 2011 (11 am whale watch)

11 am whale watch - Krill

As we left Plymouth Harbor, we realized that we were in for a wonderful day offshore. The skies were clear and there was very little wind offshore. We headed to the southern part of Stellwagen Bank and found quite a few humpback whales and minke whales in the area. We also saw many different species of seabirds, including manx shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, laughing gulls, and Wilson's storm petrels. As we slowly moved through the area, we spooked up a small flock of phaleropes and watch them head away from the boat.

Many of the minke whales were feeding deep as they surfaced all around the boat. Minke whales are not as showy as their larger cousin, the humpback whale, but they are beautiful to watch nonetheless. Currently, the minke whale is the small baleen species that is taking the brunt of commercial whaling. So seeing these precious animals reaffirmed our opposition to commercial whaling of any type.

As we moved into an area with at least 20 humpback whales feeding at the surface, one whale was putting on quite a display as it kicked with its tail in a behavior called kick-feeding. Looking at this whale's dorsal fin, made us realize that this was Etch-a-Sketch, the granddaughter of Salt. Salt is seen on a regular basis in our cold New England waters. She was the first whale to ever be named and she has had 12 calves since she was first sighted in 1975. Salt has been seen this season, but she was not seen by us when offshore.

Etch-a-Sketch was using her tail to strike the surface of the water in an attempt to stun and confuse the baitfish below. The power and beauty of a humpback whale is fully displayed in this impressive feeding behavior.

We watched in amazement as Etch-A-Sketch lunged mouth open at the surface. After taking in hundreds of gallons of water and fish into her mouth, Etch-A-Sketch closed it and started straining, pushing the water back out of the mouth to leave only the fish behind.

Also feeding at the surface were Division with her calf of this year. Feeding alongside the mother and calf pair was a whale named Barb. The calf was spending a great deal of time at the surface, while mom and Barb were feeding using bubble nets and lunges. For one surfacing, mom and calf surfaced side-by-side and this gave us a chance to compare sizes. We realized quickly that Division's calf has a lot of growing to do.

The most impressive feeders were Buzzard and Firefly. Buzzard was very dramatic as this whale kick fed right next to the boat. After smashing the water's surface with its tail, Buzzard would roll and then dive down beneath the dense schools of bait that were all around the boat. As we drifted in the area, Buzzard and Firefly surfaced right off our stern in a cloud of bubbles. Our passengers were thrilled to see these animals feeding right next to our boat.

There were a number of smaller boats also watching the whales in this area. When the whales got close to any of these boats, we realized just how big and impressive these animals are. Most of the smaller boats were being very good about maneuvering slowly around the whales. But there were a few that sped through the area, giving us some cause of concern since boats and whales can sometimes get too close to one another.

At one point, we looked into the water and saw sand lance and other small schooling fish in a bubble net that was slowly rising to the surface. Hard not to feel bad for these fish that were going to be a tasty treat for these behemoths. And as you held your breath, a whale or two would surface right through the bubble net with mouth fill of sea water and fish.

As we stayed in that area, we noticed many more humpback whales moving into the area. And most had started surface feeding in small groups of up to 4 animals. We estimated that we had at least 20 endangered humpback whales feeding offshore. What a treat for all onboard today!

Humpback whales identified include: Division and calf, Wizard and calf, Ganesh and calf, Compass, Firefly, Barb, Cajun, Milkweed, Joy, Putter, Tear, Palette, Etch-a-Sketch, Habenero, Tracer, Eruption, Walrus, and Compass's 2008 calf.

Friday, August 12, 2011 (9 am and 2 pm whale watch)

9 am and 2 pm whale watch - Tammy

9 am trip:

Today we had a beautiful morning out on the water with lots of sunshine and light winds. We started our trip with great looks at fluke out dives from a single humpback whale named Ampersand. We then picked up a trio of humpback whales who were logging right at and below the surface. This trio then gave us a really special treat when all there whales swam right up to our boat. We had amazing looks at these three whales as they swam under our boat and surfaced right on the other side.

One of these whales began spy-hopping, or lifting its head out of the water. We saw several spy-hops from this curious humpback! One of the whales then rolled over onto its back and began flipper slapping several times. We were able to identify this active whale as Pivot. We spent close to 30 minutes with this trio as they swam all around and under our boat giving everyone onboard a fabulous show.

