Tuesday, December 21, 2004
 As the year comes to a close, we continue to survey Jeffreys Ledge for endangered species of large whales. The weather has not always cooperated over the past week, but we have still managed a few surveys of the area. Right whales are still absent from Jeffreys Ledge, but we have identified a number of female adult humpback whales including Bungee, Echo, Frost and Sickle. The Whale Center has not seen Frost since 1997 when she was traveling with her last known calf, Pong.
Unfortunately, this update is also accompanied by sad news. We are sorry to report another death from the humpback whale population. Groucho, an adult male, was photographed by a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) aerial surveys in the Great South Channel. Groucho has an extensive sightings history off the coast of New England and this death is also sad news for the Whale Center. As is the case with most whales found far off shore, the cause of death may never be known.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Research trips to Jeffreys Ledge continue through the month of December. Right whales appear to have moved out of our survey area for the time being, but we hope they will return before the end of the month. The Whale Center is currently busy analyzing photographs of both right whales and humpback whales from the surveys to learn more about which individuals were using the area over the past few months. Only a few of the humpback whales seen during the surveys have been identified. The only new addition to the list of identified whales is a juvenile whale named Nazca.
 On a more solemn note, staff members at the Whale Center of New England are sorry to report that one of our favorite whales has died. Beacon, the 1998 calf of Echo, washed ashore on December 11th on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, MA. Beacon, a female, was a favorite of many staff members at the Whale Center (see fluke photo). She was sighted every year since her birth and we anticipated the possibility of her first calf either this coming season or in the very near future. She was known for her inquisitive personality. She was often found interacting with vessels in the area and was also known for behaviors like flipper slapping and breaching! This season, she was also seen in feeding during many different times of the season. In the early spring, she was even seen feeding in a large group of adults, including her mother Echo. At the time of this update, the cause of death is listed as unknown. To read more about Beacon's stranding, please read this article in the Cape Cod times.
Beacon will be missed by Whale Center staff as well as the numerous whale watch passengers who enjoyed numerous close interactions with this awesome whale!
Monday, November 29, 2004
The past few weeks have been very exciting at the Whale Center. Although whale watches have ended for the season, we have visited Jeffreys Ledge several times and we were able to take Silver II to Stellwagen Bank to survey the area for humpback whales. The trip to Stellwagen was very successful. Although we were only able to survey the northern portion of the bank, we were able to identify the following whales: Chromosome, Isthmus, Molson and calf, Tulip and Voltage. We are still awaiting identities on a few other individuals who were traveling through the area.
Although the trip to Stellwagen Bank produced a number of interesting sightings for the year, nothing can compare to last few right whale surveys on Jeffreys Ledge! Numbers of whales (both right and humpback) have continued to increase in the area. We were able to opportunistically collect identification on a number of different humpback whales in the area including: Asterisk, Barnacle Back, Bilbo, Corona, Fan, Foggy, Hercules, Pinball, Pylon, Raindrop, Samovar, Sickle, Spar, Tornado, Tumbleweed, Valley and calf, Willow, and Y. It seems as though most of these whales are resting during the day (possibly still taking advantage of the herring supply on Jeffreys during the evening hours).
 Right whales, however, have been extremely active during the day. The activity started to build on our November 16th trip when three right whales were sighted off the western edge of Jeffreys. One of the individuals (a juvenile) was spotted breaching at a distance of three miles! Unfortunately, once we got closer, the whale began some very elusive deep diving behavior. We also had the opportunity to spend time with a mother/calf pair skim feeding at the surface. Surface skimming is an amazing behavior to witness in the wild. The right whales swim with their mouths wide open exposing their numerous baleen plates. The fringes on the inside of the plates collect plankton (specifically copepods) while the whale swims. We were very excited to see this behavior on Jeffreys, but we could not predict what would happen next.
Our next two surveys continued to increase in right whale numbers as well as plankton concentrations. Sightings reached an all-time high on November 23rd, when between 13 and 15 right whales were seen mainly near the southern portion of the ledge. A majority of these whales were not photographed in this area during any of the other surveys. In one small area, we had 9 or 10 right whales surface skimming on large quantities of plankton. In the photo here, look for the tongue of the right whale (it appears white below the surface of the water). During the later part of the same trip, another group of right whales was seen off the eastern part of the ledge and appeared to be participating in a surface active group (SAG).
Our most recent trip to Jeffreys Ledge was successful with four right whales sighting on the southern portion of the bank. We did not record skim feeding during this trip, but we did add another interested behavior to our list. A single adult (tentatively identified as #1320) was vocalizing above and presumably below the surface of the water in addition to a number of behaviors at the surface. We have since spoken to staff from the New England Aquarium Right Whale Project who have recorded this behavior. These surface vocalizations have only been previously recorded in the Bay of Fundy, and appears to occur only with adult males. The surface sound (which is similar to the vocalizations produced by a cow) are generally associated with underwater vocalization known as the "gun-shot".
