Sunday, June 5th, aboard the Granite State

The weather on Sunday was ideal for searching for whales. The brisk cool air and clear skies made for great conditions. We headed to Jeffrey's Ledge unsure of what or who we might find. We searched for quite a while and started to see a wide variety of bird species as we approached the Ledge, including a Northern Fulmar. Bird activity can be a good indication of potential whale activity since they are feeding on the same food items in the area.

Before we knew it, we saw our first spout on the horizon, then another, and another. We started with 4 individual Humpback whales in the area, along with a Minkne taking advantage of all the food underneath the water's surface. As we came upon our first humpback in the area, we quickly realized that this whale was an old friend. It was Owl! Owl is an adult female who was born in 1986 and has brought calves to the ledge in the past. She was very busy creating multiple bubble clouds to corral as much food as possible. This is the first time we have seen Owl this season and we are so glad to know she is doing well. She is also one of our adopt-a-whales and we would love for someone to adopt her this season! As we spent time with Owl, a few other whales were feeding in the area, including Sloop, Tulip, and Loon.

The day was already so special with seeing all these whales for the first time this season, but we wanted to explore to see what else we may be able to find. We saw a few more spouts about 2 miles away and decided to check that area out as well. It turned out to be 3 more Humpback whales! We found a whale named Barb and a mother, calf pair. We had a little bit of time left to spend on the ledge before returning to Rye, so we decided to spend that time with the mother and calf. We were excited to identify this mom as Sabot. Her last calf was born in 2008, so we were happy to know that she has brought new life once again to Jeffrey's Ledge.

We were running short on time and started to slowly ease our way out of the area, when Sabot's calf decided to have some fun and breached off our right side. A whale's behavior is so unpredictable, so we decided to stay in the area for a few more minutes, just in case it would happen again...and it did! Eight times! It was such an incredible way to end our trip and everyone aboard was so thankful for the opportunity to see such a rarity! I'm hoping to get photos uploaded soon. I would like to thank all our passengers for joining us and hope you will join us again in the future.
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