RECENT SIGHTINGS "Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magical..." these are the descriptions we hear as our guests depart the Whale Watcher. While every whale watch cruise is different, each experience is sure to be memorable. Below are our most recent whale sighting reports, outlining the sighting trends and migration patterns. 07/30/08 - 08/13/08 Sightings 7/30/08 – 8/13/08 August has arrived and is now in full swing. We have been fortunate to be enjoying beautiful summer weather and some truly phenomenal whale 2008-08-13eks including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. Atlantic white sided dolphins, tuna, and a variety of sea birds have added a little variety to our sightings. Once again, humpback whales have dominated our sightings, having been seen on every trip. These mid-sized baleen whales have been feeding heavily during the past two weeks. Open mouth feeding is one of the most exciting behaviors to watch, especially when the whales feed in cooperative nets (when more than one whale surfaces within one bubble net). Bubble feeding has been a common sight, with sometimes 25-30 (or more!) whales feeding in close proximity to one another. Kick feeding has also been seen frequently. Our visitors have been lucky enough to see many open mouths, allowing for spectacular looks at the whales’ baleen. The whales use their baleen to strain, or filter, the little fish that they eat from the water. In addition to feeding, many active surface behaviors have been seen including flipper slapping, tail breaching, spy hopping, and many full breaches. While adult whales have displayed these types of behaviors, most of what we have seen has been from calves, particularly when their mothers were busy feeding. Dome’s calf in particular has been quite the active calf of late. Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Apex, Ampersand, Alpha, Bandit, Cygnus, Dome and calf, Ivory, Walrus, Filament, Colt, Polaris, Gar, Barb, Entropy, Anchor, Coral, Ember, Meteor, Orbit and calf, Reflection, Kohoutek, Underline (with new propeller scars), Rocker, Grackle, Fracture, Isthmus, Sockeye, Alphorn, Gunslinger, Freckles, Exclaim, Tunguska, Touche, Mars, Salt and calf, Milkweed, Tear, Division and calf, Ganesh, and Zeppelin. Finback and minke whales continue to be seen frequently. Finbacks, the largest whales we see in our area, were seen charging around feeding on several trips. These very fast moving whales were sighted traveling alone and in pairs. A special sighting on August 10th involved a cow/calf pair of finback whales. Scientists currently do not know where these animals go for breeding or calving, so it is always a treat to see. This particular calf was doing barrel rolls right at the surface, giving some very lucky passengers beautiful looks! In contrast to the finbacks, minke whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see. These are also very fast moving animals, and they tend not to spend a lot of time up at the surface. Most of the minke whales we saw during the past two weeks were charging around (sometimes around larger whales) and staying up at the surface for several breaths before diving. On Tuesday, August 12th we had some choppy seas for our morning trip, but our passengers were treated to a breaching minke whale! This whale breached at least 8 times, allowing our passengers an amazing opportunity to see the whales flippers, belly, and tail! Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for some lucky visitors on August 5th. There were between 30-40 dolphins in the pod, and they were seen very close to approximately 25 feeding humpback whales. These very striking dolphins are usually found further offshore and occasionally come closer to our area. These particular dolphins were moving very quickly through the area, most likely feeding on the same little fish as the whales. Passengers were able to see their beautiful stripes streaking underwater as they swam close to the boat. Bluefin tuna were seen a few times during the past two weeks as well as a variety of seabirds. Greater, Cory’s, and Sooty shearwaters continue to be seen regularly. Manx and Audubon’s shearwaters were also sighted as well as wilson’s storm petrels, laughing gulls, terns, great skuas, and a few parasitic jaegers. 07/23/08 - 07/29/08 Sightings 7/23/08 – 7/29/08 The end of July has given us some truly spectacular whale watches! Although we have endured some fog and rain, the majority of our weather has been warm and sunny. Whales have been seen in large numbers during the past week including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes as well as a variety of sea birds. Humpback whales continue to dominate our sightings, and there have been feeding frenzies galore! Our whales are taking full advantage of the sand lance that has moved into the southwest corner area of Stellwagen Bank. Much like last week, a wide variety of feeding behaviors have been seen. Bubble nets and bubble clouds were most common while many other whales were seen kick feeding. One interesting feeding style observed during the past week was that some whales would chin breach (come up quickly head first and land on their chin) before blowing a bubble net. This works much like kick feeding except that the whale uses its head instead of its tail. Another interesting feeding style displayed this past week was slashing. There seems to be only one whale who feeds like this, and his name is Bandit. Instead of raising his tail up and slapping it down on the surface like the whales that kick feed, Bandit swims at the surface and raises his tail upwards very quickly, sort of rolling slightly as he swims. He then blows a bubble net after several slashes in an upward direction. He is a lot of fun to watch when he feeds! Many of the whales this week were seen dragging, which is when the whale swims with its head slightly above the surface and its mouth is partially open. This allows the water to drain out of the whale’s mouth after it is pushed through the baleen. Sometimes whales, for whatever reason, swim upside down after they feed. Ganesh was doing just that on one trip this past week. This allowed passengers to clearly see her belly and her rorquals, which are the pleats (lines) that run down the stomach. They are what allow the whales to form the giant pouches that we are so fortunate to see when they open mouth feed! In addition to feeding, humpbacks were also seen traveling, tail breaching, flipper slapping, spy hopping, and breaching. Many of these active behaviors were exhibited by Dome’s calf on several trips as Dome was busy feeding. Calves do not usually start to eat fish until the end of August or so, which means they often have time to get a little playful when their mothers are busy feeding. Dome’s calf was certainly a good example of that this past week displaying multiple tail breaches, flipper slaps, and spy hops. Leukos’ calf was also seen spy hopping multiple times on one trip while Leukos was busy feeding. No wonder why humpbacks are often considered to be the favorite among whale watchers! In addition to Dome and Leukos and their calves, other whales we were able to identify included: Ampersand, Anchor, Bandit, Broomball, Colt, Coral, Draco, Ember, Entropy, Fern, Filament, Fracture, Ganesh, Gar, Gimlet, I-vee and calf, Ivory, Kohoutek, Mars, Meteor, Skateboard, Venom, and Walrus. Finback whales were also quite numerous during the past week. On several trips, three or more of these large whales were seen charging around in the same general area as the feeding humpbacks. Finback whales tend to do most of their feeding below the surface, however this week allowed our passengers multiple opportunities to see some surface feeding. On particular trip, there was a pair of very large finbacks, probably 65-70 feet long, feeding just below the surface. As they came up to take a breath, they would roll slightly, enough for us to see their huge pouch “glowing” beneath the surface! Finbacks are all white on the belly and because of all the phytoplankton (microscopic plants) in the water, anything white below the surface looks like its glowing green. One of the whales rolled onto its side enough so that part of its tail was sticking up above the surface. On another trip, there were 8-10 finback whales seen lunging in pairs right at the surface. Some very lucky passengers witnessed one whale roll as it surfaced directly in front of our boat! There are few things more impressive than lunging finback whales! Minke whales were seen on almost every trip, and in typical minke fashion were seen quickly charging around. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see in our area, and they are very fast moving animals that tend to spend little time at the surface. In fact, they don’t even put up a spout most of the time. This is because they usually surface chin first, so their spout gets lost in the water behind them. Minke whales are called the “little piked whale” for this reason. Once again, a large number of sea birds have been sighted in our area. Wilson’s storm petrels were seen frequently during the past week in addition to Cory’s shearwaters, greater shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, and even several manx shearwaters. Smaller numbers of great skuas and parasitic jaegers were also spotted in addition to terns and gulls. 07/15/08 - 07/22/08 Sightings 7/15/08 – 7/22/08 What a wonderful time to come whale watching! The past week brought beautiful summer weather to our area, and of course, lots of whales! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past week in addition to a variety of sea birds. Humpback whales dominated our sightings this past week, as they were seen on every trip. In fact, on several trips 20 or more whales were spotted. Seeing that many whales usually means one thing: feeding. Humpback whales are summer visitors to our area, usually arriving sometime in April and staying until the end of October. Stellwagen Bank is a very productive area, and is therefore an extremely important feeding ground for the whales. Our humpback whales spend their winter months in the Caribbean and do not eat anything when they are there. In order to survive through the winter and make their migrations down and back, they really need to eat everything they possibly can while they are here. Luckilly for us, many of our trips this past week allowed us to see a large number of whales open mouth feeding. Humpbacks are known for using different styles of feeding all with the same goal: to corral as many little fish as they can in one small area so that it is easier for the whale to eat many fish at once. Some whales use bubble nets, which is when they exhale a stream of bubbles as they swim in a circle around the fish. This forms a curtain of bubbles around the little fish, and the whales are able to shoot up through the middle with their mouths open. Kick feeding is another technique that some humpbacks use. In this style, the whale “kicks,” or slaps its tail several times in the same spot and then usually blows bubbles around the spot that it kicked. Slapping their tails against the surface creates a loud noise underwater that presumably scares the fish to stay tightly together, allowing the whale to take in a larger number of fish in one mouthful. Open mouth feeding gives us spectacular looks at the inside of the whales’ mouths! Passengers are able to see the baleen hanging down from their upper jaws, and sometimes we get to see the pallet, which is the roof of the mouth. In addition to feeding, we saw humpbacks traveling, logging (whale sleep), tail breaching, flipper slapping, full breaches, and even a close approach. Sometimes the whales seem to get curious and will swim over to the boat. That’s just what happened to us on one trip. A whale named Milkweed swam right over to our boat and spy hopped a few times. A spy hop is when the whale sticks its face up above the water. Milkweed also swam around our boat a few times, and our visitors could see Milkweed’s eyes! Our close boat approach lasted for about ten minutes before the whale swam away and we had to head back home. Another really interesting thing that we saw at the beginning of the week was Apostrophe and her calf flipper slapping in unison. It appeared as though the calf was imitating Apostrophe, because whichever way mom was slapping her flipper(s), the calf very quickly copied the behavior. Both whales were flipper slapping one one side and while swimming upside down with both flippers up in the air. What a special treat! In addition to Milkweed and Apostrophe (and calf), humpbacks we were able to identify included: Thread, Tau and calf, Tear, Bullet, Scylla and calf, Wyoming, Reaper, Freckles, I-vee and calf, Infinity, Stub, Walrus, Coral, Agassiz, Lariat, Loon, Sockeye, Exclaim, Flounder, Fez, Pogo, Dome and calf, Fulcrum, Cajun and calf, Tornado and calf, Rattan, and Ganesh. Finback and minke whales were also sighted on numerous trips during the past week. Finback whales are the largest whales we see in our area, and minke whales are one of the smallest that we see in our area. Both of these species are very fast moving whales because they are both very sleek and streamlined animals. This past week, most of our sightings of these whales were quick looks as the animals were charging around here and there, most likely chasing down small fish. A number of pelagic bird species were seen this past week! Wilson’s storm petrels were frequently sighted as well as greater and sooty shearwaters. All three of these are regularly seen in large numbers in our area. We have been fortunate enough to be seeing large numbers of Cory’s shearwaters in our area. These birds are larger than greater shearwaters and have a very distinct yellow beak, and lack the black cap that greater shearwaters have. We also had sightings of parasitic and pomarine jaegers, audubon’s shearwaters, and several great skuas. 