Whale Sightings 06/01/23 to 06/12/23 Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 06/01/23 to 06/12/23 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
06-01-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Good afternoon whale watchers,
Aboard the 10am whale watch, we journeyed to the Southern portion of Stellwagen Bank. After a brief period of searching, we discovered a blow belonging to the second largest animals on the planet: a fin whale! This whale gave us multiple beautiful looks before we decided to move on in search of more wildlife. A little further down the bank, we came across a variety of whale activity! There were at least seven humpback whales and several minke whales in the area. We decided to focus on a group of Humpback whales that included Eruption, Spell, and Pele. These three whales were taking short dives and giving us ample time at the surface to appreciate them! We were even surprised with an incredible close encounter as all three surfaced in front of our boat and dove right off our bow! In addition to the humpback trio, another single humpback whale patrolled the area around us.
It was a fantastic tri-species day on the Bank!
Hasta la próxima vez,
Eman, Emily, and Josiah
06-02-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenas tardes,
The 10am whale watch headed out on the Asteria towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank. We were met with glassy seas and as we approached the sanctuary, we were ecstatic to get a quick glance at a blue shark! We were able to see its small dorsal slice through the water before disappearing underwater. This is our first shark sighting of the year – what a great way to start June!!!
We moved a little farther and found ourselves with the reliable group of three humpbacks – Pele, Spell, and Eruption. This association has been together for around a week, and it’s been cool to observe some trends over time. For example, during our trip – these whales consistently dove in the same order – Pele then Spell then Eruption – and would also surface in the same order. We also got some fantastic looks at least 5 gray seals and 2 minke whales – who were very active at the surface and circled around our vessel repeatedly!
Kate, Meghan, Indi, and Jane
06-02-23
12pm Avistamiento de ballenas
Hola a todos,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 12pm whale watch headed out towards the northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. As we approached the bank, we spotted a couple of blows in the distance. This turned out to be Dross and her 2023 calf! The pair were spending a lot of time at the surface, so we were able to get some incredible looks at them. The calf even erupted from the water, and it completed a full body breach right off the bow! The waters were so calm today that you could look down and see the entirety of the whale. The pair even came up close to the boat a few times! After some incredible looks at Dross and calf, we decided to take a little bit of a ride. We then stumbled upon a massive fin whale! This fin whale was being fairly elusive, but we were able to get a few incredible looks at the second biggest animal on the planet. After the fin whale went on a dive, we had to back to Boston. It was a really fintastic day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Hasta la próxima vez,
Colin y Josiah
06-06-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenas tardes a todos.
After a weekend of storms we boarded the Asteria for the 10 a.m. whale watch and made our way towards Stellwagen Bank. The swells were mighty, but the passengers eager, and upon reaching the northwest corner were met with a wall of blows! Roughly 8-10 humpback whales moved through the area, some feeding, and we started the day with Pinball and her 2023 calf! Satula swung by, and Diablo said hello with one big exhale… which we all reluctantly inhaled. A second mom and calf pair, Shuffleboard and calf, then moseyed on over to the boat, joined by another female humpback, Milkweed. This trio slowed down their movements and traveled alongside the boat for a while, allowing amazing looks! Fellow naturalist Meg then pointed out an object breaking the surface just ahead of us, which turned out to be a beautiful basking shark! This shark skimmed alongside the boat, allowing us to watch the feeding process of this incredible animal. We wrapped up with a look at a grey seal, before heading back toward Boston among the haze.
Flukes up!
Ashlyn, Meg, and Kaitlyn
06-06-23
12pm Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenos días,
Yesterday aboard the Aurora, we had a calf-filled afternoon at the NW corner! We first spent time with humpbacks Dross and her 2023 calf – mom was busy bubble feeding while her calf milled about at the surface, occasionally doing a few tail rolls! We also spotted a fin whale, along with a few other humpbacks in the distance. We wrapped up the day with a spectacular close approach of Pinball and her calf – her calf was already fluking so we got great looks at its tail. We also spotted a few Wilson’s storm petrels offshore as well.
¡Un gran día en el agua!
