June 20- Prince of Whales- Newburyport

Minke Whale

What a great day on the ledge today! Whales are in relatively close to shore, allowing us more time to watch whales, and less time driving around. This morning, our friends aboard the Granite State reported seeing some fin whales between the mainland and the ledge. We headed to that location and although we didn't find the same whales they had reported, we did find several others!

A couple of minke whales appeared, including the one pictured above. We also saw six fin whales- some were close to us, like this one below, while others were off in the distance. At one point, we were keeping track of 3 different whales, all in the same area!

Fin whale, soon to be identified...

We left these in shore whales and ventured out a bit further to find a couple more fin whales, and then something else...a humpback whale! This new addition the the ledge was a bit unexpected since we were getting used to all of the fin whales around. At first, our new humpback friend was being very elusive. I started to think I had imagined it. But finally it reappeared and after several dives, we eventually got a look at the underside of its flukes. This whale is Doric, a 9-year old whale!

Dodging the rain squalls, me made our way back in and kept everyone mostly-dry. Thanks to our great group of whale watchers today for your enthusiasm and patience with Doric!



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Sunday's Atlantic Queen Trip

We had a great trip on the Atlantic Queen today, with our first 'grand slam' of the season! That's what we call a trip in which we see our 4 most common species - minke, fin and humpback whales, and Atlantic white-sided dolphins. Even though they're the most common species in the area, it's fairly rare to see all four of them in one trip.

We started out with great looks at a minke whale, then moved on to a pod of 15-20 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, who seemed to be feeding, as they were circling quickly and going down on long dives.

Following a hot tip from the Prince of Whales, we cruised out further and found a humpback, a 9-year old whale named Doric. Humpbacks are usually given their names based on a marking on their tail. The word doric is defined as: "the lowest order and simplest column in Grecian architecture, characterized by a heavy column with a plain saucer-shaped capital". Looking at the image below, I'm not sure where that came from, but maybe one of our other naturalists got a photo that better illustrates where Doric got her/his name!

Right before we turned for home, we spotted a fin whale. We got good looks at the whale, but it was moving quickly and circling a lot so I wasn't able to get a good identification photo, unfortunately. We also saw two more fin whales in the distance (you'll likely hear about those in the Granite State's report later on!), and then another one closer to home.

Things definitely seem to be picking up on the Ledge - it was great to have so much variety today. Thanks to all who came aboard, and for all your great questions and conversation. Hope to see you again soon!

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June 19- Prince of Whales

Fin whale spout

I hate to be a repeat but it seems several of our boats saw the same whales today (see the posts below)! And I am ecstatic that all these fin whales are so close to shore! Usually, we have to travel and search for whales 20+ miles off shore.

Last week, we cruised about 36 miles off shore to find fin whales. Today, we went about 8 miles...and found one of the same whales who was 36 miles away last week! Ladder is back, and still in the company of another whale. At this point, I'm not sure his friend is the same whale as last week but we should know very soon. A third whale was near Ladder and his friend. This whale had a notch in its dorsal fin, similar to Ladder's notch, but certainly did not have Ladder's distinctive scars.

Ladder- showing distinctive propeller scars

Ladder's friend- soon to be identified

We spent a good amount of time with these huge whales before continuing on the find a 4th fin whale! This animal was moving about pretty quickly but we were able to get a good enough look to tell that this was #9709 (nicknamed Squiggle). The wind was picking up and it was soon time to head for home.

Thanks for joining us today, and we hope you all enjoyed your experience with the second largest animals on the planet!

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June 19 on the Granite State

Today was the day of the Fin whale. Maybe not for the rest of the world but for those who joined us during our trips today these whales were in full swing and the stars of the show. While we have no control over what any whale does when we are in proximity to them, the whales seemed to make sure everyone's focus remained on them today.

During both our morning and afternoon trips today we found Fin whale #9709. We have sighted this whale multiple times in the past few weeks on Jeffreys Ledge and has become a whale that our summer interns aboard the boats get exciting seeing again and again! As has been typical for us on the Granite State this whale provided some great looks to our passengers as this animal remained concentrated in one area. To our surprise this whale at one point even rolled over on its right side, causing a small portion of it's tail to be seen above the water line!

