tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36579738863545442182023-11-16T08:32:24.060-05:00Blue Ocean Society's Whale SightingsGo on a virtual whale watch with Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation as we share our sightings and images from whale watch boats in New England, including the Atlantic Queen and Granite State out of Rye, NH and the Captain's Lady out of Newburyport, MA. Blue Ocean Society is a non-profit organization based on Portsmouth, NH. Visit www.blueoceansociety.org for more information!Jen Kennedy, Blue Ocean Society Exec. Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04776607537381206071noreply@blogger.comBlogger977125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-19955522458436234632014-05-18T20:50:00.000-04:002014-05-18T20:50:09.637-04:00May 18 Granite StateWhat a most beautiful day to be out on the ocean today. We did quite a bit of searching today but did get the opportunity to get some really nice looks at a Minke whale. While this whale was darting around the area it never went too far in any particular direction. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRz1kwnw5e5cflBrQt_aLTD8B0rFVir2nXeZwgHf8hyW5Z127xS8wyOfIKORyFV6OobMUgmQb9Bm84P4pNrlCGLn-NWXYB5GFIrU8gLuhpJ4AsMAf6bT0w3zcXDq4w7jIZuM8_HLJgtFaz/s1600/IMG_4469crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRz1kwnw5e5cflBrQt_aLTD8B0rFVir2nXeZwgHf8hyW5Z127xS8wyOfIKORyFV6OobMUgmQb9Bm84P4pNrlCGLn-NWXYB5GFIrU8gLuhpJ4AsMAf6bT0w3zcXDq4w7jIZuM8_HLJgtFaz/s1600/IMG_4469crop.jpg" height="202" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Minke whale from the left and right side (above and below)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qVPQE0ZBKrJMCDk3DY1VKeNnUYQ7yyyZWS_Xib_rDljDeYSdTEh361P5BBsGgbU4HzKGTO8D2AmHIEnYAKqvGYSRIq7cZM28YeBgClUTZxWGWIdr4h3OMZCwFuPuC932NldO_Cvos7Vd/s1600/IMG_4480crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qVPQE0ZBKrJMCDk3DY1VKeNnUYQ7yyyZWS_Xib_rDljDeYSdTEh361P5BBsGgbU4HzKGTO8D2AmHIEnYAKqvGYSRIq7cZM28YeBgClUTZxWGWIdr4h3OMZCwFuPuC932NldO_Cvos7Vd/s1600/IMG_4480crop.jpg" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Our next scheduled whale watch is next weekend so stay tuned for more to come!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-Z6NUhEnxFmP1PqL_1AhbKFT8bR2B-vCnQNWIyE9skLZJNi0stpwMDlox0ZIZY6Mohl82a24p6-tzrdGS5VONl7tunjpsdDxXkEMDHvyd4E1ttDGf79wwu_WftT_X3wdKihWvjNJDFxX/s1600/IMG_4468crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-Z6NUhEnxFmP1PqL_1AhbKFT8bR2B-vCnQNWIyE9skLZJNi0stpwMDlox0ZIZY6Mohl82a24p6-tzrdGS5VONl7tunjpsdDxXkEMDHvyd4E1ttDGf79wwu_WftT_X3wdKihWvjNJDFxX/s1600/IMG_4468crop.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minke whale swimming alongside the boat </td></tr>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-58705510317585506972014-05-11T21:45:00.000-04:002014-05-11T21:45:14.676-04:00May 11 Granite StateWelcome to the 2014 season! It was great to be back on the water searching for whales on Jeffreys Ledge today. We had a successful first day with two adult whales. Our first whale of the season was Humpback whale #0050 (sorry, no fun name for this whale). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcy1JQaaXlmh7KX7HVOThj7RDPDweCsuJP9AhTdoz7FGnbu7TmsMaAyxLxSXI6j8l9hT2Nu9h7WKtL5nTs4omhP12nq_5ZUi1TApx3DcK_wf0EeFEpj7UHhsb1ADBpJG80IuxuJC9jYVf/s1600/IMG_4259crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcy1JQaaXlmh7KX7HVOThj7RDPDweCsuJP9AhTdoz7FGnbu7TmsMaAyxLxSXI6j8l9hT2Nu9h7WKtL5nTs4omhP12nq_5ZUi1TApx3DcK_wf0EeFEpj7UHhsb1ADBpJG80IuxuJC9jYVf/s1600/IMG_4259crop.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First sighting of the season!</td></tr>
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Interesting enough we also saw this whale around the same time last year (May 19, 2013 to be exact). Looks like this whale has decided to spend some time in the area once again this year. #0050 even produced a few bubble clouds, a feeding mechanism used by Humpback whales, as we watched this whale zig-zag all around. This whale was first seen in the Gulf of Maine in 1976 making #0050 at least 38 years old! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLSQ5-AoZw307A7LXZ8lZm7O0CopWst-3dkYJbLpQrISHzC0JjSas_h32Cq32fZgh4Fz0GF_iveiA05QnT4oFLMYgimVF3C2KcnYvpa8Ibbrd5wOEnPJMZTTU7_pXp9vvMOpoMub6Etel/s1600/IMG_4262crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLSQ5-AoZw307A7LXZ8lZm7O0CopWst-3dkYJbLpQrISHzC0JjSas_h32Cq32fZgh4Fz0GF_iveiA05QnT4oFLMYgimVF3C2KcnYvpa8Ibbrd5wOEnPJMZTTU7_pXp9vvMOpoMub6Etel/s1600/IMG_4262crop.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpback whale #0050</td></tr>
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We ended our trip with some great looks at a different type of whale, it was a Fin whale! To add to our excitement it was Pemetic. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLfSCkOondU4tGHA4jCbPPXuTS-6WQi5Zdbb1TYL_vATJhF1g_rhBSVt0VHZhOPUQrNFwZ5MrFR65POtsdupRlmBXPr-OC59K9bV4pIp1YD1vTnoXPySAQZtGzaPtedR5wRY8pcY8SU7m/s1600/IMG_4272crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLfSCkOondU4tGHA4jCbPPXuTS-6WQi5Zdbb1TYL_vATJhF1g_rhBSVt0VHZhOPUQrNFwZ5MrFR65POtsdupRlmBXPr-OC59K9bV4pIp1YD1vTnoXPySAQZtGzaPtedR5wRY8pcY8SU7m/s1600/IMG_4272crop.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a portion of Pemetic the Fin whale's body</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg6r_Fi9gaVKGM_GtaFM764g8sAfqqCJXLH4dXAoZQLpin7p-9Q9Bw3Ds_Un8rUgtW5IWew2w0PH07IO0U1Ui1g0VpAm0R1tpBSVwJGV0uBykxlY982-neJG22UoVR_ax5MUKPjctq_5w/s1600/IMG_4278crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg6r_Fi9gaVKGM_GtaFM764g8sAfqqCJXLH4dXAoZQLpin7p-9Q9Bw3Ds_Un8rUgtW5IWew2w0PH07IO0U1Ui1g0VpAm0R1tpBSVwJGV0uBykxlY982-neJG22UoVR_ax5MUKPjctq_5w/s1600/IMG_4278crop.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
closer look at the dorsal fin of Pemetic the Fin whale. All those
jagged edges around the fin is unique to this whale and helps us to
identify this specific individual. Pretty cool huh?</td></tr>
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This whale was first seen by the <a href="http://www.blueoceansociety.org/" target="_blank">Blue Ocean Society</a> in 2003 but was first documented in the Gulf of Maine in 1982. Another whale known to be over 30 years old; 32 in fact! This whale has not been seen on Jeffreys Ledge for four years so it was extremely exciting to see and document this whale in our area! <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtJvll5s_lxkP81DuEsXOuHtXn_-yhyphenhyphenooietNimuZyxvuA0_F6czFRrEgygzanZShHQ2MvqZo3GRCOkLuyYJm2JL9qfVXfeeCNtCJJftM2eX0gj4iBCyeinmBS_E9ETU4OCx9P2hTRN_a/s1600/IMG_4276crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtJvll5s_lxkP81DuEsXOuHtXn_-yhyphenhyphenooietNimuZyxvuA0_F6czFRrEgygzanZShHQ2MvqZo3GRCOkLuyYJm2JL9qfVXfeeCNtCJJftM2eX0gj4iBCyeinmBS_E9ETU4OCx9P2hTRN_a/s1600/IMG_4276crop.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first Fin whale of the year!</td></tr>
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It was a great start to the season and we hope all the mothers who joined us today enjoyed their Mother's Day aboard the <i>Granite State</i> along with the whales we saw today!<br />
<br />
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-67905004039587120482013-10-11T18:23:00.002-04:002013-10-11T18:23:49.767-04:00October 11 Granite StateIt 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.<br />
<br />
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! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHiiXNOJrj-jNN5cyxzIv5o0Y-1_kJoI0Rw3pfAQ9DYQYyrUSkzCr1wIOSARSJH4R8yqHZuS__D4IBiNLpvR2BGQ7FN4Xv0GOmvlHOsIbZ_KZGzOjfJ5Q7yg7MiCe_eaBZYgSx31FKCs/s1600/IMG_9932crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHiiXNOJrj-jNN5cyxzIv5o0Y-1_kJoI0Rw3pfAQ9DYQYyrUSkzCr1wIOSARSJH4R8yqHZuS__D4IBiNLpvR2BGQ7FN4Xv0GOmvlHOsIbZ_KZGzOjfJ5Q7yg7MiCe_eaBZYgSx31FKCs/s320/IMG_9932crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freckles</td></tr>
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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). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZY_Y4XQsmRaMxjUGHsV-gwNmRw2YAeYKvISQdgmDg39XNXkePqwLO_C3UA4YS2-0EJchuCb0LA4i-N7grXH7W9J8mxVF09kkbeCsvLK52h_4KzOSD5gLiJpg6Zf00OfaUrT5XWmUETHo/s1600/IMG_9921crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZY_Y4XQsmRaMxjUGHsV-gwNmRw2YAeYKvISQdgmDg39XNXkePqwLO_C3UA4YS2-0EJchuCb0LA4i-N7grXH7W9J8mxVF09kkbeCsvLK52h_4KzOSD5gLiJpg6Zf00OfaUrT5XWmUETHo/s320/IMG_9921crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calf swimming past us</td></tr>
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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!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHgt6NOndb5nhl8OwViutyKe0W26hMJr2N2ZwOKVFfASPu1gXSgTFocAykmhH6twsXxM1ILX5KA5-s-iFA53XeZ0ydT6Lvdqc29H9Bq0Cys567uWFJDhoavZ8oNKxu2rzN5obDWEWVzA/s1600/IMG_9940crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHgt6NOndb5nhl8OwViutyKe0W26hMJr2N2ZwOKVFfASPu1gXSgTFocAykmhH6twsXxM1ILX5KA5-s-iFA53XeZ0ydT6Lvdqc29H9Bq0Cys567uWFJDhoavZ8oNKxu2rzN5obDWEWVzA/s320/IMG_9940crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freckles and her calf (above and below)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5M_DR4ocAPVOxH_v1GMuJ2R50X5yQUp244spP3Eqh7ob64jkJbj0BAiKr-fS-wR3qy9tlTHAFxXK1zHl-gFEnjb5BOJKLLh0-uDhGiOwtVLr3eLNAq_bVBvj4UfcnYdx-ZNGJtVjSRo/s1600/IMG_9966crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5M_DR4ocAPVOxH_v1GMuJ2R50X5yQUp244spP3Eqh7ob64jkJbj0BAiKr-fS-wR3qy9tlTHAFxXK1zHl-gFEnjb5BOJKLLh0-uDhGiOwtVLr3eLNAq_bVBvj4UfcnYdx-ZNGJtVjSRo/s320/IMG_9966crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see Freckles freckles?</td></tr>
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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! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3zGmvpml2cFFMacAnnQAkNTIy5JJszQd09RPtCXDp-N8nUe76lRQai15O7r9ZJyYR_AryPdfgimiUZRI4m_KYFwvmHu9dMHKOT8SuYmJVf00BQbLwI4CVWXa8nZ7lLIBeR4hzVo3Nvo/s1600/IMG_9954crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3zGmvpml2cFFMacAnnQAkNTIy5JJszQd09RPtCXDp-N8nUe76lRQai15O7r9ZJyYR_AryPdfgimiUZRI4m_KYFwvmHu9dMHKOT8SuYmJVf00BQbLwI4CVWXa8nZ7lLIBeR4hzVo3Nvo/s320/IMG_9954crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Currently unknown Humpback whale</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-14780090632496145822013-10-10T09:41:00.000-04:002013-10-10T09:41:33.120-04:00October 9 Granite StateThe breezy conditions from the past few days had churned up the ocean as we felt a bit of the leftover energy still residing in the waves while on our trip. Even with a little extra motion we still got the chance to spend time with 3 Fin whales and 3 Humpback whales before returning back to Rye Harbor today. Our first whale of the day spent 20 minutes underneath the water before resurfacing for more air. We can barely hold our breath for 20 seconds under the water let alone 20 minutes! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfMUC75_4jYrI9xy5YbWyLS7wi51hYA6y-pwQ_sgcYLdh7R3fpBlPClg4OKhhSy8OpcacmjHzG8BnT6vLosIVAzLGLcY14ji6lkjEsGdPiabEyIUejC8gMyEjTeoaJ9__y9YgRiKtBkdP/s1600/IMG_9754crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfMUC75_4jYrI9xy5YbWyLS7wi51hYA6y-pwQ_sgcYLdh7R3fpBlPClg4OKhhSy8OpcacmjHzG8BnT6vLosIVAzLGLcY14ji6lkjEsGdPiabEyIUejC8gMyEjTeoaJ9__y9YgRiKtBkdP/s320/IMG_9754crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our very good breath-holding Fin whale!</td></tr>
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We decided to leave this whale in hopes of finding anything else that may be spending a bit more time on the surface; not underneath it! It wasn't long until our decision paid off as we ended up in an area where there were two more Fin whales around. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXtG9j6Pw7yXf7VN02anvRVI_c4H6EgeDfiT4K9DU_JDHCLoonRVOWZ_AkKFW87FBdV7stNun4FzIBMkBa_Cmgr8-EReTkcNHs0l0xzFhGjdIX92brthIzgd9QX1wXpnjyobvCP-IDq2a/s1600/IMG_9793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXtG9j6Pw7yXf7VN02anvRVI_c4H6EgeDfiT4K9DU_JDHCLoonRVOWZ_AkKFW87FBdV7stNun4FzIBMkBa_Cmgr8-EReTkcNHs0l0xzFhGjdIX92brthIzgd9QX1wXpnjyobvCP-IDq2a/s320/IMG_9793.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whales on the move. Not even a little wave action from the ocean deters these incredible creatures from maneuvering around with such ease (above and below)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h9Ux_T_vYK0sm-xDa98xaB55Veb6hlMvBwgj9yyj5CknBMoZo6ZrRT8IW1E-sbh7_aGVSZakhFsaS6n99kTo8NNSSqTa84kCh6e6Kjaz_feqsJpi55qxQESxdflTutPfdvSrSL92RuKI/s1600/IMG_9816crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h9Ux_T_vYK0sm-xDa98xaB55Veb6hlMvBwgj9yyj5CknBMoZo6ZrRT8IW1E-sbh7_aGVSZakhFsaS6n99kTo8NNSSqTa84kCh6e6Kjaz_feqsJpi55qxQESxdflTutPfdvSrSL92RuKI/s320/IMG_9816crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale moving through the ocean</td></tr>
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At first our pair appeared to be on the move together but in a matter of moments broke off in their own directions. We got some nice looks at both of them allowing us to appreciate just how enormous these creatures really are! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZceKC11cI4w_ivmdIQfbuIOkKFNmS9SQpsQ-uLA6OnkzzaZMKtRdyVvbGFz9ilGvUQofkYLQspVlofZ4kG-Bpwf_iN-CUPTqxAZgObfUoffJZp0h-KxOKZb6DP9elaL60u-rAPC4sHhY/s1600/IMG_9797crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZceKC11cI4w_ivmdIQfbuIOkKFNmS9SQpsQ-uLA6OnkzzaZMKtRdyVvbGFz9ilGvUQofkYLQspVlofZ4kG-Bpwf_iN-CUPTqxAZgObfUoffJZp0h-KxOKZb6DP9elaL60u-rAPC4sHhY/s320/IMG_9797crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale</td></tr>
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With a bit more time to do some searching we ventured further offshore leaving our whales to continue on with their day as we pressed on to see if anything else was in our area. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEide-f3HRuSXa_8CZa71jNt_ycwghGS1HjbjQlmc0LDXeLcncN8X2v62opENs0zbKZSjTyJ3mAcivUBav3OSzmbMbrFrXXdgJUwayeEPao2IfSEXxQ5RaSiUH5kZu47wemBl9ec2jgqxCJa/s1600/IMG_9762crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEide-f3HRuSXa_8CZa71jNt_ycwghGS1HjbjQlmc0LDXeLcncN8X2v62opENs0zbKZSjTyJ3mAcivUBav3OSzmbMbrFrXXdgJUwayeEPao2IfSEXxQ5RaSiUH5kZu47wemBl9ec2jgqxCJa/s320/IMG_9762crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whales weren't the only ones out looking for fish. The area is back open for larger industry boats to snatch up lots, and lots, and lots of schooling fish.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zJmQW6jXy_EdyeG-Y9ita_WFBQWUnyb7VqaVHJgo6BMaHdIL7FeprbzGD1y1BxovO2JyeBgZrK0KY5vXBLcQn-C13vmgE1A05HkLFwZ-mobjywX_RkxB9-2C2kB5rjt_mw4CQP8tykoP/s1600/IMG_9831crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zJmQW6jXy_EdyeG-Y9ita_WFBQWUnyb7VqaVHJgo6BMaHdIL7FeprbzGD1y1BxovO2JyeBgZrK0KY5vXBLcQn-C13vmgE1A05HkLFwZ-mobjywX_RkxB9-2C2kB5rjt_mw4CQP8tykoP/s320/IMG_9831crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even a Coast Guard plane was checking out the ocean today and cruised right overhead us. Think they saw any whales?</td></tr>
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Our efforts paid off as only moments after deciding to head for home, a few spouts were seen. 3 to be exact, and from a different type of whale. There were 3 Humpback whales on the move together! A trio including a mother and her calf where close by.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHenk9oe_Y_pbuojx5pZEfFh2SXGe5sNKzt3G-4-8jaOcQtwrS7XEWppM8zUdxZpxhlH79svTYliUS45tQAo0-n1EKRsBGnAIak_M_z4AEe8rG3hgvJqvAVpS6jhsqJAljnrQGGgIPPu_/s1600/IMG_9869rop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHenk9oe_Y_pbuojx5pZEfFh2SXGe5sNKzt3G-4-8jaOcQtwrS7XEWppM8zUdxZpxhlH79svTYliUS45tQAo0-n1EKRsBGnAIak_M_z4AEe8rG3hgvJqvAVpS6jhsqJAljnrQGGgIPPu_/s320/IMG_9869rop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trio of Humpback whales!</td></tr>
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We quickly realized Tectonic was the guest visitor to the family whale pair and initially thought it may be Rattan (as the three of those whales had been seen together last week), but it wasn't! Not only had Tectonic decided to become associated with a different mother/calf pair it was a new pair to the area for the year. It was Partition and her calf! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kLVKYVWAznD-DbMmJpFDZ1kKX44HbDPgY6i7_4COQ8ZAiwRBL6PWOAXawU8XjJqIGzcTACpicvMPjKthDlIJr2zlef3y7dK1oHzYYoMgHJpVrscn0Bd-z6w46YfTc0gvVP4sawegTJlD/s1600/IMG_9873crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kLVKYVWAznD-DbMmJpFDZ1kKX44HbDPgY6i7_4COQ8ZAiwRBL6PWOAXawU8XjJqIGzcTACpicvMPjKthDlIJr2zlef3y7dK1oHzYYoMgHJpVrscn0Bd-z6w46YfTc0gvVP4sawegTJlD/s320/IMG_9873crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partition and Tectonic</td></tr>