Laura y Antonia
06-07-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Hola a todos,
Today aboard the Asteria, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. After a little bit of searching, we came across a mom and calf pair of humpback whales. It turned out to be Dross and her 2023 calf! The pair were moving around a bit, but they were spending a lot of time at the surface, so we were able to get a lot of looks at them. At one point, Dross and her calf came up right next to the boat! After a beautiful fluking dive from Dross, we noticed another blow in the distance. It turned out to be Satula the humpback whale. Satula blew a few bubble clouds and, and he came up right next to the boat a few times! After some great looks at Satula, we had to make our way back to Boston. It was a great day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Hasta la próxima vez,
Colin and Anjali
06-07-23
12pm Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenos días,
Yesterday aboard the Aurora, we had a lovely afternoon spending time with Dross and her new calf this year. As we arrived on the bank, we were surrounded by bait balls of schooling fish, so much that it was rippling at the surface wherever we looked. Dross was busy subsurface bubble net feeding, while her calf milled a bit at the surface – surprising up by popping up in different locations, as well as doing a few rolls and tail breaches! Calves have only 10-12 months to learn feeding behaviors from their mom before they are weaned, so eventually later in the trip, we observed Dross’ calf starting to follow along mom, and even appear to mimic her behavior! Dross’ calf blew a few bubbles, and at one point even opened it’s mouth at the surface while Dross filtered parallel to the calf. We also spotted a few fish escaping Dross’ mouth!
A wonderful day! In addition to this trip – both Dross and calf swam very close to fixed fishing gear (see photo). As today is World Oceans Day, take this as an opportunity to make an action that impacts the ocean in your everyday life. A great choice you can make is choosing sustainable seafood options – some resources you can check out are www.fishwatch.gov and www.seafoodwatch.org
Salud,
Laura, Meg, Emily, and Jane
06-08-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenas tardes,
Aboard the Asteria, we eagerly cruised out to Stellwagen Bank in search of wildlife. Our excitement was quickly met by a humpback whale named Scylla. At the beginning of our encounter, Scylla was taking short dives and covering a good amount of distance on each dive. Despite her fast pace, Scylla’s incredible fluking dives and ample time at the surface gave everyone a good view! After a few minutes, Scylla’s behavior shifted and she started taking even shorter dives and lunging as she surfaced! It was an incredible example of how behaviors can change rapidly, and the importance of patience while watching these incredible creatures! Our time with this lovely humpback whale passed rapidly and, before we knew it, it was time to return home. Within a few minutes, the Asteria’s return was gloriously interrupted by a group of fin whales and minke whales! There were at least three fin whales and two minkes whales that were consistently surfacing and diving around us. We watched them for as much time as could before making our way back home.
It was a fantastic way to celebrate World Ocean Day!
Hasta la próxima vez,
Eman, Anjali, and Indi
06-08-23
12pm Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenas tardes,
The 12:00 whale watch headed out on the Aurora towards the Northwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank with incredibly glassy seas. Almost immediately upon reaching the bank, we were greeted by a flurry of blows and saw multiple large whales feeding in the vicinity. We saw at least 3 fin whales lunging at the surface, circling and forcefully charging out of the water. Surrounded by bait balls, we watched these massive whales cut and feed. Fin whales are still endangered, so it was great to see multiple individuals in such a small area – especially on World Ocean’s Day! We spent most of our time with the single humpback Mogul. Mogul is a whale we see very consistently, and it was great to spot this familiar fluke for the first time this whole season! Mogul blew very consistent bubble clouds around our vessel and gave passengers some great looks. One time, he lunged right off our starboard pulpit. We got to see him turn on his side with his massive flipper and pleats fully expanded (see photo – if you look closely, you can see the white markings on the top of his pleats)!!!! We finished up our trip by spending a little time with the humpback, Scylla, who also blew a few bubble clouds!
¡Qué gran día!
Kate, Emily, and Josiah
06-09-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Hola a todos,
Today aboard the Asteria, the 10am whale watch made its way towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. After a little searching we noticed a few blows in the distance. We spent most of the time with a pair of humpback whales consisting of Nile and Scylla! These two were spending a lot of time at the surface so we were able to get some really great looks at them. They even popped up next to the boat a few times! After some beautiful fluking dives from our pair, we had a close approach by another humpback whale named Gondolier! I personally have not seen Gondolier since 2018 so it was really nice to see Gondolier after all these years! We got some final looks at the dynamic duo of Nile and Scylla before heading back to Boston. It was a really amazing day out on the water!
