Whale Sightings 09/13/23 to 09/18/23. Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 09/13/23 to 09/18/23 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
09-13-23
Observação de Baleias 10 da manhã
Good afternoon and hello bubble-netters!
The 10am on the Sanctuary took a bit of a ride around the tip of Cape-Cod in search of whales. Our valiant efforts paid off when we reached an area with approximately 40 humpback whales! Approaching the area, we saw a wall of blows – for as far as the eye could see we could see birds swarming, whales blowing bubble nets, individuals kick-feeding , and sporadic breaching! In a truly special and remarkable trip, we were simply taken aback by the sheer volume of whales and feeding activity. I’ve IDed 24 whales (with many more to follow): 3.14, Alligator, Azrael, Bandit, Brine, Campground, Crossbeam, Dome, Ember, Etch-a-Sketch, Evolution, Ghost, Infinity, Iris, Mend, Midnight, Milkweed, Scratch, Sprinkles, Startrail, Tear, Tectonic, Ursa, and Wonderland. These whales were cooperatively feeding together in groups of 10 to even 12 – and towards the end of our trip we had a group of almost 20 come together to blow a massive bubble net! With a tail breach off our bow and whales surrounding our vessel – this was such an AMAZING DAY!! (This is Kiley’s first day – what a spectacular first whale watch!!)
Kate, Jane, and Kiley
12pm Avistamentos de observação de baleias
Boa noite,
On our 12pm whale watch aboard the Aurora, we headed out to the SW corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales. As we arrived to the corner, we found Bounce and calf, and our first look started off with a bang as the two were spiral bubble net feeding! We got great looks at Bounce filtering at the surface. After a few bouts of feeding, Bounce began traveling in search of her next meal, while her calf milled about. We then made our way towards another solo humpback Spell, where we began to see more activity such as great shearwaters, gulls, and a minke whale. After Spell went down on a longer dive, we spotted a big bubble cloud begin to form, and then Spell’s mouth suddenly snapped at the surface! When humpbacks lunge feed on sardine type fishes (like mackerel), it’s always so excited to observe their power and strength as they burst at the surface! Spell delighted us the rest of the trip by continuing this behavior – a great way to end the afternoon!
In addition to Kiley, we’d also like to introduce our other two new fall interns, Siân and Christina!
Cheers to a happy fall,
Laura, Colin & Siân
09-14-23
Observação de Baleias 10 da manhã
Olá a todos,
Today aboard the Sanctuary, the 10am whale watch made its way southeast in search of whales and other marine life. After a bit of searching, we noticed a plethora of blows in front of us. We estimated around 50 humpback whales in the area! We spent most of our time with a group of about 6-8 humpbacks who were bubble feeding! So far in this group we have identified Buckshot, Milkweed, Sprinkles, Etch-A-Sketch, Draco, and Music. This group was blowing bubbles right near the boat, so we got some incredible views of them coming up with their mouths open! There were a few other whales around us that were kick feeding as well. After some absolutely incredible views of our whales, we had to start heading back to Boston. A few other whales on the way home we were able to ID consisted of Wonderland, A-Plus, A-Plus 23 Calf, Tear, and Dome. It was a phenomenal day offshore!
Até à próxima vez,
Colin e Kate
12pm Avistamentos de observação de baleias
Boa tarde,
The Aurora cruised to Stellwagen Bank and found a humpback whale not by its blow but by the splashing caused by the lobtailing behavior that could be seen miles ahead of us. As we approached, Hammock tail breached three times and then changed its behavior and we witnessed its rapid and erratic movements as it fed beneath the seas. Eagle eyed passengers were able to spot the whale quickly as it came up for one breath, sometimes two. Two other humpbacks and two minkes also milled about and we even caught a glimpse of a northern gannet and two red necked phalaropes. Here’s hoping the whales stick around after the storm rolls through!
Laura L., Jane, and Siân
09-18-23
Observação de Baleias 10 da manhã
Olá a todos,
Today aboard the Sanctuary, the 10am Whale Watch made its way out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. It took a bit of searching, but we spotted a blow from a lone humpback whale who turned out to be Labyrinth. Labyrinth was keeping a fairly low profile but was not moving very far between dives which allowed us to get some fantastic looks at this whale! Just as we were about to start heading back, Labyrinth started tail breaching right next to the boat! Labyrinth then started flipper slapping! Seeing its long pectoral flippers not far from the boat was surely a sight to see! Labyrinth even continued flipper slapping as we had to head back to Boston. It ended up being a really fantastic day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Até à próxima vez,
Colin and Christina
12pm Avistamentos de observação de baleias
Boa tarde!
We boarded the Aurora for the 12p.m. whale watch amid the rainy skies and made way towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank. It’s no secret that large storms can shake things up on the bank, so we were taken aback when we quickly came across Labyrinth! This whale was taking longer dives, but interestingly not traveling far, if at all, indicating that it was perhaps logging after a few gnarly days offshore. While waiting for Labyrinth to return to the surface, we were suddenly surprised by a massive splash, and upon closer inspection, discovered good ol’ reliable, Chunk! She continued to wow us with twenty straight minutes of tail breaching and tail lobbing, pausing briefly to blow a bubble ring right off the bow! We had some incredible looks at our familiar friend, and her splashy activity was a welcome sight after days on land.
Atrapalha!
Ashlyn
Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 09/13/23 to 09/18/23