Good Afternoon Cetacean Nation,

This morning aboard the Cetacea we ventured to our Stellwagen stomping grounds, the Southwest Corner.  We joined Jim, captain of land, air, and most relevant, sea.  We found a cacophony of humpbacks, who were widely dispersed and thwarted many an effort to capture ID photographs.  We managed images of two different whales, and were aghast to note them both as unknowns!  One of our naturalists, Tegan, phoned in our first humpback as unknown #18, while our second creature was unknown #16.  Overall, there were between 7-12 humpback whales that surfaced too far from our boat for identification.  There were also three minke whales who made short cameo appearances to breathe the crisp Atlantic air.   The Southwest Corner has become the haunted house of Stellwagen Bank, visited by ghost-like cetaceans who appear and vanish within moments of discovery.

As always, it was a pleasure to collaborate with fellow naturalist Hannah, and to venture with New England Aquarium interns Ann and Mira.  I hope to rediscover these unknown humpback whales and partake in many a merry expedition!

Peace and Love,

Rich

Fluke of 15BH16. Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Fluke of 15BH18, Rich Dolan BHC naturalist