Sube la tensión,
Colin y Josiah
06-09-23
12pm Avistamiento de ballenas
Good afternoon whale watchers,
The Aurora braved the building rainstorm as we headed out to find some cetaceans on the noon whale watch. Upon arriving on Stellwagen Bank, we were greeted by a humpback whale named Satula. Satula was taking short dives and spending ample time at the surface. After some beautiful fluking dives, we made the decision to move forward in our search. Within a few minutes, the Aurora was surrounded by whale activity! There were between five to seven minkes whales in the area – which meant whales in every direction! We got fantastic looks of a humpback named Dyad as she dove and surfaced in the vicinity. We even caught a brief look at a seal that had caught its lunch! While we enjoyed our time with these whales, we once again decided to journey onward to see what else the Bank had to offer. Our next encounter was with a familiar favorite – Dross and her 2023 calf! Dross disappeared below the surface as we approached, but we were happily greeted by her calf who was rolling, flipper slapping, blowing bubbles, and breaching at the surface! As the calf continued its energetic activity, Dross blew and surfaced in the middle of some impeccable bubble nets. Eventually, the calf’s activity and Dross’ feeding ceased. The mother and calf paired together and began swimming away as we slowly turned the boat back to Boston. Luckily for us, our wildlife encounters continued! Fifteen minutes into our journey back home, a triangular fin caught our eye. It was a basking shark! This shark was up at the surface giving us incredible views before it dove under our stationary boat and disappeared into the abyss.
It was a fantastic day on Stellwagen Bank!
Eman, Jane, and Kaitlyn
06-10-23
10h y 14:30h Avistamiento de ballenas
Buenas noches,
The 10am whale watch made its way to Stellwagen Bank aboard the Asteria. Upon arriving to the bank, we were thrilled to discover whales in every direction! We got some fantastic looks at multiple minke whales before settling down to watch Dross and her 2023 calf! Dross was busy bubble feeding while the calf was up at the surface breaching, rolling, and circling the area around us. In addition to this dynamic duo, we also got some fantastic looks at a humpback whale named Mogul! We had a great time with these three whales while surrounded by a variety of other humpback and minkes whales. Just as we were preparing to head back to Boston, a fin whale surfaced right off our boat! It was incredible to compare the difference in size between the three whale species in our vicinity. It was a fantastic tri-species trip!
On the 2:30pm whale watch, the Asteria cruised back to Stellwagen Bank eager to find more cetaceans. We were quickly rewarded with a fantastic sighting of a humpback whale named Gondolier who was up at the surface flipper slapping! After some time spent watching (and listening!) to those flippers hit the water, Gondolier went down on a dive and we slowly cruised onward. Our search was stopped rather quickly when we came upon Dross and her 2023 calf! Dross’ behavior was similar to what we saw on the morning trip – she was busy lunging and bubble feeding around our boat. As Dross fed, her calf was super busy at the surface. The calf was breaching, flipper slapping, rolling, and trumpet blowing the entire time we spent in the area! It was certainly an eventful trip!
It was an incredible day on Stellwagen Bank!
Eman, Meg, Jane, and Anjali
06-10-23
11h y 15:30h Avistamiento de ballenas
Hola a todos,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 11am whale watch made its way towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. Once we got to the area we spotted several blows. There were several humpbacks spread out throughout the area. Some of the humpbacks were moving around fairly erratically, but were able to get some great looks at the mom and calf pair of Dross and her 2023 calf! The pair were taking fairly short dives and were even popping up next to the boat a few times! All of a sudden, the calf began rolling around and tail breaching! The calf even breached next to the boat! While the calf was playing, mom was focused on feeding. Dross even blew a few bubble clouds not far from us. Eventually the calf went back to business, and it began traveling with mom again. After some amazing looks and Dross and her calf and a very cool fin whale we had to head back to Boston.