Whale Center staff members have tentatively identified only a few of the right whales seen during these surveys. They include: #1151, #1266 (Shenandoah) and calf, #1320 (Mohawk), #1321 (Mono) and calf, and #2460 and calf. We are waiting for verification on these identifications and the identities of the other right whales from the New England Aquarium Right Whale Program. Since beginning in the late 1970's, the Right Whale Program has maintained a catalog of this critically endangered species. We are grateful for their help and expertise in this area.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Despite the rapidly cooling temperatures off the coast of New England, trips to both Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge continue to find many different species of whales. Fin whales, humpback whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins continue to move around Stellwagen Bank. On one particular trip, two female humpbacks, Eruption and Wizard were seen. Eruption, the 1999 calf of Dusky, was very active during the entire trip. She was tail breaching and lobtailing (slamming her tail down on the water) for at least 30 minutes, giving passengers an opportunity to see two rare behaviors. Wizard, the 1990 calf of Petrel, did not stay in the area to participate in these behaviors. She continued traveling through the choppy seas, making it difficult for us to finally get a look at her mostly white tail. We also saw an adult fin whale traveling with a pod of 25-30 Atlantic white-sided dolphins. The two species would surface and dive together, with the dolphins occasionally leaping over the fin whales head! Two other humpbacks were seen in the area, but because sea conditions worsened during the trip, we were not able to collect identifications. We continue to hear reports of other adult humpbacks in the area and we hope to return to Stellwagen at least one more time this season to see who else may be visiting before the migration south begins.
Jeffreys Ledge continues to be a productive area for humpback whales and right whales during the fall. Right whale #1151 continues to occupy an area near the northern section of the ledge. Vertical plankton tows collected from different areas of the ledge continue to gather large amounts of callanus copepods (the primary food source of right whales), particularly in the area where #1151 has been seen. We also continue to see humpback whales as we follow our track lines. Our most recent survey recorded the following individuals (with others awaiting identification): Asterix, Hercules, Mica and Lightning. We are happy to report this sighting of Hercules (also known as Tanith) because this is the first sighting of this adult female during the 2004 season. She was born in 1980 (the calf of T-Square) and returned in 1988 with her first calf. She has since brought three more calves back to the feeding grounds, her most recent in June 2003. During this sighting, Hercules was reported entangled in line and was very thin. Entanglement efforts on June 24, 2003 by the Center for Coastal Studies were successful and Hercules was spotted by the Whale Center of New England off the coast of Gloucester the very next day. She was reported later in the season and appeared to be looking better. Our 2004 sighting on Jeffreys Ledge helps to verify that Hercules has survived her entanglement!
Friday, November 5, 2004
With the whale watch season nearing an end and the onset of fall weather, trips to Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge have been few and far between. On the few trips we have managed to complete, we have seen numerous adult humpbacks traveling between Jeffreys and Stellwagen. Sightings of individuals over the past few weeks near northern Stellwagen Bank include Beacon, Echo, Mudskipper, Rattan, Nile, Sabot, Salt, Sword and Timberline. Numerous other humpbacks were seen in the area, but we are still waiting for photographs to verify identities. Numerous behaviors were recorded including flipper slapping, lobtailing and breaching.
Right whale surveys also continue on Jeffreys Ledge. Before the high winds and rough seas moved into the area, we were excited by our sightings in the area. We ventured out after the storm not knowing what to expect to see. We did see a single right whale, catalog #1151, who was seen not only during previous surveys this season, but also last season traveling along side a calf.
Many humpbacks were also seen from a distance and we were able to identify two of them since they were relatively close to the boat. They were identified as Fan and Sickle, making this our first sighting of these two adult females this year. Fan was seen briefly last year with a calf and Sickle has been seen on a regular basis for the past few years. Sickle had her last calf in 2002, so it is possible that is ready to give birth to her next calf this winter.
Most of our other sightings on Jeffreys include pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins and numerous small groups of harbor porpoise.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Humpback whales, both big and small, have been moving into the area in increasing numbers. Large adults, some of whom have not been seen in this area for six years, moved from other feeding grounds to southern Jeffreys Ledge in order to take advantage of the high quantities of prey. It is herring spawning season on Jeffreys Ledge and adults have come to feast on this vital prey source. The herring are active at night, so most of the behaviors seen during the daylight hours are resting (also known as logging) and simple traveling. This type of activity allows these adults to conserve energy for a long night of feeding. We have even seen flipper slapping, tail breaching and lobtailing (tail slapping) from some of these adults. Humpbacks include: Anchor, Barnacle Back, Clipper, Eruption, Flamingo, Flask, Mogul, Nile, Reaper, Regulus, Siphon and calf, Victim and Whisk. Over the years, these adults have developed highly effective feeding styles and are now capable of feeding on fast moving prey, such as herring.