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Did you know we saw Partition during the fall season last year? Little did we know she had been pregnant the whole time! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7a2c7TKHoK91db46DIWduUojlClT9q6zwvbZJnh1MMvW0YE39BDhmnFBwCrAcA7K0jOPuO1rKQKsNybJRiTVkc3CANAbsyymGH3DyRM1aDUvA2Xowc1JfRoUiock4IPz9jeWFlfQZGXSk/s1600/IMG_9871crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7a2c7TKHoK91db46DIWduUojlClT9q6zwvbZJnh1MMvW0YE39BDhmnFBwCrAcA7K0jOPuO1rKQKsNybJRiTVkc3CANAbsyymGH3DyRM1aDUvA2Xowc1JfRoUiock4IPz9jeWFlfQZGXSk/s320/IMG_9871crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partition and her calf</td></tr>
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While Partition and her calf were sighted earlier this year off of Bar Harbor this is the first time this pair has been documented on Jeffreys Ledge this year. Thanks for returning once again Partition along with your calf!<br />
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-53764571914092827622013-10-06T17:53:00.002-04:002013-10-06T17:53:22.457-04:00Atlantic Queen October 5, 2013A chilly fall day out on the water yesterday, but the crew and passengers braved the chill in the air in search of some wildlife out at Jeffreys Ledge. We had a few visitors who were experiencing their first whale watches ever, and I certainly think the whales delivered! We started our trip with a few minke whale and harbor porpoise sightings. Unfortunately they were all moving quite fast, and we wanted to make our way out to Jeffreys Ledge so we decided to press on. Once we made it out to the ledge, we came across two humpback whales, Echo and Cacophony.<br />
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Echo is a female humpback who was born in 1990, making her 23 years old! You can see how she gets her name by the 'echo' lines on her left fluke.<br />
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Cacophony was also with Echo, and was first sighted back in 1988. We are not sure if Cacophony is a male or female, although has not been seen with a calf since their first sighting in the late eighties. Cacophony gets its name from the noise marks on its fluke.<br />
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We had some activity from these two whales, like flipper slapping and a few roles from Cacophony. Everyone on board was surprised, including the crew. But the surprises didn't end there. We decided to leave this pair behind and investigate more of the ledge. Eventually we came across a fin whale, we believe to be 9618. Notice the large notch in the dorsal fin.<br />
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This whale was very active, and very unpredictable as it kept changing directions and catching both the crew and passengers off guard. It seemed to be feeding, and would filter water out of its baleen plates as it reached the surface.<br />
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What a wonderful day! Thank you to everyone who joined us. We hope to see you next season.<br />
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<br />Abigailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522211780987698044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-62823756723752775342013-10-06T15:06:00.000-04:002013-10-06T15:06:18.456-04:00Captain's Lady III 10/5/2013The month of October continues to bring great whale sightings! There was a great variety of life out on the ledge. Our first stop was with Valley along with her new calf who was born earlier this year. This makes calf # 7 for Valley! As we were watching the pair, out of no where Valley breached right next to us! Valley is a large full grown female, weighing in between 40-45 tons. She managed to breach and get her whole body out of the water, very impressive! As we all caught our breath, she tail breached for us! Activities like these are a special treat, we do not see these every day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and calf</td></tr>
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We left the pair to go check out some other blows in the area. We came across more humpbacks not to far away, they were "Echo" and "Cacophony" Echo was first sighted in 1988 and had her first calf in 1993, to date she has had 6 calves.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Cacophony" and "Echo"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Cacophony"</td></tr>
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Cacophony is believed to be a male and was born in 1990. We also had a great look at a Blue Shark who Captain Bob did a great job of sneaking up on! Blue Sharks can reach up to 12.5 feet and are the most plentiful shark in the sea. During our trip home we passed by 2 different pods of Harbor Porpoise, 5 seals off shore and in the mouth of the Merrimac River a huge Ocean Sunfish!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting Harbor Seals off of Salisbury Beach</td></tr>
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Sadly our 2013 season is coming to an end after Columbus Day weekend, be sure to make your reservations for the upcoming weekend and see all The Gulf of Maine has to offer. Thank you to all who spent a wonderful day of whale watching with us and we wish all of our German students safe travels.<br />
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<br />patty adellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13839091077031810422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-83971283114185131502013-10-05T19:26:00.001-04:002013-10-05T19:26:32.481-04:00October 5 Granite StateDuring our trip today we got the chance to spend time with a Fin whale, 4 Humpback whales and a few Minke whales scattered around the outskirts of the area. Our first whale of the day was a large Fin whale on the move. Eventually this whale slowed to circle around giving us a chance to get some nice looks at this animal. After checking out this whale's uniquely shaped dorsal fin we now know it is #0808, a whale that has been spending some time around Jeffreys Ledge recently. What a nice whale to start our trip on before heading further offshore. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYaFAeNaabDqxaMsipJBcMeN6akpDwr5b1XbHzE8JLgzhSVJAZdXMvUPP0acnJugOgbllqv6569UIt9UCM-nIbRfiXnj7UFNajfkcr0l1EXAmk1lQBkIqNkFSubvYseMC1xU2FJpC9zJE/s1600/IMG_9643crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYaFAeNaabDqxaMsipJBcMeN6akpDwr5b1XbHzE8JLgzhSVJAZdXMvUPP0acnJugOgbllqv6569UIt9UCM-nIbRfiXnj7UFNajfkcr0l1EXAmk1lQBkIqNkFSubvYseMC1xU2FJpC9zJE/s320/IMG_9643crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0808 moving through the area again today!</td></tr>
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Since our other whale watching friends passed along reports of other types of whales not far from our current location soon we were off to look for some more marine life. We first spent some time with Valley and her calf. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JKOcPbG9DkDKSUO4pyLTNEjzqG1kPLfykC3LhQPwhDLwTuw5IeVi6rAVbHPA5uIU-kGy5ImBH2MTWZECBphoi7BADOm3VC72XmrNM6yIUZ9_azos56K-wKKBulOhUurkuXwhou5RNPOJ/s1600/IMG_9669crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JKOcPbG9DkDKSUO4pyLTNEjzqG1kPLfykC3LhQPwhDLwTuw5IeVi6rAVbHPA5uIU-kGy5ImBH2MTWZECBphoi7BADOm3VC72XmrNM6yIUZ9_azos56K-wKKBulOhUurkuXwhou5RNPOJ/s320/IMG_9669crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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It has been so nice seeing such a familiar whale to the area (we have seen Valley on Jeffreys Ledge many times over the years!) still spending time here as she and her calf continue to utilize the area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5921p-P_Bd59pSRCfZ7ua5onNEiW50Ce8SnpPztV_Q7mB4deFcgaSXHR6QfNweLxnz_PNTcXSAZbmXDPzYspDqVC62tm01SgMpAWuCDC06ppzub2SgvejODSj923LR14avlL0dR_hzh4/s1600/IMG_9656crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5921p-P_Bd59pSRCfZ7ua5onNEiW50Ce8SnpPztV_Q7mB4deFcgaSXHR6QfNweLxnz_PNTcXSAZbmXDPzYspDqVC62tm01SgMpAWuCDC06ppzub2SgvejODSj923LR14avlL0dR_hzh4/s320/IMG_9656crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and her calf</td></tr>
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Both Valley and her calf at one point even turned right in towards us, swam underneath the boat, and popped up on the other side. What a moment as you could see their bodies move so easily through the water! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoG361aaqny0guWTh-NMYn5DTHkEcXjsPwJP7Tn4ySxLgJLALwBMIjMQM6GRIIDt_maHIZ_GMSDYONf7WKkEEjECL8RCAqbbth2JeZmaXs_xP7TcvQGJzU_HboO3Y9JUF-WbVl71nSXwg/s1600/IMG_9672crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoG361aaqny0guWTh-NMYn5DTHkEcXjsPwJP7Tn4ySxLgJLALwBMIjMQM6GRIIDt_maHIZ_GMSDYONf7WKkEEjECL8RCAqbbth2JeZmaXs_xP7TcvQGJzU_HboO3Y9JUF-WbVl71nSXwg/s320/IMG_9672crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and her calf just before they both decided to swim right underneath us!</td></tr>
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Soon we let these whales move away and went to check out a couple of other spouts in the distance. Two more Humpback whales were in the area. It was Echo and Cacophony! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCwj76E2Wmk_5gEsBd7y2asGdCsUSwiPB4zCKdlTDmKx3odasY9YEO4ij1Cng8XGCJfrlS02rA625tBgLqxrb8M_k9Yw42dI5lUN9B9_eiRL8nQ0C8ObLt8ywUNrsxzWqUuKT08C11teA/s1600/IMG_9698crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCwj76E2Wmk_5gEsBd7y2asGdCsUSwiPB4zCKdlTDmKx3odasY9YEO4ij1Cng8XGCJfrlS02rA625tBgLqxrb8M_k9Yw42dI5lUN9B9_eiRL8nQ0C8ObLt8ywUNrsxzWqUuKT08C11teA/s320/IMG_9698crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo</td></tr>
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We last saw these two whales over a week ago swimming side by side just like today's sighting! No one knows for sure if these two whales have been together this whole time but what a fun find to see them associated with each other once again today. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip98DIhyphenhyphen_B9qOSqokZAYcr1cNq-DLL0B8YXvyL-r5UG7PUhryVXxMhJUcZUvFjShCQ03mNDrNud299VFLhH1JnOxoDvHoCy_lUC43wVrmKi9d4rR7tSFO1GrKQ5bqNENJCfZnXdvSAKpeA/s1600/IMG_9721crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip98DIhyphenhyphen_B9qOSqokZAYcr1cNq-DLL0B8YXvyL-r5UG7PUhryVXxMhJUcZUvFjShCQ03mNDrNud299VFLhH1JnOxoDvHoCy_lUC43wVrmKi9d4rR7tSFO1GrKQ5bqNENJCfZnXdvSAKpeA/s320/IMG_9721crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo and Cacophony at the surface</td></tr>
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At one point these two whales were in such synchrony with each other that they went down on a deeper dive pretty much simultaneously! Such a beautiful moment. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmtd7WVf52Ai7IBPVjCWSIOX6RaHk6ysfIW4Cb3BdMjwtVAX8kBcHpkBYqwZcAnO80OzB-Pe0FjMgwSTwR-DWMLPL6XORpJXCwYmErTBOom6jVQW-7D9WU4xccG7jAr__UNa8FTpVRJOK/s1600/IMG_9727crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmtd7WVf52Ai7IBPVjCWSIOX6RaHk6ysfIW4Cb3BdMjwtVAX8kBcHpkBYqwZcAnO80OzB-Pe0FjMgwSTwR-DWMLPL6XORpJXCwYmErTBOom6jVQW-7D9WU4xccG7jAr__UNa8FTpVRJOK/s320/IMG_9727crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simultaneous dives from this pair of Humpback whales (above and below)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DlgVinFOIAIh8TLbL947ZdxXRAQ9zxFdsaruS89orrV8_8fac0lN85uy3VhrRo1D7MUt-_uVLNq9T5GO7-qS-f3tgHeV_Dm4-9a3k4PPCuWEm91aYlOOq8NWOYOCsvtUJn7DVnZi3zM0/s1600/IMG_9728crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DlgVinFOIAIh8TLbL947ZdxXRAQ9zxFdsaruS89orrV8_8fac0lN85uy3VhrRo1D7MUt-_uVLNq9T5GO7-qS-f3tgHeV_Dm4-9a3k4PPCuWEm91aYlOOq8NWOYOCsvtUJn7DVnZi3zM0/s320/IMG_9728crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Our ride home provided us with one more sighting for the day but this time it was a fish, not a whale, we stopped to check out. We got a quick look at a big Ocean sunfish! What a nice way to wrap up another journey out to Jeffreys Ledge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuA6hRzL30Q0iFQrQHIakgj_4bSJU1Z8bUhoor0f-ElNX1pnfrhjecb2e-HZw6P4c-09SR9no0oM45FLMj6o5lYuoPYR85AoyRxQIeD9UPYT7_hsxwRwx8n0Pp04ehN-3xI_t9HdH2Fhe/s1600/IMG_9730crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuA6hRzL30Q0iFQrQHIakgj_4bSJU1Z8bUhoor0f-ElNX1pnfrhjecb2e-HZw6P4c-09SR9no0oM45FLMj6o5lYuoPYR85AoyRxQIeD9UPYT7_hsxwRwx8n0Pp04ehN-3xI_t9HdH2Fhe/s320/IMG_9730crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean sunfish on its side</td></tr>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-39101843746324008272013-10-05T17:43:00.004-04:002013-10-05T17:43:57.968-04:00October 4 Granite StateOne trip with 4 different species means we had a "Grand Slam" kind of day! Among the multiple pods of harbor porpoise and even a few harbor seals we got the chance to see four of the most commonly seen whale species all wrapped up during one trip! To see all of this activity on a single whale watch is not normal so when it happens we like to pass along this noteworthy type of day. Conditions were spectacular for whale spotting for the ocean was almost lake-like (no wind) and the cloudy skies made spotting whale spouts stand out incredibly clearly even from miles away. All in all we saw 6 Minke whales, 2 Humpback whales, 5 Fin whales and two groups of Atlantic white-sided dolphins.<br />
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Our two Humpbacks of the day were actually spotted due to the fact that there was an enormous splash out in the distance. Turns out there was a pair of whales lobtailing! Basically the animals were smacking their tails onto the surface of the ocean over and over and over again. Once we got into the area this activity stopped and we got a chance to spend time with Valley and her calf. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrOnaR10za2qwg2MemjSLiD0msAP8IqcGddLXZAqkgQyY8WWrGZRrwDsTgnuFeOr7qhVhZZ8WHO6N-jY_k0acO_EMpt1JXvcDrOZRhgS8beQHLE4ydcavEwtXK9mxhAwCcwY-KY6Rnee4/s1600/IMG_9401crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrOnaR10za2qwg2MemjSLiD0msAP8IqcGddLXZAqkgQyY8WWrGZRrwDsTgnuFeOr7qhVhZZ8WHO6N-jY_k0acO_EMpt1JXvcDrOZRhgS8beQHLE4ydcavEwtXK9mxhAwCcwY-KY6Rnee4/s320/IMG_9401crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNYsvkcODtHImJ_xdhdzY_pZnGFB0D3NHVR8lyq01eMe2dmfeTZ-CVvv7KWtv5URRmGQ5a_orclCJmEWLEBxVYrn9GUo78dliAw-qIGsvGEqKjJ-fYgXwpUnLle-VktD9J47chNc61bcD/s1600/IMG_9393crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNYsvkcODtHImJ_xdhdzY_pZnGFB0D3NHVR8lyq01eMe2dmfeTZ-CVvv7KWtv5URRmGQ5a_orclCJmEWLEBxVYrn9GUo78dliAw-qIGsvGEqKjJ-fYgXwpUnLle-VktD9J47chNc61bcD/s320/IMG_9393crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and her calf</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVIWG5npY-mUbSFjedw-7vIus9nLaU3g7XOMSaUZTTsCqcShWdEp_mt73FhM_btRWUU_qOiYMyhvF9Z1pRzRZYF93p_ExF9roWWW0Ai__ru01HdLUwEKWGW83JURyz8QMgN8uAxxeKUT6/s1600/IMG_9382crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVIWG5npY-mUbSFjedw-7vIus9nLaU3g7XOMSaUZTTsCqcShWdEp_mt73FhM_btRWUU_qOiYMyhvF9Z1pRzRZYF93p_ExF9roWWW0Ai__ru01HdLUwEKWGW83JURyz8QMgN8uAxxeKUT6/s320/IMG_9382crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf's tail</td></tr>
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It had been a mother and her calf that had been creating such the ruckus on the ocean! After some nice looks at this pair we ventured further offshore to go in search of more wildlife. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV1eo_b1VbUZtqbapAP1BGGE9KsY9eaHqi8jdGkZr9sCFsTPjAiK2AOYDkCq06UUJY3FtW83CH59-Yhc9TuzFWRbM37QgKE8vj4k7ea4NVehSB-mfFuQr3_R_WYT3bEQGQ2825dTv7jfN/s1600/IMG_9398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV1eo_b1VbUZtqbapAP1BGGE9KsY9eaHqi8jdGkZr9sCFsTPjAiK2AOYDkCq06UUJY3FtW83CH59-Yhc9TuzFWRbM37QgKE8vj4k7ea4NVehSB-mfFuQr3_R_WYT3bEQGQ2825dTv7jfN/s320/IMG_9398.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley swimming past the boat</td></tr>