The 330pm whale watch headed out towards the same area in hopes of similar luck as the morning trip. Before we reached the bank, we spotted a small pod of harbor porpoise. The pod was fairly active staying up at the surface allowing us to get some fantastic looks at them! We continued on to the bank to find the familiar face of Dross 23 calf who was very active. The calf was rolling around, flipper slapping, lob tailing and tail breaching! At point the calf was on its back for an extended period of time just floating along which was very fun to watch. The calf eventually calmed down and started making a beeline over to mom who was not too far off in the distance. Eventually the pair was reunited, and we got fantastic looks at Dross who gave us some very beautiful fluking dives. After some fantastic looks at our lovely duo, we had to make our way back to Boston. It was a really amazing day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Hasta la próxima vez,
Colin, Emily, and Josiah
06-11-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Good evening sailors!
We joyfully boarded the Asteria for the 10 a.m. whale watch and enjoyed smooth sailing all the way to Stellwagen Bank! Upon reaching the southwest corner, we met up with several humpback whales, the first being a new calf for the season! This calf’s mom remained a puzzling mystery for a few moments, as it was milling about in the triumphant trio of Eruption, Pele, and Spell! Though Eruption and Spell are females, we know they did not have a calf this year, and were simply playing babysitter. Luckily, our confusion was quelled when three more adults emerged, and we determined that mother whale was A-Plus, with her third known calf! She was traveling with two other fan favorites, Sprinkles, and the newly named, dearly beloved, Chunk! We were excited to see Chunk, as she has been a staple in our sightings for at least 7 years (when I first started here), and it was a passion for many of us to grant her the name she has dutifully earned!
Though I could go on about her, it was truly A-Plus’s 23 Calf that stole the show, as those youngsters tend to do. This calf began mugging the vessel, convinced that we had taken over babysitting duties. It treated us to close approaches, lengthy surfacings, and even eye contact! At one point, it popped up right between the pulpits! The glassy sea conditions also ensured we could see this whale beneath the surface, allowing breathtaking and awe inspiring views of this young whale. The laziest gray seal I’ve ever seen joined the mix, lounging up at the surface throughout our trip. A fantastic multispecies day with beautiful views of Provincetown wrapped up with all seven whales surfacing, and diving in what felt like slow motion, allowing us beautiful last looks. We returned to Boston, taking after the aforementioned gray seal and soaking up the sun!
¡Los flujos arriba!
Ashlyn, Laura, Antonia, and Lily
06-11-23
14:30 Avistamiento de ballenas
¡Buenas tardes!
Sunday was a spectacular day of whale watching, with lots of familiar faces… and a few new! Upon reaching southern Stellwagen Bank, we found the two groups swimming about just as we had in the morning. Sprinkles, Chunk, A-Plus, and her new little one were quickly recognized and shortly after they dove, Spell, Pele, and Eruption surfaced almost in the exact same spot, causing a bit of a double take. It was fun to see the familiar pairing of Eruption and Pele joined by a younger whale and we enjoyed watching Chunk, as she is now officially known.
If you’ve been following along, you might remember that this whale has a literal chunk missing from her dorsal fin with some faint killer whale scars, and in the past few months the collective group of naturalists and researchers who observe these whales worked together to name a large number of individuals. When it was explained that the Boston naturalists already had a nickname for this whale, our colleagues graciously adopted it as her official name. Of course, naming a whale after the identifiable dorsal fin is a bit of an exception to the rule of naming for markings on the fluke, but really illustrates how the names are given to help recognize the whales as quickly as possible.
But, while we do love Chunk, it was A-Plus’ 2023 calf that gave us the most spectacular sightings of the trip as the calf decided it would like to give flying a valiant effort. We lost count of the number of breaches, both spinning almost 360 degrees and landing down on its chin. A few lob tails here and there were tossed in for variation topped off a truly special experience that our passengers really appreciated just made for the most fun ride home talking about it all. I can’t wait to get back out there, and look forward to seeing many of you throughout the summer as well!
06-11-23
11h y 15:30h Avistamiento de ballenas
Good evening whale watchers!
