Whale Sightings 06/13/23 to 06/20/23 Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 06/13/23 to 06/20/23 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
06-13-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good morning,
Yesterday aboard the Asteria, the fog cleared just as we arrived to Stellwagen Bank to find 6-7 humpbacks in the area, all bubble cloud feeding below the surface. Many adults were feeding near each other (but not together), but the one common thread was Dross’ 23 calf, who continued to roll, flipper flare, and tail breach continuously throughout the trip! While mom was busy feeding, we watched this charming little calf open mouth filter at the surface (see photo) and tail breach right along side us! We also spotted Mogul, Gondolier, and Dyad. Often when Dross would fluke, Dross’ calf would tail breach nearby her, as it if to steal our passengers attention from mom. Later on in the trip, Dross fed a distance away, while Dross’ calf followed Dyad for several minutes – we can only wonder, was the calf being playful, confused, or just learning some feeding tactics from another adult?
Cheers,
Laura, Reilly, and Kaitlyn
06-13-23
11am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon!
With a hearty group of passengers, the 11am whale watch headed out on the Aurora towards Stellwagen Bank. Despite impressive fog banks on our way out, as we approached our destination – the fog cleared and the wind subsided. We were greeted by the blows of at least 7 humpbacks in the area – with at least five adult humpbacks scattered and feeding as solitary individuals. We’ve been able to identify Dyad, Mogul, Sprinkles, and Gondolier so far- and the majority of these humpbacks were bubble cloud feeding! Dyad is one of my favorite whales and this is my first time seeing her this season, so I was very happy to recognize her distinct fluke on our whale watch. Despite all these feeding whales, Dross and her 2023 calf stole the show! We watched the little calf roll, flipper-slap, and tail breach all around our vessel!
What a great whale watch!
Kate and Antonia
06-14-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon!
The 10am whale watch headed out on the Asteria towards Stellwagen Bank. Upon hitting the bank we were greeted by a wall of fog, but luckily we were able to quickly spot the blow of three humpbacks – Nile, Spell, and Sprinkles! These whales have all been spotted already this season as singles or in different associations – but this is the first time seeing this specific configuration of whales together! It’s interesting to theorize why we see certain whales together versus others, and how long this particular association will stay together. All these whales were likely sub-surfacing feeding, and consistently surfaced and dove together. As the fog lifted, we moved south – and saw blows in all directions! It seemed like as every minute passed the fog would continue to dissipate – and we would see even more blows in the distance. There was clearly a large number of fish in the water, as we saw bait balls boiling at the surface and gulls flying and diving for mackerel. We spent most of the remainder of the trip with the single humpbacks Mogul and Dyad! Dyad completely stole the show, blowing bubble cloud after bubble cloud and forcefully lunging to the surface! We got multiple looks at her exploding to the surface with fish flying (see photos).
What a great day!
Kate, Meghan, Lily, and Jane
06-14-23
12pm Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora the 12pm whale watch made its way out towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. As we made our way into the area, there were several blows to be seen. We started on a single humpback whale named Tongs who was doing some feeding. She even lunged right off our bow! After some great looks at Tongs, we made our way over to a very splashy whale. This active whale turned out to be Dross 23 Calf! Dross herself was not too far away from her very active calf. The calf was breaching, tail breaching, rolling, and flipper slapping up a storm! The calf even did all these behaviors not far from the boat! Dross was focused on feeding. She blew several bubble clouds and lunged up through them a few times! After a beautiful fluking dive from mom, and one last look at the active baby, we had to make our way back to Boston. It was a really amazing day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Flukes up,
Colin, Anjali, and Emily
06-15-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon!
The 10am whale watch headed out on the Aurora towards the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The fog from the last few days had cleared, and we had amazing visibility and sea conditions. As we approached the area, we saw a multitude of blows from at least ten humpback whales. We spent the majority of our trip with Dross and her adorable 2023 calf. Dross’s calf has been putting on a show the last few days, and today was no different! We saw tail breaches, lobtails, and rolling from this tiny whale, as it flopped and jumped round. Dross was hard at work blowing bubble clouds and feeding – while the calf was having a grand time at the surface. We also saw the single whales Mogul, Dyad, and Ase –who were frequently at the surface blowing bubble clouds and lunging! We have not spotted Ase yet this year, and it was great to see a new fluke!
Kate, Josiah, and Kaitlyn
06-15-23
12pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon,
Aboard the Asteria on the noon whale watch, we headed out to the Southwest Corner of the Bank eager to find whales. Just as we left the dock, we got a glimpse of some adorable Common Eiders and their babies! It was a fantastic day to kick off the whale watch. When we arrived at the Bank, we were happy to find two familiar Humpback whale flukes. It was Nile and one of her earlier calves named Sprinkles. The two were taking short dives and spending ample time at the surface. We were also happy to discover the first ocean sunfish (Mola mola) of the season! This sunfish was basking in the sun for most of our time in the area. After a beautiful paired fluking dive, we slowly left Nile and Sprinkles and made our way back home.
