Good Afternoon Stellwagen Scouts,

For our 12pm expedition we made haste with Captain Jeff to the Southwest Corner aboard the mighty Aurora.  Our ambition to encounter humpback whales was made a reality when we discovered a mother and her much smaller humpback calf as they lazed upon ocean’s surface.  They descended on dives of 4-6 minutes, revealing no full fluke patterns for our appeasement.  Passengers were aghast when a tempest of rusty murk erupted from the mother’s tailstock, and the scale of this unsavory cloud challenged the size of the nearby calf!  Their identities remain a mystery, but their success in finding prey to eat was of no question.

Unidentified mother's dorsal fin.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Rostrum of mother from first sighting.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Cetacean defecation.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Cetacean defecation. Brown indicated diet of fish.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

We initiated the second half our adventure with some intimate looks at a second mother and calf pair!  These whales were heading to the east with intent, fluking with grace to reveal ventral paintings of monochromatic artistry.  Bolide’s dark fluke was expertly catalogued by NEAQ intern Kady, and I was able to verify the calf’s fluke pattern despite drastic changes in its aesthetic qualities.  Since last documented, the trailing edge has two significant notches carved into both the left and right fluke.  The nature of the humpback fluke pattern is fascinating to study, especially when observing that of a growing juvenile!

Fluke of Bolide.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Fluke of Bolide2015Calf.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Peace and Love,

Rich