October 5 Granite State

The sun decided to come back to visit!  We were finally privileged to some sunshine during our trip as we spent the day watching whales in pairs and trios today.  Once again we started the day with the same trio we spent time with yesterday!  Tornado, her calf, and Barbell were slowly meandering around the area today. 

Tornado and her calf

Most of the time the calf was napping and even noted Tornado doing the same at one point at the surface.  All three whales remained in close proximity of each other which once again made getting looks at these wild animals very conducive. 

Close look at Tornado and her calf as they surfaced just off the port side!

Even though these whales were rarely raising their tails above the waterline we got some incredible looks as these three whales slowly swam around today.

Barbell, Tornado, and Tornado's calf all at the surface

We soon were on our way and interested in seeing what else may be around for we had a few more miles of visibility today thanks to low clouds slightly breaking apart, minimizing the fog, as we hoped for the sun to shine through.  Even with the slightly better conditions it was still tricky to sight a spout but our passengers were up for the challenge.  Minke whales and more Humpback whales were next on our list.  A couple of Minke whales were randomly surfacing but our eyes were focused on the three spouts we saw just ahead of us.  More Humpback whales and more naps appeared to be in order.  This trio of whales ended up consisting of Nine, Patchwork, and Slingshot. 

Nine

Patchwork

Slingshot

Nine was sighted for the first time this season on our very first trip (May 12) and has only recently been a visitor to the area in the past week once again.  Patchwork was sighted for the first time this year just  yesterday, and it has been years since Slingshot was last seen on Jeffreys Ledge.  2007 marks the last time Slingshot was documented by any of us on Jeffreys Ledge so it was very much an UNEXPECTED surprise to see this particular whale around again!  Instances like this certainly remind us of just how mysterious and wondrous whales are.  Has Slingshot been on Jeffreys Ledge over the years but has remained slightly too far away to see during a half day trip?  Is this really the first time this whale has returned to the area and we were just lucky enough to cross paths with it?  So many questions that intrigue us to the point of getting us hooked into the love and amazement of such graceful wildlife utilizing Jeffreys Ledge.

Nine, Patchwork, and Slingshot on the move together

Even with all of this activity we still had a bit more time to check out a couple of other whales nearby that our friends aboard the Prince of Whales were spending time with.  Two more Humpback whales were swimming together, Owl and Patches, and these whales had more "friends" around!  A group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were in close proximity of these other two Humpback whales the whole time we were in the area!  The dolphins were continuously changing direction but not very quickly so by staying near the dolphins we knew the Humpback whales would surface close by, and they certainly did.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins while at the surface much more frequently than the Humpback whales were constantly remaining close by the Humpback whales' movements

We made sure to give the dolphins a bit more extra space (since they constantly kept circling around) and just waited for the larger whales to surface as we watched the dolphins remain close to Owl and Patches.

Owl

Patches napping on the surface close by

It was a great way to end the trip (even though a few times we had to hold our breath for so many recreational fishing boats were zipping by; please, please, PLEASE be vigilant when out on the ocean and look for whales ESPECIALLY when there is a whale watching boat stopped close to you!!!!!) and see all the interesting associations of whales, both large and small, today!

If you look closely at these photos (above and below) you can just make out the small dorsal fins of a few dolphins while Owl the Humpback whale is at the surface.  And did you know that Humpback whales aren't even close to being some of the larger whales in the ocean?

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Prince of Whales October 5

What a day,what a day,what a day!  We spent time with 8 humpbacks today, 2 groups of harbor porpoise, and dolphins.  Our first stop was with Spoon, a female and Chromosome,a male,they were a bit sleepy so we spent a little time and then moved on.

Owl

Owl was not alone she was with "Patches" a male first sighted in 1980.  These 2 whales were not along either,they had a group of 30 Atlantic white sided dolphin all around them.  It was very interesting to watch the dolphin as they waited for Owl and Patches to come up for air.

The stars of the day were Nine, a female, Slingshot, and Patchwork. I wasn't sure who was watching who today,these whales stayed next to us the entire time we spent time with them, AMAZING!



Humpback just below the surface



Spyhop

We don't always have days like today,we never know how many whales we will see or how they will behave,which make research so interesting.  It was a wonderful day for me and  our passengers.  I'm sad our 2012 season is coming to an end,we had such a great season, thank you to all of our "gentle giants" who made this season one of the best!