The same cannot be said for the juveniles on Stellwagen Bank who are still learning how to properly find food and feed more efficiently. Most of the humpbacks on Stellwagen Bank this week, including Geometry, Eyebrow, Wasabi a number of unknown juveniles continue to filter feed on smaller prey. This smaller, immobile prey is much easier to corral than the fast moving herring seen on Jeffreys Ledge. Two adults, Salt and Putter were also seen on Stellwagen during the week.
 The Whale Center continues to survey Jeffreys Ledge in order to collect information on the area as a feeding habitat for many species of whales. We have made our first sightings of North Atlantic right whales during the week, including a mother/calf pair and a social group of 3 adults. These social and/or courtship groups, also knows as surface active groups, are very exciting to witness. The whales frequently spyhop (stick the head up out of the water; see photo) and roll around on the surface exposing their pectoral flippers, tails and bellies. The large white patches on head, called callosities, are rough patches of skin that form a specific pattern on the head and are used to identify individuals. Photographs will be analyzed to determine the identity of each individual.
Although feeding behavior has not been recorded, plankton samples from the area indicate an increasing amount of plankton in the area. Preliminary analysis of some of these samples indicate the presence of calanus copepods, the main food source of right whales. These small plankton are roughly the size of a grain of rice, and during a specific stage of development contain a small drop of oil that is extremely high in fat. By consuming large quantities of these organisms, right whales are able to build and maintain a blubber layer that in adults is roughly 12 - 18 inches long. In addition to the right whales, many of the humpback whales seen on whale watch vessels were also seen on the surveys, with the addition of Zeppelin's 2000 calf, Milkweed. Fin whales, minke whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, and numerous harbor porpoise were also seen. We will continue to monitor the area for other right whales and other species that may utilize the area.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Lunge feeding continues to take precedence over any other activity on both Jeffreys Ledge and Stellwagen Bank. Fin whales, which once dominated the sightings this season, have become more sporadic in the area while humpbacks whales continue to increase in number on the feeding grounds. Visible patches of krill has accompanied most of the lunge feeding in the area (see photos below of upside down feeding lunge).
Most of the humpback whales on Stellwagen Bank have been concentrating their feeding near the northern portion of the bank. Many of these individuals including Buzzard, Eden, Geometry, and Wasabi have occupied the area for at least two or three weeks. New visitors like Eyebrow as well as a few un-identified individuals have also been photographed. Eyebrow was first seen in the area in 1997, but we do not know his exact year of birth.
During both whale watch trips and the Whale Center of New England's weekly right whale surveys on Jeffreys Ledge, numerous humpback whales have been sighted. These whale include juveniles Cosmos, Kansas and Evolution as well as recent sightings of adult females Nile and Anchor.
 The Whale Center is also very excited to report a rare visitor to the area...a blue whale! This individual was seen on 9-30-04 on the eastern side of Stellwagen Bank (near an area of deep water). The blue whale is the largest animal in the world reaching average lengths of 100 feet and weighing in at 100 tons (200,000 lbs.) or more. This endangered species is a rare visitor to the shallow areas off of New England, usually occupying deep water trenches in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. These whales feed on massive blooms of krill, which may be why this particular individual was seen near Stellwagen. Information regarding this individual will be sent to Mingan Island Cetacean Study where the photographs will be analyzed for identification. Mottled coloration on the blue whale forms a specific pattern that can be used to identify and catalog the individuals.
Wednesday, October 6, 2004
 The past three weeks have been very busy at the Whale Center of New England. Whales sightings continue on both Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge with humpback and fin whales making up a majority of the sightings.
We are still seeing a general trend of juvenile humpbacks feeding on Stellwagen Bank. Most are consuming krill and other small types of plankton. Although the humpbacks do not use the bubbles to feed on plankton, feeding is still visible at the surface. This usually involves some type of filtering behavior either just before the animal surfaces for a breath, or after it has broke the surface of the water. The large throat pleats of the humpback are usually expanded (very similar to an accordion) to allow lots of water and prey to enter the mouth. The whales will then use those same pleats to help force water out between the hundreds baleen plates inside the mouth. With the return of Geometry (97 calf of Star) this past week, we have been able to watch an exaggerated form of filter feeding. Geometry, instead of surfacing right side up, actually breaks the surface of the water upside down! From our vantage point on the upper decks of the whale watch boats, we are able to see the expanded pleats wobbling on the water.
Humpback seen in the area include Eden, Haida, Geometry, Gunslinger, Inchworm, and Wasabi. It is interesting to note that Geometry and Wasabi had left the area for a few weeks, but recently returned to join the other regulars in the area.
 Other occasional tooth whale visitors like Atlantic white-sided dolphins and Risso's dolphins (see image) were also reported in the past week.
