photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Whales were doing lots of resting and deep feeding today. In the morning they were feeding below the surface and coming up with their mouths full of water, the water was then being forced out through their baleen plates to strain their food. In the afternoon most of the whales we saw and we saw quite a few were logging or resting. Whales will rest whenever they need or get the chance too. They don't have bedtimes like us.

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Labels: 2008 Season, feeding, humpback whale, logging

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Today the boat only went out in the morning, but had a great trip! We saw Echo and her calf with Tectonic as an escort. Echo's calf was very active rolling and even tail breached a few times for us.

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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, humpback whale, mother

Beautiful day on the water- both weather and whale wise. Both trips had mother calf pairs with escorts. We saw Tornado and her calf with Tear as the escort. Echo was with her calf and had Tectonic as their escort. We also spotted Nile, Pepper and Follice.

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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, humpback whale, mother

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

The seas in the morning today prevented us from going out, however the afternoon we had a great trip. we saw two whales that gave us some really nice looks at their flukes and the pattern to tell them apart. One of them even spy-hoped (which is when they stick their heads out of the water) and checked everyone on board out! Since they let us get such great looks at the underside of their flukes I was able to ID them as Pipette, and Banyan.

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Labels: 2008 Season, humpback whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

We saw a small pod of Harbor Porpoises on our way out today. They look similar to dolphins, but are smaller and have a different shaped dorsal fin. There was some feeding on the bank on today's trips from whales: Lavalier, Jabiru, Etch-a-Sketch, Glo, and Crown and her calf.

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Labels: 2008 Season, harbor porpoises, humpback whale

Lots of birds and whales today! Some of the birds we saw were: Jaegar, Cory and Greater Shearwaters, Wilson Storm Petrels, Herring and Greater Black-back Gulls, and a Common Tern. Some nice close looks at some minke whales. We even saw some White Sided Dolphins! Not to mention the Fin and Humpback whales. Humpbacks that we saw: Tectonic, Etch-a-Sketch, Percussion, Jabiru.

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Labels: 2008 Season, fin whale, humpback whale, minke whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

As we enter into the fall and the season of hurricanes and tropical storms, the seas aren't always as pleasant as we would like. The afternoon trip was canceled due to seas but the morning trip got some awesome views. We had lots of whales and feeding, there was so much bait in the water that even the minke whales were feeding! Whales: Lavalier, Nile, Anchor, and Jabiru. There were a lot of birds out on the bank as well. Shearwaters, gulls and a few terns.

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Labels: 2008 Season, humpback whale, minke whale

photo by Naturalist Melissa Rocha

Whales have been super active the last few days, and today was no different. On the morning trip we had one animal breaching nonstop! Then we found Crown and her calf with Tear doing some rolling and flipper slapping right next to the boat! Then Jabiru decided to do the same, but wanted to show off it's breaching skills and did some full and chin breaches for us. In the afternoon we saw Tear again but this time with a different mother calf pair. So many whales out and active today. Scanning the horizon we saw several other blows and breaches further out, even a double breach in the distance.


photo by Naturalist Melissa Rocha

The best part was we got to see some Atlantic White Sided Dolphins!! They were hanging out with a few of the humpbacks.

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Labels: 2008 Season, dolphins, flipper slapping, humpback whale, rolling

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Happy Labor Day! Our trips today gave great looks at several different humpback whales. Quite a few were open mouth feeding. When they were coming up to the surface with their mouths wide open it gave some good looks at their baleen plates that hang down from their upper jaw. We saw whales: Echo and calf, with Tectonic, also Lavalier, Colt, Jabiru, Anchor, Draco, Rune, Pepper, and Etch-a-Sketch.

Labels: 2008 Season, humpback whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Today's trips we headed to the Northwest portion of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. On the morning trip we saw Lavalier and Tectonic, as well as Pinpoint who came up close to check out everyone on the boat. The Afternoon we spotted mom Echo and her calf, with Tectonic, as an escort. We have been seeing a lot of birds on the trips as well: Cory and Great Shearwaters, Gulls- Herring, and a few Common Terns.

Labels: 2008 Season, common tern, cory, great shearwater, humpback whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Today's trips were phenomenal! In the morning we had Pepper a female humpback first seen in 1978! Also seen that morning were several other females; Nile, Anchor, and Lavalier. In the Afternoon we found Frisbee a fairly young whale. Frisbee decided to give everyone a real treat by doing all of the following: flipper slapping, rolling, tail lobbing, and even breaching the entire trip!

Labels: 2008 Season, breaching, flipper slapping, humpback whale, rolling, tail lobbing

Some great looks at some well known regulars. Mom's Echo and Crown continue to be seen just about everyday with their calves. Some of the whales have been seen doing some feeding at the surface. All that feeding has even made several minke whales come right up by the boat for some good looks. Whales seen: Lavalier, Echo and calf, Tectonic, Anchor, Crown and calf, Fulcrum, Tear, and Rune.

