June 10th:
Though the day started out rainy and overcast, the weather certainly did not put a damper on today's trip. The seas were calm making the ride out to see puffins and whales enjoyable. Wildlife sightings were fantastic as the seabird nesting island and offshore waters were teaming with life! We feel so fortunate to have the chance to see such breathtaking scenery and explore an incredible ecosystem home to numerous marine species!
Stopping first at Petit Manan Island passengers were treated to more than one alcid species including: North Atlantic puffins, black guillmots, and razorbills. The term
alcid refers to the group of birds that puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and murres belong. These birds have the ability to fly and swim, diving below the surface to capture prey such as hake and herring. The only species of alcids that currently nest on Petit Manan are North Atlantic puffins, black guillemots, and razorbills. However, common murres are seen early on in the season.
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| North Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills sitting on the rocky ledges of Petit Manan Island! |
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Three North Atlantic Puffins sitting in the waters off the shore of Petit Manan Island (Photo credit: StealthVader Photography)
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Razorbill in flight! (Photo credit: StealthVader Photography)
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After visiting the Petit Manan Island, the whale watch headed to the southwest portion of the Grand Manan Basin. This offshore area is located in Canadian waters between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the Bay of Fundy. It is one of two conservation areas designated by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This area was established to help mariners avoid accidental collisions with whales including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The underwater topography and massive tides create a highly productive feeding grounds for whales and other marine life.
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| Bathymetry (depth) map of Bay of Fundy and outlined area of the Grand Manan Banks (right whale.ca) |
Just about six miles shy of Grand Manan Banks, Captain Brian noticed bait on the fish finder while senior naturalist, Zack, and Allied Whale research assistant, Julie, started noticing a large number of pelagic or offshore birds such as Greater shearwaters and Northern gannets. Numerous pods of Harbor porpoise started to appear as well. All signs that large whales could possibly be in the area.
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| Greater Shearwater (Photo credit: StealthVader Photography) |
Then once they reached the Banks, a spout was spotted! It was a humpback whale! This humpback looked similar to the first individual sighted the previous day. Everyone got a couple of great looks before the whale went down for a deep dive. This whale was eventually identified as Jigger. The name of this humpback refers to the marking on the left side of the tail.
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| Humpback whale identified as Jigger! (Photo credit: Andy Wraithmell) |
Soon another humpback whale surfaced! When the whale lifted its tail, exposing the underside, it had quite an interesting black and white pattern. This humpback was identified as Patches! You can see how the whale was named considering it had numerous randomly placed "patches" of black pigmentation on the tail-especially the large spot on the right side. This whale also has a noticeable part of its tailing edge missing. This might have been a result of a killer whale attack when the whale was younger. Passengers enjoyed great looks at Patchwork.
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| Humpback whale named Patches! (Photo credit: StealthVader Photography) |
A third humpback was sighted and the whale watch went to investigate. Checking out different whales allows Allied Whale's researches onboard to document the individual by photographing its natural features (tail and dorsal fin) as well as recording its location and behavioral data. All of this information is crucial in helping to protect this endangered species. After snapping the photo and referring to the North Atlantic humpback whale catalog the whale was identified as Chablis! For you wine enthusiasts out there you would know that this is a type of white wine. Most likely named based on her tail being mostly white!
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| A female humpback named Chablis! (Photo credit: Andy Wraithmell) |
And last, but not least, the fourth humpback whale sighted on the trip was a whale we have seen before in previous seasons (but a little bit closer to home)-Churn! Wow! Why so many whales in one area? Well, probably a result of lots of herring seen on the fish finder and sighted at the surface! Where there is an abundance of food, you most likely will find a number of different species of megafauna (whales, birds, seals, sharks, or tuna) hanging out!
Herring is a keystone species, meaning that it is a major food source for a variety of animals. High in lipids or calories, it allows the whales to bulk up their layer of fat or blubber which is relied upon during the winter months when humpbacks are in the Caribbean Sea. It also has enough nutrients to sustain their metabolism and size. Humpback whales can consume up to 1,000 pounds of herring a day!
