Welcome to the 2013 season on the Granite State!

Finally after more than six months of not whale watching in New England we were back out on the water and ready to search for any signs of life out on Jeffreys Ledge today! Being out on the water for the first trip of the year we were completely unaware of what we may encounter as all we had to go on was word from our fishing boat friends as to what they have been seeing recently. Jitters, anxiousness, and overwhelming excitement were just a few of the emotions running wild as we headed towards Jeffreys Ledge today.

The day turned out great as we were lucky enough to start the 2013 season with a grand slam of species. Four different types of whales were seen today though some appeared to be much more cooperative than others. The day started with a group of 20-30 Atlantic white-sided dolphins.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins

This group was continuously circling around the area, perhaps going after some food below the surface, and gave us even more hope that there was more life to go in search for.

Our next stop was on a single spout but once we got closer one spout turned into two! A mother and her calf Fin whale pair had just gone on a deeper dive off the starboard side of the boat. How exciting! Unfortunately after waiting, and waiting, and waiting a little bit more we were unable to relocate the pair. As happy as we were to know a mother and her calf were in our midst we knew there was a chance these two "greyhounds of the sea" could have been on the move and continued much further away from us in a very short period of time. So we moved on.

Soon another spout was seen and we made our way towards the area. A Humpback whale was nearby. As it lifted its tail above the waterline, guess who it was? An adopt-a-whale was our first Humpback sighting of the season; hello Pinball! 

Pinball above and below

While she was moving around the area (we know Pinball is a she for she's had calves in the past including last year!) we did get the chance to get a few great looks at her. As we were watching Pinball we were also keeping an eye out in the distance for there was another spout moving into the area.

A second Humpback whale was swimming by. Sedge swam by as we tracked along with its movements allowing for some nice looks at this whale before turning for home. 

Sedge's extremely uniquely shaped dorsal fin

Sedge

Soon after turning for home a Minke whale surfaced a couple of time off the port side. Four different species all in one trip. What a way to start the season!  Thanks to all our passengers who shared in the day as the cloudy/drizzly morning turned into a sunny skies kind of day!

 

Happy start of the season everyone!

 

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