The Whale Center has also embarked on our second season of survey efforts on Jeffreys Ledge. Although the goal of these surveys is to study the habitat use of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, sightings of all whales, dolphins and porpoises are recorded. Although right whales have not yet moved into the area to feed, sightings of humpback, fin and minke whales along with Atlantic white-sided dolphins have been recorded on the first six trips. We are still in the process of identifying some of the humpbacks, but known humpbacks sighted include: Shishkabob, Tracer, Viking, and Hat-trick. These humpbacks were amongst 10 or more other humpback whales and roughly 15 fin whales just west of Jeffreys Ledge. All of the whales in the area were filter feeding on krill. Plankton samples were collected in this area to confirm this. These surveys will continue through December, so continue to check our update page for more information on this research project.
Tuesday, September 13, 2004
Rough sea conditions, rain and fog (remnants of Hurricane Frances) at the beginning of the week limited trips to the feeding grounds. Once the weather broke, trips to Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge documented fin whale and humpback whale activity. Most of the whales are continuing to feed below the surface on krill. The whales have been widely spread, with numbers ranging from a single individual to up to a dozen spread out over a one to two mile radius. Humpbacks seen this week include: Polevault, Eden, Beanie and Cosmos.
This is the first sighting of Cosmos in the area since early April when it was seen on southern Stellwagen. This current sighting was on Jeffreys Ledge where Cosmos was seen filter feeding with another small humpback and a few fin whales in the area. Cosmos is the 1997 calf of a female named Columbia. We have seen Cosmos over the past two years during the fall months when juvenile humpback whales visit the feeding grounds to feed on krill.
We are also pleased to report another sighting of pilot whales near the southern portion of Stellwagen. A few calves were identified in the group, some that were even making attempts to breach!
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
Whale sightings have been more frequent over the past week both north and west of Stellwagen Bank. Numerous fin whales and even a few humpback whales have been sighted in the area and some have even been seen for numerous days. The fin whales have been spread out on different areas of Stellwagen Bank, but occasionally will been seen in numbers of 6-8 within a 1-2 mile radius. Fin whale calves have even been photographed in the area.
Most of the humpbacks that have moved into the area are juveniles ranging from the ages of 2-5 years. These whales include Polevault, Beanie, Buzzard, Eden and Inchworm. Among the many different types of behaviors recorded over the past week, filter feeding has been the top priority for these young whales. Although open mouths are not seen at the surface, water is often seen filtering out of the whales mouth before it quickly heads down for another gulp of water and food. With no evidence of large schools of bait fish on Stellwagen Bank, these small whales appear to be feeding on smaller organism, possibly krill (a small type of crustacean). Other behaviors seen over the past week include breaching and flipper slapping.
We are very happy to report the return of Eden this season because she is a very special whale in our research. Eden is the first recorded fourth generation humpback whale in our catalog. Although we realize that there may already be many fourth, fifth, six, etc. generations in the Atlantic, Eden is the first to be photographed and recorded in the field. The lineage begins with Tiger, a female first sighted on southern Stellwagen in 1977. She gave birth to Batik in 1983 who gave birth to Filament in 1989. In 2001, Filament was photographed on southern Stellwagen with her first calf, Eden. Eden, who is a female, will hopefully continue this lineage in a few years by bringing her own calf back to Stellwagen.
Pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins, basking sharks as well as a single pod of Risso's dolphins were also recorded.
Monday, August 30, 2004
The past two weeks have been extremely busy for the Whale Center of New England in terms of data collection. A number of humpbacks have been seen in the area just north of Stellwagen Bank, some for as long as two weeks and others just briefly before they leave the area. A majority of the humpbacks seen are young adults and juveniles (generally between 2 and 6 years of age), but occasionally adults have also been photographed. Humpback sightings include: Shards, Beacon, Wasabi, Beanie, Dynamite, Kappa, Chinook, Glo-stick, Zeppelin, Putter, Circuit Dome and calf, Geometry, and Nazca. For most of these individuals, it is the first recorded sighting on Stellwagen Bank, but many of the adult whales including Chinook, Glo-stick, Zeppelin, Putter and Circuit were seen just a few weeks earlier during research trips to the Great South Channel. Although many of these larger whales did not stay in the area very long, the juvenile humpbacks have been sighted on a regular basis. These individuals have displayed many different types of behaviors in the area including filter feeding, flipper slapping and even breaching!
 Whale Center staff and regular whale watchers were excited to see Wasabi in the area. Wasabi is the 2003 calf of a well-known female named Salt. Wasabi was seen numerous times last year right along side his mother and appears to be in the area again to feed. Wasabi was seen breaching and occasionally coming over to the boat to interact with the vessels. This behavior, known as close-to-boat behavior is typically seen in young whales, but is occasionally recorded in adults. During these rare encounters, many of the different physical characteristics of the humpback whale are visible, including the stove-bolts on the top of the head (see photo). These large wart-like bumps are actually large hair follicles that each hold a one-inch extremely sensitive hair.
