2003 Trip Reports We hope you enjoyed our trip reports this year! Thanks for your interest! J Through 31 October 2003 - Only two trips went out this week due to bad weather - it's definitely fall! The good news is that our last trips were a success! Not many whale around, but nice behaviors! Our very last trip, on the 31st we had some really great open-mouth feeding from a juvenile humpback whale. We were pretty sure it was feeding on krill like most of the whales have been recently. We had great up-close view of this whale as he fed during the entire trip! Birdwise, we saw probably a hundred or more Gannets, feeding in their exciting, dive-bomb method. We also observed many White-winged scoters and Common eiders, and a few Murres. Near shore, the regular birds like the Greater black-backed gulls, Herring gulls, Double-crested cormorants and Mute Swans remain steady.Through 26 October 2003 - This week was a week of weather, to say the least - with four days cancelled! Windy, rain, rainy and wind! Not too many whales around, but still nice to see them out there! The highlight this week was probably on Sunday, the 26th - just one fin whale, eight miles from Gloucester harbor, on a fairly choppy day, cloudy, not too cold. So far, not too exciting, right? Well, the feeding behavior was SPECTACULAR!! Horizontal lunge feeding, WIDE open mouth - at times the entire belly of the whale was on the surface - fully distended with water and prey! This whale looked like it had swallowed a giant balloon. Fin whales (like many other baleen whales) have pleats on the underside of the jaw that expand when they're feeding (like a pelican's pouch). The lower jaw can expand to accommodate over 1000 gallons of water and up to 70 or 80 pounds of fish. On this day, it appeared that this whale was concentrating on eating krill (a small, shrimp-like crustacean). We only see krill on rare occasions off Gloucester - they are a colder water species. At times, this whale surfaced next to us, mouth agape, only a few feet off the side of the boat - one, time he lunged right beneath the bow of our boat, the Yankee Spirit! Passengers in the bow were screaming their heads off! First out of shock, and then out of glee! We could literally see every plate of baleen on the left side of this huge whale's jaw! It was a truly memorable, fascinating day. Birdwise, much to report in the way of Gannetts. They have started coming in droves, feeding in their exciting, dive-bomb method. Great to see them. We're also seeing White-winged and Black scoters, Common eiders, and a few Common Loons. Near shore, the regular birds like the Greater black-backed gulls, Herring gulls, Double-crested cormorants and Mute Swans remain steady.Through 19 October 2003 - So far, October has been a fantastic, incredible and welcome surprise! A few cancellations due to bad weather, but - the whales - oh my goodness, the whales!! Anywhere from 6 to 12 humpbacks on each trip, minke whales and fin whales here are there, and just one group of dolphins this month. The humpbacks have definitely been the stars for us - unbelieveable feeding behavior. Saturday, the 18th, we had (among other whales) a feeding group of five humpbacks, wide open mouths, lunge feeding, literally just a few feet off the side of the boat! Some of the best feeding this whole year. We;ve had quite mixture of individuals out there, as well - juveniles, adults, mothers and calves. Some of the individuals noted were: Cosmos, Salt and calf, Leukos and calf, Hopper, Wizard, Coral, Rio, Polevault, Reflection and calf, Walrus and Gunslinger! A great ending for our season. (Only 12 more days left to get out there!). Birds have been good, as well. We're seeing many of our winter birds migrating back to the area, and occasional land birds who have been taking a rest on the boat while they're offshore migrating to their wintering areas! We've had several warblers and juncos landing on people and/or the deck looking for a chance to catch their breath! Early in the month there were still a few greater and sooty shearwaters around, but we haven't seen any in a couple of weeks now. Recent sightings include thousands of Scoters - White-winged and Black scoters, Common eiders, many Northern Gannets, and a few Common Loons. Near shore, the regular birds like the Greater black-backed gulls, Herring gulls, Double-crested cormorants and Mute Swans remain steady. Only a couple snowy egrets remain in the marsh by the dock, and we've been seeing one or two belted kingfishers on and off. Weeks ending 14 and 21 and 28 September 2003 - During these past few weeks, we had several fin whales, a few minkes and anywhere from 3 to a dozen humpbacks! Most notably, Salt and calf have been around pretty consistently. It's always a thrill to see this most famous humpback in the North Atlantic with her brand new baby! Salt was the first whale ever documented and named off the New England Coast almost thirty years ago! She is named for a patch of white pigmentation on the leading edge of her dorsal fin. It looks as though someone sprinkled salt on it! She has been seen every year since 1975 - a pretty amazing record!Birds have started to become a little more sparse. Just a couple greater shearwaters around, virtually no sooty shearwaters or Wilson's storm-petrels remain in the area. Common terns are still present, and more and more Northern Gannets are moving into the area. The regular birds like the Greater black-backed gulls, Herring gulls, Double-crested cormorants, Snowy & Great egrets, Common Eiders, Canada Geese and Mute Swans remain steady in number. We're also still consistently seeing Great Blue Herons in the marsh by our dock. Week ending 07 September 2003: Again, many humpbacks have been around with trips finding as many as 14 humpback whales! Humpback whales identified include Beacon, Buzzard, Eyebrow, Firefly and Owl and her calf! We're also seeing fin whales, minke whales and some yucky weather! As soon as Labor Day hit, Mother Nature decided to turn down the heat and turn on the rain! Hopefully this weather pattern will pass by quickly! Birds have not been too plentiful - still seeing a few Greater Shearwaters around, some Wilson's storm-petrels and Common Terns and very few Sooty Shearwaters. A few Northern Gannets have also been sighted. The regular birds like the Greater black-backed gulls, Herring gulls, Double-crested cormorants, Snowy & Great egrets, Common Eiders, Canada Geese and Mute Swans remain steady in number. We're also consistently seeing Great Blue Herons in the marsh by our dock.
April & May Trip Report Archive
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