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October 4 Granite State

Though the weather is cooling down (and apparently also remaining drizzly for what seems like forever) the whales continue to swim around our area as we got the chance to see 2 Minke whales and 7 Humpback whales throughout our travels today.  As our Minke whales were seen circling around the area our Humpback whales appeared to either be on the move or napping as the afternoon progressed.

Our first sighting of the day was a trio of Humpback whales.  Tornado and her calf were moving through the area but today this pair was joined by another Humpback whale.  Barbell, a whale first seen in the Gulf of Maine in 2002, was swimming right alongside the mother/calf pair. 

Barbell

All three whales were associated with each other and a couple times both the calf and Barbell slightly rolled on their sides.  Maybe each of them was checking the other out?  It was fun getting the chance to see the spectrum of sizes between all three whales ranging from Mom's (Tornado) impressive size to her "small" calf still less than a year old.  As we left these whales to continue on we ventured off in our own direction to search for more whale life. 

Tornado

Our next sighting ended up being three more Humpback whales!  This trio consisted of all adults and all three of them we napping along the surface.  Spoon, Chromosome, and Partition spent the majority of the time we were in the area resting; giving us a great chance to see just how large some of these Humpback whales truly are (and Humpback whales aren't even one of the largest types of whales in the world!).

Spoon, Chromosome, and Partition all at the surface together

Chromosome and Partition providing a great example of just how unique the black and white patterns can be on each and every Humpback whale tail!

Spoon

Before heading for home we checked out a few more areas including a spot where two Minke whales were circling around.  Both whales were constantly zigging and zagging so with a few looks we pressed on only to come across another Humpback whale just beyond where our Minke whales had been.  Another new visitor to Jeffreys Ledge was close by!  Patchwork has once again decided to check out the area.

Patchwork

What a nice surprise as we continue to spot more additions to the 2012 season even though it is already October; a reminder the season is not over yet!

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September 30 Granite State

Have you ever wondered what whales do in the rain?  They do the exact same things they are seen doing when the sun is shining and the sky is blue!  Since whales are already surrounded by vast amounts of water to begin with, more falling from the sky does not seem to affect them one bit.  Turns out the only thing rain seems to affect out on the ocean is us humans as we seem to be the only mammals out there that try to avoid those rain drops.  There was not much wind to speak of as we headed further offshore but the ocean was providing a good-sized swell, a reminder of how much the ocean had been churned up just 24hrs beforehand, but with our hardy passengers who didn't mind the rain we were off in search of some whale activity.

With decent visibility we headed to where we had seen whales during our last trip out and slowed down to take a look around.  Within a few minutes we had spotted a whale.  It was a Minke whale.  This whale initially seemed to be circling around the area as it was sporadically surfacing all around the boat (very typical of Minke whale behavior) every few minutes.  Soon however, this animal started to spend more and more time in the depths of the ocean and so we decided to continue on our way.  Once we had eased our way out of the area we continued on to see what else may be spending some time in the general area.  Soon we saw a spout.  Moments later another spout became visible.  There were two whales up ahead of us.

Spoon was still in the area and still sleeping.  However, just alongside Spoon hovered another large Humpback whale.  It was Chromosome! 

Spoon just barely raising her tail above the water before swimming further down into the ocean

Chromosome

We very briefly saw Chromosome on Jeffreys Ledge September 1 so it was a very nice surprise seeing this whale back in the area and swimming in tandem with Spoon.  Since both whales were napping at the surface (barely moving and constantly remaining above the waterline) we were able to get some incredible looks at these adult whales. 

Spoon and Chromosome resting at the surface

Spoon was first sighted in 1977 and Chromosome first sighted in the Gulf of Maine in 1991, making these animals at least 35 years old and 21 years old!  It was great to see two older whales in the area before it was time to head back for home.

Chromosome going on a deeper dive as Spoon still hovers at the surface

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September 28 Granite State

Some of our favorite conditions are when the wind is minimal and the sky is completely cloudy.  The stark contrast between the ocean and the sky typically proves to be ideal conditions for spotting whale spouts out in the distance.  Granted the cloudy skies provided a bit of rain but our passengers had no problem venturing outside each and every time we were in close proximity to the whales.  Hardy crowds and life around Jeffreys Ledge certainly proved to be a winning combination throughout our trip.