Beanie is also another interesting sighting for the Whale Center staff members. Beanie was first seen in 2000 along side her mother Tornado. During her first year of life, she was photographed with a mostly white tail with a large black mark that looked like a beanie cap (which is where she received her name). Over the past few years, Beanie's tail has darkened to the point that the underside is almost entirely black. Although she has almost completely lost the mark for which she received her name, we were able to identify her based on the shape of her dorsal (back) fin and the large serrations on the top portion of her tail. Beanie has remained in the area the longest of any of the other individuals over the past two weeks and is usually spotted filter feeding or foraging for more food.
Both fin whales and minke whales have also seen filter feeding in the area including a mother calf fin whale pair that visited the area for a few days. During the week we also were visited by Risso's dolphins, always very cool to see.
Monday, August 16, 2004
 This past week has brought a number of interesting visitors to the area. Early in the week, just a few miles southeast of Stellwagen Bank, a number of sei whales and a pod of pilot whales were seen in the area, while North Atlantic right whales, fin whales, humpback whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins were seen just north of the bank throughout the week.
Sei whales (see image) are a rare visitor to the area, but are extremely interesting to watch and an important species to study. This species is thought to inhabit off-shore waters and only move to coastal areas for specific prey. This prey, called copepods, is generally seen on Stellwagen Bank during the early spring. There are years, however, when blooms can occur more often and both sei whales and North Atlantic right whales will move in to feed. Both of these animals are skim feeders and will slowly swim at or just below the surface of the water with wide open mouths. They use fine-bristled baleen to filter out salt water and collect the small plankton. The sei whale is sometimes mistaken for a fin whale, but upon further inspection, the unusually tall dorsal (back) fin and the uniform jaw color (fin whales have a white color on the right) help to identify this endangered species.
Humpback whales have been moving through the area from time to time. This week, we added some new individuals to the list, including a new member to the population. Sightings include Wizard and Istar and calf. This sighting of Istar is the 10th recorded sighting with a calf! This is one of the highest records we have at the Whale Center. She was first seen in the area with her first recorded calf in 1979. Her previous calves include Scylla, Little Spot, Stem, Tigris, Eradinus and Dextra. Sightings such as this will help us further understand reproductive rates of these individuals and will help to add to the extensive family tree that we have for Istar and her offspring.
Sunday, August 8, 2004
 Humpback whales were sighted on a majority of trips this week! Numbers seen varied anywhere between a single individual up to eight traveling in an area. In the early part of the week, most of the humpbacks were seen west of Stellwagen Bank. As the week progressed, they moved east across the southern portion of the bank and eventually left the area. Although the visit was short-lived, we did get an opportunity to see some of our well-known adults. It is interesting to note that many of these individuals were seen just four weeks earlier in the Great South Channel. Humpbacks seen last week include: Apostrophe and calf, Appaloosa and calf, Salt, Pepper, Zeppelin, Wizard, Seal, Timberline and Tulip.
Fin whales continue to appear sporadically on Jeffreys Ledge. Atlantic white-sided dolphins have also been seen in the area (see image). Pods (social groups) of between 300 and 400 individuals have been spotted on all different areas of the ledge. These dolphins tend to calve seasonally, with most births taking place from May to August. It is believed that the calving peak is between June and July, which would account for the increase in calves recorded during the last few weeks. It was also not uncommon to see many of the dolphins leaping, breaching and surfing in the waves and wakes create by the boats.
Sunday, August 1, 2004
Sporadic whale sightings continue on the feeding grounds. This week, most of the activity occurred on Jeffreys Ledge where fin whales, minke whales and humpback whales were seen. During a few of these sightings, humpback whales were filter feeding on an unidentified prey source. At least four different humpback whales were seen during the week, including a well-known female named Fringe.
Fringe was first photographed by the Whale Center in 1979 with her first recorded calf. Since that time, she has returned to Stellwagen Bank with 10 calves, the first female from this population to record such a number. Her calves include other long-term residents like Seven, Sirius, Thread and Tornado.
Her most recent calf was photographed last season in the area. She was first sighted in 2004 approximately 3 weeks ago during a research trip to the Great South Channel. Although she was feeding with other known whales in the channel, she did not appear healthy. She was extremely skinny with cyamids all along her dorsal surface. Cyamids or whale lice are small parasites that eat away at whale skin and are normally found on stressed or compromised individuals. We are very concerned about this long-term resident and can only hope for the best.
 Pinball and Satula, two other well-known adults, were also sighted on Jeffreys Ledge. These two individuals are usually associated with Jeffreys Ledge and both have sightings records from this northern feeding ground dating back to the late 80s. These two whales were seen earlier this season by Jonathan Gwalthney from the Deborah Ann Whale Watch based out of Ogunquit, Maine. These sightings were recorded during the later part of June on Platts Bank, roughly 15 miles east of the northern tip of Jeffreys Ledge.