One of our other Fin whale sightings today was also quite active in its own way. This particualr whale often times would lift the portion of its body beyond the dorsal fin, known as the tail stock, to the surface of the water. This behavior, while seen occasionally by some of our Fin whales, is a behavior we have yet determine and understand the actual purpose of. It is amazing to realize with all that we know of these whales there is still much to be learned and discovered about these massive animals.

By far our most exciting luck with whales today was with a pair of Fin whales! As Jen mentioned in her posting on the Atlantic Queen II, very rarely do you ever get a chance to watch 2 Fin whales move and forage together, but for whatever reason our familiar Fin whale Ladder is always doing so!

Ladder's dorsal fin and scar pattern

Today was our first looks at Ladder for the Granite State this season and this whale did not disappoint our passengers or Ladder's biggest fan of all time, our crew member Will! Not only was Ladder and this other Fin whale surfacing simaltaneously throughout much of our time with these animals, these two whales were actively feeding a few times as well! One of our pair surfaced sideways with its mouth full of salt water and fish, its lower jaw completely extended to maximize space, and thus food, in its mouth! One of our whales even pooped in the water nearby. This cloudy mass in the water was brown, meaning this whale had recently been eating a lot of herring!


Whale defecation is a great indicator of a productive area. The higher the fish concentration, the more food consumption most likely taking place by a whale, the more waste that whale needs to get rid of. Thanks to the upwelling currents of Jeffreys Ledge and other underwater features in our area, the nutrients necessary to cause plankton to begin to grow is the true foundation for feeding whales. It is the abundant amounts of plankton that bring the fish into the region before the whales come to feast on all the fish.


To make today's experience even that much more memorable, both Ladder and company rose up from the depths of the ocean literally right next to the boat!

A close look at a Fin whale's blowholes and an even closer look at a chevron pattern!Having the chance to see one Fin whale so close, let alone 2, is something I think everyone on board will not soon forget. Talk about really getting an appreciation of this animal's size! What a day.


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June 19 on the Atlantic Queen - Fabulous Fin Whales

Incoming fin whale!

I never get tired of watching fin whales. Sure, there are some species that seem more active, or friendly, but today's trip renewed my fascination with fin whales and my belief that, even at average lengths of 60-70 feet, they are some of the most graceful creatures on Earth.

After some search time, we saw our fin whale #9709 , who has a little 'squiggle' on the back side of her dorsal fin, which Dianna, our co-founder and Research Coordinator, discovered thanks to the wonders of digital photography. We also noticed a pretty fresh-looking wound on her tail, possibly from an entanglement. We got some great looks at this whale as it circled near the boat, likely feeding, but not too deeply as she was only diving for less than 3 minutes at a time.

Right around this time, we were also surprised to see a school of striped bass swim around the bow!

We left #9709 and came upon a pair of fin whales - one of our favorites, "Ladder" and his friend. Ladder's name came from a series of boat propeller scars on his right side:

Despite the fin whales' often solitary habits, Ladder is almost always seen with another whale.

We haven't identified his friend yet, but wow - did we get some spectacular looks at these whales as they circled around near the boat - coming so close we could see their whole bodies underwater!

Every time they came up, Heather (our intern aboard) and I were amazed at how synchronized their movements were. The photo below shows the two whales together - you can see Ladder's swirly gray chevron marking, along with the whales' lower jaws, which appears greenish-white.

The weather was beautiful today (albeit a bit choppy), and whales were close to shore. I hope it's a good sign of things to come. Thanks to all who joined us today!

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June 18 on the Granite State

Our trip started with 3 different Minke whales as we made our way towards Jeffreys Ledge today. With some great “whale spotters” on the front of the boat we were able to spend some time with a couple of these whales as they circled around the area. These whales were spending much of their time on the surface of the water which allowed all of us on board to check out these 20-30ft creatures.

Our next sighting was much larger than our Minke whales. We found an adult Fin whale, an animal about 3X’s larger than a Minke whale! It did not take long to identify this particular whale mainly due to a unique marking on the left side of this whale. It was Loon.

Loon’s distinctive marking resembling the profile of a bird with a fish in its mouth

Loon was a whale first seen in the Gulf of Maine in 1985. That means this whale is at least 25 years old! Our Blue Ocean Society researchers have seen this whale multiple times on Jeffreys Ledge, but it has been 3 years since it was last documented in this area. Perhaps even more impressive is that since our last sighting in 2007 this whale had been reported as having a run-in with a vessel. With limited knowledge of the accident and no documentation of the animal’s status after the incident we were all unaware of what may have happened to this animal. Not only were we thrilled to have this whale back on the Ledge today, we were also able to see, and photograph, some new scars found on this animal. While scars help us to individual identify whales in the ocean it is also a sad realization of what these animals face on a daily basis.

