Whale watching has been hot!  The first heat have of the 2012 season has come and gone and summer is getting into full swing here on Cape Cod. Recent whale watching trip have yielded sightings of humpback , finback, and Minke whales as well as basking sharks, seals and seabirds.  Humpback whales have been seen on every whale watch over the last ten days!

Our warm spring has fueled a continuing explosion of plankton growth that is supporting one of the best seasons for many baitfish species in recent memory.  Our three baleen whale species rely on the productivity of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to support whale-sized appetites! Humpback whales have been seen hunting schools of herring, small mackerel, and sand lance.

Despite a spring Nor’easter which cancelled several trips. whale watching has been great in the past week! Summer is well on its way at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary with millions of sand eels or sand lance providing a food base for hungry whales and other marine life. Whale sightings have included Minke, finback, and humpback whales. Basking sharks, gray, and harbor seals, and increasing pelagic bird species have rounded out our trips.

Humpbacks have continued to be seen in abundance. Some of the whales were seen traveling alone, while others were traveling in small groups.  With a lot of bait around, feeding has been frequently observed. Some whales have been using bubble clouds or nets, while others have been seen kick feeding where the animal slaps the water with its tail and follows with bubble traps. Passengers have also been treated to some acrobatics from these mid-sized baleen whales. Humpbacks have been seen rolling, flipper flapping, tail breaching, with some giving us full breaches. Frequently observed individuals have included: Etch a Sketch, Black Hole, Division, Wizard, Ventisca, and Barb.

On one occasion, a whale fed up through a bubble net and emerged with a mouthful of fish. Upon surfacing the whale closed its mouth to contain its catch in its lower jaw by trapping it with the baleen. Usually that is the end of the story, but in this case, the whale opened its mouth in a very wide gape and then began forcing fish out. The whale also dipped its lower jaw below the surface allowing fish to escape. Why give up your hard won meal? It was probably a result of the whale capturing a large fish like a striped bass with the sand eels, and the whale wanted it out! Baleen whales don’t eat large fish and a big striper could damage the baleen structure. We never saw the bigger fish jump out, but that’s our hypothesis. It was an interesting moment regardless!

Minke whales have been seen in abundance over the past week, usually nearby the feeding humpbacks. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales in our area, reaching 30 feet long. While some of these small whales were seen in the distance, visitors were able to get some good looks at several whales that surfaced close to the boat. Most of their behavior has included searching for food and feeding.

On 6/9/12, we encountered six basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus). Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world, and can reach lengths of 30 feet! Two of these amazing animals were feeding at the surface, nose to tail, in what we call echelon feeding. Luckily, there's nothing to fear from these giants.  Much like baleen whales, basking sharks are filter feeders, eating a variety of tiny plankton and jellyfish which sticks to their gill rakers ; comb-like extensions between each gill slit.

Although Mother Nature has been sending some fog our way, the whales don’t seem to mind, and the Whale Watcher has been finding them! We have had continued success on every one of our recent trips with humpback, finback, and Minke whales occurring at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Harbor seals and Atlantic white-sided dolphins and many returning seabirds rounded out our sightings.

Humpback whales dominated our sightings during the past week and a half. Some of the whales were sighted traveling singly, but most of the whales we saw were in small groups of two to four. With an abundance of baitfish present on the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, the majority of the whale behaviors we saw involved feeding. 2012 humpback calves are looking good. All of the babies we have seen have appeared well fed and inquisitive. Both Rapier’s and Anchor’s calves have put on some great aerial shows with breaching, tail breaching, and flipper flapping along with thrilling close boat approaches!