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Our next stop ended up being a large group of toothed-whales. We came across a pod of ~125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWusSVbePKIcSjsC262tZfe9HAF_ZJ5BiOxEwOyNwshs4pokCyt6Zhn0nQb4TvZ7TxY89l_nzieU-dZ4hVnbiIxbUn0DWqcoY0Az9f_yUbq7kA9c6MakiSVBk_9FW8HMP3oIwiHKR41pYK/s1600/IMG_9457crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWusSVbePKIcSjsC262tZfe9HAF_ZJ5BiOxEwOyNwshs4pokCyt6Zhn0nQb4TvZ7TxY89l_nzieU-dZ4hVnbiIxbUn0DWqcoY0Az9f_yUbq7kA9c6MakiSVBk_9FW8HMP3oIwiHKR41pYK/s320/IMG_9457crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantic white-sided dolphins gliding with such ease through the ocean (above and below)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBx0ijGkE3ooL6Eebbc3prn7VONw_7PO6sQPFauwaHSpUR8IqnUGMz1-nKQjoBviP9g-EQUzkxYudzO8c2I2q35YcxVRI3otwxILfiHYQzZxQNtn0K4Sl_pOgEg68VDKKTbPh35ppR4g2/s1600/IMG_9531crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBx0ijGkE3ooL6Eebbc3prn7VONw_7PO6sQPFauwaHSpUR8IqnUGMz1-nKQjoBviP9g-EQUzkxYudzO8c2I2q35YcxVRI3otwxILfiHYQzZxQNtn0K4Sl_pOgEg68VDKKTbPh35ppR4g2/s320/IMG_9531crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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While this group was on the move we enjoyed moving along the water with them as they swam all around us. What a fun sighting! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiMCxk0OjhMAlgo0LsAouYTFNhG8cRAJU8tDdLlzqxQf7-cViXkEqX5ZaQkEKCP_LsgmWijS8sI1ZS3URdHaRB7tGbSHhbxl_uu9Ln-UhFSV4G0ZEgrRSHF9GzrriXRyu9JILzZEY9Mgm/s1600/IMG_9571crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiMCxk0OjhMAlgo0LsAouYTFNhG8cRAJU8tDdLlzqxQf7-cViXkEqX5ZaQkEKCP_LsgmWijS8sI1ZS3URdHaRB7tGbSHhbxl_uu9Ln-UhFSV4G0ZEgrRSHF9GzrriXRyu9JILzZEY9Mgm/s320/IMG_9571crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphins</td></tr>
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With still some more time we pressed on as we cruised by a few Minke whales and had some bad luck with a few Fin whales who appeared to be holding their breath for much longer amounts of time. Eventually our patience paid off for we ended up watching a Fin whale spending only a few minutes under the water and circling around the area. It was #0718 again! Since this whale was spending so much time at the surface we were able to get some very nice looks at this whale before we needed to head for home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W-I5vOv_LJd2Nm4uQ9aP9p2z3vCfi1Bs5poIe-YQqhyphenhyphenEaJdQeqUM8kwu9xAr926Ri6Zp11g6jYAbxEjJZf6vI9LyeDqgBDrBtwmALziFzatNxiiY8zt179hkaENkHLWZZRI_Eunaj8Ss/s1600/IMG_9614crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W-I5vOv_LJd2Nm4uQ9aP9p2z3vCfi1Bs5poIe-YQqhyphenhyphenEaJdQeqUM8kwu9xAr926Ri6Zp11g6jYAbxEjJZf6vI9LyeDqgBDrBtwmALziFzatNxiiY8zt179hkaENkHLWZZRI_Eunaj8Ss/s320/IMG_9614crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0718</td></tr>
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On our travels in we passed by a few more whales including Fin whale #9709, a whale that until today had only been seen by one of our whale watching friends at the start of this season, and yet another pod of 35-45 Atlantic white-sided dolphins!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhp280hj5YAdUJjtV7IXmX77YuH2RdHFM7t3qDTk_cgifbrZx2L_kFkbcaMk2kSwOGs_lKjmqd-pR2BsNqSS5tEphClWn5ZMSUcZGCriGQqEGSS9u-xovenW0PUg02gsKPlEH6V99i8CK/s1600/IMG_9632crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhp280hj5YAdUJjtV7IXmX77YuH2RdHFM7t3qDTk_cgifbrZx2L_kFkbcaMk2kSwOGs_lKjmqd-pR2BsNqSS5tEphClWn5ZMSUcZGCriGQqEGSS9u-xovenW0PUg02gsKPlEH6V99i8CK/s320/IMG_9632crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great to see you Fin whale #9709</td></tr>
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What a wonderful day surrounded by so much wildlife. Thanks to all who joined us!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Fagn-MiYVI8xUwymBVjq1aViq-szoa_v9gz20dgKFOoFy4vmHcSt2X2ErST3lSNFP6KK5R9pRuQVCLroi5BFTUC0LoSXE509dj_RJuxEq2rSM1T2URHDOSYlO7VoeeVHiEAqpF89n97d/s1600/IMG_9585crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Fagn-MiYVI8xUwymBVjq1aViq-szoa_v9gz20dgKFOoFy4vmHcSt2X2ErST3lSNFP6KK5R9pRuQVCLroi5BFTUC0LoSXE509dj_RJuxEq2rSM1T2URHDOSYlO7VoeeVHiEAqpF89n97d/s320/IMG_9585crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is always such a special treat to see dolphins on a trip for we only see them about 25% of the time we are out whale watching!</td></tr>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-40902700616433040632013-10-02T18:26:00.000-04:002013-10-02T18:26:20.806-04:00October 2 Granite StateWe got the chance to spend time with 3 Humpback whales and 3 Fin whales while out near Jeffreys Ledge today. Our Humpback whales were spending their time with each other giving us all a great opportunity to watch this trio move through the water together. It was an even more exciting sighting to see it was a mother, her calf, and a "friend" all on the move together. Rattan, her calf, and Tectonic were spending time with one another today. Better yet, all three of these whales are new visitors to Jeffreys Ledge this year! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNV7O8SaMSbuzahkENCol595pNDko21LcbESgT9W5TI32fVVxs4qOttXjKfm1dPSb06EbVOHqzF5-fIuv5c2-_CsxJoUd9boN_k7BOWlGyqaXmnU5bcfgPU27RSQnuPVM7KqnpO_99bW_/s1600/IMG_9229crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNV7O8SaMSbuzahkENCol595pNDko21LcbESgT9W5TI32fVVxs4qOttXjKfm1dPSb06EbVOHqzF5-fIuv5c2-_CsxJoUd9boN_k7BOWlGyqaXmnU5bcfgPU27RSQnuPVM7KqnpO_99bW_/s320/IMG_9229crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rattan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3t75XtK7ZlCfgTNllR-Gg0boT-JHeFSoJQYAmHo4PTWL5BE4YUqlNiFtH_85dix1giZHrcGamYd9H3lsEFxCNSDlYHzsGUTfkUkBoBkUJ_RsZ24EpGbDY1F7o-EmuXfDmEiPEdrSoFdwS/s1600/IMG_9265crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3t75XtK7ZlCfgTNllR-Gg0boT-JHeFSoJQYAmHo4PTWL5BE4YUqlNiFtH_85dix1giZHrcGamYd9H3lsEFxCNSDlYHzsGUTfkUkBoBkUJ_RsZ24EpGbDY1F7o-EmuXfDmEiPEdrSoFdwS/s320/IMG_9265crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All three Humpback whales swimming side by side</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghbFyjGVUlLXGQENv7_Lbn6_jrc1Fawev3A9fWqTf40pGgX39cNKO6AP61suJUntdLPPudp1EJX2HVuTgQkAkGXJvPktEq4WIZZRE8UKTwA9cfanAptrqTGAYu2PyV-32bv_NBEZRHm73/s1600/IMG_9230crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghbFyjGVUlLXGQENv7_Lbn6_jrc1Fawev3A9fWqTf40pGgX39cNKO6AP61suJUntdLPPudp1EJX2HVuTgQkAkGXJvPktEq4WIZZRE8UKTwA9cfanAptrqTGAYu2PyV-32bv_NBEZRHm73/s320/IMG_9230crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rattan and her calf's rainbow-blow at the surface</td></tr>
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With some nice looks at this trio we decided to catch up to a pair of Fin whales that were moving around together as well. Once again our great crew identified our whales as we soon learned Fin whales #0808 and #0718 were associated with each other. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZWdj9YbYYkktrv_wv5ZjZX48nVI59xzDx7MOcMaJCWlWOn-ZV8Iu5DeMr70UiTWwOAIbr-3ShvWS22mONYmNaOjBDkXTU56FQsB4uV6DMRopXMfa08BJdf2m8cJfpX_ws3JMGQo3HBZ5/s1600/IMG_9289crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZWdj9YbYYkktrv_wv5ZjZX48nVI59xzDx7MOcMaJCWlWOn-ZV8Iu5DeMr70UiTWwOAIbr-3ShvWS22mONYmNaOjBDkXTU56FQsB4uV6DMRopXMfa08BJdf2m8cJfpX_ws3JMGQo3HBZ5/s320/IMG_9289crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0718</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-Bks_qai9ipQmx5X__QIZxhpw7nlEiaXaDM01lzfYWRs1ZK493BQk8Z5I8HfNYW1b5OM-AEQTiao8kjYRe-IDpDScbl9LWx-wjs5PamkOhEhf8evzK-dLHCKylin4zq18GBve7aYKH9k/s1600/IMG_9297crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-Bks_qai9ipQmx5X__QIZxhpw7nlEiaXaDM01lzfYWRs1ZK493BQk8Z5I8HfNYW1b5OM-AEQTiao8kjYRe-IDpDScbl9LWx-wjs5PamkOhEhf8evzK-dLHCKylin4zq18GBve7aYKH9k/s320/IMG_9297crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0808</td></tr>
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We saw Fin whale #0808 swimming around with a different Fin whale yesterday but today was instead in synchrony with yet another newcomer for the season; #0718! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0xalC4QCfGOb-HFlc4pAS5nyN4MBgbR1Nej3UGay-cYlTMrLJzwKCZnyeXMZBfExrwg7aE4C_r7mWxvHaB2FEgXMfTXq1VSZJ4xr_uvegJPf5W_qaa1OX_lbeK8LdikSCY0ckcjXnSMp/s1600/IMG_9321crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0xalC4QCfGOb-HFlc4pAS5nyN4MBgbR1Nej3UGay-cYlTMrLJzwKCZnyeXMZBfExrwg7aE4C_r7mWxvHaB2FEgXMfTXq1VSZJ4xr_uvegJPf5W_qaa1OX_lbeK8LdikSCY0ckcjXnSMp/s320/IMG_9321crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0718 passing by us</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digested krill dissipating at the surface as these clouds were left behind from one of our Fin whales</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Fin whale at the surface!</td></tr>
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Even though our season may be winding down (we will be running through Columbus Day weekend!) the whales are still moving into and around the area. With all these different whales around who knows what we might find on our next travels out. Stay tuned to find out!<br />
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-80047178857219163062013-10-01T16:37:00.000-04:002013-10-01T16:37:34.882-04:00October 1 Granite StateHappy October everyone! Today we ended up doing some searching around Jeffreys Ledge as the whales we have been seeing recently decided to be a bit sneaky for us today. So instead we ventured offshore and ended up coming across 4 Fin whales throughout our travels. Our first whale of the day was spending 10+ minutes under the water and constantly changing directions. We decided to leave this "uncooperative" creature and try our luck elsewhere. Our patience paid off as we ended up in an area where there were 3 Fin whales around, including a pair on the move together! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4rooilhBTlLvFOCUsWjORAK0hMU9FwR6Aq_gvxHxVzPJbY9ZscoZJbz3An_TwdpTfdhospuHMV6zkT36XmBdo49mKg2KaNwYqvxbAlCUnsFYJHFB5DeXmkLZv9li6pQLfqLRNnmCCw6l/s1600/IMG_9154crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4rooilhBTlLvFOCUsWjORAK0hMU9FwR6Aq_gvxHxVzPJbY9ZscoZJbz3An_TwdpTfdhospuHMV6zkT36XmBdo49mKg2KaNwYqvxbAlCUnsFYJHFB5DeXmkLZv9li6pQLfqLRNnmCCw6l/s320/IMG_9154crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whales at the surface</td></tr>
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These whales were spending a lot more time on the surface allowing for us to keep track, and get some great looks, at these massive animals! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDMcBOQ0fO6Lofgw_AFOAhPMJoEWMPuv7xn2U_TxwEZ7bCtFuGog3zh40vYhrrrpJNwHoZcvRdp0IwBBbgtzTgmZPxffID2M0MG128pSpqTeY36YEmqlhK6iGfkCjb-0lcqt8jS04MfCb/s1600/IMG_9164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDMcBOQ0fO6Lofgw_AFOAhPMJoEWMPuv7xn2U_TxwEZ7bCtFuGog3zh40vYhrrrpJNwHoZcvRdp0IwBBbgtzTgmZPxffID2M0MG128pSpqTeY36YEmqlhK6iGfkCjb-0lcqt8jS04MfCb/s320/IMG_9164.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale spout</td></tr>
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At one point we even had one whale cross in front of us and one behind us all at the same time; we were sandwiched in between two of the second largest animals on earth! Awesome. Thanks to our incredible Fin whale matcher we were also able to identify these whales as two newcomers for the season. Welcome back to Jeffreys Ledge Fin whales #0627 and #0808! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrgwsaaIJin-xLoiQxSDVMluBbPolq_Og_i4HU5S28OWj-Ujy9Pgp9jan1D6lyRLj-aOfC9F_AwXZzhXcMO9yjFaKMyxW4sebNLZZ_Ky4vfm6IHGOQPJn1-OMiLVpE61wSlSYulbhgS-l/s1600/IMG_9160crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrgwsaaIJin-xLoiQxSDVMluBbPolq_Og_i4HU5S28OWj-Ujy9Pgp9jan1D6lyRLj-aOfC9F_AwXZzhXcMO9yjFaKMyxW4sebNLZZ_Ky4vfm6IHGOQPJn1-OMiLVpE61wSlSYulbhgS-l/s320/IMG_9160crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0627</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #0808</td></tr>
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Before heading for home we also were able to show our school trip a bright red "cloud" on the surface. Nothing like a large amount of whale poop present for all the kids to check out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8y6n60fClyLS6pPsy_k-xJ6V9QPL8Ry97wUecliKLxQBhsWx77M8gMOCsj7BtoYriTc2hgigvfeIzdpHRLDXqwf5_J_B3Vx7pFVGty4h6d1rf5jdV4srF5RRmSaHj3huk9-NpW-QNKqyn/s1600/IMG_9188crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8y6n60fClyLS6pPsy_k-xJ6V9QPL8Ry97wUecliKLxQBhsWx77M8gMOCsj7BtoYriTc2hgigvfeIzdpHRLDXqwf5_J_B3Vx7pFVGty4h6d1rf5jdV4srF5RRmSaHj3huk9-NpW-QNKqyn/s320/IMG_9188crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a small section of the bright red cloud left behind one of our whales!</td></tr>
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We will have to see what the whales have in store for us as we will be back out on Jeffreys Ledge soon!<br />
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-30320357107575376152013-10-01T15:49:00.003-04:002013-10-01T15:49:31.910-04:00September 29 Atlantic QueenWe had a clear blue day for today's trip. As has been the case this whole month, the whales did not disappoint. As we headed offshore towards a spot where we had a report of whales seen earlier, we passed a harbor seal, some harbor porpoise, and a couple minke whales. We were intent on getting to our destination, so we kept moving, and eventually found Valley and her calf, who are still in the area!<br />
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Valley and her calf spent most of their time at the surface. Even when they dove, they were only underwater for about 4 minutes at a time. The calf seemed especially content to stay at the surface. Just about the whole time we watched it, it rolled lazily on the water surface, often giving us a great look at its flipper that it would wave in the air before flopping it back down to its side.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's Calf</td></tr>
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Several times, the calves was belly-up and we could see both flippers! At one point, it was belly up and raised its head above the water, which looked like an unusual position!<br />
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Since they weren't too far offshore, we got to spend lots of time with Vally and her calf, but eventually it was time to head home. As we turned west, we saw another humpback dive just off the port side of the boat! We waited nearly 10 minutes, but the whale never reappeared.<br />
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After a nice cruise through the Isles of Shoals, we were back in Rye Harbor after another fantastic weekend of Fall whale watching! Thanks to all who came aboard today!<br />
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<br />Jen Kennedy, Blue Ocean Society Exec. Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04776607537381206071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-64288371512855772992013-09-30T18:42:00.001-04:002013-09-30T18:42:30.555-04:00September 29 Captain's Lady IIIThe foggy conditions this morning were a bit ominous as we arrived to prepare the Captain's Lady III for another whale watch. But soon the sun began to poke through the clouds and the fog rapidly burnt off, just in time for us to arrive at Jeffreys Ledge where whales had been reported! Our trip out brought several small groups of harbor porpoises (notoriously shy animals) as well as some seals. Then we saw the tell-tale black fin flopping up and down- an ocean sunfish!! We pulled up near it and this large fish swam right up to the boat! Ocean sunfish (<i>Mola mola</i>) are "interesting" looking fish and the largest species of bony fish in the world!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQpC3c7HOmogycKjskDNXSzlohch9kEaz9lG1H8GBMjDa457hl3xFdP4Atp9t_DPj9WYAxOlPsCn4oIV2Jylvfsn-uIfqUx7961gK2SY_aZmS6jHlSiIqbErNCCsT5s6dgYoTgeQ2c3E/s1600/Mola+IMG_0855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQpC3c7HOmogycKjskDNXSzlohch9kEaz9lG1H8GBMjDa457hl3xFdP4Atp9t_DPj9WYAxOlPsCn4oIV2Jylvfsn-uIfqUx7961gK2SY_aZmS6jHlSiIqbErNCCsT5s6dgYoTgeQ2c3E/s320/Mola+IMG_0855.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean Sunfish</td></tr>
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As we approached an area where whales were seen the day before, we slowed down and took a good look around. No whales, but we did see several seals including 3 harbor seals and a pair of gray seals! This harbor seal might have thought it was too bright out since it has one eye closed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkXlRHbF2e4umVy-ZhX1bVs8sQlr7QzN0kLV5i5Y5qAry65SVbIN9mXODjSEk8ys5ZkR-kFVEooLjeJu2rI-ydvCTbPZ85t6LPWQa37vqtLxF9U1VtJ4OT3VeFmDBfLY7stWSAfxq6eA/s1600/Pv+IMG_0864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkXlRHbF2e4umVy-ZhX1bVs8sQlr7QzN0kLV5i5Y5qAry65SVbIN9mXODjSEk8ys5ZkR-kFVEooLjeJu2rI-ydvCTbPZ85t6LPWQa37vqtLxF9U1VtJ4OT3VeFmDBfLY7stWSAfxq6eA/s320/Pv+IMG_0864.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harbor Seal</td></tr>