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| School of North Atlantic herring (fishwatch.org) |
Another successful day out on the water for the whale watch! Though the boat had to travel a bit farther than usual it was certainly worth it!
June 11th:
Nothing like having two consecutive days of good weather and whale sightings! Barely a breath of wind, sunny, and calm seas making for a great day to be on the water! Today, naturalists Tanya and Angie were onboard along with Captain Larry and Allied Whale research assistant, Anastasia!
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| Passing by Egg Rock Island and Lighthouse leaving Frenchman Bay! (Photo credit: StealthVader Photography) |
Petit Manan Island was the first stop and got the trip on a great start! Puffins on the rocks, water, and in the air along with black guillemots, and razorbills! Petit Manan Island is a 16 acre island off the coast of Steuben. It is part of a larger refuge- the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which consists of 59 islands along the Maine coast. Egg Rock (featured above) is also part of the Refuge. Islands such as Petit Manan provide protected nesting habitat for alcid species such as puffins, razorbills, black guillemots, as well as Arctic, common, and rosette terns, leaches storm petrels, and eider ducks. Not only is the island important to the birds that nest here form April to August, the island also provides a stop for migrating songbirds, raptors, bats, and shorebirds. No one is allowed on the island at this time, with exception of a handful researchers that collect data on the birds that utilize the islands.
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| A group of N.Atlantic Puffins flying along the shore of Petit Manan Island. (Photo credit: StealthVader Photography) |
After an enjoyable visit to Petit Manan Island, Captain Larry pointed the boat toward the offshore waters of Grand Manan Basin. The glass calm seas made it a smooth ride and easy to spot pods of Harbor porpoise. As the boat approached the Basin, there where hundreds of greater shearwaters, which typically hang out where whales feed.
Soon the whale watch started spotting whales. Sightings included two of one of the largest whales on the planet-the fin whale! Second to the blue whale they can reach lengths of 60-70 feet and weigh between 40 and 80 tons! This endangered species spends its time in the Gulf of Maine feeding on herring, sandlance, mackerel, and krill. They can consume up to 3 tons of prey or approximately one million calories a day!
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| Above: Fn whale going for a dive. Below: Fin whale exhaling at the surface. |
Fin whales have a distinctive dorsal fin that is about 2/3 way down its back. Research assistant Anastasia had her camera ready to photograph the dorsal fin, which is different for each individual. Another feature that is photographed is the chevron, which is a swirl-like patter that extends from the eye to the back. The fin whale featured in the photos has a noticeable growth on its caudal peduncle or tail stock. This also helps in re-identifiying the whale.
The other large whale species sighted was the humpback whale! A total of five humpbacks seen during the trip including our first mother and calf pair of the season! The mother is a female named Flamingo and she had quite an active calf! It rolled and flipper slapped a number of times. Flamingo and her calf recently made an incredible journey from the Caribbean, where her calf was born after a twelve month gestation period.
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| Female Humpback named Flamingo |
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| Flamingo's calf with one of its flippers out of the water. This is a behavior called pec or flipper slapping. |
The other humpbacks were adults and identified as Milkyway and Pendiente!
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| Milkyway (Photo credit: StealhVader Photography) |
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Pendiente (Photo credit: StealhVader Photography)
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Looking at these whales' tails you can see how drastically different they can be. In the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog are categorized by the percentage of white and black pigment on the tail, ranging from Type 1 (mostly white) and Type 5 (mostly black). Milkyway would be considered a Type 5 while Pendiente would be a Type 1 or 2 in the catalog. This type of research has provided scientists with a great deal of information about the life history of humpback whales as well as indicate the health of the ocean.
With all of the activity surrounding the boat and in the distance it was hard to have to turn the boat back toward Bar Harbor. Overall, a great day considering the boat sighted eight different whales of four different species (counting those Harbor porpoise)! Look forward to what Mother Nature will have in store for the next trip!
