With the weather forecasters on land calling for all kinds of
potential weather today we were beyond pleased when we only dealt with a
few sprinkles this morning and very calm seas for most of the day! The
cloudy skies provided the perfect dark background for spotting whale
spouts out in the distance as the exhalations were a vibrant white
contrast to the darker skies beyond.
This morning
between seeing 11 different Minke whales throughout our travels today we
also got the chance to see more marine life before we even got to
Jeffreys Ledge.
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You
can even tell Minke whales apart from each other based on their dorsal
fin shapes. Two of the many different Minke whales we spotted this
morning (above and below)
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Early on in our travels we found a pair of Fin whales which turned
out to be a mother and her calf! The pair didn't remain together for
long as after a few minutes, mom started to circle the area, probably
going in search of some small schooling fish as the calf was spending
time almost a 1/2 mile away.
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Fin whale mom #9904 (above) and her calf (below)
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Looks like this calf is quite adventuresome
as it maneuvered around on it's own while we ended up being in an area a
bit closer towards mom. We were able to identify the pair as #9904 and
her calf as these whales have definitely been seen over the course of
the season this year continuously breaking apart for periods of time
before returning back up together. Glad both whales continue to be
spending time in our area!
As we made our way offshore
we passed a few more Fin whales as we came into an area where 2 Humpback
whales and another Fin whale were working the area! The Humpback whale
pair was another mom/calf pair! One trip and two species of mothers
and their calves....AWESOME. While the Humpback whales, Cardhu and her
calf, swam around a Fin whale was utilizing the abundance of food too as
both Carhdu and the Fin whale were leaving indications of feeding
behaviors on the surface for us.
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Cardhu |
Cardhu was creating bubble clouds while our Fin whale was lunging
through the water and even left some brown defecation at the surface,
both sure-fire signs of feeding! At one point Cardhu was surfacing just
behind where the Fin whale surfaced. Both were right in line with each
other! It was a great sight seeing two very large species enjoy the
supply of food swimming underneath the surface.
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Cardhu's calf surfacing and spending some time right next to the boat while mom was searching for fish!
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Before heading home we took a slight detour
as we heard reports of dolphins not terribly far away. We knew it was
going to be a gamble as these whales swim so quickly but luckily enough
we were able to spot them and spend a bit of time with the ~75 animals
in the pod. A very nice ending to an already very nice trip.
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Dolphins |
This afternoon we were heading offshore when once again
plenty of Minke whales surfaced near by. Knowing there were more Minke
whales, and other species, further offshore we chanced the fact of
passing by a few of these animals to give us a bit more time offshore in
case other critters had moved around the area a bit. Luckily we were
able to find 4 Fin whales and 3 Humpback whales during our afternoon
excursion. We got a really nice look at one of the Fin whales as it
spent time surfacing just along side the boat, surprising many of us as
it would effortlessly rise to the surface with barely a ripple on the
water and exhale at a rate of 300mph! Now that's a lot of air and
ultimately quite the noise especially when you are not expecting it!
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Dorsal fin of our sneaky close Fin whale
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We pressed further offshore and got a chance to spend time with Cardhu and her calf again.
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Cardhu's
calf crashing through the waves as it surfaces with its lower jaw
slightly extended all the while staying right alongside mom
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Cardhu's calf being "just like mom"
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Both whales were meandering through the water giving us some very
nice looks when out of the blue the calf came clear out of the water!
As is always the case this behavior is always very unexpected and as
quickly as the calf did it, it was over. A few of us on board even
missed the jump in the first place as you truly had to be looking in the
right place at the right time. Otherwise, many folks saw the big
splash as this whale crashed back onto the surface of the ocean. The
whale quickly went back to doing what it had been doing prior to the
breach, swimming alongside mom as if nothing had happened. Just
incredible how in an instant a whale can, and does, change up its
behavior. Definitely not something you see out on the ocean every day
but a very special treat for those of us who were lucky enough to see
such an event.
Before turning for home we saw one last spout out in the
distance and wanted to go investigate it. There was another Humpback
whale near by. Beyond this whale we even saw a spout from another Fin
whale but we were already 25 miles from home and we needed to head back
to land soon. Luckily we got the chance to snap a quick picture of our
other Humpback whale in the area. It is another whale to add to the
list for 2012 sightings. Backstroke, a whale seen on Jeffreys Ledge in
2010 is back once again. Nice seeing you again Backstroke!
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Backstroke's unique pigmentation pattern!
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