Whales are constantly on the move, whether searching for food or travelling great distances, and become subject to vessel interactions wherever they may be. Vessels of all shapes and sizes are dangerous to whales as a propeller, or even a keel, can literally leave a mark on a whale. Ship strikes are one of the main threats to whales in the 21st century (fishing gear is the other major threat) and can cause excessive bleeding, infections at the point of impact, or injuries to bones and organs…all of which could ultimately lead to death. To be witness to a whale that has overcome all these obstacles and is still swimming in our waters today is impressive and humbling all in the same moment.

In regards to the research aspect of this whale we are thankful to have captured these new scars in photographs. We can now begin to monitor what looks to be healthy skin healing over the impressions left by a boat.

A new vertical scar, and indentation, in front of Loon’s dorsal fin

We have also noticed that this whale is missing a section of it’s dorsal fin as compared to previous photographs taken in 2007. These updated images will continue to help us identify this whale if we do get a chance to see this animal on Jeffreys Ledge again in the future.

With a very important sighting for the research aspect of the Blue Ocean Society, and an exciting finding for the crew, we aboard the Granite State still had a bit more time to explore the area. It was not long before we found yet another species of whale. We came across a Humpback whale. This whale was travelling for a bit before slowing down to make a few big circles in one area, and then pick up speed again, as it continued on its way. We are still in the works of identifying this Humpback whale but hope to have a match for all of you soon!

As we always enjoy finding animals for all to watch during our whale watches it is important to note that all of our great captains make sure to take precautions while in close proximity of these massive creatures. We are visitors to the water world of the whales during each and every trip to Jeffreys Ledge. While whales and humans have the ability to live and work side by side it remains a very fine line that can sometimes become unbalanced. It is the watchful eyes of those on the water that help to maintain this balance so that we can all hopefully continue to share the in wonders of the incredible creatures that call the ocean home.


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June 17 Prince of Whales- Newburyport

Happy wet whale watch passengers

Calm seas greeted us this morning as we left the Merrimack River and entered the Gulf of Maine. Cruising out to the southern end of Jeffreys Ledge, we first found a wiggly minke whale. This 30 foot whale was surfacing frequently, but not staying up for more than a couple breaths. Even so, we all got several great looks at this little speed racer.

We continued on to an area that is known by local fishermen as the "sand eel hole". We heard reports from the previous day of some whale activity here. As we approached, the rain and wind picked up, reducing our visibility. We were becoming discouraged by the lack of whales, but then Captain Billy spotted a blow through the rain-splattered windows. One blow turned into two. Two humpback whales- our first of the season- surfaced!

I have to give our hearty passengers credit- they were out on the bow and on the upper deck, moving from side to side to get looks at these hungry whales, all the while getting soaked by the blowing rain. These two humpback whales were obviously not minding the rain. Surfacing nearly every two minutes, we easily stayed with the pair as they were feeding and slowly moving to the northwest. One whale lifted its tail often, while the other was a little more shy.

Identifying these whales has proven to be a challenge. After a couple of hours of scouring our catalogs and on-line resources, one whale has been identified. The whale that repeatedly lifted its tail is the 2009 calf of Sickle! Sickle herself is a regular visitor and was seen by herself a few weeks ago on the northern part of the ledge so I am happy to see that her calf from last year has survived and is doing well. Being a year old now and returning to the feeding area on its own, this whale will now be given a name next spring. Any suggestions??

Sickle's 2009 calf

This whale's friend is still a mystery, though it was seen yesterday in the same area. It could be a new animal that has yet to be documented by other whale researchers! If this is the case, it will also be given a name next spring!
****UPDATE***
This whale was just identified as Striation! Striation was born in 2007 to Pepper, one of the first humpback whales to ever be named!

Dorsal fin of Striation!

Sickle's 2009 calf and Striation

Overall, a wonderful day on the ledge in spite of the rain and wind. Thanks to the Perkins School for coming along and sharing your fascination and excitement for whales with us! And thanks to everyone else for understanding Mother Nature and being prepared for all she has to show us! I can't recall a trip where all of our passengers were happy to be watching whales in the rain!

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