Lazy day for a lucky whale

Leaving Newburyport this morning on the Prince of Whales, I had no idea what we'd find on the Ledge. The sun was shining and the seas were wonderfully calm, much to the crew's joy! We headed toward the southern end of Jeffreys Ledge where we had some luck on Thursday's adventure. After spending a fair amount of time searching, we spotted a minke whale. This "little" whale was a bit shy and only showed itself for a few breaths before it pulled the "minke slip" and disappeared. As we waited for it to reappear, we busied ourselves by watching the tiny Wilson's storm petrels scoot about, picking up bits of plankton from the ocean's surface.

Then, we shifted our gaze from the smallest bird in the area, to the largest whale in the area as a fin whale surfaced just a few hundred yards away! Where had this whale come from and why had we not seen it sooner?? Ah, the mysteries of whales...they appear when they want to be seen!

This fin whale was a juvenile, perhaps just 40-45 feet long, compared to the 60-70 foot-long adults. It also had a very new, very fresh scar/wound on its back. Fin whales, like all whales, are subject to accidental ship strikes which can be fatal, so this whale was a lucky one- to leave an encounter with a boat with just a scar- other whales don't fare quite as well. After watching this whale for a bit, we realize it was probably resting after a busy morning of feeding on herring. The fin whale was very slow moving, and barely showing its fin when it came up for a breath.

Eventually we moved around to be able to see its white lower jaw glowing beneath the surface and watched the whale in silence as it rested along side us! These peaceful, almost magical moments are what we, as whale watchers and researchers, live for. Sure, it's fun to see active whales splashing about, but to have the second largest animal on Earth simply relaxing next to your boat is the ultimate "being one with nature" feeling!