September 16 Granite State

One thing that can always be counted on in the world of whale watching is that the weather has a mind of its own.  The wind forecast for the day was expected to dramatically decrease as the day progressed.  Instead, it decided to hold strong and so we were all treated to some extra waves throughout the day.  Our hardy passengers were equally as strong as even with a bit more motion of the ocean than we were expecting we certainly had plenty to look at.

Just beyond the Isles of Shoals (only 8 miles from Rye Harbor!) we saw a spout.  Once we made our way into the area everything decided to make itself known.  We ended up having 3 Fin whales and a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins surface nearby!  We first made our way over to a pair of Fin whales moving through the water. 

Dorsal fin of one of our Fin whale pair

After a couple of surfacings the Fin whales went on a deeper dive and suddenly we had a small group of  ~10 dolphins start to surf in our wake!  Where did these whales come from?  Knowing dolphins can easily swim through an area, if on the move, we decided to stick with the dolphins before making our way back to the larger whales in the area.  As we watched our dolphins swim around we suddenly noticed instead of just milling around the area they quickly started to head in a particular direction.  Moments later we knew why.  Out of the depths of the ocean our pair of Fin whales surprised our passengers as these mammoth beings suddenly surfaced along side the boat.

Our pair of Fin whales at the surface together

The dolphins were swimming in direct correlation with the Fin whales in the area!  It is such a treat to see this type of association as inter species connections is not a usual occurrence.  Having not only one Fin whale, but two, surface alongside each other all the while having the dolphins skirt alongside the pair was an awesome sight.

As quickly as we watched this "bond" form between dolphin and whale it dissipated just as fast for soon the dolphins were heading in one direction and the Fin whale pair were busy heading off in another direction.  We had been in the right place at the right time to see the small dolphins (6-8ft in length) surface next to the massive 60+ ft long Fin whales.  After few more looks at our dolphins as we made our way back to the pair still in the area.

These two Fin whales were definitely chasing down some food for almost every time they surfaced they were providing visual cues to us researchers indicating filtering, and thus feeding, occurring from these whales.  The entire time we were in the area these animals were circling around and staying in synchrony of each other.  As the third Fin whale of the area appeared to passing through we spent a bit more time with our pair before heading further offshore.

Even in a bit of wind the spout from a Fin whale is very visible and impressive

The rest of the trip we were once again in the presence of more Fin whales.  A few animals were being less than ideal to get looks at (spending plenty of time under the water and only taking a few breaths) but seeing so much life was a great sign knowing that Jeffreys Ledge continues to be so active in terms of food for whales!

One of the multiple Fin whale seen throughout the trip

All in all we ended up seeing at least 9 different Fin whales throughout our travels including a quick look at another pair of Fin whales; a mother/calf pair!

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September 16 on the Atlantic Queen

Fin whales everywhere! That was what we found, well inshore of Jeffreys Ledge, on Sunday.  They were a bit unpredictable, but we did get some good lucks.  It was hard to tell how many individuals we had, but we estimate there were 7-11 different fin whales over the course of the trip. Here are some photos of the individual we got the closest look at:

All in all, it was a great trip, and we always feel fortunate when we see the second-largest species on the planet!

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September 15 Granite State

While there certainly were plenty of whale spouts to be seen today the whales themselves were being a bit on the tricky side.  Our first two whales were very much inshore of Jeffreys Ledge and spending a bit of time below the waterline.  With reports of more whale activity further offshore we counted our losses and pressed on.  Recent whale reports are always enjoyed for the sooner we get to an area the better chance we have of relocating anything that may still be around.  We continued on towards the ledge and first came across a Humpback whale.  This whale was slowly moving through the water but not necessary surfacing very often.  But our luck quickly changed when Jabiru decided to swim along side the boat effortlessly maneuvering through the water.  Even though we didn't get a great look at the underside of this whale's tail (what we typically use to positively identify individual Humpback whales) the unique marks and scars on this whale's back was plenty enough to indeed verify this was Jabiru.  Great to see this whale is still spending some time on Jeffreys Ledge this season.

Jabiru and it's very distinct markings seen along the back of this animal

After some nice looks at Jabiru we were off again to investigate another spout further offshore.  A few miles away that single spout turned into lots of whale life!  Three Fin whales suddenly surfaced together while two other Fin whales were seen beyond the trio.  The group dissipated their associations almost as quickly as we initially spotted them as we continued to ease our way into the area of so many whales.  With plenty of animals around we slowly made our way to a few exhalations we were seeing close by.  Out of the total of 6 Fin whales in the area we were able to get some looks at a few of them.

One Fin whale moving around the area

Everything seemed to be circling around and was also spending plenty of time in the depths of the ocean.  However, with a bit of patience and some predictions of whale movements we ended up spending time with a VERY relaxed Fin whale.  This particular whale was taking a nap.  For the majority of the time we, and the whale, stayed parallel with each other (almost stationary) as we floated on the surface and this whale remained suspended just below the water. 