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We headed further out to the Ledge and made our way through the fleet of tuna boats. We try not to disturb the tuna fisher-people as the tuna industry can be quite lucrative depending on the size and quality of bluefin tuna caught. But in the area with the tuna boats were several humpback and minke whales!<br />
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Our first whales were a pair- Echo and Cacophony! Although Cacophony has been seen earlier, this was our first sighting of Echo for the year! And just after the pair lifted their flukes and dove, a third humpback popped up close by! This was Trowel! She has been seen prior this year but hasn't been a regular visitor to our area. She has only been seen here during the 2009 season!<br />
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Check out the variations in pigment on the flukes below: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEa2f8YtL2WKOQcqHUsZQcVk5-NNxG75vewFGD6rjQOJbIKyFX6If6ISH4dfY0OR_Zi8okzU2JO5EKgIYbqre_1mZLlO0fgoEowWguxTzn5FDg_X_OdO7mTnlgt58Opnhnm0KqfmKBlg/s1600/Cacophony+IMG_0943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEa2f8YtL2WKOQcqHUsZQcVk5-NNxG75vewFGD6rjQOJbIKyFX6If6ISH4dfY0OR_Zi8okzU2JO5EKgIYbqre_1mZLlO0fgoEowWguxTzn5FDg_X_OdO7mTnlgt58Opnhnm0KqfmKBlg/s320/Cacophony+IMG_0943.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cacophony</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxwV5fBkw1r95bp9wzNBW6b5JJnLzXenhwe79qwFbNa6w5sbvMyBbrHe3x-TfKewondrkmGV7-0kJQAMzYdtT6yODbzn7bz0EDC-Jn3g-TaLvBw0htiNmG8D6XYx0GmUKjyVSrH298TI/s1600/Echo+IMG_0886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxwV5fBkw1r95bp9wzNBW6b5JJnLzXenhwe79qwFbNa6w5sbvMyBbrHe3x-TfKewondrkmGV7-0kJQAMzYdtT6yODbzn7bz0EDC-Jn3g-TaLvBw0htiNmG8D6XYx0GmUKjyVSrH298TI/s320/Echo+IMG_0886.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-Rhaa3RIkma6tGt-IBvDKtgn6kLxamC-TExYUgEnJLbN_cQKXmESsKj9je6Fn7VtVyIcGZpiWmtJMaAye55O3uJroNoY6AyDGc9t6dIpXQn4jbeDj7pNjhaRmV1wcSOXEyQs7US1NqQ/s1600/Trowel+IMG_0898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-Rhaa3RIkma6tGt-IBvDKtgn6kLxamC-TExYUgEnJLbN_cQKXmESsKj9je6Fn7VtVyIcGZpiWmtJMaAye55O3uJroNoY6AyDGc9t6dIpXQn4jbeDj7pNjhaRmV1wcSOXEyQs7US1NqQ/s320/Trowel+IMG_0898.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trowel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">Such a variety of life out there today! Today reminded us that we never know what to expect from nature, yet we were happily pleased with the outcomes today!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF3m4chmBkZjLAaYArVqyz3zNFppWZTtaufmMFfl5oho0VPE8nEoQTC1jUfXX0jvmEWuwwgOm-8EdEvbGNpN0wj2CzHc3UNiCndNfUS6Sjz08KW-SqSE37bSZcqBImfhJc1uZbHPFOq4/s1600/spout+IMG_0946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF3m4chmBkZjLAaYArVqyz3zNFppWZTtaufmMFfl5oho0VPE8nEoQTC1jUfXX0jvmEWuwwgOm-8EdEvbGNpN0wj2CzHc3UNiCndNfUS6Sjz08KW-SqSE37bSZcqBImfhJc1uZbHPFOq4/s320/spout+IMG_0946.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whale Breath</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4w9POjpdzFOE5C3T-epCsguiEW8AZ4kwNLHhsbTGpliPEhRrQtu3h-DMw-EyQommWLdNnKF8SB4vqqTLzeNMXXyjStbzT7htf6xWJOco978BH7nWVeVf7Ym24zXUjDwCFnB7vvaYtlI/s1600/Echo+IMG_0935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4w9POjpdzFOE5C3T-epCsguiEW8AZ4kwNLHhsbTGpliPEhRrQtu3h-DMw-EyQommWLdNnKF8SB4vqqTLzeNMXXyjStbzT7htf6xWJOco978BH7nWVeVf7Ym24zXUjDwCFnB7vvaYtlI/s320/Echo+IMG_0935.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We hope to see you all back again soon! We only have a couple weeks left before we hang up our binoculars and cameras for another long winter season. <br />
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<br />Dianna Schulte, Blue Ocean Society Director of Researchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16353989807727727929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-60488772389209646972013-09-30T14:38:00.001-04:002013-09-30T14:38:46.545-04:00September 29 Granite StateWe have been so lucky this fall to be surrounded by such beautiful weather and today was of no exception. I am pretty certain we could all get accustomed to these conditions and hopping on a boat to go whale watching certainly is a fantastic way to get the full effect of these wonderful temperatures. Our travels today actually brought us back to Jeffreys Ledge; a place we have not travelled to in a few weeks! The whales had previously been spending so much time inshore of the ledge that we were getting spoiled! Today it looks like some of the whales decided to move a bit further offshore and back to more typical places we tend to find such beings. Thanks to our other whale watching friends we ended up in an area where there were 3 Humpback whales around. One was spending a lot of time under the water so we ended up sticking with the two whales swimming along together and watching the lone whale circle around the outskirts of the area. Trowel seemed content moving around on its own today while the pair we watched consisted of Cacophony and Echo. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oA4T485GXQF0kSS-kMBuO52kXaokX1jkRM9Jw3H-imBhquz09D4FRk6Kz5w6UgEMdZGs-PeDxI3XrasbVyKnp1TY1JM1Dz3KyAnMDoLdtn_ymNkyKeSktf-45f4lT7AXVKL8dby5UTTm/s1600/IMG_9001crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oA4T485GXQF0kSS-kMBuO52kXaokX1jkRM9Jw3H-imBhquz09D4FRk6Kz5w6UgEMdZGs-PeDxI3XrasbVyKnp1TY1JM1Dz3KyAnMDoLdtn_ymNkyKeSktf-45f4lT7AXVKL8dby5UTTm/s320/IMG_9001crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwW-BriASdCYcbKq-WDPUTTRRtdwppNAkZ02fqkEVLYq2i_dPUHohbzx6KeCz_B6EtvyQ5OhBpRMvVWuBgLtmxZra0Yc1aaGMjZ2pDoMJ2qDUXpZwCZR1SaTu8ZFEA3jGOTsxHfxaEjKx7/s1600/IMG_9006crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwW-BriASdCYcbKq-WDPUTTRRtdwppNAkZ02fqkEVLYq2i_dPUHohbzx6KeCz_B6EtvyQ5OhBpRMvVWuBgLtmxZra0Yc1aaGMjZ2pDoMJ2qDUXpZwCZR1SaTu8ZFEA3jGOTsxHfxaEjKx7/s320/IMG_9006crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cacophony</td></tr>
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Echo has not been seen in our area all season so what a nice surprise to come across yet another whale to add to the animals spending time around Jeffreys Ledge this year. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6TRN4KYCopswlVU2sQ3YBlHCa_iI9Dtc_CVMf7erszuy9YeLkePmRfxZVqsey4jEYRBepD9mdREkupiYR1VKAbvVE35aXfS04E3x5URKFgQkU4WSm5bfxY6WQRIw_3QiwUL-2w5jREBx/s1600/IMG_9051crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6TRN4KYCopswlVU2sQ3YBlHCa_iI9Dtc_CVMf7erszuy9YeLkePmRfxZVqsey4jEYRBepD9mdREkupiYR1VKAbvVE35aXfS04E3x5URKFgQkU4WSm5bfxY6WQRIw_3QiwUL-2w5jREBx/s320/IMG_9051crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cacophony and Echo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYYN-lY0RajWFQ3R-6BG5Tv5MAccxjLr_fPcc4QZmkFarlhy30-shjnSJioyn2YrKUb12GhXxkg6GxPI2LjKIFNGEjif96jPvzw1Jb9dyrIPX04mTDTUsjh3WRePBUi7M3id8ugFXQAH2/s1600/IMG_9060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYYN-lY0RajWFQ3R-6BG5Tv5MAccxjLr_fPcc4QZmkFarlhy30-shjnSJioyn2YrKUb12GhXxkg6GxPI2LjKIFNGEjif96jPvzw1Jb9dyrIPX04mTDTUsjh3WRePBUi7M3id8ugFXQAH2/s320/IMG_9060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deeper dive for our pair</td></tr>
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These two whales were providing us with some incredible looks at them for many times the two whales would be in complete synchrony as they moved through the water together. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zX_vjlZlcAVbHxdGj8ZdqzfeavCoK2kdwUWKX-47SgSzXo8nWoDau3qJ1alA0X5PSwwHEDeyhNwuCm4RSa-pzN914E6yQ_I0OgLdEoFPoLDqhffvskafxlfwkLX2hVTV9ZjM2tvqsFC7/s1600/IMG_8980crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zX_vjlZlcAVbHxdGj8ZdqzfeavCoK2kdwUWKX-47SgSzXo8nWoDau3qJ1alA0X5PSwwHEDeyhNwuCm4RSa-pzN914E6yQ_I0OgLdEoFPoLDqhffvskafxlfwkLX2hVTV9ZjM2tvqsFC7/s320/IMG_8980crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simultaneous whale spouts!</td></tr>
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In addition to watching these whales we also had a few Minke whales pop up around us as they too were moving on through the area. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mCWYJ-XACSDOsZFkcgLlb8d30uWp-pix9qcEn1dagJqNlk_9jxGQtaHM_0e8XBRThs3pHwkcBK01ve5X04XPP9tyx_y1Usq3aLk7UmVZmAPkajOoow5ve_TFaxck0eKuD4QoeB5pp0RO/s1600/IMG_9074crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mCWYJ-XACSDOsZFkcgLlb8d30uWp-pix9qcEn1dagJqNlk_9jxGQtaHM_0e8XBRThs3pHwkcBK01ve5X04XPP9tyx_y1Usq3aLk7UmVZmAPkajOoow5ve_TFaxck0eKuD4QoeB5pp0RO/s320/IMG_9074crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super pointed dorsal fin from this Minke whale</td></tr>
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With some wonderful looks at the two adult Humpback whales we decided to do a bit more searching before we needed to head for home. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAUpoEoxN5OsmWQTuZDsvvSeq9I0J-wtcJBfr7S1gz04rekaGSnGPP3VOBu5ZRvzwC1Ms7zU3DEfjmFXvVytrUou-QlS9VjgtaDnESoVDCG9RWBsJ8j7MfTRW1A2q6p1j1zbVFFq0BEau/s1600/IMG_9013crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAUpoEoxN5OsmWQTuZDsvvSeq9I0J-wtcJBfr7S1gz04rekaGSnGPP3VOBu5ZRvzwC1Ms7zU3DEfjmFXvVytrUou-QlS9VjgtaDnESoVDCG9RWBsJ8j7MfTRW1A2q6p1j1zbVFFq0BEau/s320/IMG_9013crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you make out the slight rainbow-blow from Echo?</td></tr>
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Soon another spout was visible and it belonged to yet another Humpback whale. Patches was still near by! We have not seen this whale in over a week so we were happy to learn Patches may not have moved far from the area over the course of the past eight days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBR_IRnMidCN7THDfBI79bNmqOruS65hJMKAjkOfdMH1znnaXpYY1Qci6ahBSnJaENpt6drbKZLQGh5LG4sLfo7hLgI1em_hF0paWuLx_1Xzkb8BqUhAWm8zgmyWrp-_vWCUhxlLhrlNd/s1600/IMG_9078crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBR_IRnMidCN7THDfBI79bNmqOruS65hJMKAjkOfdMH1znnaXpYY1Qci6ahBSnJaENpt6drbKZLQGh5LG4sLfo7hLgI1em_hF0paWuLx_1Xzkb8BqUhAWm8zgmyWrp-_vWCUhxlLhrlNd/s320/IMG_9078crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello again Patches!</td></tr>
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As we headed for home and passed by a few more Minke whales (6 in total for the day) the ocean still had a few more surprises awaiting for us. Our travels brought us into view of 2 more Humpback whales. It was Valley and her calf. We spent a little time with this pair and even got the chance to see both Mom and her calf raise their tails above the surface together (a behavior that is learned many times causing the calf to not quite figure out this body movement all the time). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLX0tmYzTkj2HT_gqqCsY1vqCAWKOJCXrSl5wMIlIItJYuwTzmILi0NBW86ohVUjDzySviVGqT5UIwUqtZGMxb3-hk5PuVJAybuR_bPSjESk_Xb_Y5QyaMLwDunEm1IUlpKCJr8yHmZG2/s1600/IMG_9103crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLX0tmYzTkj2HT_gqqCsY1vqCAWKOJCXrSl5wMIlIItJYuwTzmILi0NBW86ohVUjDzySviVGqT5UIwUqtZGMxb3-hk5PuVJAybuR_bPSjESk_Xb_Y5QyaMLwDunEm1IUlpKCJr8yHmZG2/s320/IMG_9103crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and her calf (above and below) both raising their tails above the surface. Even whale calves like to do whatever Mom does.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdpBfOi0DEYjjkmbi6dNWWDuGt_yDNiST00-X24FHbrB5MUwbUvw88iEN52AZ_HRA4touNN9Xvhb_XGZwttFlYgGTkRd6gBFNn-st72I6mmdj_6oAUODg9F38BXxjpCB-_6tFJOw35oGG/s1600/IMG_9106crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdpBfOi0DEYjjkmbi6dNWWDuGt_yDNiST00-X24FHbrB5MUwbUvw88iEN52AZ_HRA4touNN9Xvhb_XGZwttFlYgGTkRd6gBFNn-st72I6mmdj_6oAUODg9F38BXxjpCB-_6tFJOw35oGG/s320/IMG_9106crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With a few nice looks at this pair we were off once again back towards Rye Harbor. Turns out we had one last stop along the way. Past all the groups of harbor porpoise a large fin kept breaking the surface. We had an Ocean sunfish ahead of us! Conditions were absolutely perfect to check out this fish, the largest bony fish in the ocean. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhy_s2uJ7ZSUy2Hc-AR5aAlfjfjfyaOqC_YDPtOJHOuOxVvThRcBH4_P5bMqxsTTvTEW1pislXviYOYslu70B5alCFpJ3eyiwVtjPsrUizw38aP9N90ZMLkaoPsqYugojUyiSMD0ol2Eu/s1600/IMG_9128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhy_s2uJ7ZSUy2Hc-AR5aAlfjfjfyaOqC_YDPtOJHOuOxVvThRcBH4_P5bMqxsTTvTEW1pislXviYOYslu70B5alCFpJ3eyiwVtjPsrUizw38aP9N90ZMLkaoPsqYugojUyiSMD0ol2Eu/s320/IMG_9128.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Ocean sunfish swam right along side the boat giving everyone the chance to snap a few pictures of it!</td></tr>
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So much marine life on such a beautiful day was once again cause for a wonderful day spent out on the water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbqjWf2HWMgRCwjw5b-9YwY5w30inGVe3de1jRpIRd1dB19vdkhX0MMhdtZSuMGUZyhCDiMSKROxu_TpBoCMgqIDSbnzp7nXRWOInSPkieqWaE_aSzxHcERu_Bc_lz8D_7ofHIqqFzzPy/s1600/IMG_9089crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbqjWf2HWMgRCwjw5b-9YwY5w30inGVe3de1jRpIRd1dB19vdkhX0MMhdtZSuMGUZyhCDiMSKROxu_TpBoCMgqIDSbnzp7nXRWOInSPkieqWaE_aSzxHcERu_Bc_lz8D_7ofHIqqFzzPy/s320/IMG_9089crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty perfect combination: a beautiful calm ocean and a whale spout</td></tr>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-353555458672433982013-09-28T20:29:00.002-04:002013-09-28T20:29:23.537-04:00September 28 Atlantic QueenAmazing whale watch today! We headed out toward Jeffreys Ledge, and didn't even have a chance to travel out that far before we came across a host of activity. Our first sighting was a minke whale who was scooting across our path. He didn't stick around very long, which was fine because there was plenty more to see. Just a few hundred feet away we saw a pair of humpback whales.<br />