The first signs of whale life were some very tall spouts.  We had Fin whales ahead of us and ended up with 5 Fin whales in total: two groups of two and a single whale skirting around the area.  All of these whales were spending a bit of time below the waterline but when they surfaced they certainly were impressive.  Having two pairs of Fin whales in the area was great seeing just how easily these 60+ ton animals can swim through the water together all the while moving alongside another creature equally as large.

Two Fin whales on the move together

Thanks to our Fin whale extraordinaire crew member a quick look at some of these whale's dorsal fins and we knew who was in the area.  #0622 and #0520 were just two of the 5 Fin whales we got the chance to spend time with today.

Fin whale #0622

Each and every Fin whale can certainly be distinct based on the shape of the dorsal fin and sometimes (unfortunately due to human-related interactions) scars along their bodies

 

 

Fin whale #0520

With more time to explore other areas we got some last looks at all the whales and continued on in search of more spouts.  Our friends aboard the Prince of Whales radioed us that they too had some whale activity a few miles from our current location so we headed towards the area.  Not only were there spouts they were whales of a different species.  We ended up spending some time with two Humpback whales.  This pair was a mother and her calf.  Tornado and her calf were once again back on Jeffreys Ledge. 

Tornado and her calf

The last time we sighted this pair was September 12; over two weeks ago.  Makes you wonder where these two whales have been spending their time and what made them decide to once again make their way back to our area... So many mysteries surround these ocean-dwelling mammals and by having the chance to venture offshore in pursuit of these wild animals we continue to gain insight, and enjoy the amazing opportunity, to come across all of our wild whales.

Before heading for home we had a bit more time to also check out reports of yet another whale in the area.  Spoon the Humpback whale has decided to make herself known to us here around Jeffreys Ledge.  Spoon, an adult female, is another one of our large whales we love to see.  She was first spotted in the Gulf of Maine in 1977 making her one of the older whales known to the area.  What a great find to see another familiar whale grace us with it's presence this year.

Spoon

Stay tuned for more updates as we await for the weather to cooperate so we can enjoy another day out on Jeffreys Ledge in search of whales of all varieties!

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Prince of Whales September 28

It was a bit of a soggy day out on the water,a little wind and a few waves,luckily the whales,porpoise and seals didn't care a bit!  We saw spouts in the distance from some fin whales and that was about it, these whales had other plans in mind.  We did our best to get our hearty passengers looks at these enormous whales but they were down below traveling and searching for food.
Not far from the fin whales we saw more spouts except these spouts came from humpback whales, not just any 2 humpbacks it was a mom calf pair, Tornado and her 2012 calf

Tornado's 2012 calf

Tornado (foreground) and calf

Tornado was spending a good amount of time below feeding and her very friendly and big calf stayed close by us, what a treat.  Tornado was born in 1988 and had her first calf in 1995.  Her 2012 calf makes it her 7th calf. 

We left Tornado and her calf to continue on there journey.  We continued to look around the area and we found an old friend, "Spoon".  Spoon was first seen in 1977 which makes her at least 35 years old.  She was moving very slowly taking a lot of breathes and doing some logging,  At one point she popped up on our port side and was heading away,we were able to see her very wide and flat body, she was huge!

"Spoon"

Spoon's wide mid section

 Spoon had her first calf in 1983, her last in 2010 for a total of 9 so far.  Humpbacks usually give birth every 2-3 years, from our data and her size we wonder if she is expecting again, only time will tell. 
Thank you to all who spent a wet day with us, Governor's Academy for returning with us and our of course all of our return passengers.













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Prince of Whales September 25

We left the dock with a full boat of energetic 7th graders from Somersworth Middle School today,we headed to the same area we had great luck with yesterday and yes there were a lot of whales still around.

High fluke from a humpback whale

 Our first humpback of our day has not be identified yet,we did see this whale yesterday and we hope we will have an ID soon.

"Kick Off"

We had 9 fin whales all around the area to,one did a "close to boat" coming up right next to us on on our port side, very cool to be this close to the 2nd largest whale in the world!

Very close look at a fin whale's dorsal fin

Open blow holes of a fin whale

Northern Gannet taking flight

As we headed for home we passed by many harbor seals sunning them selves on the exposed rocks, so cute!

There are only a few weeks  left to come and see these gentle giants of the sea, don't miss out make your reservation today!
















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