Fin whale slowly breaking the surface to get a good breath of air before continuing on with it's napping behaviors

The whale was angled so perfectly with the shining sun that we could literally see the entire length of this animal due to the green sheen the underbelly of this whale was creating.  The length of this whale was so large it was literally impossible to capture a picture of the whole whale in any single snapshot.  Even without a visual of this sleeping Fin whale it was a great moment and an awesome look at one large, large species!

Our Fin whale finally awake enough to head down on a deeper dive

The boat was chalk full of returning passengers, whale enthusiasts, excited first-time whale spotters, and even returning Blue Ocean Society interns today!  The excitement of so many of our passengers was certainly felt all around the boat today making the trip a special experience all on its own.  Thanks to all who joined us and continue to share in our own excitement of these wild beings year in and year out!

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Atlantic Queen September 15

A perfect fall day for whale watching.  We headed to the southern part of the ledge today, with reports of whales from our friends on the Prince of Whales.  It was a good report as far as the number of whales but there down times were long.

The wind and sea's were picking up which made keeping an eye on the whales a bit more difficult.  As I always say you need to be patient while viewing whales in there natural habitat, and yes it did finally pay off.

"Nessie's" dorsal

"Nessie"

Nessie is a whale I have never seen before,which is always exciting.  One of the best things about our 2012 season has been new whales coming to the ledge and some old timers who have come to visit as well.

Nessie was born in 2003,a calf of Pina.  Nessie is 9years old,though we are unsure weather this whale is male or female,we may find out next year as he/she is old enough to head to the calving and mating grounds of the Caribbean.

We are still going out weekends until Columbus Day weekend, come out and spend a beautiful day with the great fall weather and of course beautiful whales.
















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September 15 Prince of Whales

Again, the whales keep surprising us! Today we headed back to the same area we have been for the past two days and found, yet again, none of the same whales we saw yesterday or the day before! It seems a new wave of whales is making its way through the area!

We started with a fin whale and a humpback whale in the same area! The fin whale surfaced close to our bow, taking its time crossing the bow and swimming down our left side before moving off! I am always amazed at the size of these huge whales!  The humpback kept us on our toes and this one is one of four who we have not yet identified.

Fin whale

Humpback arching up to go down

First humpback of the day

 As we looked around, we saw blows all around. The whales were being a bit wiggly and ellusive but we managed to get some looks at a few more animals. The next humpback whale was appearing to be napping- just hanging out at the surface. When it dove, it didn't show us its flukes so we will have to do a bit of work to identify this whale with only the dorsal fin to go by!

Next, we found two more humpbacks near each other. One had a very pointed fin, while the other had a much more rounded fin. The pointed fin whale had a lighter tail, while the rounded fin whale had a nearly all-dark tail! The lighter whale is still awaiting identification, while the darker whale was found to be Osprey, a whale first seen in 2007.

Anyone recognize this tail??

Osprey, the humpback whale

 Other fin whales were seen in the distance and we passed by a 5th humpback on our way home. But the day wasn't finished yet! While riding home, we came upon a group of Atlantic white sided dolphins!! These animals were quite friendly and spent a bit of time checking us out and playing in our wake!

Atlantic white sided dolphins

To round off the afternoon, we found, at low tide, a large group of harbor seals hauled out on the rocks near the mouth of the Merrimack River!

Harbor Seals

Such a beautiful day to start our weekend! Thanks for joining us!

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September 14 Granite State

Having the chance to spend time with even one whale can be quite the experience.  A moment in time where two mammals from very different "worlds" (solid ground vs. completely submersed in water) catch a glimpse into the lives of each other.  Granted most of the time we humans are watching the whales more than the whales watching us but it can still be a moment like no other.  Throw in not just one whale but a pair to start the trip with, a single circling around, and ultimately coming into an area where whale-life was completely surrounding us was not only completely unexpected but astounding with each second that went by.

The day started with a pair of Humpback whales traveling through the water together.  Nile and Tectonic were in synchrony with their surfacing and dive intervals. 

Nile in the process of heading into the depths of the ocean

Seeing these two adult whales still in our area, and currently swimming around together, was a pleasant way to start the day.

Nile

Tectonic

Further offshore we discovered another spout.  It was another Humpback whale.  Instead of constantly moving in a general direction like Nile and Tectonic had been, this particular whale was circling around the area.  While the unique markings on the underside of this Humpback whale tail were quite distinct the pattern did not trigger a bell into the plethora of Humpback whale tails we can sometimes recognize right off the bat.  After some searching we have still yet to make a positive match to a fluke found in the catalog but if/when we do we will be sure to let you all know!

