May 31, 2011

Well, we certainly had an eventful day on the water! Not only was it a beautiful, crystal clear day, we had the chance to see a great deal of wildlife. Our visit to Petit Manan started out with spotting numerous puffins sitting on the rocks, in the water, and flying in the air. Razorbills were present in good numbers, at times flying close the boat, allowing us close looks. Arctic terns filled the air as we spotted some of the researchers out on the island. Biologists with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were also on the island.



Heading offshore our eyes were glued and focused on the horizon, looking for any signs of whale activity. Suddenly, a blow was spotted in the distance. Eventually, we started spotting numerous blows, at one point we almost losting count! After a weekend of fog we were thrilled to finally see some whales, but we were not expecting to see so many!

We estimated seeing nearly 10 finback whales and 9-10 minke whales! The finbacks were feeding in groups to two and three, along with some solitary whales. Why so many? Captain Larry spotted a thick layer of bait on the fish finder. There seemed to be enough to sustain these large whales, considering a finback whale will consume nearly 6,000 pounds a fish a day!


Northern gannets were diving all around us and we sighted a few small groups of greater shearwaters. At one point, two juvenile finbacks surfaced close the boat, slowly swimming below the surface. It was amazing to have such close looks at these enormous animals! This was truly a trip to remember and our best so far this season. Trips like these make us eager to get back out on the water again!

A big thank you to Walter Churchill for these fantastic photos!

The 2011 Season Has Begun!

After making it through a very long winter, we are excited to be back on the water and eager to see what the 2011 season has in store for us. Trips started going out on Friday May 27th, which was a great way to start the Memorial Day weekend. Mother nature worked with us a bit this weekend, but foggy conditions made looking for whales difficult. However, our visits to the puffin nesting island, Petit Manan, were successful. The puffins are back and their numbers are doing well so far. Offshore we were happy to see many different pelagic birds, including northern gannets, greater shearwaters, Leach's storm petrel, northern fulmars, and phalaropes.Seeing many birds is always a good sign. Birds as well as whales a important environmental indicators. They help us understand what is going on below the surface, where we are unable to see, unless we happen to see something on our fish finder.

There were thousands of phalaropes at Mount Desert Rock. This is a small offshore island, home to Allied Whale's research station, the most remote lighthouse on the East coast, and hundreds of seals. We had the chance to check out the island this past weekend.

But we will not let the fog disappoint us! We have only just begun and it is early in the season. What makes whale watching an exciting experience is that every trip is different. Mother nature is always surprising us! So come join us on a trip! From June 2-5th, participants with the Acadia Birding Festival will be join us on the whale watch. To learn more about the Acadia Birding Festival visit: http://www.acadiabirdingfestival.com/

Look forward to seeing you!

Fantastic Finbacks on the Fourth of July!

July 4, 2009

We hope that everyone had a great Fourth of July because we sure did! Although our morning trip was quite foggy, we managed to find two finback whales. We had one good look, but they were swimming at the surface very fast. It is no wonder they are nicknamed the "greyhounds of the sea"! They can burst up to speeds between 25-30mph when chasing after their prey. Feeding was probably on the agenda for those two finbacks.

However, the afternoon trip was wonderful! The fog in Frenchman Bay had started to move off as we boarded and to our surprise, continued to due so as we ventured offshore. The visibility was improving. With binoculars in hand we scanned the horizon looking for blows rising from the surface of the water. It did not take us long. One blow eventually turned in to four blows as a group of four finback whales came to the surface.

These finbacks were taking about 5 to10 minute dives. At one point a finback stuck its head out of the water as it surfaced! Its mouth was partially opened and the lower jaw was ballooned out indicating that this whale just came up with food in its mouth. The whales kept our research assistant, Laura, very busy!

At one point all four finbacks came right up next to the boat. People were in awe as it gave them the opportunity to get close looks and see just how enormous these animals are! Check out this video taken from the naturalist's station on the Friendship V.