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It was Valley and her 2013 calf. This was my first mom calf pair of the season, and they did not disappoint!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfI7XJiMpPlfZOzSVp5fPWzWvxR7hMO1JDQfUTKfGXrvemKM6aUVJckGJnQ-3lPAAdJ-cgHCvDFV2VyIuAJzwUFb2_dNT9kPuzLfoLSZRH9sS9NJFmajwCJAXchIOAwrBrdZIqTQ/s1600/DSC_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfI7XJiMpPlfZOzSVp5fPWzWvxR7hMO1JDQfUTKfGXrvemKM6aUVJckGJnQ-3lPAAdJ-cgHCvDFV2VyIuAJzwUFb2_dNT9kPuzLfoLSZRH9sS9NJFmajwCJAXchIOAwrBrdZIqTQ/s320/DSC_2546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shortly after coming across the mom calf pair we got a wonderful surprise! Valley's calf was very active, breaching a few times, and spy hoping. This was my first mom calf pair of the season, my first breach of the season, and my first spy hop ever. I'm not sure who was more excited about today's trip, me or the passengers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7L12v9G9wdToYc1B96FODazJMVJcuwgKaCCIjKGWMvFRt6F9rQkHxbilCcko4zacuYVFRLZBD-3t0SjbojS3pmBAJUk6NtZIvA5FhwCWQMW3iNhmVm1uNZvAv37tKyRw7EuaQK4Y/s1600/DSC_2406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7L12v9G9wdToYc1B96FODazJMVJcuwgKaCCIjKGWMvFRt6F9rQkHxbilCcko4zacuYVFRLZBD-3t0SjbojS3pmBAJUk6NtZIvA5FhwCWQMW3iNhmVm1uNZvAv37tKyRw7EuaQK4Y/s320/DSC_2406.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf breaching</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggymG6d-UiFr-MdEAQkfOZwGHsTEHhlkUwMgkuiPEqasGDaATFsGZduIQGxASMxwqfsJDTuLCKF1qpqk4fTqwslEvpvEd56OpsVkJwV3Uk6rrmh59sNEr9JCc7_x1K7-G7dR0s3N0/s1600/DSC_2402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggymG6d-UiFr-MdEAQkfOZwGHsTEHhlkUwMgkuiPEqasGDaATFsGZduIQGxASMxwqfsJDTuLCKF1qpqk4fTqwslEvpvEd56OpsVkJwV3Uk6rrmh59sNEr9JCc7_x1K7-G7dR0s3N0/s320/DSC_2402.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf breaching</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbsC7qXj4BmJp6REl1V8gwr81s1UFdBWlR0nXD3aL9lTcDxeLJZje2yoQ4ZLqIkxUIxEFyEqnrSj2xc5GYaMSnb7aSPnBOib5oai3dJ2QJim7Bm8o94gav-YHk3alUVg8UK5L5_4/s1600/DSC_2410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbsC7qXj4BmJp6REl1V8gwr81s1UFdBWlR0nXD3aL9lTcDxeLJZje2yoQ4ZLqIkxUIxEFyEqnrSj2xc5GYaMSnb7aSPnBOib5oai3dJ2QJim7Bm8o94gav-YHk3alUVg8UK5L5_4/s320/DSC_2410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More breaching from Valley's calf</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv0FU2HvoDGckOzowe1UZ1WazqLBcN6mAu5Zfce4m9K5HE5jlIMegnlCQoCw_B_1T1JJWKcy8gDvgsCqGq_IW-Okngy1g200_qdEKjFsku7C04R7Z_D1xBX6jtEArGII7DSGz6iI/s1600/DSC_2427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv0FU2HvoDGckOzowe1UZ1WazqLBcN6mAu5Zfce4m9K5HE5jlIMegnlCQoCw_B_1T1JJWKcy8gDvgsCqGq_IW-Okngy1g200_qdEKjFsku7C04R7Z_D1xBX6jtEArGII7DSGz6iI/s320/DSC_2427.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flipper slapping from Valley. You can see the calf's dorsal fin too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGU3XQE62YNHrR-Hz0LNQm-Dytz8FidYtBYEEg1pTP5ax2tjSxCGKJioBKYDROyaXJ9XGJuwNofsf5HJRBLcwPYkZXkbm8_MiZiQI_IAzGwarssAJuTgs4tB5YWLCS9N9FAvftIqc/s1600/DSC_2471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGU3XQE62YNHrR-Hz0LNQm-Dytz8FidYtBYEEg1pTP5ax2tjSxCGKJioBKYDROyaXJ9XGJuwNofsf5HJRBLcwPYkZXkbm8_MiZiQI_IAzGwarssAJuTgs4tB5YWLCS9N9FAvftIqc/s320/DSC_2471.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More flipper slapping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yYke-wy4xOVYnCiL6T-hvJRjWLl661pos4Eh7Obor84om74L-S8agcBDl-C_jrYjRK5p301WsqnuT2vTl_i44zlggdFdPfvPhyphenhyphen1-spA5XYtq2P-rCUXCk_e5X_oP_IA4SY0uoGM/s1600/DSC_2474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yYke-wy4xOVYnCiL6T-hvJRjWLl661pos4Eh7Obor84om74L-S8agcBDl-C_jrYjRK5p301WsqnuT2vTl_i44zlggdFdPfvPhyphenhyphen1-spA5XYtq2P-rCUXCk_e5X_oP_IA4SY0uoGM/s320/DSC_2474.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf doing a head stand? </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nMmNhywUchz71QJi17GGOLy4Tx5BIjlvwgBTsT_WObUnZrEMRQqmeH9IEqCitGVGbc_hlYm8fwyvjR66jq9NAGxSBXAJFez3r4-SLz_eU-NyvyAD5NgL3YKibC99DSN4cD3_phY/s1600/DSC_2507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nMmNhywUchz71QJi17GGOLy4Tx5BIjlvwgBTsT_WObUnZrEMRQqmeH9IEqCitGVGbc_hlYm8fwyvjR66jq9NAGxSBXAJFez3r4-SLz_eU-NyvyAD5NgL3YKibC99DSN4cD3_phY/s320/DSC_2507.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spy hoping from Valley's calf</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzOVKHcpth4lJA1jlMavGotTpQVuXsOl4bjCHUBvL977l6rSgRJ8YbcPZWfyvl6VARAH9HqzmZ6IVP7tS-qIEkINPlgGO_e1Yr30N6y4z7OvGI4avDsb5suMjoHYs7IDM0KKRT1U/s1600/DSC_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzOVKHcpth4lJA1jlMavGotTpQVuXsOl4bjCHUBvL977l6rSgRJ8YbcPZWfyvl6VARAH9HqzmZ6IVP7tS-qIEkINPlgGO_e1Yr30N6y4z7OvGI4avDsb5suMjoHYs7IDM0KKRT1U/s320/DSC_2592.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZM61h1Jbo5L2MFAcSatZFTuML_k_yupuZf_9k3HVWH62-SgVgtGzRMPptAOs8bp9YvSkLX7LvED2X6tIMI8nvVhHO6RpeDJbXVxkXSVhouI4y8yOT88WBT4pgmkLvE5H-Bgr3lTk/s1600/DSC_2625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZM61h1Jbo5L2MFAcSatZFTuML_k_yupuZf_9k3HVWH62-SgVgtGzRMPptAOs8bp9YvSkLX7LvED2X6tIMI8nvVhHO6RpeDJbXVxkXSVhouI4y8yOT88WBT4pgmkLvE5H-Bgr3lTk/s320/DSC_2625.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf's fluke</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4E5LwJWMd2rDqm3poZaeXNtt4mGj4o8WZ4cy6US2KL8IJjVDINTAtWt1hx698W49KmjdYb4a5B5YlNnV4P3ruSzyTx2JAXBIUy-ZbyzVypUkwaCLHj0aY9zTt2kIpnz9nplkeVw/s1600/DSC_2687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4E5LwJWMd2rDqm3poZaeXNtt4mGj4o8WZ4cy6US2KL8IJjVDINTAtWt1hx698W49KmjdYb4a5B5YlNnV4P3ruSzyTx2JAXBIUy-ZbyzVypUkwaCLHj0aY9zTt2kIpnz9nplkeVw/s320/DSC_2687.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's fluke<br /></td></tr>
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After leaving the mom calf pair behind, we searched for another humpback whale. Unfortunately that whale was very low profile and moving around quite a bit so we never got any great looks. Luckily there was another minke whale moving through the area, and some more spouts nearby. We decided to head over to the spouts. It was another humpback whale pair, but this time it was not a mom calf pair. It was Trowel, a female born in 2003, and my favorite, Nile a female born in 1987.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFjGOAPkM13nCeH6y8kIuepdbFHU057KnbywQXg9uDDjuzHCSx2nr88Q8UQcV6MqGo_GtiWBthWLRTkGpGB_rESuS_7XEmhpqy0vdCnfnDKvq9SoLHvS0gqrL24uyZ3N19poKCQ4/s1600/DSC_2940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFjGOAPkM13nCeH6y8kIuepdbFHU057KnbywQXg9uDDjuzHCSx2nr88Q8UQcV6MqGo_GtiWBthWLRTkGpGB_rESuS_7XEmhpqy0vdCnfnDKvq9SoLHvS0gqrL24uyZ3N19poKCQ4/s320/DSC_2940.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trowel's fluke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila1KfzitGVW20RXz3tkAplHFVo9g9uDW9jWXBJfQSema1OXssx_clVEO2yFfmdPRVuNU66AsZMjrLZmv-FLD4knDfdHI0cXDsFrfKlNUc70BF9lEOHheO2OPJanRoQXwRlGgVk20/s1600/DSC_2984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila1KfzitGVW20RXz3tkAplHFVo9g9uDW9jWXBJfQSema1OXssx_clVEO2yFfmdPRVuNU66AsZMjrLZmv-FLD4knDfdHI0cXDsFrfKlNUc70BF9lEOHheO2OPJanRoQXwRlGgVk20/s320/DSC_2984.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile's fluke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thank you to everyone who joined us out on the whale watch today! We hope to see you again next season. </div>
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<br />Abigailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522211780987698044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-35354815752095748902013-09-28T18:29:00.000-04:002013-09-28T18:29:33.366-04:00September 28 Granite StateWhales were very much present as we saw 1 Minke whale and 7 Humpback whales during our trip today. Our first Humpback whale of the day was being extremely elusive. This animal was spending well over 10 minutes under the water and moving in completely random directions making it quite tricky to get a look at it. The few looks we did manage to get revealed that this whale most certainly had a rough go recently. Many linear indentations were seen on either side of this whale, a very real reminder of how susceptible all whales are to fishing gear. This whale had become entangled in gear at one point in its past (as the scars indicate) and is a lucky one to have survived the ordeal. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMzB-71La7cpNwUozCf1H8S59BIJmG2E56OuhYWU8SnzKgXJlJAD7k0pcE_4Sc34sHgN5m_X3plN4ULjoseHmlaiD-q1-dxKPkptuvLOhRsi6ZZafCU-i5qw007eJOum3LE1LQN7pf45t/s1600/IMG_8816CROP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMzB-71La7cpNwUozCf1H8S59BIJmG2E56OuhYWU8SnzKgXJlJAD7k0pcE_4Sc34sHgN5m_X3plN4ULjoseHmlaiD-q1-dxKPkptuvLOhRsi6ZZafCU-i5qw007eJOum3LE1LQN7pf45t/s320/IMG_8816CROP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first whale of the trip (above and below). Those linear marks are due to previous line chaffing along the whale's body</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrSImC3NWyY3tWUlJuTJjOlF8DJwqRmlAijo6I0I2_aAgeDOXo_4Wu-NRiGdhpDc_J-c9sLixT7XtJam1Ki-It7C7i7gXL8ELul30QBNPcbc_Hbtc4XtbCto4HYYLmIaYFRSuDIDs5jhe/s1600/IMG_8822crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrSImC3NWyY3tWUlJuTJjOlF8DJwqRmlAijo6I0I2_aAgeDOXo_4Wu-NRiGdhpDc_J-c9sLixT7XtJam1Ki-It7C7i7gXL8ELul30QBNPcbc_Hbtc4XtbCto4HYYLmIaYFRSuDIDs5jhe/s320/IMG_8822crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Since this whale was being difficult to keep track of and we did not visually seeing a definite reason to stay longer (if we saw or strongly believed it to still be entangled we would have stayed) we ventured off towards some of the other spouts we were seeing not too far away.<br />
<br />
We ended up first spending some time with Valley and her calf. Turns out this pair had a few extra "friends" traveling around with them today. A small group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were mixed in with this mother and her calf! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYRKm3Ini1jLW5mCy4Hon_Jq0jrs9NlqehIw4XxcapTlJ6SXI1x-ohhSik6dUya8q9xZn0B1ExvWHwOAuOV_vxfqK0o5BnEZUXXh6fUr2mpobtXNdLaziTsKXtmtQ_Ri3StoqCRKOR06a/s1600/IMG_8857crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYRKm3Ini1jLW5mCy4Hon_Jq0jrs9NlqehIw4XxcapTlJ6SXI1x-ohhSik6dUya8q9xZn0B1ExvWHwOAuOV_vxfqK0o5BnEZUXXh6fUr2mpobtXNdLaziTsKXtmtQ_Ri3StoqCRKOR06a/s320/IMG_8857crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and some tiny dolphin dorsal fins in front of her!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pkI2t6g668gQfnBlZCEZzL42y6tbD2Dg-kcIGdZzNFvEV4HI5YTVMJOxz2mvOFcQfZXdklu2kuDMSR3QMPEFKhfplADaLkBx2907-TIn5aRV7vuNCUYuLEyKr3Bf1xLMRRQWTsNDXMik/s1600/IMG_8901crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pkI2t6g668gQfnBlZCEZzL42y6tbD2Dg-kcIGdZzNFvEV4HI5YTVMJOxz2mvOFcQfZXdklu2kuDMSR3QMPEFKhfplADaLkBx2907-TIn5aRV7vuNCUYuLEyKr3Bf1xLMRRQWTsNDXMik/s320/IMG_8901crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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It was great to see such the spread of marine life size from the 6-8ft dolphins, to the ~20ft calf, to the 40-50ft adult Humpback whale! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XOlDqBTC2-RTp8JhW9lt1HpBCYuUBTwmJgKzdRjx-laDd0zBVECB2AFU3f5U7_vFujbJgJOO7zWCPz61-7ph-gd0J3UYA-hB4sjcjmChfPsyOWprwFMBiJMv3ueKxGu6TSbLhjAAYBI5/s1600/IMG_8875crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XOlDqBTC2-RTp8JhW9lt1HpBCYuUBTwmJgKzdRjx-laDd0zBVECB2AFU3f5U7_vFujbJgJOO7zWCPz61-7ph-gd0J3UYA-hB4sjcjmChfPsyOWprwFMBiJMv3ueKxGu6TSbLhjAAYBI5/s320/IMG_8875crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big mamma Valley and a few Atlantic white-sided dolphins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEuyrXO1BVzgDR7f_U7kreu3awEsFDnZfAA9CgJKsRkkud0cvuGgIbPfl8Q5pU5gJjwusDkcSICLm-8kC0iZpgeEgO9THD-HxoqBnMwAcy4EOObzEgQ5NbF0m36U1uOkgDkfwk_-DqhDS/s1600/IMG_8867crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEuyrXO1BVzgDR7f_U7kreu3awEsFDnZfAA9CgJKsRkkud0cvuGgIbPfl8Q5pU5gJjwusDkcSICLm-8kC0iZpgeEgO9THD-HxoqBnMwAcy4EOObzEgQ5NbF0m36U1uOkgDkfwk_-DqhDS/s320/IMG_8867crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqMxDadzbidyK15lwi4PHPtzeAWOQraPU7laVtGsiHNxLTpYvnIHCuD2zZ3Y_SP74-4GV9a9YjULV0rLuWGdgt0sdvW-LeyImIS4YvUV8YgsuDBsxe0gOjvqkKHeLuPJp4LDQyzNrVc3m/s1600/IMG_8842crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqMxDadzbidyK15lwi4PHPtzeAWOQraPU7laVtGsiHNxLTpYvnIHCuD2zZ3Y_SP74-4GV9a9YjULV0rLuWGdgt0sdvW-LeyImIS4YvUV8YgsuDBsxe0gOjvqkKHeLuPJp4LDQyzNrVc3m/s320/IMG_8842crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf current pigmentation pattern</td></tr>
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We spent some great time with all these creatures before the dolphins moved on in their own direction and the pair moseyed out of the area in their own direction. So we too head off in yet another direction to check out another pair of Humpback whales! <br />
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This second pair of whales was Nile and Trowel. The two ended up moving right towards Valley and her calf and at one point we had a pair of whales on one side of the boat and another pair of whales on the other side. Awesome! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0tGKpNkoJyOyDH8srawZ90eDQ6pVNQURN55dY64t_0zS9tYxuhyphenhyphenzYfWQsQqMRutEWiVwQboMxsjY55-lO4bOzv_RPoSlAqp2QXgUSaSM_FFvKT0FAXsVGVGicReQjc-5RQvc785bzrC5/s1600/IMG_8928crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0tGKpNkoJyOyDH8srawZ90eDQ6pVNQURN55dY64t_0zS9tYxuhyphenhyphenzYfWQsQqMRutEWiVwQboMxsjY55-lO4bOzv_RPoSlAqp2QXgUSaSM_FFvKT0FAXsVGVGicReQjc-5RQvc785bzrC5/s320/IMG_8928crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile and Trowel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3AVYZNLqFlHCRbBSLa2_Lq4N9gnCI-d8y0vxygfiYIxcgXzvPi02BfJXtGF-NEhBtF0atsn4wwrikf0MEYsk0y6IHZ-IBoeOrRBYirYfwDMciKt10nl2cu6Rb8RNs2JoDLHEQDZCribY/s1600/IMG_8921crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3AVYZNLqFlHCRbBSLa2_Lq4N9gnCI-d8y0vxygfiYIxcgXzvPi02BfJXtGF-NEhBtF0atsn4wwrikf0MEYsk0y6IHZ-IBoeOrRBYirYfwDMciKt10nl2cu6Rb8RNs2JoDLHEQDZCribY/s320/IMG_8921crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trowel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With some nice looks at everything we decided to move on out of the area and do a little exploring before we needed to head for home. Weren't we excited to end our trip on yet another pair of whales. Touchdown and Ditto are still in the area! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPxwEfiP760uSWEx_cWNV_CQKBdGJEFO3E1ZRIW7ORo2OeuTguSP5WUHNTKkH6mCQewa7aPDIt3DhwcQRqDQ4Pyjep3ZI_tTOwANPps_6cEpemV3zSMAhlazhK54gVlAejKA5GQRjFdEV/s1600/IMG_8943crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPxwEfiP760uSWEx_cWNV_CQKBdGJEFO3E1ZRIW7ORo2OeuTguSP5WUHNTKkH6mCQewa7aPDIt3DhwcQRqDQ4Pyjep3ZI_tTOwANPps_6cEpemV3zSMAhlazhK54gVlAejKA5GQRjFdEV/s320/IMG_8943crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ditto</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nWAjYLftX_blDRY8Z3zw9UtjP62pi_P2L2Ef2K4vN6WZs-9ij0P3KZBg65KrKynH73ZzUc-_prAXMGgGUia9JslScGsvoWFuLy-nF1r-tXWHNlfiIb8XRxsWeARbr4u4Q8XyAtp2MtIr/s1600/IMG_8965crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nWAjYLftX_blDRY8Z3zw9UtjP62pi_P2L2Ef2K4vN6WZs-9ij0P3KZBg65KrKynH73ZzUc-_prAXMGgGUia9JslScGsvoWFuLy-nF1r-tXWHNlfiIb8XRxsWeARbr4u4Q8XyAtp2MtIr/s320/IMG_8965crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touchdown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These whales were on the move together as we were all very excited to see both of these whales still in our area (check out September 25 for the full story of these whales!). It was a great end to a very nice day full of whales.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8XXGPfZiI9gxLgxeHefPxgcqiIHJYjGyuwIaTdSSZxyFfwouEDu8J2I68DOuk3cJgdH-8FQrDVjbCEvPJ0xFtLaz0ryKI_CnhvAGRejaNdHKtKw_UQrGzCNlcPz7EksVojgLPj2GdXeE/s1600/IMG_8959crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8XXGPfZiI9gxLgxeHefPxgcqiIHJYjGyuwIaTdSSZxyFfwouEDu8J2I68DOuk3cJgdH-8FQrDVjbCEvPJ0xFtLaz0ryKI_CnhvAGRejaNdHKtKw_UQrGzCNlcPz7EksVojgLPj2GdXeE/s320/IMG_8959crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ditto and Touchdown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-59244424546100779052013-09-27T20:59:00.002-04:002013-09-27T20:59:57.735-04:00September 27 Granite StateOur trip today once again brought us to areas inshore of Jeffreys Ledge. It has certainly been a nice change of pace having so much whale life so close to home. Hopefully the trend continues! Today we saw 2 Minke whales, 2 Humpback whales and a Fin whale. Our two Humpback whales from the day were swimming around on their own and were Trowel and Nile. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidni_kDjMfA258xR9pvjSi1-3K-eWf-ueou9itR8_DfdSGzyWbW4e0k7QYi3AR0ZKx6pxmejOUgMHeh3VKj2BqcMpaV2KT0Gwn2dAXkkV6zwr-kwsRK7mptUii6ir1Rzc0gFee4RoJV29c/s1600/IMG_8727crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidni_kDjMfA258xR9pvjSi1-3K-eWf-ueou9itR8_DfdSGzyWbW4e0k7QYi3AR0ZKx6pxmejOUgMHeh3VKj2BqcMpaV2KT0Gwn2dAXkkV6zwr-kwsRK7mptUii6ir1Rzc0gFee4RoJV29c/s320/IMG_8727crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trowel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Both Trowel and Nile were slowly moving through the area, neither one of them seemingly going in any particular direction. Each of these sightings provided some very nice looks at these mammals. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOdqAgiIFRuuNEdz4dyX5EJ62UBn7J_G62oKnqM_Fb5TgssYg1t207Ob0yt8HIGdh9j_3ifAnM_xk8zOztZYV9YWHhsP46_mDmPkekI8SHxuWQYsR1339zR2_cQiRXSFQorBdEydlnFWJ/s1600/IMG_8771crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOdqAgiIFRuuNEdz4dyX5EJ62UBn7J_G62oKnqM_Fb5TgssYg1t207Ob0yt8HIGdh9j_3ifAnM_xk8zOztZYV9YWHhsP46_mDmPkekI8SHxuWQYsR1339zR2_cQiRXSFQorBdEydlnFWJ/s320/IMG_8771crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile coming in towards the boat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K7OR0mZd4DtI1HMS8YpV47nvROm2QrXYbDv3DyJqLjgt8RsnDWDUdXA5Re0hbjKzdnMYg95pX4zvRqaPKIMfyK0E0EQzplvnRjkBMAFFN-cdsfQh027rt1F6IY7NAfuhw3dFaclDXCV9/s1600/IMG_8752crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K7OR0mZd4DtI1HMS8YpV47nvROm2QrXYbDv3DyJqLjgt8RsnDWDUdXA5Re0hbjKzdnMYg95pX4zvRqaPKIMfyK0E0EQzplvnRjkBMAFFN-cdsfQh027rt1F6IY7NAfuhw3dFaclDXCV9/s320/IMG_8752crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Along with these whales we also had a couple of Minke whales swim past us before ending our trip on a Fin whale circling around the area. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRgWd8trQDXCh7R2q_AidH0BGLVODrPxzTVQaVxfsAzaUEmvXbtLbv-UGQ_q-wRmIKTO97GQT5caTg6u3SJstNSIsAsaQqD-_K0GgdPdFH_0WiRcnFVrxRy4TulFM6wTLnRwRHsHCKblx/s1600/IMG_8768crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRgWd8trQDXCh7R2q_AidH0BGLVODrPxzTVQaVxfsAzaUEmvXbtLbv-UGQ_q-wRmIKTO97GQT5caTg6u3SJstNSIsAsaQqD-_K0GgdPdFH_0WiRcnFVrxRy4TulFM6wTLnRwRHsHCKblx/s320/IMG_8768crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorsal fin from one of our Minke whales. We know this whale has been seen a handful of times this year due to its extremely uniquely shaped fin!</td></tr>