Sunday, July 19, 2004
Fin and minke whales on the southern portions of Stellwagen Bank and northern portions of Jeffreys Ledge have made up a majority of the sightings this week. One memorable trip consisted of two different pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins near the Isles of Shoals off the northern coast of New Hampshire. Both pods were feeding beneath common terns and Wilson's storm petrels. Bait was not visible on the surface, but the dolphins were moving quickly in circular patterns around their food and the birds were diving into the water in search of the left overs.
At least three humpbacks made an appearance on southern Stellwagen Bank this week. Although all the humpbacks were heading south, Whale Center staff members were able to identify one of the individuals as Geometry, the 1997 calf of Star.
Saturday, July 11, 2004
Weather played a major role in the lack of sightings this week. High winds and thick fog caused cancellations throughout the week. Limited trips to both Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge found one or two fin whales and the occasional minke whale scattered in different areas each day.
 Staff scientists Kate Sardi and Cara Pekarcik spent the week on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel Nancy Foster (see image) in order to continue photo-identification work for a research project funded by the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The project involved tagging humpback whales using special suction cup tags designed by engineers at The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. These tags not only recorded the movements of the whale, but also sounds found in the environment. This information was combined with data collected on vessel movement and acoustic sound in order to create a three dimensional image of the whale moving through an environment. This is the first time that whale movements have been coordinated with vessel movement and noise in order to understand more about how the whales react. This information has many implications for future management and conservation of protected areas like Stellwagen Bank and shows the importance of collaborative efforts.
During the entire two legs of the trip, over 60 humpback whales were photographed in the Great South Channel. Many of these sightings were during the first leg of the trip (see the July 11th report). Fog and high seas limited the number of tagging attempts and the number of whales sighted on the second leg, but humpbacks included: Molson and calf, Dune, Entropy, Sword, Timberline, Epee, Isosceles, Eruption, Circuit and Fragment. Most of these sightings took place on the last day of the trip when large groups were seen bubble feeding on sand lance.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Trips to Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge have continued to find different species of baleen whales, including humpback, fin and minke whales. The humpback whale sightings have been concentrated on the southern portion of Stellwagen, although individual sightings have been recorded in other areas. Humpback sightings this week include: Dusky and calf, Fracture, Voltage, Anchor and Wizard.
 Assistant Director Kate Sardi recently participated in a research trip funded by the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. During this trip, digital tags were placed on whales via suction cups (see image) in order to monitor whale behavior in the vicinity of vessel traffic.
Numerous humpbacks were seen in the area: Appaloosa and calf, Apostrophe and calf, Coco and calf, Mars and calf, Glo and calf, Octave and calf, Division, Roswell, Bolide, Salt, Tsunami, Falcon, Fringe, Stonehenge, Venom, Zeppelin, Scrape, Jumangi, Tau, Voltage, Lariat, Cajun, Pepper, Parens, Roswell, Division, Sabre, Ampersand, Crystal, Echo, Springboard, Tectonic, Leonid, Magi, Glo-stick, Beacon, Ventisca, Exclaim, Infinity, Hancock, Deuce, Draco, Scratch, Rocker, Tunguska and Citation. Kate will be heading out again this week with staff scientist Cara Pekarcik to continue to second leg of the research trip.
Sunday, July 4, 2004
For the second week in a row, humpback whales were sighted on Stellwagen Bank. This time, two adult males were seen on the northern portion of the bank, just over 10 miles from Gloucester. Both whales, Coral and Peninsula are calves of Silver, the name-sake of our research vessel. Peninsula was born in 1985 and has been seen in the area a majority of the last 19 years. Coral was born 3 years later and has been seen by the Whale Center of New England every year except for 1989! Both whales were seen in the area and were headed south at a rapid rate. The whales were not seen in the area the next day.
Sightings for the rest of the week include fin whales, minke whales and Atlantic White-sided dolphins. Another adult humpback whale was seen in the waters west of , but we have not determined the identity of the individual.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Fog and rain reeked havoc on whale sightings early last week. Limited sightings of fin whales and minke whales on Jeffreys Ledge made up a large part of the week. As the fog cleared, sightings of fin whales increased in an area west of the ledge, near Ipswich Bay.
