Leaving the Merrimack River this morning, we were greeted by several harbor seals, and then dozens of northern gannets just outside the river mouth! The gannets were quite impressive. These sea birds are the largest in the area with a 6-foot wing span! They are known for diving from heights of 50 feet in an attempt to catch a fish. Above, you can see one gannet flying by (check out the black wing tips!) while two more just dove into the water!As we arrived on Jeffreys Ledge, our friends on the Atlantic Queen passed on to us a report of a large fin whale in the area. We got a very quick glimpse of a minke whale as we headed to the deep water just west of the ledge. Our group of students from Strafford School were excellent whale observers:
With a little patience, we were able to get several nice looks at this huge fin whale!
I am still unsure of the identity of this whale but will hopefully find out soon. Or perhaps this is a new visitor and not yet cataloged! Fin whale research is exciting as very little is known about this species in spite of their huge size.Ever looked down the blowholes of a whale? Check out this image:
Overall it was a beautiful day on the water! The weekend weather isn't looking conducive for whale watching but hopefully we will be back on the water soon!Keep in touch!Become a Fan on Facebook || Follow Us On Twitter
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