Whales have been surprising us recently, whether showing up or disappearing! We aren't joking when we say, "we have no idea what we are going see once we leave the harbor." That rings true for each trip we venture out into the Gulf of Maine for search for wildlife. As whales move in (or out!) of an area we react to recent sightings and check out areas where whales may be. Monday was no exception. In the morning, we started the day with a group of ~80 Atlantic white-sided dolphins.
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Atlantic white-sided dolphin (above and below)
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These toothed whales were following a fishing vessel, looking more like boat wake (from a distance) than dolphins. Once on Jeffreys Ledge, we ended up finding eight humpback whales.
Some were familiar whales, while others were new visitors to the area this season; even a fin whale made a quick appearance in the distance. Known whales included Mogul, Dross, Valley, Etch-A-Sketch, Pinball, Satula, Pitcher, and Pixar. On Monday afternoon, our sightings consisted of even OTHER individuals. This time we checked out humpback whales Dross, Satula, Wyoming, Valley, and Quote and her calf.
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Quote and her calf
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And once again, a fin whale surfaced for a brief glance. There were even a few small pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins as we traveled along.
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Diving humpback whales (above and below)
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The weather held off long enough for us to get a trip in Tuesday morning, but no trip in the afternoon. Baleen whales were plenty with numerous minke whales, three fin whales, and four humpback whales.
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Fin whale
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Whales were busy circling around the boat, allowing us to get great looks at all the different species. Known humpback whales included Satula, A-Plus and Mostaza.
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Pair of humpback whales
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