It was a day full of firsts when it came to all the whales we saw on our trip today. A new mother and her calf Humpback whale pair, a new single Humpback whale and even a rare species sighting were all seen during our travels to Jeffreys Ledge.
For starters got a chance to spend time with 3 Humpback whales. Two were on the move together and one swam in circles on the outskirts of the area. It didn't take long to recognize one of the whales in the area. This whale has prominent white dots on either side of its dorsal fin and was so named because of them. It was Freckles!
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| Freckles |
But it wasn't Freckles that we saw first, it was her calf. This whale was spending much more time at the surface while Freckles was creating bubble clouds (a way Humpback whales corral schooling fish).
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| Calf swimming past us |
Eventually the two whales joined up once again and continued to move around together. Another day and another day with a new pair in our area!
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| Freckles and her calf (above and below) |
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| Can you see Freckles freckles? |
The lone Humpback whale was out in the distance and did swim past us at one point. We are still in the process of attempting to match this animal up to one of the whales in the catalog. We will let you know if/when that occurs!
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| Currently unknown Humpback whale |
Our trip ended with an even more special sighting. Out in the distance a few highly endangered North Atlantic Right whales were actively participating in a surface active group. This is the first time we have been lucky enough to spot such a species in the area. These whales are so endangered researchers are concerned they may go extinct as their population hovers just over 500 individuals. To be lucky enough to see one of these kinds of whales is incredible, let alone a few rolling around as flippers and tails broke the surface.
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