06/23/08 - 06/30/08 The end of June has brought spectacular whale watch adventures on Stellwagen Bank! Although the weather was sometimes cloudy, rainy, or foggy, all of our trips brought sightings of many whales and even a basking shark. Humpback whales were very numerous during the past week, particularly feeding humpbacks. On several trips large patches of sand lance (also called sand eels) could be seen swimming right at the surface of the water. With all of the bait around, no wonder we witnessed a lot of happily feeding whales, many of which were lunging right up through all the little fish! In many instances, the only way to know where the whale would surface was to watch all of the little fish desperately trying to get out of the way! A few whales were repeatedly lunging through the same bait patches hardly moving at all from one mouthful to the next. Some whales were also seen blowing bubble nets and would then surface with wide open mouths, allowing our passengers a great opportunity to observe the baleen hanging from the upper jaw. We also observed multiple mother and calf pairs during the past week. Humpback calves are born between January and February in the warm waters of the Caribbean, usually somewhere off of the Dominican Republic. Calves usually stay with their mother for a year, and are using this time to observe and learn the feeding techniques they will need to use throughout their life. Many of the calves we saw this week were very active, particularly while their mothers were busy feeding. Some calves were seen rolling, flipper slapping, tail breaching, and even breaching! In addition to feeding, adult whales were seen giving beautiful tail shots, close approaches, flipper slapping, and even a few full breaches! On Friday’s trip (June 27th), we saw a humpback whale named Ebony entangled in fishing line. Seeing this animal gave passengers a first-hand look at some of the threats the whales in our area face, even though they are no longer commercially hunted here. Unfortunately many of the whales that we recognize have some type of scarring on their bodies whether those scars came from entanglements in fishing gear or boat strikes, particularly propeller scars. Our boat stayed with the whale until another boat could take our place and wait for the disentanglement team from the Center for Coastal Studies to scope out the situation. In addition to Ebony, other whales that we were able to identify included Aerospace, Cardhu and calf, Giraffe and calf, Raccoon, Terrace and calf, and Ventisca and calf. Finback whales were seen in abundance during the past week, sometimes a dozen or more on a single trip! These very large and fast-moving whales were often seen charging along in the same areas as feeding humpback whales. Several trips brought lunging finback whales, which is one of the most impressive behaviors to see. Often, the whale charges right into an area of bait and then quickly rolls onto its side as it lunges up at the surface. Since these animals are so large, there is usually a large amount of white water generated at the surface, like a giant wall of water moving away from the whale. Many times when finback whales lunge, they expose at least a pectoral flipper if not a tail too! What an unbelievable sight! Minke whales were also seen on numerous trips. These are the smallest baleen whales that we see in our area. They usually are harder to watch because of their small size and speed. However, we often saw these whales charging around in the same areas as the other, larger whales. Our visitors on one trip were even treated to a minke whale lunging through a patch of sand lance right at the surface! Other marine life that we observed during the past week included a basking shark, a gray seal, and many species of birds. The basking shark that we saw was approximately 20 feet long and was feeding just below the surface. Basking sharks eat plankton, which they catch on gill rakers, comb-like structures found between each of their gill slits. Therefore, when a basking shark is seen feeding, its mouth is wide open and its gill slits are all puffed out. This particular animal was just slowly swimming right along side our boat! The gray seal that we saw was seen briefly as it popped its head up above the water for a few seconds to take a look around. Passengers could clearly see its very boxy snout, which gives gray seals their nickname “horse head.” The bird activity is certainly picking up as we have seen wilson’s storm petrels, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, immature northern gannets, terns, and a variety of gulls. 06/14/08 - 06/22/08 Happy solstice from Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises! Great whales in the past week! Finback and minke whales have been seen in good numbers as many humpback whales. Sand lance or sand-eels have become more abundant, the whales have been in seeking (and eating) this seasonal abundance of prey. In short, the whales are hungry the feed-bag is in place, and we have been witness to some amazing feeding shows!! Finback whales are the second largest animal on earth. Finback whales are primarily lunge feeders using their streamlined shape and great speed to consume entire schools of fish at one time! Finbacks will feed singly and occasionally in pairs or groups of three or four. When the bait is located, they pour on the speed and rush forward opening their mouths, engulfing the fish, and then straining the seawater through the plates of baleen located in their upper jaw. Though you must be in the right place at the right time, catching these huge animals hunting prey near the surface is truly one of the most impressive sights in whale watching. We have been just that lucky on several occasions in the past week!! Humpback whales make up for their greater girth and slower speed with a more tactical approach to hunting, and we have recently observed this species employing both bubble netting and kick feeding. Kick feeding is a Stellwagen Banks specialty. The animals will us their tail to impart a splash at the surface with their tails or more rarely, their chins. . This concussion presumably scares the fish into a tight school. Bubble traps can then be employed to further corral the fish, making them higher value targets. Interestingly, not only is kick-feeding a north Atlantic specific strategy, but also it was only developed in the past 20 or years or so. Animals of older generations are not known to employ this technique. Sometimes the animals are feeding singly, but groups of up to six are not uncommon and 15 to 20 animals feeding in the same area have been observed. Humpbacks we have identified this week include: Pisces, Draco, Compass, Salt/calf, Scylla/calf, Ventisca/calf, Dome/calf, Tongs/calf, Neuages/calf, and Reaper/calf. Other marine life in the area has included: bluefish, striped bass, bluefin tuna, basking shark, and gray and harbor seals. Bird wise, this week both Wilson’s storm petrels, and greater shearwaters finally arrived. Both sooty shearwater and immature gannets are being seen in increasing numbers. What a great time visit with us, we hope to see you aboard!!! 05/28/08 - 06/11/08 Our trips have been getting better by the day!! We now find the waters around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary living up to their reputation as being very productive areas. We have had more and more whales being seen along with other marine life. Many schools of large striped bass and bluefish are present in the sanctuary's waters. On some the many calm, sunny days we have enjoyed, we have gotten great looks at schools of these two predatory fish numbering in the hundreds, prowling just below the surface. On one trip we here able to watch a school of large blue fin tuna. Top predators on the food pyramid, the tuna we saw probably averaged five to six ft. (2 m.)in length and would weigh in at 400lbs. (200kg.). These however are not the true giants. The biggest blue fin tuna can grow to more than 8 ft. in length, and weigh more than 1000 lbs. Several basking sharks were also seen in the area. Take a look at our section on fish and other marine life in the About the Whales portion of our web page. Finback whales have returned to the Bank in numbers after a brief absence. Finback whales are wide ranging. They do not follow the set migration routes and schedules whales like humpbacks adhere to. In fact, very little is known about their movements. It seems that they have no hesitation traveling long distances to find their favorite seasonal prey species like the alewife and herring. These sleek giants are second in size only to blue whales as the largest animals to ever live on earth! Finback whales of 60 ft. (20 m) are not uncommon at the Sanctuary. Two of the finbacks we saw could be identified as individuals we have encountered in years past. Unlike humpback whales who conveniently show their tail when they dive, giving us looks at the unique markings on their flukes, finback whales rarely "fluke up". They are instead identified as individuals by the light-colored blaze patterns and chevron markings on their backs. They are also identified by dorsal fin shape, and by scars they exhibit. Sadly, the two finbacks we identified bear scars from collisions with boats. Both Braid and Tracks were seen during the past two weeks. These animals were seen hunting and sometimes lunge feeding at the surface. On several trips, we got incredible looks at these titans of the whale world. Humpback whales have been numerous on Stellwagen. Not surprisingly, their increase in numbers seems to have coincided with a boom in the population of their base prey the sand lance or sand eels. On some overcast days when these small schooling fish make their way up the water column, we have seen shoals of hundreds of thousands of these small, pencil thin fish. Humpbacks were observed hunting lunge feeding, kick feeding and bubble feeding strategies. On one trip we had a group of six humpback surface with open mouths full of fish with hungry gulls wheeling overhead looking for any stray morsels. We watched the animals strain the seawater from their mouths and finally swallow the mouthfuls of prey all within about 10 feet from the front of our boat!! We have encountered many old friends from the humpback whale world. Individuals identified in the past two weeks have included: Habanera/calf, Pinpoint, Venom, Tulip, Zeppelin, Mural/calf, Walrus, Compass and Salt/calf. One young whale named Circus really lived up to his name on a couple of trips staying close to the boat and flipper flapping, and breaching multiple times!!! We have encountered many cow/calf pairs. The calves of two mothers in particular have taken a real interest in our boat during our encounters. Both Tornado and Vultures' calves have spent a lot of time playing near, and exploring underneath, the Whale Watcher. Flipper flapping, tail breaching, tail slapping and breaching are forms of play for these young whales and apparently, play is what these whales wanted to do. We saw a lot of these behaviors at very close range. With two weeks of great trips under our belts, we can't wait to see what the upcoming days will bring!! 05/17/08 - 05/27/08 Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises’ 2008 season has begun!! High winds have kept us in some days, but the trips we have run over the past two weeks have been winners! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all spotted since our first trip of the season. Springtime weather on Cape Cod is always a bit fickle, but this we have had a decidedly wet and cold April and May. This prolonged weather trend has put us here on the Cape about a week behind on a number of ecological calendar events. On land, many trees are just putting forth this years’ foliage, and many northbound bird species are just now arriving to begin nesting activities. The eagerly awaited striped bass fishing season has been off to a slow start. Everyone seems to be waiting for things to get caught up, the whales included. In the late winter and early spring, northern right whales made big local news as they were feeding close to shore in Cape Cod Bay to the delight of onlookers. Northern right whales are the most critically endangered species of large whales. There are less than 350 of these amazing animals left on earth. At this point, the right whales have left for more northerly waters in the Gulf of Maine, and the Bay of Fundy where they will spend the summer feeding on plankonic animals. Right whales aside, we have seen whales every trip this season! We have seen minke whales on some trips. Minkes are the smallest of the baleen whales averaging about 20 feet (6m). They are quick, and present a real photographic challenge! We have also seen Finback whales. Finbacks are the second largest animals on earth! The individuals that inhabit our waters average around 60 feet (20m) in length and may weigh up to 70 tons! On one trip we had a cow and calf finback pair. The calf was roughly 20 feet (6m) in length and surprised everyone with some rolling and porpoising. The mother was a large female and gave everyone an appreciation for the size and grandeur of this species, as she passed just very close to the boat! Humpback whales were seen on every trip. The whales seem to be looking for the mother lodes of schooling fish in the cold springtime waters. Upon finding prey, we have been seeing kick feeding and bubble-netting strategies with groups of up to ten individuals. Cow/calf pairs have been seen on many trips. We have actually seen the calves nursing! Some calves have shown curiosity at our boat and gave us great close approaches!! We have also seen individuals flipper-flapping, tail breaching, and we have even seen a couple of full breaches. Humpback whales we were able to identify include: Anvil, w/ calf, Meteor, Putter, Anchor, Black hole, and Fulcrum. 10/07/07 - 10/13/07 Sightings 10/7/07 – 10/13/07 Our 2007 season is very quickly nearing its end. With only one week remaining, there is still a little time left to join us on a whale watch adventure. This past week encountered cool weather, with some high winds and rough seas for a better part of the week. In fact, several trips were cancelled this past week due to weather. October weather can change very quickly. Regardless of the weather, whale watches continue to bring sightings of whales. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were seen during the past week as well as a variety of sea birds. Humpback whales once again dominated the sightings during the past week. Whales were seen traveling alone or in small groups of 2 to 3 animals. A majority of the whales appeared to be feeding sub-surface because we did not see any feeding behavior right at the surface. In addition to traveling, humpbacks were seen rolling, flipper slapping, and displaying beautiful, high tail shots as they dove. An exciting sighting this week was that of Apostrophe, who was seen flipper slapping for the better part of 20 minutes! She came up on one side, raised one flipper, and then very quickly rolled onto her back so she was completely upside-down! Our very lucky passengers had some beautiful looks at her large white flippers and her rorquals (throat grooves). Filament and her calf were seen tail breaching, tail slapping, chin breaching, and even displaying multiple full breaches! A pair of finback whales were sighted off the backside of Provincetown toward the end of the week. These very large whales were cruising along the beach, most likely feeding below the surface. Finback whales are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet, reaching lengths of 80 feet. It is always so impressive to see these massive animals up close. Minke whales were seen sporadically throughout the week. Most of these small baleen whales were seen quickly traveling, however, in the middle of the week some very lucky visitors were treated to a minke whale breaching! This particular minke whale was sighted just past Race Point, and was repeatedly seen jumping completely out of the water! Minke whales are usually a challenging whale to watch because of their small size and fast speed, so it is always a special treat to be able to see the entire length of the whale, as well as its beautiful coloring, clearly. Another special sighting this week was that of an ocean sunfish! These very large, very bizarre looking fish are sometimes found up at the surface “basking” in the sun. This particular sunfish was doing just that. Ocean sunfish can reach lengths of 15 feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds! They are quite a sight to see! A variety of birds were seen during the past week including greater shearwaters, manx shearwaters, immature northern gannets, common eiders, and a variety of gulls. 09/23/07 - 09/29/07 Sightings 9/23/07 – 9/29/07 It’s hard to believe, but we have already reached the end of September. Our 2007 whale watch season is winding down, but there are still a few weeks left. Although we have been enjoying a mild fall, we did have to cancel a few of our trips this past week due to windy weather and rough seas. Sightings this week included humpback and minke whales as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Humpback whales made up the majority of the whales that we saw during the past week. Whales were seen traveling alone or in small groups of 2-5 animals traveling together. Isthmus and her calf were seen logging (resting) at the beginning of the week, and then later in the week gave our passengers a wonderful close approach. Both whales swam right along the sides of our boat, allowing passengers to clearly see their tubercles (bumps on the head that contain hair follicles) and blowholes. At the end of the week, our visitors were treated to an amazing look at bubble feeding whales! Milkweed, Crown, Apex, and Whisk were all seen kick feeding, bubble feeding, dragging, tail breaching, and flipper slapping! What a sight! Humpbacks we were able to identify included Apex, Crown, Draco, Isthmus and calf, Milkweed, Nile and calf, Perseid and calf, Tear, Tectonic, and Whisk. Minke whales were spotted occasionally throughout the week, often in the vicinity of humpback whales. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale we see in our area, and are probably the most challenging whale to watch. They are very fast moving whales, and tend not to spend a great deal of time up at the surface. Most of the minke whales we saw this past week were in passing, as we traveled to humpback whales. A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat during the middle of the week. On Thursday’s trip, 10 dolphins were spotted traveling around a group of humpback whales. This pod contained many juvenile dolphins 09/07/07 - 09/22/07 Sightings 9/7/07 – 9/22/07 The middle of September has brought absolutely beautiful weather to our little neck of the woods. Bright, sunny blue skies along with calm seas and great visibility have given us wonderful whale watch adventures. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Humpback whales have once again dominated our sightings. Whales have been seen traveling alone and traveling in small groups of 2- 5. As was the case during the past couple of weeks, these past two weeks also brought deep feeding whales as well as whales feeding right at the surface. Humpbacks were seen bubble feeding with nets and clouds, and were also seen gulping without the use of bubbles. Other behaviors we saw included tail breaching, flipper slapping, logging, rolling, and breaching. Our visitors were also treated to a number of beautiful tail shots as these whales went down for their dives. Humpbacks we were able to identify included Alpha, Apex, Apostrophe, Coral, Crown, Evolution, Isthmus and calf, Nile and calf, Parens, Pepper and calf, Reflection and calf, Roswell and calf, Rune and calf, Twister, Valley and calf, and Ventisca. Finback and minke whales were also quite numerous during the past two weeks. Both types of whales were seen charging around, most likely chasing little fish. Our passengers had some beautiful looks at these whales cruising right along the sides of our boat, including lunging finback whales, one of which flipped completely upside down! Visitors were able to see the white stripes that minke whales have on their flippers, as several of these small whales swam right by us. A special sighting was that of a breaching minke whale in the middle of Cape Cod Bay! The whale was approximately a mile behind us when we first saw it jump completely out of the water, and it continued to breach several more times as we continued traveling towards Stellwagen Bank. Although humpback whales are known for their aerial displays, occasionally the smaller minke whales breach as well, and it is certainly exciting to see! A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided passengers with a special treat towards the beginning of the first week. Approximately 15 dolphins, including several calves, were seen in the company of some humpback whales. Although Atlantic white sided dolphins are the most common dolphin that we see in our area, they spend most of their time off shore. Occasionally they come closer to shore, usually when they are chasing prey. It is always fun to see these fast moving dolphins right along side the boat! 08/24/07 - 09/06/07 Sightings 8/24/07 – 9/6/07 August has turned to September, and we have enjoyed spectacular whale watch adventures. Humpback, finback, minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins, blue fin tuna, basking sharks, a variety of birds, and even an ocean sunfish! Humpback whales were sighted on every trip during the past two weeks. Although feeding behaviors were still sighted, the whales recently have been feeding deeper, and have not as often been feeding right at the surface. The past two weeks have been full of active whales, including spectacular breaches! Ventisca, Reflection and her calf, Isthmus and her calf, Pepper’s calf, and Perseid’s calf were all seen breaching throughout the two week period. Of those, Ventisca won the award for most acrobatic as she spent over 15 minutes breaching on one trip alone! There are a number of theories as to why whales breach (jump completely out of the water), including playfulness, communicating, stunning prey to help them feed, and a way to dislodge parasites, we might never know completely why they do that on any given day. Our visitors were also lucky enough to receive close approaches from Anchor’s calf, Pepper’s calf, and Pepper herself, who spy-hopped (stuck her head out of the water) twice right next to the boat! Other behaviors we saw included tail breaching, chin breaching, flipper slapping, lob-tailing (tail slapping), and logging (resting). Humpbacks we were able to identify included: Alpha, Anchor and calf, Anvil, Bat, Blanco, Calderas, Conflux, Crystal, Fern and calf, Giraffe, Isthmus and calf, Leukos, Milkweed, Nile and calf, Peninsula, Pepper and calf, Perseid and calf, Rapier, Ravine, Reflection and calf, Sloop, Springboard, Trident, Trident ’06 calf, and Ventisca. Finback whales were also numerous during the past two weeks. Like many of the humpback whales, the majority of the finbacks we saw were deep feeding. Most of these large whales were sighted traveling alone; however there were some pairs and trios seen as well. Several of the finback whales were lunge feeding right at the surface, rolling onto one side and exposing flippers and parts of their tails! One of the finbacks we saw is a whale named Braid. Braid got her name from propeller scars on her back that look like a “braid.” Minke whales were seen infrequently during the past two weeks. These small whales are the smallest baleen whale that we see in our area, and are often difficult to watch for long periods of time because of their quick movements. Minke whales are very streamlined animals, which makes them fast swimmers. When these small whales are sighted, they are most often seen charging around from one spot to the next and tend not to stay up at the surface for very long. Regardless, when a minke whale swims right along the side of the boat, it is very exciting to see one of these beautiful whales up close. Atlantic white sided dolphins were sighted twice during the last two weeks, both in small pods. One trip saw a pod of 30 dolphins, and the other saw a smaller pod of 15 dolphins. On both occasions the dolphins were seen quickly traveling along the sides of our boat, and several of them were jumping out of the water and riding the waves from the wake of our boat. It is always exciting to see these beautiful dolphins up close. Our passengers have enjoyed some bonus sightings during the past two weeks, including basking sharks, blue fin tuna, and even an ocean sunfish! Since all of these are fish and do not have to come up to the surface like whales do, it is always a special treat to see any one of these fish. Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world, and can reach lengths of 40 feet! Much like baleen whales, basking sharks are filter feeders, eating a variety of plankton and jellyfish which sticks to their gill rakers (comb like devices between each gill slit). Blue fin tuna are a large apex (top) predator in our waters, eating a variety of small fish. They are extremely fast swimmers, and sometimes visitors are lucky enough to see them working a school of fish at the surface. In this case, the blue fin tuna we saw were chasing blue fish. Ocean sunfish (also called Mola mola –their scientific name) are probably one of the most bizarre fish one could ever see. They can be quite large: sometimes larger than 15ft. and can weigh over 2,000lbs.! These fish lack a true tail, and instead swim by using their dorsal (upper) and ventral (lower) fins to propel themselves through the water. They are round and disc-shaped, like a giant pancake! Ocean sunfish have a small mouth with fused teeth, and eat a variety of larger zooplankton including jellyfish. In addition to all of these swimming animals, we also saw a variety of pelagic birds during the past two weeks. Greater, sooty, and Audobon’s shearwaters were all sighted, as well as red-necked phalaropes and a variety of gulls. 08/10/07 - 08/23/07 Sightings 8/10/07 – 8/23/07 The middle of August brought us beautiful summer weather perfect for whale watching: blue, sunny skies and calm seas. We even experienced some drier weather, which provided amazing visibility. On some of our whale watch adventures we were able to see the skyline of Boston (the John Hancock and Prudential towers), which were over 30 miles away! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins, blue fin tuna, seals, and a variety of birds. Humpback whales are often considered to be the favorite whale amongst whale watchers because of their active surface displays. Luckily for us, humpbacks have once again dominated our sightings and have done nothing short of impress our visitors. Many of the whales were feeding heavily using bubble nets and bubble clouds at the surface, while some were feeding deeper. Our visitors were treated to amazing looks at wide open mouths, including views of the baleen hanging down from the whales’ upper jaws. We saw many mother/calf pairs over the past two weeks, and many of the calves were very active. Tulip’s calf, Rune’s calf, and Anchor’s calf were all seen breaching and flipper slapping, while Roswell’s calf and Anchor’s calf treated our passengers to close approaches for over twenty minutes! Other behaviors that we saw included traveling, rolling, chin breaches, tail breaches, tail slaps (lob-tails), many full breaches, and even a spy hop! Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Agassiz, Anchor and calf, Calderas, Cardhu, Colt, Columbia, Coral, Cygnus, Dome, Ebony and calf, Ember, Exclaim, Falcon, Filament and calf, Freckles and calf, Isthmus and calf, Leukos, Liner, Nile and calf, Pepper and calf, Putter, Rapier, Reflection and calf, Roswell and calf, Rune and calf, Salt, Seal, Sloop, Tear, Tulip and calf, Vertex, and Wizard. Finback whales are not only the largest whales we see in our area, but they are the second largest animals to ever have lived on this planet! They can reach lengths of 80 feet, and sometimes even longer! We saw a large number of finback whales in our area during the past two weeks, sometimes 10 or more were sighted on one trip. While most of these large whales were seen traveling alone, many were also sighted swimming in pairs and sometimes even trios. Like other baleen whales, finbacks are considered to be social but solitary. This means that they may form very loose associations with other individuals, but usually not for extended periods of time. Some of the finbacks that we saw over the past two weeks were traveling and searching, others were deep feeding, and others were feeding closer to the surface. It is always exciting to see these large whales charging, rolling, and lunging onto their prey (little bait fish). On several occasions the lunge feeding finbacks would expose a pectoral fin (flipper) and part of their tails. One whale was moving around so much that it flipped completely upside down while laying at the surface! Our lucky passengers could see that whale’s entire tail as well as its all white belly! Several of the finback whales that we saw these past two weeks exhibited propeller scars on their bodies (one is named Braid), and one whale was even missing most of its dorsal fin (named Hercula). Luckily for these whales however, their scars have healed and the whales seem to be living life normally. We see a number of whales over Stellwagen Bank that exhibit some type of scarring, whether it is from propellers, boat strikes, or entanglements in fishing gear. These scars provide an obvious reminder to us that these whales still face many threats and need our help to survive. Minke whales were seen on almost every trip during the past two weeks. As in weeks past, these small baleen whales were seen charging around quickly at the surface, most often in the vicinity of other whales. While some of these whales were seen moving quickly, or just in passing on the way to other whales, several of the minke whales we saw swam very close to the boat. Minke whales actually have very striking markings, most notably their white flipper bands which were clearly visible from those whales that swam along side our boat. Atlantic white sided dolphins were seen on four occasions during the past two weeks. Some of the groups we saw were small pods of 10-20 animals, while others consisted of 50 to 100 or more dolphins traveling together! The pods that we saw had all sizes of dolphins including mature males and females, immature dolphins, and even several calves! It is thought that Atlantic white sided dolphins give birth sometime between June and July after a gestation period of almost a year (11 months). Many of the dolphins we saw were feeding, sometimes in association with humpback and finback whales. Dolphins are known for their acrobatic displays, and our visitors were treated to lots of jumping. Atlantic white sided dolphins are one of the most beautiful of all the dolphins, and it is certainly a treat to see them up close. Added bonuses over the past two weeks were the sightings of blue fin tuna and seals. On one trip, 500-600 pound blue fin tuna were chasing a school of blue fish right at the surface. Blue fin tuna are a top predator in the Gulf of Maine, and can reach lengths of over 12 feet (weighing over 1,200 pounds)! They feed on small schooling fish like herring, mackerel, and alewives. These fish though large, are tremendously fast! Their bodies are built like torpedoes and they are extremely strong. It is a special thing to see these fish pushing bait towards the surface and trying to catch a meal. In addition to the tuna, we also saw both gray seals and harbor seals during the past two weeks. Unlike whales which spend all of their time in the water, seals are only in the water when they are feeding or moving from one spot to the next. Therefore, it is a nice surprise to see the seals pop their heads up to take a breath or just to look around. Finally, a large number of birds have been seen over Stellwagen Bank during the past two weeks including: wilson’s storm petrels, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, manx shearwaters, audobon’s shearwaters, immature northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, laughing gulls, and even a pomarine jaeger. 08/03/07 - 08/09/07 Sightings 8/3/07 – 8/9/07 August is in full swing, and our whale watch adventures have brought outstanding sightings of whales! We did encounter some fog and slightly rough seas on a few trips during the past week, however, the majority of our trips brought beautiful summer weather and calm seas: perfect for whale watching! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted over the past week, in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins. Humpback whales were seen in abundance throughout the past week. Many of our trips have showcased feeding whales, in what can only be described as feeding frenzies! Many times when there is a lot of food in an area (small schooling fish like sand lance), the whales will congregate in that one area, sometimes cooperatively feeding together. Bubble clouds, bubble nets, and kick feeding were all seen from our humpbacks this past week. Our visitors were able to get great looks inside many of the whales’ mouths as they surfaced facing the boat. We could clearly see the baleen hanging from the upper jaws of many of the whales, in addition to their palettes (the roof of the mouth). Like last week, we saw many cow/calf (mother/calf) pairs this week, and several of the calves were paying very close attention to their mothers as they fed. Some of the calves were even practicing blowing bubbles; pretty soon they will start eating fish on their own. One of the whales we saw feeding this past week (as well as in weeks past) was a large female named Salt. Salt was actually the first humpback whale ever to be named, in 1976! She is considered to be the Grand Dame of Stellwagen Bank since she has been seen every year except one since 1976. Though most humpbacks are identified and named based on the patterns on the underside of their tails (flukes), Salt was named for the white on her dorsal fin: it looked like someone had sprinkled salt onto her back. Salt is also a very productive whale; she had her 10th recorded calf last summer (named Soya). Other behaviors we saw this week included flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaching, a spy hop (when the whale sticks its head above water), and even several full breaches. Humpbacks we were able to identify included: Agassiz, Apostrophe, Bat, Cardhu, Coral, Cygnus, Dome, Entropy, Filament and calf, Fulcrum and calf, Giraffe, Iris, Isthmus and calf, Perseid and calf, Photon and calf, Ravine, Salt, Seal, Tulip and calf, and Walrus. Finback whales were sighted every day during the past week, sometimes a dozen or more of these large animals were seen on one trip! Finbacks can reach lengths in excess of 80 feet, and are the fastest of the baleen whales. We saw these large animals traveling alone or in small groups of 2 to 4 animals traveling together. Some of the whales were seen traveling and searching, while others were performing behaviors related to feeding. Finbacks were seen charging, swimming in zig-zags, and swimming in clockwise circles as they tried to corral their prey. Many of the finbacks we saw were even seen lunging right at the surface, often exposing half of their tails as they rolled onto their sides. A special sighting of finback whales this past week was a mother/calf pair. Finback whales are not as well studied as humpback whales, and currently there are no known breeding or calving grounds for this species. Although we do occasionally see mother/calf pairs of finback whales in our area, it is certainly a special thing for us to see. Minke whales were also seen frequently throughout the week. These are the smallest baleen whales that we see in our area, generally reaching lengths of up to 30 feet. Minke whales are very streamlined animals, and are very fast moving and are usually somewhat of a challenge to watch. Most of these small whales that we saw were just up for a couple of breaths before disappearing, but a few swam right along the sides of our boat, and one even swam right underneath our pulpit! As the whales swam close to our boat, our passengers could clearly see the white bands that they have on each of their pectoral fins (flippers). Atlantic white sided dolphins once again provided a special treat towards the beginning of the week. A large number of dolphins, 150-200, were sighted traveling in smaller groups that were spread out. Although dolphins usually travel in smaller groups (pods) of 10 to 30 animals, sometimes they form large groups called superpods, consisting of several hundred animals. This particular superpod of dolphins was seen traveling along the sides of our boat and jumping, giving our visitors spectacular looks at their beautiful markings. 