It was a great day on the water.
Eman, Emily, and Anjali
06-16-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon!
The 10am whale watch headed out on the Asteria towards the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank. We had amazing sea conditions with almost no wind and were able to spot multiple blows as we approached the area. We saw a massive fin whale circling the area but spent most of our trip with Dross and her adorable 2023 calf! Dross’s calf has been such a delight – and spent our trip breaching and tail breaching all around the vessel! We got awesome looks at this calf as it swam right next to the boat (see eye photo) and jumped around. As the trip progressed the whale’s explosive surface activity slowed down (even baby whales get tired), and the calf transitioned to rolling and mirroring mom’s behavior. We watched as this calf blew bubbles of its own next to Dross’s bubble clouds. This was a really cute but important behavior to observe, as this calf will have to transition to eating fish on its own when the pair eventually separates in the fall.
What a great day!
Kate, Jane, and Josiah
06-16-23
12pm Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 12pm whale watch made its way towards the northern part of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. We spotted a few blows when we approached the area. We spent our time with a single humpback whale named Pitcher. Pitcher was on the move taking short dives and moving through the area, most likely subsurface feeding. Pitcher blew a few bubble clouds, and she even lunged through them a few times! Pitcher even came up close to the boat a few times! Eventually, Pitcher started taking longer dives, so we got a few more great looks at her before heading back to Boston. It ended up being a really great day out on the water!
Until next time,
Colin, Anjali, and Lily
06-17-23
10am and 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Asteria, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards the southern portion of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. We started on a humpback whale named Clamp. Clamp was doing a lot of traveling at the surface so we were able to get some great looks at her! Once Clamp went on a dive, we decided to go for a little bit of a ride. The ride paid off as we came across 9 different humpback whales! We got incredible close approaches from all our whales! Mixed in we had Nile, Sprinkles, Pele, Ravine, Ravine 23 Calf, Milkweed, Venom, and Spell! There were several times that the groups would pop up right next to the boat! After several beautiful fluking dives, we had to head back to Boston.
The 230pm whale watch made its way to the same area in hopes of similar success to the morning trip. We were in luck when we spotted multiple blows in the area. We started on the pair of Nile and Ase who swam right next to our boat! We then moved on to a group of 3 consisting of Pele, Ravine, and Ravine 23 calf. Ravine and her calf popped up right off our bow allowing us to get some incredible views of them! We then spent most of our time with the pair of Venom and Milkweed. Where every we seemed to move, this pair always seemed to pop up right next to us! We got some brief looks at the trio of 3.14, Spell, and Sprinkles before heading back to Boston. It was a fantastic day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Flukes up,
Colin, Anjali, and Josiah
06-17-23
11am and 3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
On the 11am whale watch, we eagerly headed to the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank. Upon arriving, we were happy to discover between eight to eleven humpback whales in the area! We spent our time with a bunch of these whales including Nile, Sprinkles, Spell, Pele, 3.14, Venom, Milkweed, Ravine, and Ravine’s 23 Calf. These whales were moving around the area rapidly, forming and reforming groups, as they fed and dove around us. We got some fantastic looks at Ravine’s 2023 calf who was up at the surface for most of the time we were there! After some time with these whales, we moved on to find Dyad, Dross, and Dross’ 2023 calf. These whales were traveling together which gave us absolutely incredible views of them. It was incredible to watch the rapid way these whales formed and broke associations within a few minutes of each other. A great visualization of the solitary and social behavior of these cetaceans. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Boston!
Aboard the Aurora on the 3:30 pm whale watch, we went back to the same area of Stellwagen Bank. We were lucky to discover that most of the whales from the morning trip were still in the area. We spent our time with Sprinkles, Ravine, Ravine’s 2023 calf, Spell, Nile, 3.14, Venom, and Milkweed. It seemed as through Venom and Milkweed had formed their own duo and were traveling the area on their own while the other six whales were joining and separating from each other with each surfacing! Halfway through our trip, Milkweed and Venom surprised us with a fantastic close encounter right off our bow! They surface, took a few breaths, and then dove right between the pulpits. A few minutes later, Spell, Sprinkles, and 3.14 surfaced at our stern and gave us phenomenal views of them before they dove. Right as we began heading back to Boston, we got a glimpse of a large bubble cloud blown by three of the whales. With that last look of them diving through the remnants of their bubbles, we made our way back to Boston.
Until next time,
Eman and Emily
06-17-23
12pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon fellow whale enthusiasts!