Although sightings have been limited on Stellwagen Bank over the past month and a half, we were fortunate to include two humpback whales in our sightings. Two adult females, Echo and Giraffe were seen traveling together on Sunday afternoon. They were east of the southern portion of Stellwagen, but were traveling to the north east. These two females are well-known to the area. Giraffe was first seen in the area in 1987 and Echo in 1988. Although neither were first sighted as calves, it is believed that they were only 2-3 years old during their initial sighting. We have recorded 3 calves for each in this area and hope that both Echo and Giraffe will bring a calf here in the next 1-2 years.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Whales continue to be sporadic, with most of our sightings on Jeffreys Ledge. This area stretches roughly 30 miles north east of Gloucester and is known for it's high productivity of herring. Because herring is a fast moving prey source, fast moving predators like minke and fin whales are usually sighted in the area. These two species, in addition to pods of Atlantic White-sided dolphins, have continued to move around the ledge. Most of the sightings have taken place of the shallow ledge itself, but occasionally, fin whales have been sighted in deeper water.
Besides the three species that generally visit this area (the finback, humpback and minke whale) we occasionally encounter other large whales. This week, we had the rare opportunity to see a North Atlantic Right whale mother and calf. This pair was spotted in an area east of Gloucester known as Tillies Basin. Although were are not permitted to approach this critically endangered species, we were able to see the mother's paddle shaped pectoral flippers and the distinct v-shaped spout produced by the right whale. In addition to this sighting, several fin whales and numerous bird species including greater shearwaters, Wilson's storm petrels and northern fulmars were seen in the same area.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
While trips to Stellwagen Bank have produced only sporadic sightings of fin whales, numerous fin whales, minke whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins continue to visit southern Jeffreys Ledge. Sightings included a dolphin pod of at least 1000 individuals with ten to twelve fin whales scattered in the area. Many of the fin whales were traveling together in groups of three and four. One memorable trip of the week included a breaching fin whale! This behavior is rare to see during a whale watch, especially from an adult fin whale.
A small number of humpback whales have been sighted in waters just south of Stellwagen Bank, while a majority of humpback whale sightings have occurred in the Great South Channel. This feeding ground is located southeast of Cape Cod and is out of reach for most of the whale watch vessels.
Monday, June 7, 2004
Fin whales, minke whales and Atlantic White-sided dolphins were sighted on both Jeffreys Ledge and Stellwagen Bank. Much of the activity from the fin whales focused on sub-surface and surface feeding. Patches of bait were seen on the surface and lunge feeding activity was visible for a few of the days. Large pods of dolphins were often seen traveling and feeding along side the fin whales.
Bird activity was also heavy in the area. Different species of gulls, northern gannets, greater shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, Wilson's storm petrels and northern fulmars were seen in the area. The birds were seen surrounding the whales during feeding bouts in large numbers.
Monday, June 1, 2004
Stormy conditions and foggy conditions limited the sighting over the past week. Once the fog cleared, we spent most of the week watching fin whales sub-surface feeding on the southern portion of Stellwagen Bank. Atlantic White-sided dolphins were also seen scattered about the bank. Pods of 300-500 individuals were seen with various behaviors including chin slapping, leaping and riding in the wake of the boats.
The extended holiday weekend included some humpback whale activity on Jeffreys Ledge. Humpbacks sighted in the area were sub-surface feeding. One small juvenile was seen on consecutive days, while Owl was also sighted in the area. She was last seen feeding on the northern portion of Stellwagen Bank (see the May 24, 2004 update).
Monday, May 24, 2004
 Whales sightings continued on both Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge. Early in the week, humpback whales moved towards the Northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank to feed. Sightings included well known adult females such as Nile, Owl and Anchor as well as sightings of individual humpbacks that have not been seen in the area for a few years.
One such sighting was an adult female named Amulet who was seen kick feeding with Anchor at the beginning of the week. Amulet is the 1987 calf of Glo and was previously sighting in the Great South Channel in 1991. An adult male named Zorro was also sighted in the area traveling with an unknown individual. Zorro has not be seen since 1996, but has a sightings record dating back to 1977! Columbia was also sighted in the area with her fifth recorded calf.
Sightings on Jeffreys Ledge continue with a number of fin whales lunge feeding in the area. A few humpbacks were also seen, including a mother and calf pair that we are working to identify.
Friday, May 14, 2004
 Bait patches were seen in abundance this week on both Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge! On Stellwagen, large patches of sand lance at the surface attracted bubble feeding humpbacks and lunge feeding fin whales. A trio of adult fin whales was sighted lunge feeding on bait at the surface. With the excellent weather conditions, passengers could actually watch the bait try to swim away from the whales.
Zeppelin, one of our adopt-a-whales, was sighted in the area for the first time this season. She was seen cooperatively feeding with another adult female Palette. Palette's calf was also in the area rolling around on the surface and spy-hopping while the two adults continued to feed. Much of the feeding was concentrated off the south-eastern edge of Stellwagen, but later in the week, bait patches were also seen further to the north. Sightings included another female adopt-a-whale, Tornado, traveling alone near much of the bait. Fairway, a whale named at this year's whale naming workshop, Polevault, Putter, Salt, Mural, Perseid, Ganesh, Seal, Voltage and Grackle were also seen in the area.
