Well we decided to take a chance and face the fog today. We could not visit Petit Manan to see the puffins because of the visibility, so we went right out to the Ball Park in search of whales. As we approached our destination Captain Larry started seeing tons of bait fish on the fish finder. He slowed the boat down and as we drifted through the Ball Park we kept our ears open hoping to hear the blow of a whale.
The foggy weather also gave fellow naturalist and UMaine graduate student, Kaitlyn Allen, the chance to test out her hydrophones. This piece of equipment is used to record whale sounds in the water. Kaitlyn is recording whale sounds and comparing them to the whales' activity seen at the surface. Different whale species make specific sounds and so we can identify them without even seeing them! Some whales, like the finback, can be heard from up to 1,000 miles away! Sound travels much farther distances in water than it does in air. We think the sounds they produce help them in finding food and are used for communication with other whales, especially when looking for potencial mates during the breeding season.
Many pelagic birds such as Northern Fulmars, Greater Shearwaters, and Wilson Storm petrels were seen throughout our search. Bird researcher, Laura Kennedy, was aboard collecting data for her graduate studies. Many grey and harbor seals popped up near the boat as well with one large grey seal coming up along the side of the boat!
The foggy weather also gave fellow naturalist and UMaine graduate student, Kaitlyn Allen, the chance to test out her hydrophones. This piece of equipment is used to record whale sounds in the water. Kaitlyn is recording whale sounds and comparing them to the whales' activity seen at the surface. Different whale species make specific sounds and so we can identify them without even seeing them! Some whales, like the finback, can be heard from up to 1,000 miles away! Sound travels much farther distances in water than it does in air. We think the sounds they produce help them in finding food and are used for communication with other whales, especially when looking for potencial mates during the breeding season.
Many pelagic birds such as Northern Fulmars, Greater Shearwaters, and Wilson Storm petrels were seen throughout our search. Bird researcher, Laura Kennedy, was aboard collecting data for her graduate studies. Many grey and harbor seals popped up near the boat as well with one large grey seal coming up along the side of the boat!
Suddenly as more seals and birds began to appear....."whoosh" the breath of whale off in the distance. We heard the blow a few more times and as the boat slowly approached two large finbacks appeared at the surface! We got good looks, but soon lost them in the thick fog. But we considered ourselves lucky to have found anything! 
Unfortunately, we were not so lucky on our second trip. We heard a few blows, but could not locate the whale(s). Oh well. But still tons of seals, birds, and bait! If the fog would have lifted there would have been a good chance of finding a whale. But Kaitlin informed us that she may have picked up something interesting on her hydrophones! Maybe one of the whales we saw on the morning trip still hanging around?
So, despite the fog, a great deal of important and fascinating research was conducted on the whale watch today. Hopefully this foggy weather will soon disappear and we can enjoy looking at whales along with listening for them above and below the surface.
Unfortunately, we were not so lucky on our second trip. We heard a few blows, but could not locate the whale(s). Oh well. But still tons of seals, birds, and bait! If the fog would have lifted there would have been a good chance of finding a whale. But Kaitlin informed us that she may have picked up something interesting on her hydrophones! Maybe one of the whales we saw on the morning trip still hanging around?
So, despite the fog, a great deal of important and fascinating research was conducted on the whale watch today. Hopefully this foggy weather will soon disappear and we can enjoy looking at whales along with listening for them above and below the surface.