The 12 PM whale watch ventured towards the southwest corner aboard the Cetacea with an enthusiastic group of passengers who braved the rain in the hopes of finding cetaceans. Our efforts were not in vain as we quickly found a Minke whale who appeared to be feeding as it circled and lunged at the surface. We got some great looks at this whale before we continued our search. As we approached closer to the bank we found ourselves surrounded by blows. We estimated 10-11 humpback whales in the area! We spent the start of our trip with Venom and Milkweed, who blew small bubble clouds as they circled our boat. 2 other groups of whales caught our attention with some flipper slapping in the distance, and over the course of our trip began getting closer and closer to where we were watching Venom and Milkweed. We ended up being surrounded by 8 humpback whales, who treated us to incredible close approaches on all sides of the vessel while we sat out of gear allowing them to safely maneuver around us. We got some fantastic looks at these whales, which included Pele, Sprinkles, Spell, 3.14, Ravine and her 2023 Calf. Eventually these whales began to travel a safe distance away from us, allowing us to begin to make our way back to Boston.
Overall, it was a wonderful day for whale watching!
Sydney, Meg, and Jane
06-19-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon,
The Asteria left the dock full of passengers eager to see whales. Upon arriving to Stellwagen Bank, we were greeted by two minke whales who surfaced multiple times right in front of our boat! We watched these whales for a few minutes – catching glimpses of them before they slipped below the water again. After some time with the smallest of the baleen whales, we spotted some blows on the horizon and moved toward them. We found six humpback whales: Baja, Spell, Nile, Milkweed, Venom, and Othello. When we first arrived, these whales were split into two groups of three. Over the course of our time with them, the dynamics of these groups changed constantly. It seemed like every time the two groups dove and surfaced, new groups had formed! After some time, we noticed one whale – Baja – leave the area and the other five whales became one large group. These whales were taking very short dives and lunging as they came to the surface, indicating they were feeding below! We had some beautiful close encounters as they dove right off our starboard side of the boat. After beautiful fluking dives from each of the five whales, we slowly made our way out of the area and back to Boston.
It was a beautiful day on the Bank!
Eman, Kaitlyn, and Antonia
06-19-23
12pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon all!
We boarded the Aurora for the 12 p.m. whale watch and made a southerly course towards Stellwagen Bank. Just after arriving at the southwest corner, we were met with several blows! Scattered individuals could be seen from every direction, but we settled on two distinct groups of humpback whales. These two groups of four whales were surfacing rapidly, and circling the area, spending ample time at the surface! We were able to identify quite a few fan favorites- Nile, Venom, Spell, Milkweed, and Sprinkles! We also met up with two new whales for the season named Baja, and Othello! We had some wonderful looks, including several close approaches and enjoyed our sunny afternoon out on Stellwagen.
Flukes up!
Ashlyn, Celestial Colin, and Reilly
06-20-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon,
The 10am whale watch headed out on the Asteria towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary! Battling some wind and waves, we were greeted by a wall of blows and a flurry of bird activity. Surrounded on all sides, we saw gulls diving and swarming as whales in the distance fed – we estimate there were at least 10 humpbacks in the area. We spent our time with the association of 3.14, Sprinkles, and Spell – who popped up multiple times directly next to our vessel! Sprinkles is a whale known to be curious of boats, and we certainly got to see that today when he gave passengers great looks on both sides. We also saw the single humpback, Milkweed, and the duo Wave and her 2023 calf! Wave and her calf have not been spotted yet this season, so it’s fantastic to spot this pair in early summer!
The highlight of the trip was when all the nearby whales joined together to form a MEGA association. We saw at least six humpbacks surface and dive together – moving together in a massive group. Seeing such large animals traveling in an association was such a cool experience, and it’s the largest associations I’ve seen this season so far!
What an awesome day!!!
Kate, Reilly, and Antonia
06-20-23
12pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon all!
We boarded the Aurora for the 12pm whale watch and once again set off on a southerly course. Intermittent rain and wind did not deter our journey, and upon reaching the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank were once again met with a group of humpback whales! Our first sighting was of a group of adults emerging from a subsurface feed but was quickly interrupted by a chin breaching calf! This turned out to be Wave’s 2023 calf, who treated us to a few more breaches and some wonderful close approaches! Soon after, Wave, Milkweed, Spell, 3.14, and Sprinkles all reemerged with mouthfuls of food. 3.14 even found an opportunity to relieve itself, and it was a telltale sign that they are eating well! This large group stayed together for a while, but after Milkweed and Wave slowed down their movements, they split off with the calf, leaving the other three to continue to feed. We slowly started to move out of the area, glancing at three other individual feeding whales, including Mogul. With some last looks at this individual, we made our way back toward Boston, having spent another wonderful day on Stellwagen.
Flukes up!
Ashlyn and Kaitlyn
More Images from This Week
Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 06/13/23 to 06/20/23