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We were even lucky enough to see a massive cloud at the surface left behind our Fin whale today. Quite a large bit of cetacean defecation! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcXgcOv2JS_gKlEXse4VJ9bkc-mYs__qKGSvsaiOm6LS5gI0-d2IXe3qnXRz31T74W-MPdqb9YzL6MhTtALs0NWinKaE38PSen2Mzz5BwLO5axaKq4Dhj5fhHe3vx6LYbGh5_mRUHB9iP/s1600/IMG_8806rop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcXgcOv2JS_gKlEXse4VJ9bkc-mYs__qKGSvsaiOm6LS5gI0-d2IXe3qnXRz31T74W-MPdqb9YzL6MhTtALs0NWinKaE38PSen2Mzz5BwLO5axaKq4Dhj5fhHe3vx6LYbGh5_mRUHB9iP/s320/IMG_8806rop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That colored cloud is Fin whale poop!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCMA0hUoY2DbFdybc2kjCUsuIwqZJT2QvwjB5evgTtZcrtrMAMKRCd8wgwEkD7sKQPQiIRq_uLtjUHkTIlp073cBoSYi-5ozyjY7GrV2q-93wrUVEexSqgRoG2aCt7RE7NIWSl-zPzIFQ/s1600/IMG_8809crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCMA0hUoY2DbFdybc2kjCUsuIwqZJT2QvwjB5evgTtZcrtrMAMKRCd8wgwEkD7sKQPQiIRq_uLtjUHkTIlp073cBoSYi-5ozyjY7GrV2q-93wrUVEexSqgRoG2aCt7RE7NIWSl-zPzIFQ/s320/IMG_8809crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whale defecation still dissipating at the surface</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These clouds are a great sign that this whale had recently been feeding and was just getting rid of lots of excess waste. Definitely not something you expect to see but a fun sighting regardless!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuLFndwDp-QPDBcQCi0p9RXYwtKKZUD7cDoGn8kBDgyDQmFcMpIkoIFVaHPFmHrLkA_h9kKaPzJc1SYktItWLGSFXC81We4lxkAOL2R-aL0QZQaAoJyizGn-g4FjI9nFuOXIDv7uyjbr3/s1600/IMG_8788crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuLFndwDp-QPDBcQCi0p9RXYwtKKZUD7cDoGn8kBDgyDQmFcMpIkoIFVaHPFmHrLkA_h9kKaPzJc1SYktItWLGSFXC81We4lxkAOL2R-aL0QZQaAoJyizGn-g4FjI9nFuOXIDv7uyjbr3/s320/IMG_8788crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale (above and below)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1L-3tfN03TPL28rSGD4Q7QOw4R0aSuzxpK8F3YPsZ4nq1-ZDxDH4xhXGUbRJfyBCmXxYUnoucRh2xv0xmok0rfKMEZvg8BBqFPXwxyfUsdOR-1NDSD0ofG9Wa8qgWWTz2SEy4yEFVT_G/s1600/IMG_8794crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1L-3tfN03TPL28rSGD4Q7QOw4R0aSuzxpK8F3YPsZ4nq1-ZDxDH4xhXGUbRJfyBCmXxYUnoucRh2xv0xmok0rfKMEZvg8BBqFPXwxyfUsdOR-1NDSD0ofG9Wa8qgWWTz2SEy4yEFVT_G/s320/IMG_8794crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Conditions are forecasted to be quite nice this weekend so hopefully that holds. Just make sure to bring some extra layers if you come on out. The fresh fall air certainly gets nice and cool when you find yourself miles and miles offshore!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82GVMhzK4XKxParpAREFsX5aRp_yGaXWN7lA2SNcRyY7lx9BFx4wmY5ubpI7EckN0As05v6aoUF_eAYM6ytrkOcdkWwssKVh2eBZsWR_h0OqgNiyao1XjBvUll3rervUp3ewGKoIIPjVi/s1600/IMG_8774crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82GVMhzK4XKxParpAREFsX5aRp_yGaXWN7lA2SNcRyY7lx9BFx4wmY5ubpI7EckN0As05v6aoUF_eAYM6ytrkOcdkWwssKVh2eBZsWR_h0OqgNiyao1XjBvUll3rervUp3ewGKoIIPjVi/s320/IMG_8774crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-83382252300424923492013-09-25T18:07:00.001-04:002013-09-25T18:07:23.095-04:00September 25 Granite StateThe cooler temperatures today certainly reminded us that Fall has officially arrived. While the air was cool and crisp the seas were calm and the area was once again filled with life. Among the 5 Minke whales spotted throughout our travels today we also spent some quality time with three different pairs of Humpback whales. Each pair of whales provided its own excitement for the day for if you continue you will soon see why...<br />
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Our first pair of the day were Cacophony and a new visitor to Jeffreys Ledge this season: Nile! Nile spent a lot (and I mean a lot!) of time further south of us this summer before she disappeared from every one's eyesight for a while. Low and behold she has turned up near us! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4IihcF2_c2pF0VjLGDHQ453mAEn_mXbRbXYgep9aLu31T7a7UVmMyW95aj64V8ijkkFwYlx5xDlYI6mtkKUT_b5jkvASyKc08WIq6AznnDBnySF1Plpidd6obsAOdj7GjBXaJ9qQBXKD/s1600/IMG_8580crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4IihcF2_c2pF0VjLGDHQ453mAEn_mXbRbXYgep9aLu31T7a7UVmMyW95aj64V8ijkkFwYlx5xDlYI6mtkKUT_b5jkvASyKc08WIq6AznnDBnySF1Plpidd6obsAOdj7GjBXaJ9qQBXKD/s320/IMG_8580crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile and Cacophony</td></tr>
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Nile spent some time on Jeffreys Ledge last year but had yet to come visit the area until now. What a great surprise!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2YwAUU7KPUk_Z2XSFwejb48Wsx4NiWClwIHKKbWFfZCtcUtjcemZ6hL54wAiFegQL8EpXmQ2pNloCYGrS-HDVuTRPF_-DyvcFeiknILaNQYcm8fGcxFKtLycYBCdIY08XZ2vf0ZsHjev/s1600/IMG_8595crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2YwAUU7KPUk_Z2XSFwejb48Wsx4NiWClwIHKKbWFfZCtcUtjcemZ6hL54wAiFegQL8EpXmQ2pNloCYGrS-HDVuTRPF_-DyvcFeiknILaNQYcm8fGcxFKtLycYBCdIY08XZ2vf0ZsHjev/s320/IMG_8595crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile</td></tr>
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Looks like she also decided to follow suit with many of the other whales we have been seeing recently for she, as well as Cacophony too, spent most of their time napping at the surface. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBefbQq6AdX1CT3VAyyW9zw0VHaHQUPS6ocbLSlCWevD_fMXXFRzqdUVfzt4dB0gg7dB0CpFe3jF3QWZa_I2VlNsjKRGKPZuioc0sgMay2TOmLQAZf0pLKqiv3UK_dYd4cL1SNWiKRm6Uk/s1600/IMG_8588crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBefbQq6AdX1CT3VAyyW9zw0VHaHQUPS6ocbLSlCWevD_fMXXFRzqdUVfzt4dB0gg7dB0CpFe3jF3QWZa_I2VlNsjKRGKPZuioc0sgMay2TOmLQAZf0pLKqiv3UK_dYd4cL1SNWiKRm6Uk/s320/IMG_8588crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nile and Cacophony's tail</td></tr>
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With the whales barely moving through the area we were able to get some great looks before allowing them to continue on with their day as we headed on to investigate another spout we saw in the distance. <br />
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Turns out there was another pair of Humpback whales in the area. Only instead of them being two adults like we spent time with earlier, it was Valley and her calf! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9pCi3GcQOVExodTQQL8KFXqwhjALSL0V-4ju4wrjXYhjXHhfLPvDysya0Ty7OL_7GpaGHp_h05VuNmLj9A5_vZa4H6DjzPvLUD5DiwgH9tdlwHlSqGeAkUqkpJk_JxcA_8eZ8SF4gtta/s1600/IMG_8642crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9pCi3GcQOVExodTQQL8KFXqwhjALSL0V-4ju4wrjXYhjXHhfLPvDysya0Ty7OL_7GpaGHp_h05VuNmLj9A5_vZa4H6DjzPvLUD5DiwgH9tdlwHlSqGeAkUqkpJk_JxcA_8eZ8SF4gtta/s320/IMG_8642crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvZT99rhi975akQ0wIf5qScL8yEgIsOGImdc1zB6Aup68T5bUklb6waPI35iuzj2ZSNjFeXo5msKTk4Qjgcknjhyphenhyphenfew_H5PF2CURwnbpzz1zEWxLWe2ZeQvuOoTY3MVRoGQT-dHMZpg9S/s1600/IMG_8614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvZT99rhi975akQ0wIf5qScL8yEgIsOGImdc1zB6Aup68T5bUklb6waPI35iuzj2ZSNjFeXo5msKTk4Qjgcknjhyphenhyphenfew_H5PF2CURwnbpzz1zEWxLWe2ZeQvuOoTY3MVRoGQT-dHMZpg9S/s320/IMG_8614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's large body while her calf's "tiny" body is visible close by Mom</td></tr>
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These two whales were mostly nursing but also took some time to nap along the water's edge. Valley even left a red cloud on the surface (whale poop!) for us to watch dissipate as this mother and her 1+ ton calf swam through the area. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUv6NRCUkNdA3_WXPPIWIWNEAIC1gBM_e2r5a-TMFthNAlsd2hiA9K1yWflJzVeyYgDxcLgWt2SdcGOEcXt1DAhz_fJi5kTnbBRoPX7QTWR6mWswFenN0vwukZYtS_TrINYQ-qpDS7PhK/s1600/IMG_8617crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUv6NRCUkNdA3_WXPPIWIWNEAIC1gBM_e2r5a-TMFthNAlsd2hiA9K1yWflJzVeyYgDxcLgWt2SdcGOEcXt1DAhz_fJi5kTnbBRoPX7QTWR6mWswFenN0vwukZYtS_TrINYQ-qpDS7PhK/s320/IMG_8617crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and her calf (Mom's body and the calf's head)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECTKhmjgxf4HyIzRZjErhJyx9Nh0tQdno6b8YznU7ieU6-cxIdd0Pbb5b_begxmIux7wcdGCc9Kl4h8PkWEIqaCOAx8fao_aW_am5hlrDa-qVH3HK3ioJiqOHWQYdiXU9P3RJcQK4aaC5/s1600/IMG_8630crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECTKhmjgxf4HyIzRZjErhJyx9Nh0tQdno6b8YznU7ieU6-cxIdd0Pbb5b_begxmIux7wcdGCc9Kl4h8PkWEIqaCOAx8fao_aW_am5hlrDa-qVH3HK3ioJiqOHWQYdiXU9P3RJcQK4aaC5/s320/IMG_8630crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's "big wings." Her large flippers (light patches seen extending out from her body) are flared out as she gets ready to go on a deeper dive</td></tr>
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With a bit more time on the water we decided to leave our current pair and check out a few more spouts our eagle-eyed crew had spotted out in the distance. Little did we know what we were about to find out.<br />
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Two more Humpback whales were nearby but their dorsal fins weren't recognizable with some of our recent visitors to the area. It wasn't until we saw their flukes (and did some searching through our catalog) did we discover just who these two whales were. Ditto and Touchdown were around Jeffreys Ledge!!! For most people these two whales are exciting enough as it is; aka. two more new visitors to the area this season. However it goes much, much, further than that. We on the Granite State love what we do (as our nerdy ocean-loving-selves typically portray on any given day) and these particular whales are true testaments to just that. Amazing moment #1 for the day: Touchdown was just seen by one of our crews members on September 6 off of Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, Canada! Who can say they have seen the EXACT same whale...in two different countries...all in one month?!?!? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNeSUmKVMzRIWOk8LDP5UhHOPbyn4R_NXuT1a4tB4K4JxArSLJjbZWAsexAmqiKG9JaOTaINWLqyA9lQOCElwNhKdEhzrRf80jd-IlyeM6jbztmMDmmKfxtVNeyXI_HjyZm-8KQHdZqXl/s1600/IMG_8702crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNeSUmKVMzRIWOk8LDP5UhHOPbyn4R_NXuT1a4tB4K4JxArSLJjbZWAsexAmqiKG9JaOTaINWLqyA9lQOCElwNhKdEhzrRf80jd-IlyeM6jbztmMDmmKfxtVNeyXI_HjyZm-8KQHdZqXl/s320/IMG_8702crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touchdown is certainly utilizing many of the productive feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine this season!</td></tr>
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What an amazing sighting! (And yes, I apologize for the complete nerd-factor coming to the forefront right now.) But seriously, a whale that hasn't been seen in our area for quite some time to suddenly make its presence known to the same set of eyes that had seen it all the way up in the Bay of Fundy just earlier this month? Incredible. And yet the incredibleness only continues. <br />
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Ditto, the companion seen with Touchdown, shares its own amazing bit of information. This particular whale hasn't been seen on Jeffreys Ledge since 1994!! That's 19 YEARS!!!!! And how do we know this?? Because one of our crew members has such a sponge of a memory for whale information that once a positive identity was determined for this whale, it was a complete flashback to years ago!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmEFuqvfMVQCbRDMdt9-8VeVXKnSxxeXxk2NQJAz9rdEhkkROdanzZjEQE_eYUGxha_9wpDi43-BYZRqBHWXjzuosuoBU7jXIT2FlhRLU1Rn2o426wVQZDRqeRJResKPqCK9NqGwyr8PA/s1600/IMG_8697crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmEFuqvfMVQCbRDMdt9-8VeVXKnSxxeXxk2NQJAz9rdEhkkROdanzZjEQE_eYUGxha_9wpDi43-BYZRqBHWXjzuosuoBU7jXIT2FlhRLU1Rn2o426wVQZDRqeRJResKPqCK9NqGwyr8PA/s320/IMG_8697crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome back to the area (just shy of 20 years!) Ditto!!!!</td></tr>
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Can you imagine after so many years of watching whales out of the blue (literally!) a whale from years, and years, and years ago is once again swimming through the area?!?!? Incredible moment #2 of the day.<br />
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We like to try and show our passengers all that we can while out whale watching and while we try to pass along our excitement and awe of any whale we see sometimes even we are taken aback unexpectedly. Each trip holds its own moments and memories for all on board but it was an extra "hats off" kind of day to the hard-working crew with their unbelievable and unimaginable moments the whales provided them today.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavj_pecwCi49beHd9WLbXYnyoMggGOCbyRBsbmTSn4yNLED_73OSdFNe-HHj2U9UWXiuMUkmtYn1QYlsvtVFchSrH7F7nVxhMckRBM0w0rN3-hWG_BfJCJjnzfWGRR62FdCeSCUr_PbhK/s1600/IMG_8592crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavj_pecwCi49beHd9WLbXYnyoMggGOCbyRBsbmTSn4yNLED_73OSdFNe-HHj2U9UWXiuMUkmtYn1QYlsvtVFchSrH7F7nVxhMckRBM0w0rN3-hWG_BfJCJjnzfWGRR62FdCeSCUr_PbhK/s320/IMG_8592crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-88902440359025779622013-09-22T17:25:00.001-04:002013-09-22T17:25:08.176-04:00September 22 Captain's Lady IIIHappy Autumnal Equinox! This morning's rain didn't scare everyone away so we headed out in search of whales amongst the seas and swells. Our first whale sighting was a fin whale- possibly #9619- although it was being a bit aloof and and not making it easy for us to get good looks. In the same area were a couple other fin whales and some minke whales! So we took a few looks at them as well. One of the fin whale was a bit more cooperative and stayed up for a dozen breaths giving us great views of its pretty chevron pattern behind the blowholes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihieawlJTbN3fQiOPfwFDZOaM8J8aLDDGXm_0FfMB7fj8o-CMi4bZt6ZZ4-Upgo03MbTrdHasMCknq01pz_VH8VluFGFQW1e5WUFN2ldOmZ4oSQY3ORxjQt0H7Qsscr5ia3P4netWD8h4/s1600/Bp+chev+IMG_0808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihieawlJTbN3fQiOPfwFDZOaM8J8aLDDGXm_0FfMB7fj8o-CMi4bZt6ZZ4-Upgo03MbTrdHasMCknq01pz_VH8VluFGFQW1e5WUFN2ldOmZ4oSQY3ORxjQt0H7Qsscr5ia3P4netWD8h4/s320/Bp+chev+IMG_0808.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale chevron</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryJbuJFaVn9vsMex6cUg_ePfmnnGPKySaBFrJzZkfsekiFDLtJZMFgtlnEIUUph7TLf6Igwt0b0rJ4mp5jJlkr2Nf3c3J7GWnPRJ4x-ra1dyyqAXrkhG9go_afuA2vyyM_JU1rO3Y-k0/s1600/Bp+dor+IMG_0815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryJbuJFaVn9vsMex6cUg_ePfmnnGPKySaBFrJzZkfsekiFDLtJZMFgtlnEIUUph7TLf6Igwt0b0rJ4mp5jJlkr2Nf3c3J7GWnPRJ4x-ra1dyyqAXrkhG9go_afuA2vyyM_JU1rO3Y-k0/s320/Bp+dor+IMG_0815.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale dorsal fin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1OUgR0G9nkt-9zWB_cA9oRUnxs0MQQdcvvxvbDbsy4ihtqDJtkwh6slUziDnpWAjM1i24PzZvYzabyUJ3I3J_nfZc21VHT9gUlSt-Ds_Ckq-wPjj3KN64IDyEOASYe5FfzQ6FMGOhpk/s1600/Bp+IMG_0797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1OUgR0G9nkt-9zWB_cA9oRUnxs0MQQdcvvxvbDbsy4ihtqDJtkwh6slUziDnpWAjM1i24PzZvYzabyUJ3I3J_nfZc21VHT9gUlSt-Ds_Ckq-wPjj3KN64IDyEOASYe5FfzQ6FMGOhpk/s320/Bp+IMG_0797.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another fin whale!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUdKf7ZcS1X5-6iS9HKolafVDnWEjEfGkza50rnqVyeiiFLEzbc4XbkbiOCl2i__eOm-WdarpXVPkbNKYYnjX25spa1f5GMb3b2qVJtrJ71o-f4o97BVfRUHfYsxyhfw78JEWgqSXJSM/s1600/Bp+spout+IMG_0802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUdKf7ZcS1X5-6iS9HKolafVDnWEjEfGkza50rnqVyeiiFLEzbc4XbkbiOCl2i__eOm-WdarpXVPkbNKYYnjX25spa1f5GMb3b2qVJtrJ71o-f4o97BVfRUHfYsxyhfw78JEWgqSXJSM/s320/Bp+spout+IMG_0802.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale tall spout</td></tr>