07/27/07 - 08/02/07 Sightings 7/27/07 – 8/2/07 July has come to an end, and August is already here! Whale watching has been tremendous over the past week, and there is still plenty of time left in the season! Although we encountered some foggy trips in the middle of the week, most of the weather has been beautifully sunny and warm. In fact, being on the water has provided some relief from the heat and humidity on land. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past week as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins and a gray seal. Humpback whales continue to impress our visitors with their active surface displays, which were certainly abundant during the past week. Feeding frenzies were sighted almost every day, with humpbacks kick feeding, lunging, and bubble feeding (nets and clouds). Sometimes bubble nets were cooperative, meaning two or more whales surfaced in the same bubble net. Our humpbacks travel to the warm waters of the Caribbean in the winter months for breeding and calving, and while they are there, they aren’t eating anything at all. Therefore, these whales are looking to eat as much as they can throughout the summer and early fall before they head south. In fact, these whales ideally like to eat somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds of fish every single day! The whales we saw during the past week were certainly taking advantage of the large presence of sand lance. On many trips, our passengers could see (and hear) the little fish swimming right at the surface. Spectacular views of open mouths, including baleen, were frequently sighted as the whales surfaced with mouthfuls of fish and seawater. Many whales were then seen dragging, pushing the water back out of their mouths and keeping the little fish trapped inside. We saw several mother/calf pairs this past week, and some of the calves appeared to be practicing different feeding techniques. Although the calves are still nursing, they will start to actually feed on fish pretty soon. Right now they are still observing their mothers and practicing things like blowing bubbles to prepare for when they start to eat fish. Other behaviors we saw this past week included tail breaching, chin breaching, flipper slapping, logging (resting), tail slapping (lob-tailing), and many full breaches. Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Barb, Colt, Coral, Dome, Ebony and calf, Echo, Ember, Entropy, Exclaim, Giraffe, Iris, Pepper and calf, Perseid and calf, Reaper and calf, Roswell and calf, Salt, Sickle and calf, and Walrus. Finback whales were sighted every day over the past week. These very large whales were seen traveling and feeding. While feeding, finbacks were seen swimming in zig-zags, circles, and even multiple lunges right at the surface! It is always exciting to see these enormous animals charge through an area while chasing small fish. It is even more exciting to see them lunge onto their side as they take in a large mouthful! Minke whales were sighted almost every day during the past week. These small whales are very sleek and streamlined, and are therefore very fast moving. Minke whales are known as the “little piked whale” because they usually surface chin first. Since the spouts usually get lost in the water behind them, these whales are often heard surfacing before they are seen. Most of the minke whales we saw this week were surfacing quickly and charging in and around other feeding whales. Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for those passengers aboard Monday morning’s trip. This was a fairly small pod that we saw, consisting of 15-20 dolphins, including a couple of small calves! Our visitors were lucky enough to see these fast-moving dolphins swimming around our boat. Some of them were also seen jumping! Although our area is part of the range for this species, they usually spend most of their time offshore, often coming closer to shore chasing food. We are lucky enough to see them occasionally throughout the season. Another bonus this past week was a gray seal that stuck its head above the water for several minutes on Tuesday afternoon. Gray seals are common to our area, especially on the south side of the Cape around Chatham and Monomoy Island. They are often called “horseheads” because of their large, broad snouts. Seals do not spend all of their time in the water like whales do; they are usually in the water when they are finding food or traveling from one area to the next. Occasionally when a seal is foraging it will pop its head up momentarily to take a breath or maybe just to briefly rest. Regardless, it is always a treat to see a seal while out at sea. 07/20/07 - 07/26/07 Sightings 7/20/07 – 7/26/07 What an unbelievable week of whale watching! Each time we go out, we are truly amazed at seeing these spectacular animals up close. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past week. In addition to all of the whale activity, we also saw Atlantic white sided dolphins and an abundance of birds. Humpback whales continue to be sighted in abundance. A majority of the behavior we saw this past week involved feeding. Kick feeding and bubble feeding (nets and clouds) were seen very frequently. In fact, many of the trips witnessed “feeding frenzies” of humpback whales, where many whales (sometimes 15 or more) would group up and feed in the same area. Sometimes the bait was so thick on the surface; we could clearly see the little sand lance swimming right at the surface along the sides of our boat. On several occasions as the whales were coming up through their bubbles with open mouths, we could see the little fish trying to jump or swim out of the way of the whales! Sometimes cooperative bubble nets were seen (2 or more whales surface in the same bubble net). Our visitors have had some remarkable looks at wide open mouths, with the whales’ baleen often visible hanging from their upper jaws. Other behaviors we saw during the past week include dragging, flipper slapping, chin breaching, tail breaching, and multiple full breaches! Individuals that we were able to identify included: Anchor and calf, Barb, Candelabra and calf, Dome, Echo, Exclamation, Fulcrum and calf, Isthmus and calf, Nile and calf, Peninsula, Pepper and calf, Rapier, Rapier ’06 calf, Reflection and calf, Roswell and calf, Salt, Trident, and Wizard. Finback whales were sighted almost every day over the past week. Morning trips on Tuesday and Wednesday brought the largest number of finback sightings, especially Tuesday when we saw at least a dozen of these large animals within a short distance of each other. Some of these whales were seen traveling, but the majority were seen feeding. Some finbacks were deep diving, some were swimming in zig-zags, and some were swimming in clockwise circles; all ways to chase and corral the little fish that they eat. On many trips, some of the finbacks were seen lunge feeding right at the surface! There are few things more impressive than an incredibly large animal quickly charging into a school of fish and then rolling onto its side as it opens its giant mouth (usually exposing a flipper and half of its tail). We had some very close looks at a number of finback whales as well. Finbacks are the only whales to have asymmetrical coloration: the right half of their face is white while the left side is dark gray. Scientists believe the whales use this to help them feed: exposing the right (white) side to the fish they want to corral, and then face the fish with their left (gray) side while they open their mouths, so that the fish can’t really see that darker side of the whale coming towards them. This allows the whale to “sneak up” on the fish it wants to eat. Minke whales were also sighted on most trips during the past week, although many times the whale only surfaced for a couple of quick breaths before diving deeper. These small baleen whales tend not to spend as much time up at the surface as the larger whales we see in our area (especially humpbacks), but they do surface here and there, and are sometimes seen charging into areas with other feeding whales. A special treat this week was the sighting of Atlantic white sided dolphins on Tuesday afternoon’s trip. This particular pod had at least 25-30 dolphins, and was seen swimming along the side of our boat, and even feeding amongst a group of humpback whales! Some of the dolphins were even jumping into the air! Our lucky visitors had some amazing looks at these very beautiful dolphins. In addition to all of the whales, we have seen a number of birds. On days when the whales were heavily feeding, the birds were usually right there in on the action and picking off any little scraps of fish that the whales might have left behind. Greater and sooty shearwaters were seen in abundance as well as wilson’s storm petrels. Black legged kittiwakes, laughing gulls, herring gulls, black-backed gulls, common terns, and immature gannets were also repeatedly seen. There were even sightings this week of a parasitic jaeger and a south polar skua! 07/13/07 - 07/19/07 Sightings 7/13/07 – 7/19/07 The middle of July has been outstanding for whale watching! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Most of our trips last week had beautiful weather with sunny blue skies; however, Thursday’s trips experienced heavy fog. Although it is more of a challenge to find whales in the fog, we were able to find them by moving slowly and then stopping to listen for exhalations. Humpback whales have certainly been dominating our sightings lately. Sometimes 40 or more whales have been sighted on a single trip! Such a large number of whales in an area usually means one thing: lots of food! Feeding frenzies of humpbacks were seen on multiple trips, with several feeding styles being used by the whales. Kick feeding, bubble feeding (nets and clouds), and lunge feeding were all observed. Sometimes a whale would even chin breach before blowing a bubble net, very exciting! A majority of these happily feeding whales came up with their mouths wide open, allowing us to see their baleen (what they use to feed with instead of teeth), and sometimes even their palate (roof of the mouth). Our visitors had some incredible looks at these large animals as they fed all around the boat. Another behavior we saw repeatedly this past week was flipper slapping, which is when the whale raises one (or both) flipper(s) out of the water and slaps it on the surface. Most often the whale rolls onto one side and slaps one flipper (and will usually switch sides), but sometimes the whale will lie upside down, stick both flippers in the air and slap them both at the same time. Humpback whales have the longest flippers of any whale. They can reach 15 feet long in adult whales, which can be a third of the length of their body! There are several potential reasons that whales flipper slap. It could be a way to knock parasites (barnacles, etc.) off of their flippers; a way to communicate with other whales; to stun prey before feeding; to cool themselves off (whales don’t sweat), or maybe just because! We saw both calves and adults flipper slapping this week, particularly an adult male named Colt, who flipper slapped along side our boat for over 15 minutes! Other behaviors we observed included: traveling, rolling, tail breaching, chin breaching, lob-tailing (tail slapping), a spy hop, and many full breaches! Humpbacks that we identified over the past week include: Anchor and calf, Colt, Coral, Cygnus, Dome, Echo, Exclaim, Fern and calf, Freckles and calf, Fulcrum and calf, Giraffe, Roswell and calf, Salt, Scratch and calf, Trident, and Tulip and calf. Finback whales and minke whales were seen less frequently during the past week, though they still remain in the area. Many of these whales were seen charging into areas with feeding humpbacks, most likely feeding as well, though below the surface. Sometimes finbacks were swimming in clockwise circles trying to corral prey, and other times they were swimming in pairs. A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins was spotted at the beginning of the week, providing a special treat for our visitors. These beautiful dolphins were seen swimming right alongside our boat, often jumping as they swam. It is always very exciting to see these fast-moving dolphins up close. 07/06/07 - 07/12/07 Sightings 7/6/07 – 7/12/07 What a wonderful time to come whale watching! We have been enjoying beautiful summer weather, and an abundance of whales! