Saturday's Atlantic Queen Trip

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Fin whale

 

Had a great day today - it was fun to go to a location we don't normally get to - just east of Boon Island, off the coast of York, ME and home to a lighthouse that is 137 feet tall.  We headed that way after hearing a report that another whale watch boat had seen a fin whale up that way.

We found the fin whale - it was taking 11 minute dives, but being really consistent and traveling to the south, so we eventually got a good look at it.  Along the way, surprise! A minke whale popped up right off the bow of the boat, and surfaced several times so we got great looks at this small baleen whale.

Fin whale

After watching the fin whale for awhile, we headed home, and were surprised again, this time by a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins! The pod appeared busy feeding, but did travel right around us a few times and we got to see their beautiful, distinctive coloration and even a couple calves!

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Atlantic White-sided dolphin

I had just finished writing this post and went to look more closely at my photos from the trip.  We had a beautiful adult northern gannet flying around the boat at one point, but it looked like it had an injured leg as something was hanging down where its leg should be. I looked at my photos and it, sadly, looks like there's a fishing lure and fishing line somehow attached to its leg.  I hope this is something the gannet can get rid of on its own.  It's so important to responsibly dispose of fishing gear - fishing line takes about 600 years to break down! And this is a prime example of why we organize beach cleanups and track the litter we see on the ocean.

Northern gannet in flight - you can see the sun glinting off the fishing line that stretches from its leg to its wing.

Close-up of what appears to be a fishing lure hanging off the gannet's foot

Thanks to all who came on board today - you were a great group with terrific questions. We hope to see you again soon!

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