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We spotted another spout in the distance so we headed over to check it out. This was a humpback whale named Cacophony! Cacophony was only staying up for a few breaths before diving but the underwater times were short so we got several great looks!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4riKO4cfreGQo3ZyzEkHrF-vl4YspIUtBrv5W8hMos2nnxTHHN73HvCQgo4SdibKYYN6rb4UMU9Kpp__JiS6Hu8WjwZjXZakMRsLgCWr3mHtQFOrOh1Qv9Sr6XHzPuaPz5s3TeqUtYE/s1600/Cacophony+IMG_0829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4riKO4cfreGQo3ZyzEkHrF-vl4YspIUtBrv5W8hMos2nnxTHHN73HvCQgo4SdibKYYN6rb4UMU9Kpp__JiS6Hu8WjwZjXZakMRsLgCWr3mHtQFOrOh1Qv9Sr6XHzPuaPz5s3TeqUtYE/s320/Cacophony+IMG_0829.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cacophony's "noisy" flukes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI0LBVRNc830UXPn7njoDxbL61AIdroeTwVfnw40-8g756XT50b6n0hmnIOSygjGixnMfCqH-zRq4DNhogayg8d-YiVbNjgR-MdRhBtc6K9sLTx56eMtKnO-ggt0244ZfCWvAj2WdvzI/s1600/Cacophony+IMG_0835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI0LBVRNc830UXPn7njoDxbL61AIdroeTwVfnw40-8g756XT50b6n0hmnIOSygjGixnMfCqH-zRq4DNhogayg8d-YiVbNjgR-MdRhBtc6K9sLTx56eMtKnO-ggt0244ZfCWvAj2WdvzI/s320/Cacophony+IMG_0835.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpback dorsal fin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DjBysEaWhShnEHjNM37E2Eg34WKIpHEDpQFOIsoI7AvDuorEwjdqPidoYXxeRyQzJhWNEPewwl4L_I82A6M2wvLhMGWENuEmmdJozDdYcOchg57iQxfhIEfrO-1734eMdJKKApYRYjY/s1600/Cacophony+IMG_0844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DjBysEaWhShnEHjNM37E2Eg34WKIpHEDpQFOIsoI7AvDuorEwjdqPidoYXxeRyQzJhWNEPewwl4L_I82A6M2wvLhMGWENuEmmdJozDdYcOchg57iQxfhIEfrO-1734eMdJKKApYRYjY/s320/Cacophony+IMG_0844.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going for a deep dive</td></tr>
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Amongst the whales we also found a few harbor seals for a fun added bonus! Certainly a great way to spend the first day of fall!<br />
<br />
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<br />Dianna Schulte, Blue Ocean Society Director of Researchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16353989807727727929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-22296669361649799782013-09-21T20:52:00.001-04:002013-09-21T20:57:09.694-04:00September 21 Atlantic QueenAnother great day on the water! Well, it was a little bumpy, but sunny, and there was plenty to look at!<br />
<br />
We got to see 4 humpbacks today. Especially exciting was spending time with Valley and her calf! At first, the calf did some lobtailing and even a tail breach!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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We then moved on to see Patches and Cacophony (sorry, I
misidentified this pair on the first go-around!). They spent a fair
amount of time at the surface, with Cacaphony doing lots of tail rises
and a couple lower flukes. Interestingly, Cacophony was seen with
Valley around this time last year (see the post here:
http://whalesightings.blogspot.com/2012/09/september-9-prince-of-whales.html). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cacophony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patches</td></tr>
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We then went back to get some great looks at Valley and her calf - at
one point, they fluked simultaneously. Sometimes calves never fluke, and
to see one fluke at the same time as its mom was very special!<br />
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We then decided to check out one more area before we headed back to Rye, and were surrounded by 3 marine mammal species! We first spotted a fin whale - Fjord! Fjord is one of our <br />
adoptable whales and a frequent visitor to the area. It was difficult to get a good look at him, but we saw him a few times, along with blows from another fin whale in the area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Fjord</u></td></tr>
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Once while we were waiting for Fjord to resurface, a harbor seal popped up! As we were watching the seal, a minke whale cruised by! We ended up seeing another minke and 2 more seals in that area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW_FHyg2joNq3uhFE5MsbEZJ6XBmWfENBuUreAdI1CTjYD5uUI6b6LdaKJOqEOepBXZsQk_0a8Z-ymaBbAEQEqvIqjUj3NLM2RGGAecHGM1QrWgckJy1PJlBCH1V9gvUqrzShU6jb-1M/s1600/IMG_5198.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW_FHyg2joNq3uhFE5MsbEZJ6XBmWfENBuUreAdI1CTjYD5uUI6b6LdaKJOqEOepBXZsQk_0a8Z-ymaBbAEQEqvIqjUj3NLM2RGGAecHGM1QrWgckJy1PJlBCH1V9gvUqrzShU6jb-1M/s320/IMG_5198.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Eventually, it was time to head home after another fun day on the water. Thanks to all who joined us!<br />
<br />
<b>Keep in touch!</b>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/blueoceansociety">Become a Fan on Facebook</a> || <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BlueOceanSoc">Follow Us On Twitter</a>Jen Kennedy, Blue Ocean Society Exec. Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04776607537381206071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-3938859905415720852013-09-21T20:22:00.000-04:002013-09-21T20:22:13.988-04:00September 21 Granite StateThe wind certainly did a good job making some wave action this afternoon. The extra rocking and rolling (and occasional spray; sorry to those of you who got a bit of salt water coming your way!) made for some extra excitement as we headed offshore today. Luckily whales, no matter what the conditions, still need to come to the surface to breath air and with plenty of whales around we had no problem getting some great looks at multiple species.<br />
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Our first whale of the day was a Fin whale. As this whale swam on through the area it wasn't until this animal went on a deeper dive were we excited to see who it was. Fjord was close by! This whale has such a distinctive dorsal fin and has been seen so many times over the years on Jeffreys Ledge it was another wonderful chance to capture this whale still swimming around the area. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2bIjS-2FOJPZu91mh0btCSxZGeiVO0rATW0pz70WhNLFKM8qnA8K5VskH9k2VI_maR6XrY_YLvzw3-dR_mRClgNJpIfxUgVIx1rt-qTWdiKU2l2mESm9XcLsMveZjLzsW924bOypqQ-D/s1600/IMG_8391crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2bIjS-2FOJPZu91mh0btCSxZGeiVO0rATW0pz70WhNLFKM8qnA8K5VskH9k2VI_maR6XrY_YLvzw3-dR_mRClgNJpIfxUgVIx1rt-qTWdiKU2l2mESm9XcLsMveZjLzsW924bOypqQ-D/s320/IMG_8391crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fjord!</td></tr>
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We ventured further offshore, stopped to check out a couple more Fin whales that were being a little more unpredictable in their movements, before coming across a pair of Humpback whales.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMMfS44A_OVGedKj8H9nZskzssJ6XH3dG8LbHMBetPj0xQpaUoNrp7P9WrFa9qjm8UnB9N9ArNfvma2TZbyOqP2gkUIPB1a2URxT7qZgR6jagev-q0jKuBCquU5G5yWYguxaIu56CXs3-/s1600/IMG_8410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMMfS44A_OVGedKj8H9nZskzssJ6XH3dG8LbHMBetPj0xQpaUoNrp7P9WrFa9qjm8UnB9N9ArNfvma2TZbyOqP2gkUIPB1a2URxT7qZgR6jagev-q0jKuBCquU5G5yWYguxaIu56CXs3-/s320/IMG_8410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpback whale calf (left) and mom (right)</td></tr>
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It was Valley and her calf. These whales are also still spending time around Jeffreys Ledge! Today we got the chance to watch the calf change its behaviors from nursing, to napping, and back again to more nursing. Basically pretty much what all young critters like to do!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4knjnwqIo47K3Sk23CcbI-Cs41v8eb8xIz3DQQhu9Dlgst1an81DbNY82mnnd8uKQDP0o1jo8lLeOjyyMqoGdsJ5PPLzcEXzPVCrAkLNQxdX4EEZU_xqtv3qWzDf14q338JMyc26XKOXc/s1600/IMG_8469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4knjnwqIo47K3Sk23CcbI-Cs41v8eb8xIz3DQQhu9Dlgst1an81DbNY82mnnd8uKQDP0o1jo8lLeOjyyMqoGdsJ5PPLzcEXzPVCrAkLNQxdX4EEZU_xqtv3qWzDf14q338JMyc26XKOXc/s320/IMG_8469.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley (foreground) and her calf swimming just past the boat!</td></tr>
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Watching a mother and calf pair never gets old, and today was no exception, as seeing any young creature stay tight to and even try to catch up to mom is incredible even when it all happens in the water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVFU6C91gSuBas9Du71ZrogGyAvM6aLoaLtnr-T524IAyVL4KhnjdYI7o6lqCndHVbfadfhdRoMpLGoSrrWPW6__J-gGDkwI8gZj1hWhwGF2RgZG5IjzA0Pz-m3mepagc53ypcGKZojlO/s1600/IMG_8487crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVFU6C91gSuBas9Du71ZrogGyAvM6aLoaLtnr-T524IAyVL4KhnjdYI7o6lqCndHVbfadfhdRoMpLGoSrrWPW6__J-gGDkwI8gZj1hWhwGF2RgZG5IjzA0Pz-m3mepagc53ypcGKZojlO/s320/IMG_8487crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf holding its tail above the waterline as it awkwardly "wobbled" in the air for a few moments</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqUJNYr88E2M5yRB7aW0MGqnwKVa36Ga5KNrQxh0jLNPC_VRoRe9BjTh3S8P5EtgnzqChBLTmj4fyKcWXTmP69S8YykL_XCintZgTXs7GVu_DnjdExCXxwzz2hOKXWNmE8KVZm-0CJI7M/s1600/IMG_8423crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqUJNYr88E2M5yRB7aW0MGqnwKVa36Ga5KNrQxh0jLNPC_VRoRe9BjTh3S8P5EtgnzqChBLTmj4fyKcWXTmP69S8YykL_XCintZgTXs7GVu_DnjdExCXxwzz2hOKXWNmE8KVZm-0CJI7M/s320/IMG_8423crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's tail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAC4uCkFhVgxndQ4aqE8M1gHgg9m4rc8zHvf1U6zSyCIqQkzXarrZTzTt4fLlVAXCDuNzonUbB5WNTfEWfCAQZz1uTPWYgcEb6vi2siRecEr9u_0NJJ65XYCHAWsp__vSVBF9l1E5ugGTn/s1600/IMG_8420crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAC4uCkFhVgxndQ4aqE8M1gHgg9m4rc8zHvf1U6zSyCIqQkzXarrZTzTt4fLlVAXCDuNzonUbB5WNTfEWfCAQZz1uTPWYgcEb6vi2siRecEr9u_0NJJ65XYCHAWsp__vSVBF9l1E5ugGTn/s320/IMG_8420crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to be just like Mom. Valley and her calf in the process of going on a deeper dive</td></tr>
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During our time watching this Humpback whale pair we even saw a Minke whale pass on through the area. It was crashing through the waves as it was swimming against the wind making it much easier to keep track of this whale as it travelled on by us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixko6u8KM5QweMx68m9X2jmap-VrA17mHchJl6ty2jJg8BXnoieA8EueDyIUr41-fddf6mM3aFLgECH_tkMl5Cda22vJbfNWIZQHU9nk51r2vE4D15f3ok1dtdM3bCNvnHTGpQF0OHoNpd/s1600/IMG_8456crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixko6u8KM5QweMx68m9X2jmap-VrA17mHchJl6ty2jJg8BXnoieA8EueDyIUr41-fddf6mM3aFLgECH_tkMl5Cda22vJbfNWIZQHU9nk51r2vE4D15f3ok1dtdM3bCNvnHTGpQF0OHoNpd/s320/IMG_8456crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minke whale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before heading for home we went and checked out one other pair of whales not too far away. It was Patches and Cacophony the Humpback whales.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKdFYQ3RFQQip6gy0TRTsjGSecPlBB9BRCx61LUss_ZZu5H8ravJe6WR_VVmEbhhAyga3wE1k-5FITFyUXLKuMxjDbV9igVcHyOD3x0m155lCagMGNGK4c_7M08w-I-Dcz2rHcZxoC40X/s1600/IMG_8539crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKdFYQ3RFQQip6gy0TRTsjGSecPlBB9BRCx61LUss_ZZu5H8ravJe6WR_VVmEbhhAyga3wE1k-5FITFyUXLKuMxjDbV9igVcHyOD3x0m155lCagMGNGK4c_7M08w-I-Dcz2rHcZxoC40X/s320/IMG_8539crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patches</td></tr>
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Looks like the associations have changed within the past 24hrs (as is very typical for baleen whales) as these two adult whales were now synchronizing their movements through the water together. What a nice way to end a nice day of whale watching.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fXlkLkKmi0lM7mBv3bcFZGq-O3wu1dy3BhJw63MOhWdQ4fJbyoNA4LUxWbqE7QCeGyjrCTSkJ8nfkhlGgI-sOqV2uJAQwSvBDDfFcoOkm_Cw6SO76OOn57wBorJjPX2SsW5En2-M-n-r/s1600/IMG_8548crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fXlkLkKmi0lM7mBv3bcFZGq-O3wu1dy3BhJw63MOhWdQ4fJbyoNA4LUxWbqE7QCeGyjrCTSkJ8nfkhlGgI-sOqV2uJAQwSvBDDfFcoOkm_Cw6SO76OOn57wBorJjPX2SsW5En2-M-n-r/s320/IMG_8548crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patches and Cacophony swimming side by side</td></tr>
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<br />
<strong>Keep in touch!</strong>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/blueoceansociety">Become a Fan on Facebook</a> || <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BlueOceanSoc">Follow Us On Twitter</a><br />
<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-10429992962759940202013-09-21T11:23:00.000-04:002013-09-21T11:23:19.409-04:00September 20 Granite StateIt was a picture perfect day: calm seas, sunny skies and plenty of whales around to watch. 4 Fin whales, 5 Humpback whales, 8 Minke whales and a handful of Harbor seals and a Gray seal rounded out the plethora of life offshore today.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNUGARfs90nWlWSLPDnwkxBLdU89SFaDSvNJkFwes31yv84HNtC-UUcmOhan3F7nhUt0GREJeW7rw7d70uBFa8dbiMoI0rnIk-ULx-aZmCvrlx-yWc165yl37dFf1V4tnhALc33_c_I81/s1600/IMG_8172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNUGARfs90nWlWSLPDnwkxBLdU89SFaDSvNJkFwes31yv84HNtC-UUcmOhan3F7nhUt0GREJeW7rw7d70uBFa8dbiMoI0rnIk-ULx-aZmCvrlx-yWc165yl37dFf1V4tnhALc33_c_I81/s320/IMG_8172.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale swimming through the flat calm ocean</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3SMxZsEH5pTjihtl-eoPdNh6fuIDFyUf-HqHht_Gl3ig_LS92vNqdvYhlCpdjudLNwb-Kb72pHE6Wf_a2BAcBtESPeTfNd3Qob5uDNgGVQ93XsD1kw7hloO_4mGPZOymDrrZZxbb8UtM/s1600/IMG_8207crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3SMxZsEH5pTjihtl-eoPdNh6fuIDFyUf-HqHht_Gl3ig_LS92vNqdvYhlCpdjudLNwb-Kb72pHE6Wf_a2BAcBtESPeTfNd3Qob5uDNgGVQ93XsD1kw7hloO_4mGPZOymDrrZZxbb8UtM/s320/IMG_8207crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone was out on such a beautiful day. Fin whale going on a deeper dive while a fishing boat hauls up its gear</td></tr>
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Many of the whales we saw were either slowly moving through the area or just circling around allowing for some quality time spent with so many species. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c75qn1fbkxk68FDz5-8o8P4jc54VUbd4MvExzOzQcmvlFuDR7IGIqVq-UCBbvjv7zu4bE4EG3troFFq0ytj7us8aeM_mx2AUU22QAEx3_mi8goruh9HSPB1D4n5gRh4o6miecjYlwRfS/s1600/IMG_8239crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c75qn1fbkxk68FDz5-8o8P4jc54VUbd4MvExzOzQcmvlFuDR7IGIqVq-UCBbvjv7zu4bE4EG3troFFq0ytj7us8aeM_mx2AUU22QAEx3_mi8goruh9HSPB1D4n5gRh4o6miecjYlwRfS/s320/IMG_8239crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a distinctive dorsal fin on this Minke whale (so distinctive we know we've seen this whale multiple times this year!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvb7nbEpBirrsQPAKiFlLHkXryDclQUsJeuq4-IewV7MouDp7buzD0WSUykW3x585xZ9sAgpWsA3LW8VaZr1s4XkuMRKRgAFUlZEMyrp8lPfe4YTpZzNCLBSHyWxwAfEaOiEMHyS9SxEz/s1600/IMG_8194crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvb7nbEpBirrsQPAKiFlLHkXryDclQUsJeuq4-IewV7MouDp7buzD0WSUykW3x585xZ9sAgpWsA3LW8VaZr1s4XkuMRKRgAFUlZEMyrp8lPfe4YTpZzNCLBSHyWxwAfEaOiEMHyS9SxEz/s320/IMG_8194crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Fin whale of the day (above and below) showing us so much of its enormous body! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNe3ELwYumWs9GYKdgBgo521UEvfi2rfru3XbW8a2MHADPHCXZP1AKVc7t_lxIJNWvllgoW9h0C4Hjf-IkXKnNC0qFXp5cbdyQEafOk1fT2qZYIOhKvn4JNUdeDOX9fXD8o4nmtaFxja7/s1600/IMG_8202crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNe3ELwYumWs9GYKdgBgo521UEvfi2rfru3XbW8a2MHADPHCXZP1AKVc7t_lxIJNWvllgoW9h0C4Hjf-IkXKnNC0qFXp5cbdyQEafOk1fT2qZYIOhKvn4JNUdeDOX9fXD8o4nmtaFxja7/s320/IMG_8202crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Some whales were so relaxed they were actually napping at the surface just hovering along on the water's edge. This was the case with most of the Humpback whales we spent time with. Our first Humpback whale was a new sighting for us this season. Trowel is once again in our neck of the ocean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHIa5J11qISm0WGGihJ37uW9Kq4YZ3Co81KUXdBFvDwkOl5xpzdph8jFRT8SCxtUSRncfSvfaBv9261GuQDxf4XMuhQk36aA5p2uHJs3Ef9Xdmg99BCM2dDcHW4uTWN3m9iGfZAToAXBD/s1600/IMG_8221crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHIa5J11qISm0WGGihJ37uW9Kq4YZ3Co81KUXdBFvDwkOl5xpzdph8jFRT8SCxtUSRncfSvfaBv9261GuQDxf4XMuhQk36aA5p2uHJs3Ef9Xdmg99BCM2dDcHW4uTWN3m9iGfZAToAXBD/s320/IMG_8221crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trowel above and below</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGj9HR4oxjx0xWNrbBwcBmCcEvIZMPJdh7oq5j5Lx96v23g60mEKUsJD-TlF8omNSxz6tM6qU6J2_PRXR_BMGlQRwxxnQUKnJAVk5RG2xfFn66XQlPDTIs0k46mW-2NbwwB30cOVougD5Q/s1600/IMG_8228crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGj9HR4oxjx0xWNrbBwcBmCcEvIZMPJdh7oq5j5Lx96v23g60mEKUsJD-TlF8omNSxz6tM6qU6J2_PRXR_BMGlQRwxxnQUKnJAVk5RG2xfFn66XQlPDTIs0k46mW-2NbwwB30cOVougD5Q/s320/IMG_8228crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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We saw this whale last year but have yet to have any sightings of this animal this year so it was a nice surprise to find Trowel moving through the area. We even got a chance to spend a little bit of time with Patches before ending our trip with a trio of napping whales.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVliRYxGWNfh6qG5yd_OtSUkEdllkwu7ckFqC8j-s_hEqLV6DVtFTB2yFXulHtun7AuKOs0LerdDZ1OgQpGJzUi0MW9d5eswcfLaQuBdZLemu6SJeDiIYY4GEvkBluYRMHJXtYK7VLGzM/s1600/IMG_8366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVliRYxGWNfh6qG5yd_OtSUkEdllkwu7ckFqC8j-s_hEqLV6DVtFTB2yFXulHtun7AuKOs0LerdDZ1OgQpGJzUi0MW9d5eswcfLaQuBdZLemu6SJeDiIYY4GEvkBluYRMHJXtYK7VLGzM/s320/IMG_8366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpback whales slowly gliding past us</td></tr>