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted this week, as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Humpback whales were seen on every trip during the past week. On many occasions the whales were seen heavily feeding. Bubble clouds (a single burst of bubbles) and bubble nets (spirals of bubbles) were both seen at the surface, and our passengers were able to witness these animals coming up through their bubbles with wide open mouths. Some of the whales were dragging after they fed, which is when the whale holds its chin and head above the water as it swims forward. When whales are seen dragging, their mouths are partially open, allowing the water that’s inside to be forced out. Kick feeding was also seen on multiple trips during the past week. In addition to all of the feeding, our visitors have enjoyed close approaches by a number of whales, particularly Roswell’s calf. Her calf seemed to be very curious in our boat because it swam right next to us for at least 15 minutes! Sometimes the calf would roll onto its side, and even swim upside down right next to us. The calf was also seen waving its tail from side to side at the surface. We certainly got some amazing looks at this little whale! Other behaviors that we observed during the past week included flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaches, tail slapping, and several full breaches. Humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Nile and calf, Roswell and calf, Reflection and calf, Anchor and calf, Sloop, Circus, Coral, Bandit, Salt, Trident, Wizard, and Barb. Finback whales were sighted on several trips throughout the week. Finbacks are the second largest animal in the world, second only to the blue whale. Finbacks are the largest whales that we see in our area, reaching 80 feet long (blue whales can reach 100 ft.). Some of the whales were seen traveling and searching for food, some were deep feeding, and some were seen quickly charging into areas of bait. Several of the finbacks were seen lunge feeding right at the surface! It is certainly impressive to see these enormous animals lunge quickly into an area with bait, open their giant mouths, and roll onto their sides. When they feed like this they often expose a flipper (pectoral fin) and half of their tail. It’s also easier to see just how large they are when one can see the animal’s entire length at the surface. Minke whales were also sighted on several days during the past week. The majority of these small baleen whales were sighted quickly surfacing in an area, usually in the vicinity of other whales. Several minkes surfaced very close to the boat, allowing our passengers to clearly see their white flipper bands and blowholes. A very special treat for our visitors towards the beginning of the week was when a minke whale was seen breaching! A behavior that is far more commonly seen from humpback whales, breaching is also occasionally seen from minke whales. This particular minke breached at least eight times, many times fairly close to the boat. What a spectacular surprise! Another wonderful surprise in the middle of the week was the sighting of Atlantic white sided dolphins. These dolphins are common in our area; however, they usually spend most of their time offshore, usually coming closer when they are following food. That seemed to be the case with this pod of approximately 30 dolphins, as they were seen swimming and feeding amongst feeding humpback whales. As the dolphins swam along side our boat, passengers could see their beautiful markings and even their blowholes as they surfaced. 07/01/07 - 07/14/07 Sightings 7/1/08 – 7/14/08 The beginning of July has brought many phenomenal whale watches for us! We have been enjoying some truly beautiful summer weather and lots of whales. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted during the past two weeks as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins and a variety of birds. Humpback whales have been seen in large numbers during the last two weeks, with several trips bringing 25 or more whales! Humpback whales are medium sized whales and are often considered the favorite among whale watchers because they are known for displaying a variety of behaviors. Our humpbacks have certainly lived up to their reputations throughout the two week period. Much of the whales’ activity has involved feeding, and the term “feeding frenzy” would be an adequate description of what we saw. Humpback whales come up with a variety of ways to corral or trap all of the little fish that they eat, so that it makes it easier to eat a large amount of fish at once. Bubble feeding is a common sight when the bait is close to the surface. When humpbacks blow bubble nets, they actually exhale a stream of bubbles as they swim around the fish below the surface. All of these bubbles form a curtain and surround the fish that the whale is trying to eat. Once the whale has finished blowing bubbles, it swims below the fish and then comes up right in the middle of the net that it just blew. Often times, the whale will surface with its mouth still open, allowing us a glimpse at the inside of the mouth. We were lucky enough to see many cooperative bubble nets during the past two weeks as well. That simply means that more than one whale will surface in the same bubble net. Most of the cooperative nets we saw involved two whales feeding together, but we also saw nets with three, four, five, and even sometimes six whales surfacing together! Other feeding behavior that we observed included kick feeding, which is when the whale will slap its tail several times in the same spot to stun the little fish, and then usually the whale will blow bubbles right around the spot where it kicked. What a sight! In addition to all of the feeding, we also observed the whales traveling, rolling, flipper slapping, lob-tailing (tail slapping), tail breaching (particularly Ventisca’s calf), and several full breaches too! Humpbacks we were able to identify during the past two weeks included: Abrasion, Anchor, Anvil and calf, Apex, Apostrophe and calf, Bandit, Barb, Bullet, Buzzard, Coral, Cygnus, Division and calf, Draco, Ebony, Ember, Exclaim, Fulcrum, Giraffe and calf, Glo, Isthmus, Loon, Meteor, Pogo, Salt and calf (Sanchal), Scylla and calf, Soot, Stub, Tear, Thread, Tornado and calf, Underline, Venom, Ventisca and calf, Viking, and Walrus. Finback whales were also very numerous during the last two weeks. Finbacks are the largest whales that we see in our area, and in fact they are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet. They can get to be 80 feet long! Most of the finbacks that we saw during the past two weeks were charging around in similar areas as the feeding humpback whales. Most of the finbacks we saw were traveling alone, but we did see some pairs, a few trios, and even one quartet of whales traveling together! In fact, on that particular trip, our passengers were treated to amazing looks at the four adult whales traveling not only close together, but they surfaced right next to us and swam along side our boat for at least five breaths. What a wonderful opportunity to appreciate just how big these animals are! Some of our passengers were very lucky to get good looks at a cow/calf (mom and baby) pair of finback whales! Because finback whales are so fast, they tend to be somewhat elusive in nature, and are not nearly as well studied as humpback whales. Therefore, scientists have not determined where these large whales breed or calve. It is always a special treat to see a mom and baby finback whale swimming together in our area. Even more of a special treat, some of our passengers were extremely lucky to witness the rarest of the rare: a finback whale breaching! This particular whale was on the smaller side, and it breached at least three times on a day that was fairly windy. What an unbelievable sight, seeing an animal so large out of the water! Minke whales were around here and there throughout the past two weeks, usually seen charging around in areas with other feeding whales. Minke whales, like finbacks, are very fast moving whales, and these small whales tend not to spend a lot of time up at the surface. A few trips did bring minke whales that traveled close enough to our boat for passengers to see their white flipper bands. A small pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for some of our passengers at the beginning of the second week. These dolphins usually spend most of their time further offshore, but come in closer occasionally. There were approximately 20-30 dolphins in this particular pod, and they were seen traveling quickly through an area of feeding humpback whales. The dolphins sort of appeared out of nowhere, and just as quickly disappeared as we continued to watch the humpbacks. We have been seeing an increase in the number of birds that are around as well. Wilson’s storm petrels, sooty shearwaters, and greater shearwaters have been increasing in numbers lately, and we have seen many Cory’s shearwaters around as well. We have also been seeing laughing gulls, black back gulls, herring gulls, and common terns. 06/29/07 - 07/05/07 July has arrived with amazing success! Whales continue to be active and have been seen on every trip. Our sightings this week include humpbacks, finbacks and minkes. Humpback whales have once again dominated our sightings. These mid-sized baleen whales have been seen deep feeding, sometimes in small groups of two to four whales. We have had several mother/calf pairs give fabulous close approaches. Nile and Pepper have both been spotted with their calfÅfs. On some trips, passengers have even seen the calves nursing! When whales nurse they are often seen switching sides as they swim under their mothers and then surface. The mother squirts the milk into the calfÅfs mouth while the calf is below her. Other behaviors we have seen this week include, flipper slapping, tail breaching, and tail slapping. A whale named Circus was particularly playful on Thursday mornings trip. The humpbacks we were able to identify this week include Nile and her calf, Pepper and her calf, Circus, Coral, Colt and Bandit. Finback and minke whales were sighted infrequently during the week, but they still remain in the area. Most of the sightings of these whales have been in the vicinity of humpback whales. 06/14/07 - 06/30/07 One of the most exciting things about Whale Watching is that from one day to the next, we never know what we may see. The last two weeks of June have brought beautiful warm weather, calm seas, and lots of whales! Humpback, Finback, and Minke whales were all sighted as well as a basking shark. Humpback whales were sighted everyday and have been putting on quite a show. Feeding frenzies were seen on many occasions,with a large amount of sand lance present in the area. Some days the bait was so thick at the surface, our passengers could see all the little fish swimming and trying to jump out of the way of the whales mouth. On those days the whales didn' t even need to blow bubbles to corral the fish, they just lunged through them with wide open mouthes! On other days bubble feeding (clouds and nets) and kick feeding were also sighted. In addition to feeding humpbacks have also been seen flipper snapping, tail breaching. tail slapping , traveling, chin breaching, rolling and even several full breaches! Many mother and calf pairs have been seen. Several of which have given our visitors some amazing close approaches. Humpbacks we were able to identify included : Nile and calf, Pepper and calf, Terrace, Giraffe, Circus and calf, Reaper and calf and Trident. Finback and Minke whales were sighted less frequently during the last two weeks, although they still remain in the area. We have had some close looks at Minke whales as they swim along side our boat.Our passengers could very easily see their white flipper bands. Most of the finbacks saw were traveling, however, some of these whales were lunge feeding in areas with lots of bait. It is always impressive to see very large animals swim quickly and lunge right at the surface. A special treat was the sighting of a basking shark. This particular shark was roughly 25 ft. long (They can reach up to 40 ft.) and was seen feeding just below the surface. Basking sharks trap their prey ( plankton ) on their gill rakers, much like a baleen whale filters its food from the water. Basking sharks are fish and don' to need to come up to the surface, so it is always a nice surprise when we see them. 06/08/07 - 06/14/07 We have enjoyed a truly wonderful week of whale watching! The weather has primarily been sunny and warm with calm seas, though we did experience a bit of a swell towards the end of the week. Whales were sighted every day, including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. We even saw a pair of basking sharks! Humpback whales, once again, stole the show this week. A large number of humpbacks have been seen in the area, sometimes 30 whales or more! While some of the whales we saw were slowly traveling, the majority of them were very