We then passed by another logging humpback whale and we picked up a pair of humpbacks. To our surprise and delight, this pair also gave us a close approach! As this pair slowly swam toward us we could see the long white pectoral flippers extended on each side of the whales’ body. When these two humpbacks surfaced on the other side of the boat we could see their entire body through the clear water. This morning was an amazing close encounter with humpback whales that no one will ever forget.

2 am trip:

This afternoon’s weather was even more beautiful, as the wind died down and the seas were like glass. As we traveled across Stellwagen Bank, we could see quite a few blows all around us. We had looks at several single humpbacks, including a whale named Exclaim, as well as a pair of humpback whales. Our next sighting was of a humpback whale who had been flipper slapping in the distance. As we approached this whale, we saw that it was Polaris. We spent some time with Polaris, marveling at his long pectoral flippers.

Soon we noticed that quite a few humpbacks were moving into the area. We also noted a group of birds off our bow. Several minke whales were also traveling in the area. Two minke whales were actually travelling right off our bow and we were able to get fantastic looks at these often elusive whales. With all the whales and birds in the area, we suspected and hoped that we would see some feeding and lucky for us we did!

We saw bubble net feeding, which is when a whale will blow bubbles to help concentrate their prey before engulfing it. We also saw straining and snaking, which are both ways that humpback whales push salt water out of their mouths before swallowing their fish. It was another wonderful afternoon of whale watching!

Humpback whales identified include: Exclaim, Polaris, Ampersand, Firefly, Fracture, Level, Palette and Galatic.

Friday, August 12, 2011 (11 am whale watch)

11 am whale watch - Michael

We came across many groups of Humpback whales on today's trip, and it seemed like each group was displaying different behaviors. This mammals gave us a great look into the diverse range of Humpback whale behavior and made for a very entertaining trip. Our first looks out on Stellwagen Bank were in the form of individual minke whales and humpback whales, traveling alone and spread out all around us.

We came across Exclaim, a Humpback with a very distinctive fluke shape making a positive identification very simple. We also spotted around 5 Minke's throughout the trip. These whales were traveling alone and would come up for a single breath before heading back down beneath the surface, possibly to chase down some schooling fish.

Our first close looks at multiple Humpbacks was with a pair who were logging just beneath the surface of the water. Logging is a resting behavior in which Humpbacks stay up at the surface or within a few feet of the surface, and simply float, barely covering any distance. This pair illustrated just how important it is to be cautious when motoring around the waters of Stellwagen Bank, because a boat moving at full speed would not have noticed this pair just beneath the surface until it would be too late to change direction.

We then finished off our trip by following two groups of between 5 and 7 Humpbacks each. These groups were traveling at a decent speed, doing many fluke out dives, as well as some more gregarious behaviors like flipper slapping. These two groups eventually combined into one large group traveling together.

The individual whales seen in these groups were: Infinity, Storm, Tapioca, Hancock, Aerospace, Venom and her calf, Cajun, Pele, Milkweed, Belly, and Eruption.

Thursday, August 11, 2011 (11 am whale watch)

11 am whale watch - Diane

What a glorious day for a mid-summer whale watch. We had light winds and beautiful sea conditions as we headed for Stellwagen Bank. We had a full boat with lots of first time whale watchers and today didn't disappoint even our most seasoned passengers.

During our journey to Stellwagen some passengers spotted something very large breaching off our port bow but it never resurfaced nor did we see a blow. The Capt. speculated that it may have been a Basking Shark or possibly a Blue Fin Tuna but we were unable to confirm either.

Our first sighting was of three Humpbacks feeding deep but in a circular pattern around the boat and affording everyone some good looks, but we decided to continue further out in hopes of seeing some other feeding behavior. We certainly weren't disappointed as we found a group of six Humpbacks bubble net feeding and frenzied birds diving for the bait fish.

Before we knew it, we were surrounded by bubbling green water , diving birds, and more whales steaming full speed into the area to feed. Mother Nature rang the dinner bell today and we were right in the middle of it. In all, we estimated that between 25 and 30 Humpbacks were feeding in the area and one high spirited clown lob tailed repeatedly for us. We were able to tentatively identify Salt, Milkweed, and Dome. It was a perfect day!