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Valley, her calf, and Cacophony were not only still moving around the ocean together (we saw this same trio yesterday!) they were all resting. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjBukVyQOBaZ8dY85BXdmQp3LYa6CnFWyvTDhv8aVNJ7hcZfKOXmFu_k-H1Ixsg8L7iPfj07hw8HRFWQeBmyothFKy2O37xzxaQVWU_DT7D9woAabRPbrS7XOhitvqEKdlCJRpBOJ0MeO/s1600/IMG_8326crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjBukVyQOBaZ8dY85BXdmQp3LYa6CnFWyvTDhv8aVNJ7hcZfKOXmFu_k-H1Ixsg8L7iPfj07hw8HRFWQeBmyothFKy2O37xzxaQVWU_DT7D9woAabRPbrS7XOhitvqEKdlCJRpBOJ0MeO/s320/IMG_8326crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trio of Humpback whales resting at the surface</td></tr>
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With such minimal movements we could just sit there with our engines shut off giving us some incredible looks at the "small" calf and two adult whales. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv03Z2nAibTfhoS8kf11_NxkY8oDLBGM-fwroe380kWtiI-kMq0J9n4wAKEIM-0zlw7SoFFCThMqczWw5an64qUFJzvnJl0dOLhJkzdD2vi1FQyq7tdosQzxxX1qMAH8QQqw9ACrrASIP/s1600/IMG_8323crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv03Z2nAibTfhoS8kf11_NxkY8oDLBGM-fwroe380kWtiI-kMq0J9n4wAKEIM-0zlw7SoFFCThMqczWw5an64qUFJzvnJl0dOLhJkzdD2vi1FQyq7tdosQzxxX1qMAH8QQqw9ACrrASIP/s320/IMG_8323crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley and her calf (Valley has the rounded/almost lack of dorsal fin on her back)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpugN-GTVNrF-9yMKcsikNGt2Fn8kiM1WFg70qGYcxJ86V2ceTXtBCZzeZxwQP6IuE5Bl4gB1bmMeABW0aBwLsZEd8y_zH5adjTu0ErFY7oJn_WSYsPZYsjoIm-BKoKUZE2v6nS0u5hOQ/s1600/IMG_8294crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpugN-GTVNrF-9yMKcsikNGt2Fn8kiM1WFg70qGYcxJ86V2ceTXtBCZzeZxwQP6IuE5Bl4gB1bmMeABW0aBwLsZEd8y_zH5adjTu0ErFY7oJn_WSYsPZYsjoIm-BKoKUZE2v6nS0u5hOQ/s320/IMG_8294crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o3jC7mbp65aJOFJq83UAxMGf0IDIc5jzvnRLu1_lpJe8z5eTd0L33Ho7UhiGD8lzZWYPN3WstrFiJivdrM-X-w8NyD-Yj-fLQvbOrXQ6y7oZ6dv0l-ormIM3tDwhBKUd_XHenY4HFIgX/s1600/IMG_8303crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o3jC7mbp65aJOFJq83UAxMGf0IDIc5jzvnRLu1_lpJe8z5eTd0L33Ho7UhiGD8lzZWYPN3WstrFiJivdrM-X-w8NyD-Yj-fLQvbOrXQ6y7oZ6dv0l-ormIM3tDwhBKUd_XHenY4HFIgX/s320/IMG_8303crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cacophony</td></tr>
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All in all a wonderful day out on the water gazing at some incredible creatures.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwtwHmYk28t8otGgekSV0FL3wWFsl3H7afvstQutpx36AVB-Wk0hFwzvK_yKfvEciBoewCYymPF4SSn6oGW56ZpW0_HfFHYDptugC01Fk3mxpIRAR4R_-8GIDnMbD4nvzfbIXlBSnt-rS/s1600/IMG_8356crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwtwHmYk28t8otGgekSV0FL3wWFsl3H7afvstQutpx36AVB-Wk0hFwzvK_yKfvEciBoewCYymPF4SSn6oGW56ZpW0_HfFHYDptugC01Fk3mxpIRAR4R_-8GIDnMbD4nvzfbIXlBSnt-rS/s320/IMG_8356crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley's calf waking up to poke its nose above the water</td></tr>
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<br />Melanie White, Granite State Naturalist/Deckhand and Blue Ocean Society Research Associatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08373999489532509016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-38145289838678123152013-09-18T23:48:00.000-04:002013-09-18T23:48:03.019-04:00September 15 Atlantic QueenAnother beautiful day out on the water on Sunday. We didn't have to travel very far to come across some whale activity. We first passed a small pod of harbor porpoise and a group of Northern gannets diving from the sky into the water in search of fish. It was a spectacular sight, and not one I see very often out in the Gulf of Maine.<br />
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We then traveled a little further past the Isles of Shoals and came across a pair of humpback whales. It was Pina and Victim logging at the surface for almost 40 minutes. Luckily Victim was more awake than our previous sighting that week, and passengers were able to see the markings on the underside of her tail and the missing section on her right fluke. Victim was also doing some tail rises under the surface. We were so close that you could see the fluke through the water!<br />
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Pina was just as active, and kept lifting her head just to the surface. She also had a few dives and showed her fluke pattern to passengers. In the midst of the sleeping whales we also saw a small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins swimming by.<br />
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After spending time with the humpback whale pair we decided to head a little south in search of some fin whales. We did find a fin whale, but it wasn't spending much time at the surface and we had a report of another further south and decided to make our way over. On the way we passed three minke whales! So much activity on the water on Sunday. WE finally came across a fin whale who gave us some great looks before heading back into Rye Harbor.<br />
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<br />Abigailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522211780987698044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-26901541323278414172013-09-18T10:56:00.002-04:002013-09-18T10:56:12.763-04:00September 17 Granite StateWhat started off as a pretty wet and wild ride turned into an awesome day. We left the harbor, expecting the forecast to hold true and that the wind would rapidly diminish, but as we took wave after wave over the bow, we realized that wasn't going to be the case. Luckily our group of students from Vermont was flexible and we were able to duck into calm Gosport Harbor at the Isles of Shoals for lunch and a respite (and some education). After a bit, the seas did appear to calm so we headed back out in search of whales.<br />
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In no time at all we spotted our first blow. Then a second blow! We found two humpback whales who were spending a lot of time riding the roller coaster of waves- just laying at the surface and taking relatively short dives!<br />
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This pair was Victim and Pina once again! The waves seemed to play a part in their diving behavior as sometimes they would disappear without any sign of diving, while other times they would raise their flukes really high out of the water!<br />
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Such a great day with a great bunch of students. Thanks for all the great, insightful questions and the hearty, sea-loving attitudes!<br /><br /><br />
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<br />Dianna Schulte, Blue Ocean Society Director of Researchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16353989807727727929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-36787491804788041632013-09-16T20:58:00.000-04:002013-09-16T20:58:04.077-04:00September 16 Captain's Lady<br />
In spite of a few sprinkles as we were boarding, we ended up with a very nice pelagic bird and whale watch. We left the Merrimack River and passed by several harbor seals on the way. Near the ledge, we slowed down for a tuna fleet and found a shy minke whale, and a fin whale on a mission. We didn't spend much time with these less-than-cooperative whales and instead, continued on. We got to the area where whales had been seen just yesterday but it seems the whale decided to move on. Soon we got a call from some other whale seekers in the area and headed down to check out the fin whales they had found. <br />
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To our surprise, we found Dingle hanging out with a yet-to-be-ID'ed whale along with a pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins! We got some amazing looks at these huge whales while the dolphins were playing around near them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqXGyoN3sBTfpat3UN17XPabe1Gz8y5DNwRO7aQMpROf9IIcqGocL-bL8M0qYxOAv3zzFghQgffT9f1uaZjLCVmswYXbRyl__DYCHV5lAtByzzrPb6EIqvI7cU0qAyb7u7Q4IBiS50xk/s1600/Dingle+IMG_0693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqXGyoN3sBTfpat3UN17XPabe1Gz8y5DNwRO7aQMpROf9IIcqGocL-bL8M0qYxOAv3zzFghQgffT9f1uaZjLCVmswYXbRyl__DYCHV5lAtByzzrPb6EIqvI7cU0qAyb7u7Q4IBiS50xk/s320/Dingle+IMG_0693.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingle, the fin whale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzV-iP9Sd6mpmC67bOkNlKaNkWYmS5PLwFTI2-7N7yv5yW4jGBgFmmbRTGJbOGK7RnFiEKgWQKtUBvhwSRLHfz4FuqfW9S8tsRriR6G7wQlGcoq2ZFozIaS_HjOpYeg8xegFGV5F20ZtU/s1600/Dingle+chevron+IMG_0690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzV-iP9Sd6mpmC67bOkNlKaNkWYmS5PLwFTI2-7N7yv5yW4jGBgFmmbRTGJbOGK7RnFiEKgWQKtUBvhwSRLHfz4FuqfW9S8tsRriR6G7wQlGcoq2ZFozIaS_HjOpYeg8xegFGV5F20ZtU/s320/Dingle+chevron+IMG_0690.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingle's unique markings</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarvHgw7a0QSLX-YYpAYu3ttzJ7NF62sGg-SA1kwblQjzF6DWQM0L7n5t7kLVgRcVaGcpaJr3qNIiE8uxbQl3vZxEDYqBeesIuiOvObblo4EX03ljjC2CFZmke0dBBRyZJtDLhMscTT4A/s1600/Dingle+w+lags+IMG_0564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarvHgw7a0QSLX-YYpAYu3ttzJ7NF62sGg-SA1kwblQjzF6DWQM0L7n5t7kLVgRcVaGcpaJr3qNIiE8uxbQl3vZxEDYqBeesIuiOvObblo4EX03ljjC2CFZmke0dBBRyZJtDLhMscTT4A/s320/Dingle+w+lags+IMG_0564.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingle with dolphins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NNLg5m8Wb16IOA1UUrA9lavKbp7S4W2I7WkcsaXWJBYNYFDHuModrCVTUrCp8uENFPtqeb7axZvzpjImuB-PygNBZCFcxVEmDL1JmnE24FN2IvHISLMqs9Y1yPhkGYJ6mVDW2KwjSLg/s1600/Dingle+w+lags+IMG_0683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NNLg5m8Wb16IOA1UUrA9lavKbp7S4W2I7WkcsaXWJBYNYFDHuModrCVTUrCp8uENFPtqeb7axZvzpjImuB-PygNBZCFcxVEmDL1JmnE24FN2IvHISLMqs9Y1yPhkGYJ6mVDW2KwjSLg/s320/Dingle+w+lags+IMG_0683.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingle's head with dolphins off his nose!</td></tr>
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At one point, Dingle seemed to be annoyed with the dolphins and rolled over in a big splash, showing us his flukes and flipper!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDkrY0uavyz2ufT5nv-AHJYFtI6U-M2PspHGOpnWZeT7FM5aRbzvbeWP6SiINmHfotBksaXML3Nz8t1cR6mLwT_sd99ZMs1c9uF7uGCbSMz-r1tgo7xz4I63stxQpU50zhiBOhqo2TC0/s1600/Bp+flipper+IMG_0635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDkrY0uavyz2ufT5nv-AHJYFtI6U-M2PspHGOpnWZeT7FM5aRbzvbeWP6SiINmHfotBksaXML3Nz8t1cR6mLwT_sd99ZMs1c9uF7uGCbSMz-r1tgo7xz4I63stxQpU50zhiBOhqo2TC0/s320/Bp+flipper+IMG_0635.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingle's flipper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A-GjVTKH6RzOcacv8aKBr4XzNZkvS-TDB1O4UJLqgLH4KbwNXsOrbEEHz8Cz0A9PZQ_AQ48VcoY9u5lqJYOBYUDcWweR4SHtouKjKQGah6FyMEWFu2QVb9OA5UH5BpT2bM9UhR4WVV8/s1600/Bp+fluke+IMG_0638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A-GjVTKH6RzOcacv8aKBr4XzNZkvS-TDB1O4UJLqgLH4KbwNXsOrbEEHz8Cz0A9PZQ_AQ48VcoY9u5lqJYOBYUDcWweR4SHtouKjKQGah6FyMEWFu2QVb9OA5UH5BpT2bM9UhR4WVV8/s320/Bp+fluke+IMG_0638.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of Dingle's fluke as he rolled at the surface</td></tr>
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Then a 3rd fin whale showed up- this on has been identified as #9619, a whale first seen by Blue Ocean staff in 1996 and has only otherwise been seen in 2009!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjWCikNqhX6NbiJtlp5zRZIyuy2IYkvilVuJapH6ufz13R-NlgcQSxBnt5gEWWgPEMuhMK6OBPFnO8MLI1gtQ6EcRb94fD5s2-qlO-nFNFfuxY0sFAc-I4N-soKJRbE_ynRcj00azo-I/s1600/Bp+9619+IMG_0605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjWCikNqhX6NbiJtlp5zRZIyuy2IYkvilVuJapH6ufz13R-NlgcQSxBnt5gEWWgPEMuhMK6OBPFnO8MLI1gtQ6EcRb94fD5s2-qlO-nFNFfuxY0sFAc-I4N-soKJRbE_ynRcj00azo-I/s320/Bp+9619+IMG_0605.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fin whale #9619</td></tr>
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During the trip, when the first whale swam directly at the boat, I mentioned that the whale certainly knew we were there as they have excellent hearing abilities. A passenger asked me what the whales were listening for. I mentioned that in addition to listening for ships and other whales (whose sounds can travel over 1000 miles underwater), they were also listening for the sounds of fish- herring in particular. Our curious passenger seemed surprised that herring make noise, so I just had to tell her of an article I had read about the sounds of herring- they "fart" to communicate and the whales can hear it! Check out this link if you have time and want to learn about the intricacies of fish talk! <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1110_031110_herringfarts.html">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1110_031110_herringfarts.html</a><br />
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The pelagic birds were a bit sparse today but we did get many looks at northern gannets! Also we saw 2 common loons, a great shearwater, a juvenile laughing gull and a surprising look at a whimbrel!<br />
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Additionally, 2 eagles were spotted along the shore as we headed up river along with several more harbor seals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pile of harbor seals!</td></tr>
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Great day on the water and thanks again for joining us!<br />
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<br />Dianna Schulte, Blue Ocean Society Director of Researchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16353989807727727929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657973886354544218.post-48267581445985052552013-09-15T10:39:00.000-04:002013-09-15T10:39:34.689-04:00September 14 Atlantic QueenIt was great to be back out on the water. It was a beautiful early fall day, and a great day for whale watching! We didn't have to travel very far before we had our first sighting. We passed a few small pods of harbor porpoise before reaching a pair of sleepy humpback whales. The pair was Patches and Victim who have been seen in the area for the past few days. The pair was logging--sleeping. Whales are conscious breathers meaning they have to think about breathing. If they slept like humans, they would forget to breathe. Therefor they can shut off half of their brains to sleep while the other half remembers to breathe. They look much like a log on the surface which is why the behavior is called logging.<br />
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Despite the sleeping whales, we had some wonderful looks at the pair. We also saw a fluke out in the distance.<br />
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In addition to the humpback whales, we had a pair of fin whales in the area. And a minke whale coming in and out of the area. It was great to see so many whales in one area. Thank you for everyone who joined us. We hope to see you again soon!<br />
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<br />Abigailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16522211780987698044noreply@blogger.com0