The 11am Whale Watch headed out on the Aurora towards the southern section of Stellwagen Bank with incredibly glassy conditions. As we approached the bank we spotted a wall of blows – and were greeted by 8 humpback whales! Seven of these whales were in two groups were comprised of Pele, Eruption, Spell and Sprinkles, Chunk, A-Plus, and 2023 Calf!!! Chunk holds a special place in the hearts of our naturalists, as we were actually able to officially name this whale during the most recent naming session this spring! During this amazing trip, these two different associations weaved in and out of each other, traveling close together but always staying distinctly synchronized within their respective groups. It was not uncommon to have seven whales at the surface at the same time in a very close area. The water was so glassy that we were able to see the entirety of these animals as they swam close by our boat. The 7 whales constantly popped up all around our vessel – continuously checking us out and giving passengers utterly fantastic looks. Sitting still and clutched out, we got to see the whales surface directly next to our vessel again and again and again. In particular, A-Plus 23 Calf repeatedly swam right next to us and even rolled and flipper slapped! We also spotted Farfalle in the area (this is the first time we’ve seen this individual this season) who spent most of our trip logging.
In the afternoon, our 3:30 whale watch returned to the same location and were greeted by the same two associations – Pele, Eruption, Spell and Sprinkles, Chunk, A-Plus, A-Plus 23 Calf! The wind had picked up a little bit since the morning trip, and as we approached our whales, we saw a flurry of white water. A-Plus’s Calf had exploded into a show of surface activity – and spent the entirety of our hour-long sighting breaching, chin-breaching, and tail-breaching. Every time we thought the little whale would slow down; it would simply continue to launch its body of the water. We saw multiple breaches where the ENTIRETY of the calf was out of the water – fluke and all (see photos). In what was a truly magical trip, we were able to see every possible type of breach. What made the day even more special is the calf repeatedly would approach us before launching into a bout of surface activity – all our photos of the calf breaching were taken when our vessel was not moving, and the calf had chosen to approach the Aurora. The highlight of the trip was when the calf breached directly off our port pulpit!!!!!! I was so surprised I only got photos of the end of the breach (but hopefully the attached photos do justice on how close the calf was). At the very end of our trip, the calf transitioned from breaching to playing with seaweed! The calf would surface with its rostrum and push the seaweed out of the water – and times seemingly moving and nuzzling the seaweed around.
This was truly a remarkable and unforgettable day!
Kate, Reilly, and Kaitlyn
06-12-23
10h Avistamiento de ballenas
Good afternoon whale watchers,
Aboard the Asteria, we eagerly headed out to the Southern portion of Stellwagen Bank. Upon arriving, we were greeted by eleven humpback whales! The eleven whales were in five distinct groups when we first arrived, and within a few minutes we started seeing the groups combine. We spent most of the trip with a trio that contained Chunk, Eruption, and Pele and a duo of Venom and Milkweed. These whales were moving around the area rapidly and taking incredibly short dives. This meant they surfaced frequently making it easy to watch and appreciate them! After some time, we noticed a smaller whale mixed in the group. We discovered it was the calf of a whale named A-Plus. This calf is known as A-Plus 23 Calf until it receives its own name in a few years. A-Plus was busy with Sprinkles and Spell not too far from the calf. These three whales were quite taking short dives and staying up at the surface for several minutes at a time. We enjoyed watching the way the calf would meander around the area and then reunite with its mother. After the exciting time with all the whales, we slowly made our way back to Boston.
Hasta la próxima vez,
Eman, Kaitlyn y Antonia
06-12-23
12pm Avistamiento de ballenas
Hola a todos,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 12pm whale watch made its way out towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank. When we first arrived in the area, we noticed some splashing in the distance. This turned out to be Dross and her 2023 calf! The calf was rolling around, and it even tail breached a few times! Dross was busy feeding below the surface as she was blowing several bubble clouds. She even lunged up a few times, and one of the times she did it right next to the boat! After some phenomenal looks at Dross and her calf, we ventured off a little further east to find several groups of humpback whales. We got a brief look at the group of Sprinkles, A-Plus, and Spell before getting most of our looks with the dynamic duo of Venom and Milkweed. Venom and Milkweed came up right next to the boat and they gave us some beautiful fluking dives! Bouncing between the two groups was the adorable calf of A-Plus who even swam right across our bow! After some fantastic looks at all our whales we had to head back to Boston. It was a really great day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Hasta la próxima vez,
Colin, Megan, and Reilly
Más imágenes de esta semana
Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 06/01/23 to 06/12/23