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9.08.2009

September 8, 2009 Morning Trip


Photo of minke whale


Photo of Echo and another humpback

It was a very active day today for our whales! On our morning trip we found a group of 5 or 6 humpbacks feeding! This group included Thread and Fulcrum with her calf. We were able to see several different feeding strategies: kick feeding, tail lobbing, and a few open mouths all alongside our boat! Getting in on the action were a fin whale and a pair of minkes. We even caught a quick breach from Thread! After this, the food seemed to spread out, or maybe the whales were full, either way our group split up and began to travel. We stayed close to Thread for the chance of another breach, but instead Thread was joined by Echo and another individual, and they opted to go on some dives. This group gave us some nice looks, and we also got incredibly close looks at a few more minkes in the area. It was a rare experience to be so close to several individuals of this smaller whale.
~Jackie O'Mara, Naturalist

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8.21.2009

August 21, 2009 Afternoon Trip

We were a bit worried about spotting whales this afternoon because the wind had picked up, making it hard to see spouts. However, shortly after arriving on the bank we saw double breaches in the distance! Our acrobats ended up being Fulcrum and her calf. They kept up the breaching for a while, then started doing some shallow dives. We think there was some feeding going on as well. The calf wasn't too interested in food, though, and was doing some flipper slapping, and what looked like a whale backstroke right next to the boat.
~ Emily Griffin, Naturalist

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August 21, 2009 Morning Trip

This morning out on the Bank we were lucky enough to see two mother/calf pairs! We started with Lavalier, her calf, and Pinpoint. They gave us some great close looks, and the calf was doing some breaching! We even got a couple tail breaches from Pinpoint. Later, we moved on to Fulcrum and her calf. They were giving us some beautiful fluke shots and dives, then started feedining with huge open mouths right as we were leaving!
~ Emily Griffin, Naturalist

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8.19.2009

August 19, 2009 Morning Trip

On this morning trip we came across some Atlantic white-sided dolphins! A special treat as we don't get to see dolphins all that often out on our trips. We also came across some humpbacks whales, first we spotted Alpha doing some deep feeding; we would see some bubbles being blow under the surface, then he would surface with his mouth just slightly open straining water. There was also another whale close by Alpha but only up at the surface for a few minutes. On our way home we passed by Fulcrum and her calf doing some logging or resting, giving us really nice looks at their bodies. We could see how big the calf is, yet pretty small compared to mom Fulcrum. ~Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist, photos by Melissa Rocha

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7.31.2009

July 31, 2009 Morning Trip

After seeing a few minke whales, we found a couple humpbacks. They were traveling in some pretty large groups; we had three, including Alphorn, on one side of the boat, and five including Fulcrum and her calf on the other! They were going on some pretty deep dives, except the calf who would stay with the boat during the down time!
~ Emily Griffin, Naturalist

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7.21.2009

July 21, 2009 Morning Trip

On our AM trip today, we first found a humpback pair, but they went on a deep dive and we couldn't find them again. We then came across Fulcrum and her calf once again. They seemed to be having a nice morning, and treated us to some great close up looks! Fulcrum even decided to show us her fluke a couple of times. Just as we were about to head home, Fulcrum's calf did a cute little tail lob and a roll!

On our PM trip, mother nature was not so kind to us, and we had to turn back due to rough seas.
~Jackie O'Mara, Naturalist

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7.20.2009

July 20, 2009 Morning Trip

We saw several humpbacks on our morning trip today! We first came across Coral, who is a large, adult male born in 1988 to Silver. Coral gave us some nice close looks. We then were able to come across Hancock and another adult whale who had an all-black underside. We could see a mother and calf pair close by doing some activity. We soon knew it was Fulcrum with her second calf. The calf put on quite a show for us, rolling all around, waving its pectoral flippers at the surface. To top it off, the calf breached a few times--a very cool sight!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist, photos by Melissa Rocha

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7.12.2009

July 12, 2009 Afternoon Trip

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening as we headed out to the bank, and soon found a pair of feeding humpback whales. The food must have been good because as we watched our pair was joined by five other whales! Fulcrum and her calf were among the group, but the calf was a little more interested in us than in dinner. We topped off the trip with a gorgeous sunset.

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7.09.2009

July 9, 2009 Morning Trip



This morning we had a bumpy trip out to the whales but were able to get some great looks at Fulcrum and her calf! Fulcrum is a whale we have known on Stellwagen since she was calf back in 1997! Fulcrum has a very distinctive dorsal that let's us be able to know her from the surface without seeing her fluke. Fulcrum calf was getting hungry and started to nurse, a very cool thing to see. When a calf starts to nurse they will go down on a dive on one side of their mother and then come back up on the other, and keep switching sides each time. This calf can drink about 100 gallons of milk a day! That way at the end of the first year, it will almost double in it's size!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist

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7.08.2009

July 8, 2009 Afternoon Trip

The sun came out a bit during our PM trip, and we were able to find Fulcrum and her calf yet again! Fulcrum's calf is quickly becoming one of my favorites this season--it's so cute! These two were having a lazy afternoon, moving slowly and hanging out right at the surface. We were able to get right next to them and get some exceptionally close looks. Fulcrum and her calf stayed with us for some time, and then we headed out to explore the bank a bit more. We didn't find any more whales but certainly enjoyed the sun!
~Jackie O'Mara, Naturalist

