previous whale sightings reports:
May 15, 2008 (photographs as promised...)
JULY 2, 2008
total sightings from recent whale watches:
18 HUMPBACK WHALES, 6 FIN WHALES, and 10-12 MINKE WHALES
Chine-breaching Humpback Whale
July 2, 2008
Whale sightings continue to be excellent on Stellwagen Bank. Today we saw 18 HUMPBACK WHALES (including 4 mother and calf pairs), at least 6 FIN WHALES, and 10 to 12 MINKE WHALES (the most Minke sightings of the year).
Feeding Humpback whales
Whereas over the past few weeks the whales had been moving around quite a bit from day to day, now they seem to have settled (for the time being anyway) into an area on the eastern side of Stellwagen Bank about 14 miles from the entrance to Gloucester harbor.
It is not too surprising that they have chosen to settle in this area given the amount of “bait” (small schooling fish that the whales feed on) present there. At times we are seeing huge patches of American Sand Lance (a small, pencil-shaped fish) at the surface.
The massive amount of fish on the bank right now is attracting a variety of marine life (more than just whales) to the area. For the past few days we have seen thousands of birds (including FOUR species of shearwaters…more information on these birds at the end of this page) plucking fish from the surface of the water all around the feeding whales. Every so often we see Bluefin Tuna and other large, predatory fish such as Striped Bass and Bluefish leaping out of the water. Between the birds, the fish, and the feeding whales it is a veritable feeding frenzy of marine life (the poor little fish didn’t stand a chance). Feeding Humpback Whale
As you may have guessed from the description of the feeding frenzy above, feeding has been the main surface behavior observed from most of the whales in the area. The Humpback Whales have been seen using their characteristic “bubble cloud” method of feeding on almost every whale watch trip. This “bubble cloud” feeding is when the whales will dive beneath the surface, locate a dense school of fish, and then encircle the fish with a column of bubbles. The bubbles act as a physical barrier which keeps the fish from escaping. In fact, the fish respond to being encircled by bubbles by gathering tightly together in what is sometimes referred to as a “bait ball”. Normally this helps them evade predation as the mass of fish, with their swirling silvery bodies, makes it difficult for a larger fish (like one of the Tuna or Striped Bass) to pick out a single fish from the group to try and catch. This “predatory response”, however, works to the whale’s advantage. When the fish gather into a tight group in the middle of the bubble column all the whales need to do is lunge to the surface, jaws wide open, scooping up hundreds of pounds of fish as they go. It is an impressive sight to see and we are privileged to have such a productive whale feeding area as Stellwagen Bank so close to Gloucester.
Trident
and calf
Trident
Individual Humpback Whales sighted recently include: Division and calf, Tornado and calf, Trident and calf, Nile, Pepper, Pinpoint, Milkweed, Underline, Geometry, Etch-a-sketch, Echo and calf, Reflection, and Tear.
Another interesting sighting over the past few days has been a number of Basking Sharks (as many as 3 in a day) moving through the area. These sharks are the second largest fish in the world and can reach up to 35 feet in length (nearly as long as many of the whales!).
Basking Shark
For the Birds:
Bird sightings have also been excellent recently. In addition to the three species of shearwaters (Greater, Sooty and Manx) that we normally see in the area we have also seen A LOT of Cory’s shearwaters recently. For the last 2 days I have counted as many as 20 Cory’s on each trip. Cory’s shearwaters are a more southern, warmer water species that we see in very small numbers each year but usually not until late August.
Cory's Shearwater
Can you identify the three species of shearwaters in this picture?
Other interesting birds sighted this week: 1 Razorbill, 1 Black-legged Kittiwake, ~6 juvenile Northern Gannets, 1 “dark phase” Northern Fulmar, 100’s of Wilson’s Storm Petrels, and a lovely Black Crowned Night Heron fishing from the dock alongside where our whale watching boat ties up each evening. I got a nice photo of the Heron don’t you think?
Black-crowned Night Heron
While we can never guarantee that surface activity or the intense feeding activity that we have been so fortunate to witness over the past few days will be seen on any given day, the sheer number of whales on Stellwagen Bank right now greatly increases the chances of seeing such activity. Remember, these whales are wild, endangered animals and to have so many of them gathered just a short distance from our coast is rare privilege and presents us with the opportunity spend just a few hours on the ocean and witness sights that one would normally have to travel to distant corners of the Earth to see. We hope we can share these sights with you soon….
ALL PHOTOS TAKEN IN 2008 FROM THE 7 SEAS WHALE WATCHING BOAT PRIVATEER IV
Some of the above photos were taken by our good friend Oktay Kaya. To see more of Oktay's beautiful whale photographs and other wildlife pictures he has taken please visit his site at http://www.whalesandwhales.com