Labels: 2008 Season, feeding, humpback whale, minke whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

photo by naturalists Melissa Rocha

Both trips today were filled with mothers and their calves, TONS of whales and activity! On the AM trip we had Cajun and her calf with Percussion as an escort. Then we found Echo her calf with Tectonic and another whale. Towards the end we came across Cygnus, Anchor and Fulcrum starting to feed. In the afternoon we saw several breaches! and not just full breaches but also some chin and tail breaches as well. There were some minke's that popped up during the afternoon trip as well. Whales this afternoon were: Fulcrum, Lavalier, Rune, Filament, Anchor, and Draco.

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Labels: 2008 Season, breaching, chin-breaching, humpback whale, tail breaching

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Today's trips showed us looks at some of the different activities we can see on these trips. In the morning we got to hear some trumpet blows a sound that humpbacks are known to make, from a mother with her calf and an escort. The trio then started to do some logging or resting. In the afternoon we had some flipper slapping and rolling by one of the whales. The sunset trip had some whale chin breaching--bringing just the front part of their mouth and head out of the water, as well a beautiful sunset. Whales seen during the day:Geometry, Lavalier, Echo and calf, Rune, Tear, and Percussion, there were many others in the area just didn't get looks at their flukes.

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Labels: 2008 Season, chin-breaching, humpback whale, trumpet blows

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

All 3 trips today gave everyone incredible looks at several humpback whales. Several whales in the area during the afternoon trip were open mouth feeding. One whale in particular was doing a lot of kick feeding, that whale's name is Etch-a-Sketch. During the sunset trip, we were able to see so much breaching from 2 different calves! Crown's and Cajun's. The calves tend to be more active then the adults do. The calves even came right up next to the boat! Trip was great with a beautiful sunset to end it all. Whales that were seen during the day were: Percussion, Rune, Tear, Etch-a-Sketch, Pointpoint, Echo and calf, Crown, and calf, Cajun and calf, and Venom, along with many others that were in the distance.

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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, humpback whale, mother

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Trips have been great. The calves are really starting to be bolder in their activites. We are seeing a lot of rolling by them and them starting to fluke! When humpbacks go down on dives they do typically bring their tails or flukes out of the water. Calves being smaller dont need to as much but once they start to gain more weight we do start to see them doing this towards the end of the season. In addition some of the calves did some rolling at the surface, with a few slaps of their flippers. Some of the humpbacks seen during these days: Tectonic, Pipette, Pinpoint, Crown and calf, Cajun, and calf, Etch-a-sketch, Venom, Echo and calf and Jabiru.

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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, humpback whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

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Labels: 2008 Season, feeding, humpback whale

The past few days we have seeing humpbacks mostly on the Bank. Today we had a well known humpback named Pepper, as well as Percussion, Cajun and her calf, and Ravine and her calf. Both calves came over to the boat and were rather playful. Cajun's calf did some breaching and tail lobbing. Tail lobbing is similar to doing a headstand and having it's tail "waving" at the surface.


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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, humpback whale, mother

The trips today and the past few days have been GREAT! This whole week there have been so many whales in the area, and right next to the boat. They've been moving in rather large groups for humpbacks. On Monday we had several mothers and their calves right next to the boat! There was Ravine, and Crown with their calves. That day we also saw Draco, Fulcrum and Reaper--Reaper was doing some kick feeding!



On August 13 we again had around 20, if not more, humpbacks in the area and most of them doing feeding of some kind, among other activities. The whales encircled the boat giving everyone on board great looks at baleen plates in the animals mouth as well as some breaching! That day we saw Compass and calf, Anchor, Echo and calf, Pipette, Ember, Trident and calf, Tunguska, Draco, Reaper, Firefly and calf, and many more!

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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, humpback whale, mother

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

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Labels: 2008 Season, breaching, humpback whale, minke whale

photos by naturalist Melissa Rocha

On July 25th, our whale watch trips gave us some great looks up close at several Humpback whales. Some of the whales on the trip were doing an activity known as logging. Logging is when a whale is resting. Whales have to breath air so they need to rest by the surface of the water. A few of the humpback came right up next to the boat, and gave everyone on board some AMAZING looks, at their size and what they look like.

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Labels: 2008 Season, humpback whale, logging

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Fin whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Humpback whale

On the July 9th trip, we came across a mother and her calf fin whale. Fin whales are a fast whale, and we don't get to usually see them at the surface for a long time, however this calf was putting on quite a show! The calf was rolling on it's side, and even breached right next to the boat!

As if that wasn't enough, we then found two different mother and calf pairs of humpback whales, with the calves breaching non stop! Something we don't get to see that often. One of the calves also came right up next to the boat to give everyone a great look.


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Labels: 2008 Season, calf, fin whale, humpback whale

photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Basking shark


photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Basking shark


photo by naturalist Melissa Rocha

Humpback whale open mouth feeding

The end of June we were seeing lots of Basking Sharks on the Bank. Basking sharks are common on the bank and are the second largest fish species. On the June 25th trip we came across several basking sharks, but one in particular was fond of our boat and decided to swim right along side and check it out. This gave all the passengers a great chance to see the animals gills, and into it's mouth! Basking sharks are filter feeders like many of the whales we commonly see, that means they some of the smallest animals in the oceans, plankton. We then got to see some more feeding by Humpback whales. These whales will come up to the surface of the water with their mouths open, allowing us to see their baleen plates. Humpbacks will feed on plankton and small fish species like sandlance.


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Labels: 2008 Season, basking shark, whale