The only Humpback whale of the day that is still in the process of getting matched.  There are definitely some unique black and white markings found on the underside of this tail

We began running a bit short on time in regards to any more offshore exploration and soon started to make headway back towards Rye Harbor.  Unknowing to any of us we were certainly in for a handful of surprises along the way home.

First we saw a spout then another spout.  Suddenly not too far away from us a trio of Humpback whales and at least one Fin whale were near by.  Having not yet gotten the chance to spend time with one of the second largest animals on the planet (the mighty large Fin whale!) we altered course slightly to swing through the area.  Well one Fin whale turned into two side-by-side.  Unfortunately neither one of them were surfacing much and neither one of them ever appeared to go on a much deeper dive.  After attempting to get looks at our Fin whale pair we had yet to relocate the other group in the area but instead saw splashing just up ahead.  A group of 75 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were close to us.  Since they were at least "towards" home we figured okay a quick look at some agile dolphins and we would get back underway. 

An Atlantic white-sided dolphin

Soon everything surfaced all at the same time.  The trio of Humpback whales were now close to the dolphins, the pair of Fin whales were moving in the same direction, and even now a third lone Fin whale was spotted all the while sticking close to the toothed-whales being seen in every which direction.  As one of our passengers put it "we hit the whale jackpot."  Yes we had.  Even through all the chaos of whales surfacing in every direction we were able to identify the Humpback whales as Cinder, Geometry, and Komodo.  Two new additions (Cinder and Komodo) for the season for individual whales to spend time on Jeffreys Ledge! 

Geometry and Komodo following in suit if Cinder (which had already dove down under the water at this point)

The Fin whales continued to be a bit elusive, just barely bringing any part of their bodies above the waterline, so we stuck with the dolphins before we really needed to continue towards home. 

Atlantic white-sided dolphin cruising past the boat!

We were on the move once again but before long we knew we were about to get diverted again.  More splashing was being seen out ahead of us.  Initially we thought great another pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins.  However, the longer we watched the splashing the more we knew those weren't more of the same species we had already taken looks at.  The dorsal fin surely were consistently breaking the surface, larger dorsal fins, large bodies.... a pod of Pilot whales were just ahead of us!!! 

Pilot whales can be very easily distinguished from the other toothed-whales we occasionally encounter.  Dark color and big dorsal fins are a great indication of this species!

As if we weren't already running later than planned no way could we pass up the chance of seeing a type of whale that we have gone entire seasons without seeing!  This group of about 15 was just meandering along, constantly circling around, and surfacing just alongside the boat a few times. 

Incoming Pilot whale!

These whales are HUGE in comparison to the white-sided dolphins we had just spent time with.  Pilot whales can easily be twice the size of a full grown white-sided dolphins and having some of these whales swim just in front and just to the side of us was awesome.

Pilot whales surfacing so close to the boat

A young Pilot whale catches a glimpse of us watching it!

The unexpectedness of wildlife today was surely in the spotlight and we will continue to expect more of the unknown when we once again venture offshore for another trip to Jeffreys Ledge tomorrow!

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September 14 Prince of Whales

What a difference 2 days can make!! Our last trip out, Wednesday, was glassy calm with seven humpbacks- mostly all adults- and one fin whale, one minke whale, a few harbor porpoises and a group of common dolphins! Today, we went back to that same area and found a small group of dolphins on the way, but then saw three humpback whales which were all new whales that hadn't been seen by us yet this season! We also had at least a half dozen fin whales all around and mixed in with the humpbacks! Watching the same piece of ocean change so much so quickly is one of the reasons we do what we do. We never know what or who we will find out there!

After getting a brief look at the dolphins, who were busy and didn't want much to do with us, we saw a few spouts in the distance. Our first whale was a young humpback who has yet to be named and is currently just known as the 2009 calf of Clipper. Clipper herself as been seen prior this season but this was our first look at her offspring since it was a calf back in 2009! This young humpback should be named in the upcoming year. As we waited for it to resurface, we got quite the surprise when it showed up right next to us!

Clipper's 2009 calf, surfacing close by!

Clipper's 2009 calf- yet to be named.

Soon we moved off to catch a few looks at a huge fin whale in the area.None of the fin whales from today have been identified yet but we hope to work on that later on.

First fin whale of the day!

Soon, another humpback whale came into the area. This one was a 5-year old named Ticker. Ticker must have been taking lessons from Clipper's calf since it too decided to check us out and surfaced closely!

Ticker, filtering water from its mouth.

Ticker's nearly all-black flukes.

A couple more fin whales were seen though they were a bit difficult to get good looks at. Seems all the whales were busy feeding today and not spending all that much time of the surface.

Fin whale

 Another humpback whale was seen. This one appeared small, and we still aren't sure who it is. 

Third humpback whale

A pair of fin whales, and yet another single fin whale came to the surface on our way home. It really is amazing to see so many new whales in the area that we have not seen all summer! I wonder what tomorrow will bring??  Thanks to everyone who joined us today!

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