Saturday, May 26

What a day! Calm seas and a grand slam of marine mammals!  Four species of whales were spotted including at least 10 minke whales, 2 fin whales (including # 0282 again), 2 humpback whales (Bungee and her 10th calf) and a pod of at least 50 Atlantic white sided dolphins! As a bonus, we saw a big basking shark on our way home, too!  For our birding friends, we saw a bunch of immature northern gannets with the dolphins, and a quick look at a sooty shearwater.  Happy Memorial Day weekend to all!

Sunday, May 20

Today we spent our time watching two humpback whales inshore of Jeffreys Ledge. During our trip we even saw a couple of minke whales scooting around. Humpback whales Highlighter and Doublet were initially moving around together but it didn't last. Soon the whales went in different directions, probably searching for food they could focus on eating themselves.

Humpback whales at the surface

The green coloration you can see extending out from this humpback whale is its flipper!

Diving whale

While the whale watching season has just begun, the never-ending sadness of seeing human trash so far offshore is the obvious reminder of how our actions directly relate to the planet. Next time you are outside look around you. Guaranteed you will see trash left behind. In the woods, on the side of the road and even miles from shore, the same is true. None of it is good and yet graduation season is in full effect, birthdays are all year long, 4th of July celebrations will be coming soon, you name it there are balloons for it. Please take a moment to remember to dispose of your trash no matter what kind of trash it is. Debris is a huge threat to so much marine life (birds, fish, whales, turtles, the list goes on and on...). Please be conscious of your actions and help prevent debris from making its way into the ocean. Accidental ingestion DOES happen and can ultimately lead to the death of its victim. Easiest way to help?? Use paper streamer or better yet nothing at all! To learn more visit: https://balloonsblow.org/

Another trip, another day trying to do our part to help avoid balloons from hurting marine life. Each one was popped and put in the trash. We were well over 10 miles from land!

Saturday, May 19

The cool temperatures continue to remind us to layer up when heading offshore to search for whales. The ocean temperatures are hovering around 50 degrees so hats, gloves and coats are helpful to have on hand as we venture in search of whale activity. Luckily for us the whales are impartial to the temperatures. They are focused on food and lots of it! Today we got a chance to see 2 fin whales and 2 humpback whales. More spouts were seen out in the distance but we were too busy to get to them! One of the fin whales is a familiar whale, having been sighted in the Jeffreys Ledge region since 1997. Comet the fin whale, an adopt-a-whale for our research affiliates Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, was spotted today.

Comet the fin whale

We also got a chance to spend time with Highlighter and Willow, two humpback whales.

Highlighter the humpback whale

We even witnessed BOTH whales breach during our time with them. It's impressive to be witness to one whale breach, but two, wow. Regardless, they are always unpredictable moments and equally as humbling.

Breaching humpback whale

Whale tail

White flipper of a humpback whale

Sunday, May 13

Happy Mother's Day to each of you today! It was a beautifully calm day with some beautiful marine mammals. We saw at least 4 different fin whales, a humpback whale, a few harbor porpoises and a couple harbor seals during our trip. The fin whales and humpback whale circled around, lunging through the water occasionally feeding at the surface. Of our fin whales, Bolshoi and #0813 were identified in the field thanks to their distinctive dorsal fins.

Bolshoi the fin whale

It pays to keep an eye on the water when you are at the beach. You never know if maybe a whale is passing by. This fin whale was so close to land!

Our humpback whale was one that has been sighted early in our seasons for the past few years. It was #0050! Such a great day to enjoy wildlife.

Humpback whale #0050 (above and below)

The ocean couldn't be more calm!

We are currently whale watching only on the weekends so see you next week!

Welcome to the 2018 season!

Today was our first trip of the year and it was great to be on the boat searching for life in the Gulf of Maine. Even through the occasional raindrops and cool conditions it was enjoyable to smell the salt air and share in the excitement of wildlife. We came across 4 Fin whales today. Some were spending more time at the surface than others but nonetheless a fantastic find so close to home.

Fin whale just beyond the Isles of Shoals

A familiar whale to the area, Fin whale #0282, has returned for another feeding season

We look forward to what the season has in store for us and we will continue to keep you updated. Check back often for our trip recaps and here's hoping for many more whale-ful days to come!

Sleek back of a Fin whale