active, especially actively feeding. There has been a large abundance of sand lance over Stellwagen Bank, and passengers could actually see large balls of bait swimming right at the surface. On many occasions, we could see waves of sand lance moving quickly, with one or more humpbacks lunging right up through the little fish with their mouths wide open. Our visitors had some amazing looks at these whales as they were lunge feeding all around. The whales’ baleen was often visible inside their mouths as well. In addition to lunge feeding, kick feeding and bubble feeding were also seen. Several mother and calf pairs were seen this past week, including Pepper and her calf. While Pepper was busy feeding, her calf was rolling around at the surface, exposing its long white flippers. Other behaviors we saw included flipper slapping, chin breaching, several full breaches, and even a spyhop (where the whale sticks its head above water)! Humpbacks that we were able to identify included Pepper and calf, Coral, and Ventisca. Finback whales were also seen on numerous occasions over the past week. These large animals are the fastest of the baleen whales, and are nicknamed “greyhounds of the sea.” They can reach speeds up to 25 knots (almost 30 miles per hour!) in short bursts. Though very large, their bodies are very sleek and streamlined. Many of the finbacks we saw this past week were displaying some of that speed as they traveled and charged into areas to feed. Minke whales were seen on several trips. A few of these small baleen whales swam close enough to the boat for passengers to clearly see their white flipper bands. As in weeks past, many of the minke whales that we saw were swimming in areas nearby other, larger whales. A special treat this week were a pair of basking sharks that were swimming at the surface! Basking sharks are the second largest fish (and shark) in the world, and can reach lengths of 40 feet! These sharks feed on plankton using gill-rakers, a comb-like device, to trap their prey. Often when we see these large sharks from the boat, they are swimming slowly with their mouths open, feeding. Our passengers were able to get good looks at this pair, swimming one in front of the other. Birds were quite numerous this week, and many were seen actively feeding near feeding humpback whales. Wilson’s storm petrels, greater shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, immature gannets, northern fulmars, and even a black legged kittiwake were all sighted. 05/30/07 - 06/07/07 The past nine days have brought continued success on our whale watch trips. Although we have endured some rain and fog, we have been fortunate to have enjoyed beautiful weather and calm seas on most days. Humpback, finback, and minke whales have all been sighted recently. Humpback whales dominated our sightings during the past week and a half. Although some of the whales were sighted traveling alone, most of the whales we saw were in small groups of two to four. With a large abundance of sand lance (a small schooling fish, and the favorite food of our whales) present on the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, the majority of the whales we saw have been heavily feeding. Whales have been kick feeding (slapping their tails on the surface to stun prey), bubble feeding (blowing bubbles around a school of fish), and even lunge feeding (lunging quickly into a school of fish with their mouth wide open). Some of the bubble nets have been cooperative, which means that more than one whale surfaced in the middle of the same bubble ring. Passengers have had some incredible views of these large animals surfacing with large pouches of food, on many occasions the whales’ mouths were wide open, exposing their baleen! In addition to feeding, numerous, beautiful tail shots have been displayed as the whales dove below the surface. Other behaviors observed from this past week’s humpbacks included flipper waving and slapping, tail breaches (when the whale quickly thrusts its tail out of the water), chin breaches, and even several full breaches! It is always impressive (and special) to see these large animals completely leave the water for a few seconds. Humpbacks that we were able to identify include Nile and calf, Trident, Seal, Patchwork, and Circus. Finback whales, the largest whales we see in our area, were sighted on several trips during the last week and a half. All of the whales were traveling alone, though nearby other whales, usually humpbacks. Some of the whales were seen swimming in a clockwise circular pattern, most likely trying to corral their prey. Finbacks feed on the same small, schooling fish that the humpbacks are eating, primarily sand lance. A few of the finback whales we sighted were lunge feeding at the surface. Minke whales, the smallest baleen whales we see, were also sighted on several trips. A majority of these whales were seen quickly swimming in the areas of other larger whales, particularly humpbacks. The minkes were also probably feeding; however, it is usually less obvious when these whales are eating because they tend to spend less time at the surface. In addition to all the whales we have been seeing, these past few trips have brought sightings of pelagic birds. Most of these birds spend their entire lives out at sea, except when breeding. We were able to see a number of immature northern gannets, sooty shearwaters, greater shearwaters, wilson’s storm petrels, and a northern fulmar. We also regularly saw herring, laughing, and black back gulls. 05/14/07 - 05/29/07 The 2007 whale watching season has started with tremendous success! Although some of our early trips were cancelled due to wind and rain, we have enjoyed some truly fantastic weather for whale watching: bright blue, clear skies, calm seas, and great visibility. Most of our trips during the past two weeks have taken us to the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, where we have encountered humpback, finback, and minke whales in addition to Atlantic white sided dolphins. Our 2007 season opened with crowd pleasing humpback whales, sometimes in very large numbers. On many trips we saw at least 20 animals, and even up to 50 whales on one trip! Humpback whales are mid-sized baleen whales, reaching lengths of 50 feet. They are often considered to be the favorite among whale watchers because they are known for a variety of behaviors. The humpbacks we saw were seen feeding heavily on every trip so far. These whales eat a variety of small schooling fish, though sand lance (sometimes called sand eels) are their favorite. On one trip passengers could actually see a very large school of sand lance swimming up at the surface. Some of the humpbacks were seen kick feeding(slapping their tails on the surface to stun fish), while others were seen bubble feeding (blowing rings of bubbles around fish to keep them trapped in one place). Flipper slapping, tail breaching, chin breaching, logging(sleeping), and even several full breaches were also observed during the past two weeks. Several mother and calf pairs were sighted, including Rapier who was still traveling with her 2006 calf. Usually humpbacks stay with their calves for up to 12 months, and separate sometime during their migration from the Caribbean towards their feeding grounds. Humpbacks we were able to identify included Coral, Rapier, and Rapier’s 2006 calf (not yet named). Finback whales were seen periodically over the last two weeks, usually in the vicinity of feeding humpbacks. Finback whales are the largest whales that we see in our area, reaching lengths of 80 feet. Not only are they the second largest baleen whale, they are the second largest animal to ever have lived on this planet! A majority of the individuals we saw were traveling, and probably feeding deep. A few of the whales, however, were seen lunge feeding right at the surface. When finback whales lunge feed, they swim very quickly into a school of fish with their mouths open, often rolling onto their side. It is certainly an impressive sight to watch these large animals in action. One of the finback whales that we saw is a whale we know as Tracks. This whale has propeller scars on its side that resemble railroad tracks. Unfortunately, many of the finback whales that we know in this area are recognized for scars along their bodies. Minke whales were seen infrequently during the last two weeks. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales we see in our area, reaching lengths of 30 feet. These small whales are very streamlined, like the Finbacks, and therefore travel very quickly. Sometimes their speed makes them difficult to watch. The minke whales we saw were sighted alone, but traveling near other, larger, whales. A special treat for passengers was the sighting of Atlantic white sided dolphins. We came across a small pod, approximately 10 dolphins, just before leaving Cape Cod Bay. These are the most common type of dolphin we see in our area, however, they tend to spend most of their time further away from shore. The group we saw was slowly traveling as we approached, and we could see their dorsal fins breaking the surface of the water. They swam right along side our boat for several minutes. Our visitors were able to get great views of these beautiful animals as they lept from the water. 10/15/06 - 10/28/06 Sightings 9/15/06 – 9/28/06 Our season is winding down, with only a week to go! September has given us beautiful weather, which has made for very enjoyable whale watch adventures. Sightings of whales have continued on a daily basis. Humpbacks, finbacks, minkes, atlantic white sided dolphins, and even a basking shark were all sighted during the past two weeks. Humpback whales have once again dominated our sightings lately. These mid sized baleen whales were seen displaying a variety of behaviors, which is what these whales are probably best known for. Feeding, logging, rolling, traveling, deep diving, flipper slapping, chin breaching, tail slapping, and even several full breaches were all sighted during the past two weeks. Whales were seen traveling alone or in small groups of two to four whales. Once again, several mother/calf pairs were sighted. Individual humpbacks that we were able to identify included: Apostrophe and calf, Cardhu and calf, Columbia and calf, Colt, Coral, Glo, and Tulip. Finback whales were a frequent sight over the past two weeks. The majority of these very large baleen whales were traveling alone, however there were some whales seen swimming in pairs. Most of the finbacks were exhibiting traveling and searching behaviors, and many were performing deep dives. However, several of these large whales were seen lunge feeding in close proximity to our boat. Our passengers were treated to some beautiful looks at these whales as they surfaced with large mouthfuls of food. Minke whales were still sighted, but not as often as in past weeks. Minke whales tend not to spend very much time at the surface, and the whales that we saw during the past two weeks were certainly living up to their reputation. We saw these small whales briefly as they surfaced once or twice before they disappeared to deeper water. A large pod of atlantic white sided dolphins provided a special treat for many passengers towards the beginning of last week. There were at least 100 dolphins traveling together, including many juveniles. Typically these dolphins are seen in smaller pods, usually around 20 animals or so, however, sometimes they do form these larger pods called superpods. Our lucky visitors got some amazing looks as these beautiful dolphins were seen playfully jumping from the waves. Some of our visitors were able to see a basking shark very close up. The shark was approximately 20 feet long (which is about half the length that they can reach), and was seen swimming right at the surface with its mouth open. When a basking shark is seen like this, it generally means that it is feeding. Basking sharks are filter feeders, trapping the plankton they are eating on comb-like structures called gill rakers. Our lucky passengers were treated to fantastic looks at this shark! 