Thursday, August 11, 2011 (9 am and 2 pm whale watches)

9 am and 2 pm whale watch trips - Krill

9 am trip: (charter)

We were very fortunate to have Falmouth Recreation join us offshore on this beautiful summer morning. Although we got off to a late start, we headed offshore with great anticipation of a wonderful whale watch with old and new friends. As we passed Gurnet Point, we had clear skies and relatively light winds out of the southwest. The storm that passed offshore last night had produced 3 to 4 foot swells out of the southeast, making our ride a bit rolly.

We continued east and headed out of Cape Cod Bay and into Massachusetts Bay. Our destination was the southeastern part of Stellwagen Bank in hopes of seeing many of the whales that have been feeding in that area over the past few weeks.

As we moved into this area, we saw a number of blows to the east. It appeared that there were still quite a few humpbacks in this area, but they were more scattered over an area of about 2 miles. We slowed down as we came into this area for whales can be very unpredictable when feeding or socializing.

Our first sighting was a small humpback that was logging (resting) at the surface. As we slowly approached, I realized that we had one of my favorite whales in the whole world! Perseid’s calf of 2010. This little whale has lots of creases and divits all over its body. Last season, many researchers worried that the unusual outward appearance of this whale’s body was an indication of poor health and therefore, the calf would not survive. But survive she did and now she is a beautiful young humpback with still all those unique markings on her body.

As Perseid’s calf of last season continued to rest on the surface, we saw a number of other whales to the north and decided to move on. Many of the whales were feeding in small groups, and others were feeding on their own.

As we watched a humpback whale named Fracture fluke out, another humpback breached right behind him. What a sight to behold! We are not sure why the distant whale breached (jumped) out of the water, but it was incredible to say the least.

We also had great looks at a handful of minke whales. These are the smallest baleen whales in the world and they are often seen feeding with their larger cousins on Stellwagen Bank. Minkes tend not to lift their fluke (tail) out of the water when they go down on a deep dive, but they will arch their back as they slip quietly beneath the water's surface.

At one point, we had at least 15 humpback whales feeding, flippering and cavorting all around us. Fracture fluked-out as he was heading toward the boat. Then suddenly, a female humpback named Firefly lunged right off our bow. The students were screaming with delight to have such an amazing animal so close to the boat. We drifted in awe as Firefly moved off our Port and continued to feed with many of the other humpbacks in the area.

An amazing day for all of us onboard today. We were able to identify 14 humpbacks that included: Exclaim (see photo above), Greenbean, Pogo, Putter, Habenero, Buzzard, Fracture, Soot, Spike, Polaris, Tracer, Perseid's 2010 calf, Polaris and Compass's 2008 calf.

2 pm trip: (public)

On our afternoon trip, we headed back to the southeastern corner of the bank. Here we found some of the same humpback whales that we had seen on the morning trip, plus quite a few more. Many of the whales were feeding at the surface and most were using bubble clouds and bubble nets to help concentrate the bait.

We were able to identify two mother and calf pairs including Division and her calf of this year as well as Canopy and her calf of this year. The calves were spending a great deal of time on the surface as their moms were feeding on their own or in small groups. Division was feeding with Barb and Canopy was feeding on her own.

It was amazing to watch these humpback whales feeding all around the boat. Many were using their tails (flukes) to help stun and confuse the bait in a behavior called kick-feeding. Then the whale would roll and dive under the bait, blowing columns of bubbles in order to form a temporary barrier.

With mouths wide open, the whale would lunge in the middle of the bubble nets, capturing as much fish and water as possible. In order to separate the fish from the salt water, the whales would strain or push the water back out, leaving only the fish behind.

While we watched a large number of humpbacks feeding together, we noticed that one of the whales had a dorsal fin with a lot of white scarring on the top. Salt! We were very excited to see her as Salt is the most famous humpback whale in the world. Salt was first seen in 1975 and has been seen every year off New England since that time. Over the years, Salt has brought back 12 calves and some of her calves have brought back calves of their own. What an amazing animal she is and how lucky are we to have her in our lives.

As we ended our trip offshore and started to head back towards Plymouth, we realized just how special our New England waters are and we are blessed to have sightings of such rare and endangered whales.

We were able to identify 28 individual humpback whales including: Shards, Centipede, Cajun, Exclaim, Eruption, Canopy and calf, Bounce, Pharos, Level, Jabiru, Pixar, Salt, Abrasion, Tear, Rattan, Perseid, Fracture, Bowline, Pumpkinseed, Etch-a-Sketch, Pogo, Barb, Putter, Pixar, Firefly, and Division and calf.