SOCKEYE - is named for a deformity of his jaw that mimics the Sockeye Salmon. Sockeye's smaller upper jaw actually fits down inside his huge lower jaw, creating a whale-sized underbite! Sockeye was first sighted in 1984, and has grown into a healthy adult male. His odd jaw has definitely not impaired his feeding ability!

June - We have not had any sightings of Sockeye this season. Don’t worry! It’s still pretty early in the season.

July - There still haven’t been any sightings of our two male adoptees, though there are still a few months left. We’ll keep you posted!

August - Although we unfortunately didn't see Sockeye on Stellwagen Bank or Jeffrey's Ledge this month, we were surprised to find him traveling in the Great South Channel on August 25th. Nearing the end of our trip, we decided to investigate a lone humpback that we had observed traveling northward as we were watching others feed. On our approach, it quickly became apparent who it was, as we saw that indistinguishable lower jaw while Sockeye surged throught the water. We were only able to spend 15 minutes with him, as we ran out of time, but it was clear that he was going somewhere in a hurry. Where to? We'll never know!

Fall - Unfortunately, the sighting in August was the only sighting we had of Sockeye this year. Hopefully next year he will stick around longer!

OWL - named for two black dots on either side of her tail, resembling owls' eyes. Owl was first sighted as a calf in 1986 with her mother, Falco. Owl gave birth to her first calf in 1993, and her second in 1998.

June - Our first adoption whale sighted this summer, Owl was observed on June 12, 2000 deep feeding by herself on Jeffrey’s Ledge. The next day she was in the same area engaged in sub-surface bubble cloud feeding. Although she does not have a calf with her this year, she is looking very large—maybe next year?

Owl was again sighted on Jeffrey's Ledge on June 29th, engaged in sub-surface bubble cloud feeding, while moving in a large counter-clockwise circle the whole time. We believe that whales work in a circular fashion like this to drive the schools of fish inward, concentrating them in order to feed more effectively.

July - Owl was sighted twice in early July (the 2^nd and 3^rd) on Jeffrey’s Ledge. On July 2, 2000 she was engaged in deep feeding and was also lobtailing at the surface. The next day, she had completely changed activity and was sighted travelling.

August - The only sighting of Owl this month was on the 5th on Stellwagen Bank. In the AM, she was observed doing some deep-feeding and then began traveling, alone the whole time. During the afternoon, she again was sighted traveling and was heard trumpet-blowing while doing so. Trumpet-blowing often occurs when a humpback is excited about something. We'll never know what caused Owl to trumpet-blow or where she was heading to but it was good to see her one last time before the season ended.

Fall - Unfortunately, the sighting on August 5th was the last sighting of Owl for the year. Hopefully next year we will see Owl return with a calf!

SHARK - is named for the black markings on the tip of the right side of her tail that resemble the profile of a shark's face. Shark was first sighted as a calf in 1983 with her mother, Apex. Shark has had four calves.

***UPDATE*** Late Winter - During the 2000 Annual Naming Symposium, Apex's 1999 Calf was given the name Libra, for a marking on the right side of the tail resembling a scale or balance!

June - While Shark herself has not been sighted yet this season, on June 6, 13 & 16, we did see her mother, Apex, travelling on Stellwagen Bank with another adult female by the name of Echo. Keep checking in with us-- we will let you know just as soon as we see Shark!

July - While we still have yet to observe Shark, her mother, Apex, has been sighted a few times on Stellwagen Bank this past month. First on July 4, she was once again travelling and trumpet blowing with another adult female humpback named Echo. Then on the 7^th, an adult female humpback named Pepper and her new calf  were sighted with Apex and Echo, deep feeding and trumpet blowing on Stellwagen Bank. (Associations of this duration are not uncommon between pregnant females and both Echo and Apex are due for another calf next year. Could this be why they are remaining together? We can only hope!) Later on the 17^th, Apex was part of a large feeding aggregation of 8 to 10 humpback whales. She was engaged in active lob-tail feeding- WOW!

Finally on July 29th, Shark made her first appearance for the year on Jeffrey's Ledge. She spent the day deep-feeding with a male named Half Moon that hasn't been sighted since 1996! Shark looked very healthy and very BIG! Like her mother, it is very possible that Shark is pregnant again, since many humpbacks bear a new calf every 2-3 years.

August - On August 22, Apex was seen again, this time in the Great South Channel, in a feeding aggregation of 5 whales. Other whales in the group included Reflection & her calf, Parens & Rocker (2 very large males).

Fall - While we unfortunately did not see Shark the remainder of the year, friends from Brier Island Whale & Seabird Cruises reported seeing Shark in the Bay of Fundy engaged in feeding. It's always interesting to see how much these whales travel to find good food during the summer months!

BADGE - is named for the black markings on the left side of the tail that look like a badge on a military uniform. Badge was first sighted in the feeding area off of Gloucester in 1987 - small at the time, he was probably a calf in 1986.

June - We have not had any sightings of Badge this season. Don’t worry! It’s still pretty early in the season. We do have an interesting update on Badge—we recently received enlightening news from our colleagues at the Center for Coastal Studies. Genetic tests on a small tissue sample taken from Badge yielded results telling them that Badge is in fact, a male! WOW!

July - On July 31st, Badge finally made his first appearance for the year on Jeffrey's Ledge by breaching as we approached. As we got closer, we could hear him trumpet-blowing. (Both activities often occur when a whale wants to associate with another or an association of whales is about to change in number). Shortly thereafter, Badge was joined by a second whale that we unfortunately were never able to identify. Later in the afternoon, Badge was seen resting with Pinball (one of our most frequently-seen mothers this year on the Ledge). While they rested, Pinball's calf rolled and played at the surface!

August - Badge remained on Jeffrey's Ledge from the 1st through the 3rd. It was nice to spend so much time with him. On the 1st, he was observed traveling and deep-feeding alone. That quickly changed, as we saw him on the 2nd with Gondolier, a humpback that we haven't observed since 1994! These two whales were seen traveling and heard trumpet-blowing before they joined up with two other whales, Kilter and Jawa. For the next 30 minutes, we were treated to a great spectacle, as the four whales socialized with one another and included our vessel, the Atlantic Queen II, in the action! All four whales were trumpet-blowing, rolling, arching and snaking. Badge and Gondolier even lifted their heads out of the water (called "spyhopping") to investigate the vessel and the excited passengers on it! You couldn't have asked for a better day! On the 3rd, Badge had changed "partners" once again, as he was seen traveling and deep-feeding with Porcupine.

Our next sighting of Badge was certainly a surprise! Badge was in a feeding aggregation of 15 humpbacks down in the Great South Channel! Actively lobtail - feeding, Badge was joined by three mother/calf pairs (Cardhu, Reflection & Leukos), 4 juveniles (Patchwork, Ganesh, Grackle & Snowplow) and 2 other adults (Cygnus & Bandit)!

Our last sighting of Badge for the season was on the northern end of Jeffrey's Ledge on August 27th. He was seen with a large female named Tenedor, traveling northward. While Tenedor flipper-slapped and lobtailed, Badge was content on just traveling. It was interesting to see how much he had traveled in just one month!

Fall - No other sightings of Badge occurred as the season came to a close. Stay tuned next Spring to see when Badge returns!