In addition to sightings on Stellwagen, trips to Jeffreys Ledge included sightings of both humpbacks and fin whales. Numerous fin whales were seen feeding on mid-water herring, while humpbacks were spotted traveling through the area, including Fan, Victim, Owl, and Spar.
Last, but not least, we had a few basking sharks in the area, as well as a Sei whale open-mouth feeding today.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
A promising start to the season was hindered early in the week due to weather, but sightings included numerous fin whales and Atlantic White-sided dolphins on the southern portion of Stellwagen Bank as well as off the back side of Cape Cod. The fin whales appeared to be deep feeding, with long dives and quick surfacings in the same general area.
The later part of the week included sightings of the critically endangered North Atlantic Right whale. Sporadic sightings throughout the week ended with a sighting of 10-12 right whales off the beaches of Provincetown. Even from a distance, seeing these whales flipper slapping and spyhopping made for an exciting trip. Atlantic White-sided dolphins and fin whales were also seen deep feeding in the same area with a large number of northern gannets actively feeding by diving into the water from great heights to catch the schooling fish.
Humpback whales were also seen on Stellwagen Bank at the end of the week. Sightings included at least 10 individuals traveling and milling (social interactions) on the surface. Although we were unable to photograph all 10 individuals, we did identify Reaper and Cosmos. Both were seen in the area last year and will hopefully remain on Stellwagen for an extended period of time. Pumpkin-seed was also seen during the week.
Thanks to all who participated in our Earth Day whale watch! The day was a huge success with sightings of fin whales, Atlantic White-sided dolphins, harbor porpoise and a humpback whale.
Monday, April 12, 2004
The 2004 season started this past weekend with two whale watch cruises from Boston heading out to Stellwagen Bank. While whales were scattered, we did see humpback whales on both days. Two adults (Reaper and Nimbus) were seen on Saturday, as was a little whale, possibly a calf straying away from its mom. This whale 'played' with our boat for about half an hour.
On Sunday, Fortune (the 2002 calf of Entropy) was seen briefly off of southern Stellwagen Bank; we also saw a fin whale, Atlantic White-sided dolphins, several harbor porpoises, and even a harbor seal! This week's weather sounds iffy, so we may not get out again until next weekend, but its nice to know there is some marine mammal life out at sea in our area.
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Humpbacks Seen
Ampersand
Amulet
Anchor
Appaloosa and calf
Apostrophe and calf
Ash
Asterix
Barb
Barnacle Back
Basmati
Beacon
Beanie
Bilbo
Blackhole
Bolide
Bombay
Buckshot
Buzzard
Cajun
Cardhu
Chinook
Chromosome
Circuit
Clipper
Coco and calf
Columbia and calf
Coral
Corona
Cosmos
Crystal
Decimal
Deuce
Division
Dome and calf
Draco
Drizzle
Duckpin
Dune
Dusky and calf
Dynamite
Echo
Eden
Entropy
Epee
Eruption
Evolution
Exclaim
Eyebrow
Fairway
Falcon
Fan
Firefly
Flamingo
Flask
Flounder
Foggy
Fortune
Fracture
Fragment
Fringe
Fulcrum
Ganesh
Garden
Geometry
Giraffe
Glo and calf
Glo-stick
Goldrush
Grackle
Gumdrop
Gunslinger
Habanera
Haida
Hancock
Hat-trick
Hangman
Hercules
Inchworm
Infinity
Isthmus
Istar and calf
Jabiru
Jumanji
Kansas
Kappa
Kilter
Lagoon
Lariat
Leonid
Lascaux
Lightning
Littlespot
Magi
Mantis
Mars and calf
Mica
Midnight '00 calf
Milkweed
Mogul
Molson and calf
Mostaza
Mudskipper
Mural
Nazca
Nile
Nimbus
Nine
Nuages
Obsidian
Owl
Pagoda
Palette and calf
Parens
Peninsula
Pepper
Perseid
Pinball
Pinch
Plateau
Polevault
Pox
Pumpkin Seed
Putter
Pylon
Raccoon
Raindrop
Rapier
Rattan
Ravine
Reaper
Regulus
Rocker
Roswell
Sabot
Sabre
Salt
Samovar
Satula
Scrape
Scratch
Seal
Shards
Shishkabob
Sickle
Siphon and calf
Skua
Skua
Snapdragon
Solas
Speedometer
Springboard
Staff
Star's 2002 calf
Stonehenge
Strike
Stub
Sword
Strut
Tau
Tear
Tectonic
Thalassa
Thumper
Timberline
Tornado
Tracer
Tsunami
Tulip
Tumbleweed
Tunguska
Upsilon
Valley and calf
Venom
Ventisca
Victim
Viking
Voltage
Wasabi
Whirligig
Whisk
Willow
Wizard
Y
Zeppelin
Zorro
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