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7.07.2009

July 7, 2009 Afternoon Trip

We ran into BOTH mom and calf pairs from this morning on our PM trip, and they were still doing some great behaviors! Lavalier and her calf showed up first-- we could see mom tail breaching as we approached! The calf also gave us some rolls and flipper slaps. We then found Fulcrum and her calf. The calf began breaching right next to the boat! We got a few more rolls from Fulcrum's calf, while Lavalier and her calf approached us and Lavalier began tail breaching again!
~Jackie O'Mara, Naturalist

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July 7, 2009 Morning Trip

We had an amazing day today in terms of whales, even if the weather wasn't the best! On our AM trip we first found Fulcrum and her calf. We got some nice looks, with Fulcrum's calf rolling and flipper slapping. Next we passed by three humpbacks doing some deep diving, but we continued on to another mother and calf. Mom was most likely Lavalier (we ran into her and her calf again on the PM trip and were able to positively ID her then). While the mother went on some dives, the calf breached! This calf was being very playful with us. As if this wasn't enough, we then proceeded to find at least four humpbacks doing some deep feeding as well as a pair of fin whales and a minke!
~ Jackie O'Mara, Naturalist

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6.18.2009

June 18, 2009 Morning Trip


Photos by Melissa Rocha


This morning's trip we got some cool looks at a mother and calf pair. The mother was Fulcrum who is easy to ID and spot when at the surface from her distinctive dorsal fin or well almost lack there of. She has suffered from entanglements and a collision with a boat, but she is a fighter! This is her second calf, her first was born in 2007, when Fulcrum was just 10 years old. Her calf today was showing off by doing a bunch of breaching. The calf then looked like it was practicing blowing bubbles like we see the adults do when they are feeding, yet the calf wasn't feeding. Not quite sure what the little one was doing, might just have been playing. Beautiful looks today!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist

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5.25.2009

May 25, 2009 Afternoon Trip


Photos by Melissa Rocha

During the afternoon trip today Fulcrum showed up with her calf, to show off for us. Her calf was rolling all around, but still staying pretty close to mom. The calf was also doing come weird headstands under the water coming up to the surface with it's tail first and just laying there showing off! A beautiful day on the water!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist

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5.22.2009

May 22, 2009 Morning Trip


Photo by Melissa Rocha

We had such a crazy morning trip! So many whales! We saw a fin whale and then started to watch 3 humpbacks. The 3 humpbacks were a mother and calf with and escort, Mom was Isthmus and the escort was another familiar female Cajun! Those three were making their way over to where another whale watching boat was watching Bilbo and other humpback who was feeding. So were watching all 4 whales when all of a sudden there was almost double the whales around us! All of them feeding, and we had the calf BREACH 2 times! The other 4 whales that moved in were another mother calf pair ( Fulcrum with calf), Etch-a-Sketch, and another large female who was a mom last year Tornado! Sadly we did have to leave but the whales didn't seem to want that, one of the whales and Isthmus and her calf saw right next to the boat!


Photo by Melissa Rocha

Plus we had a little warbler who hitched a ride back to Boston with us!
What a day to be out whale watching!

~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist, photos by Melissa Rocha

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5.18.2009

May 18, 2009 Afternoon Trip




Photos courtesy of Gabriela Jürgensen
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Photo by Melissa Rocha

Our PM trip today gave us such incredible looks at one of my personal favorite whales Fulcrum! Fulcrum has her second calf this year and her calf was showing off for us like crazy! Then if Fulcrum and her calf weren't enough another adult moved in and joined then, followed by another mother and calf pair, AND a juvenile and another adult! They only stayed with us for a little while but still was a nice extra treat. Fulcrum's calf was rolling and really showing off her tail, and flippers by slapping them on the surface. Such a great day!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist

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May 17, 2009 Afternoon Trip


Photo by Melissa Rocha

On our PM trip we had several humpback whales, and a fin whale, and minke whales as well! Three of the more commonly seen species. We first got some beautiful looks at 2 logging (resting) humpbacks, this gave us a great look at how graceful they are by swimming right next to the boat and diving underneath! Then we saw one of my favorite humpbacks, Fulcrum, and her calf for this year! Her calf was doing some rolling for us showing us all it's little ventral pleats and flipper off. We had Fulcrum the other day too, but it's always nice to see a mom and calf, it gives a great idea of how big they are even as babies!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist

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5.15.2009

May 15, 2009

We had the most amazing trip today! Great weather, and amazing whales feeding! We had between 10-12 humpbacks all in the same area feeding! Several of the whales were doing some kick feeding and then blowing bubbles, coming up between the bubbles with their mouths open letting us see their baleen plates. We also got a real special treat by having 2 mother, calf pairs feeding right next to each other! The mothers were Fulcrum (one of my personal favorites) and Isthmus, and their calves were right by their mom's learning how to feed for themselves. One of the other whales was one by the name of Nazca, and there was a few others but haven't been able to get their ID's right away. Such a great trip!
~ Melissa Rocha, Lead Naturalist

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