09/01/06 - 09/14/06 Sightings 9/1/06 ñ 9/14/06 September has arrived! Although some of our trips were cancelled due to weather, when we were able to go out we enjoyed beautiful weather and seas that were so calm they resembled glass. There is still a large presence of whales in our area including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. Basking sharks were also sighted during the past two weeks. Humpback whales have been seen feeding heavily, both at the surface using bubbles, and diving a little deeper. Many whales were seen surfacing with large pouches of food. Our humpback whales will remain in this area until the end of October, when they will begin their migration south toward the Caribbean. While the whales are down south for the winter months they wonít eat anything at all, so the whales have been happily feasting here while food is still abundant. On several trips over the past two weeks passengers could see the abundance of sand lance (little schooling fish that is one of their favorite foods) right at the surface. There were so many fish that it looked, and sounded, like rain drops hitting the surface of the water. On one particular trip, our visitors were able to see humpbacks lunging horizontally at the surface as they fed, something which is usually seen with finback whales. Passengers were able to clearly see the whalesí baleen as they swam on their sides with their mouths open. Several mother/calf pairs have been frequently sighted in the area. What a special treat for those visitors that were able to watch the calves trying to feed! In addition to feeding, other behaviors we sighted included logging, rolling, flipper slapping, tail slapping, and tail lobbing. Humpbacks that we were able to identify were Apex and calf, Columbia and calf, Coral, Istar, and Tulip. Finback whales were sighted frequently over the past two weeks, and like the humpbacks, were heavily feeding. These large baleen whales were sighted traveling alone or in small groups of two to three animals. Finbacks were exhibiting lunge feeding and deep feeding, where the whales would surface with expansive pouches of food. Whales were also seen swimming in zig-zags and large clockwise circles, as they tried to corral their prey. Our passengers were able to view the whalesí beautiful coloration as they swam right along side our boat. Minke whales were a very common sight, with 25 of these small whales being sighted on one trip! Many of these fast moving whales were seen charging around in areas where other, larger, feeding whales were present. Minke whales are called the ìlittle piked whalesî because they often surface chin first, so their spout gets lost in the water behind them. Our visitors were able to get some great looks at these little whales. In addition to many whales being in the area, several basking sharks were sighted as well. Basking sharks are the worldís second largest fish, reaching lengths of 40 feet. Most of the basking sharks sighted over the past two weeks were feeding. Unlike most sharks, these animals eat plankton. When they feed, they swim slowly with their mouths open, allowing the plankton to stick to their gill rakers (a comb like device in between their gill slits). What an amazing sight! 08/25/06 - 08/31/06 8/25/06 ñ 8/31/06 August has come to an end with continued success on our whale watch adventures. We have enjoyed beautiful weather, calm seas, and an abundance of whales. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted this past week, as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Humpback whales were quite numerous over the past week, having been sighted on every trip. A majority of the behavior we saw involved feeding. Bubble feeding, kick feeding, and deep feeding were all sighted this past week. Bubble feeding included both bubble clouds and bubble nets. Passengers were treated to beautiful looks at the whalesí large open mouths, often showing their baleen. Other behaviors sighted over the past week included traveling, logging, rolling, chin breaches, flipper slapping, lob-tailing, tail slapping, a spy hop, and several full breaches. On one particular trip, Nile was seen displaying a variety of behaviors including multiple breaches, sometimes very close to the boat. When one sees a whale completely leave the water, it certainly leaves a sense of awe. Individuals we identified included Trident and calf, Columbia and calf, Salt and calf (Soya), Colt, Coral, Dome, Nile, and Reflection. Finback whales, the largest baleen whales in our area, were not sighted very often over the past week. The animals that we did see were traveling and searching for food. Our passengers were able to see the beautiful coloration that these whales have as they swam along side our boat. Minke whales continue to be sighted, especially in areas where other whales are present. Over the past week, the majority of minke whales were seen traveling near Humpback whales. These small baleen whales are known for their eradic, elusive behaviors, and the minke whales this week were demonstrating those behaviors well. A special treat this week was the sighting of a large pod of atlantic white sided dolphins. The pod consisted of 40 to 50 dolphins of all sizes, including several calves. The dolphins were traveling slowly in the area, probably feeding as well. Our lucky visitors were treated to wonderful close approaches by these dolphins as they swam along side our boat. In addition, several of the animals were seen riding in our wake and jumping into the air. What a fabulous ending to a whale 08/18/06 - 08/24/06 Sightings 8/18/06 ñ 8/24/06 We have enjoyed a truly wonderful week! Beautiful summer weather and calm seas have made for very enjoyable rides across Cape Cod Bay to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, where whales continued to be seen in large numbers. Over the past week humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted as well as a variety of birds. Humpback whales this past week have again delighted passengers with their intriguing behaviors. Feeding remains a common sight, with whales bubble feeding, kick feeding, and deep feeding. Some of the bubble nets have been quite large, with multiple whales cooperatively feeding. We saw anywhere from two to eight whales sometimes sharing one bubble net! Our visitors have enjoyed beautiful looks at their baleen and large pouches of food as the whales surfaced with open mouths. A number of whales were also seen flipper slapping. Itís amazing to see (and hear) these large flippers smack the waterís surface. We had one extremely close approach from a whale on Thursdayís trip where the whale was checking out our boat for over half an hour! We turned off our engines as the whale swam around and under the boat and even spy-hopped a couple times. Those incredibly lucky passengers were able to get a true sense of how large these whales actually are! Unfortunately, we donít know who the whale was because we never saw the underside of its tail. Other behaviors sighted over the past week included logging, rolling, tail slapping, lob-tailing, and even several full breaches! Whales that we were able to identify included: Baja and calf, Midnight and calf, Trident and calf, Rapier and calf, Tornado and calf, Alphorn, Bandit, Colt, Coral, Freckles, Isthmus, Nile, Owl, and Walrus. Finback whales were sighted almost every day over the past week. While some whales were swimming in groups of two to three, the majority of the whales were traveling alone. Lunge feeding was seen several times, sometimes very close to the boat. Many of the whales were seen swimming in zig-zags and circular patterns, probably trying to chase and corral their prey. Our passengers were treated to fabulous looks at their asymmetrical coloration. Finback whales are the only whales to have asymmetrical coloration. The right side of their face is white while the left side is dark gray like the rest of their body. Scientists believe the whales use this to help corral their prey by swimming around the fish in a circle, scaring the fish into staying tightly together. Minke whales have been a very common sight, having been sighted on almost every trip this past week. Although known for being very elusive, some of these small baleen whales were sighted surfacing very close to the boat. Our visitors were able to view their white flipper bands as they surfaced and swam along the side of our boat. In addition to whales, a large number of birds have been sighted as well. Greater, sooty, manx, and coryís shearwaters have all been seen as well as wilsonís storm petrels, parasitic jaegers, common terns, and a variety of gulls. 08/11/06 - 08/17/06 This past week has again brought amazing success on our whale watch adventures, and there is still plenty of time left this season. Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all sighted as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins. Humpbacks have been putting on quite a show as they continue to feed heavily over Stellwagen Bank. During this past week it was common to see groups of between two and eight whales traveling and feeding together. Cooperative feeding with bubble nets has been very abundant, with some fabulous looks at these whales surfacing with wide open mouths. Passengers have been able to clearly see the whalesí baleen hanging in their mouths. In some cases, our visitors have also been able to see the little sand lance that the whales are feeding on trying to swim away from the whalesí mouths! Kick feeding was also frequently seen over the past week by several whales. Tornado has a very unique feeding style. Sometimes she will come up and slap her chin on the surface, thrust her flippers forward, and then kick the surface with her tail before blowing bubbles. What a sight! While she was feeding, her calf was nearby rolling and flipper slapping. In addition to feeding, other behaviors we have seen this week include logging, dragging, tail slapping, tail breaching, flipper slapping, spy hopping, and even several full breaches. Individuals we identified over the past week include, but are not limited to; Nile, Tornado and calf, Salt and calf (Soya), Lace and calf, Dome, Freckles, Anchor, Stub, Cardhu and calf, Bandit, Colt, and Coral. Finback whales were not quite as numerous over the past week, but were still sighted frequently. These large whales were also seen feeding in areas nearby other feeding whales. Many of the whales were seen charging into areas at fast speeds, as well as swimming in circular patterns and zig-zags, trying to corral their prey. Minke whales were sighted almost every day this past week, usually in the vicinity of the other, larger, feeding whales. Some of these whales swam right along side our boat, allowing our visitors to catch a glimpse at their white flipper bands as they swam by. Atlantic white sided dolphins were sighted twice over the past week, giving some of our lucky visitors a very special treat. On both occasions the dolphins were sighted in very large numbers, more than 100! The dolphins were spread out over a short distance, and could be seen traveling near other whales in the area. On one day, the dolphins were mostly seen traveling, and the other day they were seen feeding with some slow traveling. Dolphins of all sizes were seen on both trips, including several mothers with calves. The dolphins could be seen jumping and riding the wake of our boat as we left the area. What a fantastic sight! 07/28/06 - 08/10/06 Sightings 7/28/06 – 8/10/06 July has turned to August, and we have continued to enjoy truly spectacular whale watch adventures. In addition to beautiful summer weather, a large number of whales remain over Stellwagen Bank. On many trips we have sighted 35 whales or more! Humpback, finback, and minke whales were all seen over the past two weeks as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins and birds galore. Humpbacks were seen on every trip over the past two weeks, often in very large numbers; sometimes 25 whales or more! These whales have continued to delight our passengers with fantastic looks at a wide variety of behaviors. Feeding was a daily occurrence, with both kick feeding and bubble feeding sighted. A majority of the whales that were using bubbles to feed were blowing bubble nets. This is where the whale will get below a school of fish and exhale as it swims around the fish in a clockwise circle. All of the bubbles form a curtain that surrounds the fish, keeping them tightly together. The whale is then able to lunge vertically through the “net” with its mouth open, taking in all of the little fish in one gulp. On many occasions, whales were cooperatively feeding, with two to seven whales surfacing within one bubble net! Our visitors have had some truly amazing looks at whales coming up with wide open mouths, exposing their baleen. Individuals that we were able to identify included: Nile, Fulcrum, Salt and calf (Soys), Cardhu and calf, Baja and calf, Coral, Colt, Wizard, Freckles, Tulip, Rune, Bandit, Echo, and Dome. Finback whales, the world’s second largest animal, have also been sighted frequently over the past two weeks. Some of these whales were traveling alone while others were sighted in pairs or groups of three. In many cases, the finbacks were lunge feeding right at the surface, sometimes exposing flippers and tails as they rolled onto their sides. Some very lucky passengers were able to see a pair of wh