Learn about the whale, dolphin and porpoise sightings in Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay. Join naturalists - Krill, Fred, Joanne, Dianne, Leah, Lauren, Tammy, and Michael - aboard Captain John Boats as they head offshore each day from April through October to view the unique coastal marine wildlife off New England. Our intern Ian will also be providing seabird reports.
Although we can not post each and every whale watching trip that we take offshore, we will do our best to post as many as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
October 20, 2012 Whale Watch
Northern gannet.
Race Point Lighthouse.
12 noon Whale Watch - Krill
We headed to the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank and didn't find any whales in that area. So we headed south to the backside of Cape Cod off Race Point Beach. There we found hundreds of seabirds that were feeding on small fish right off Race Point Beach.
Cory's shearwaters.
Northern gannet.
Plunge-diving Northern gannet.
Minke whale diving toward our boat.
Also in this area were at least 3 minke whales there were feeding in the same area as the seabirds. We assume that the seabirds and the minke whales were feeding on the same small schooling fish, but it was impossible to determine since the minkes were feeding deep.
Minke whale dorsal fin cutting through the water.
Minke whale surfacing toward our boat.
As we watched the minkes surface all around the boat, we noticed a light disc-shaped object in the water that was relatively close to the boat. This turned out to be an ocean sunfish that was floating just beneath the water's surface.
Ocean sunfish floating left side up.
Dorsal fin of the ocean sunfish.
Ocean sunfish surfacing mouth first.
Here is a short video clip taken of this ocean sunfish as it swam right under the bow of our boat!
We slowly moved around the tip of Race Point and entered the water's of Cape Cod Bay. Right off Hatches Harbor, we found a few more minke whales as well as two more ocean sunfish. We spent most of our time watching a small minke whale who was feeding deep. We were able to get some amazing views of this very small, baleen whale.
Here is a slideshow that shows this minke whale surfacing right off our bow. Notice how this whale lifts its head or rostrum out of the water as it begins its surfacing behavior.
Overall, a fabulous day of whale watching and wildlife viewing. Although we never picked up any big baleen whales like humpback whales, we had amazing views of seabirds, minke whales and ocean sunfish! And what incredible views of Race Point! Love October whale watching!
Thank you for visiting our Naturalist Blog. This blog is maintained by Carol "Krill" Carson, Outreach Educational Coordinator for Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach Krill at krillcarson@mac.com.
