Humpback Whales in Atlantic

In mid-June we traveled to Boston for a family function and then took a side trip to Plymouth, MA for some whale-watching and relaxation. This is the time of year when Humpbacks and their calves are feeding in Stellwagan Bank National Marine Sanctuary near Cape Cod Bay. It took about one hour for the Plymouth boat to reach the feeding area, but once we were there we were not disappointed.

The whales, several with calves, were feeding all around us. Locating a feeding whale was easy---all we had to do was look for the sea gulls hovering above the whales, hoping to snatch small fish that escaped the whale's mouth.

 Humpbacks are "baleen" whales, named for the long plates of baleen which hang in a row (like the teeth of a comb) from their upper jaws.  Baleen plates are strong and flexible; they are made of a protein similar to human fingernails. The whales blow bubbles underwater, forcing the krill and other small fish and plankton toward the surface. The whales then propel themselves to the surface with mouths open, swallowing water and fish and then "straining" the water through the baleen plates, leaving fish to be swallowed. This is much like the method I use to eat chowder.

The photo above is a close-up of the baleen structure of the whale's mouth and probably a good representation of the last thing Jonah saw during his biblical ocean journey.

 Taking photos of the whales was not without its challenges. By the time you see the whale and get to the correct area of the boat, the above photos are often what is captured.

 A calf came so close to our boat, the only photos I could take with my telephoto lens were of the blow hole.

Whales do not expel perfumed vapor from their blow holes. As you can see, this calf's spray was close to me and it smelled pretty bad, kind of like spoiled fish.

I went on three whale-watching trips in Plymouth, but only saw the feeding on the first trip. On the other two trips most of the whale activity was limited to occasional breaching, fin-slapping and diving, usually by the whale calves in the area. But it was a fantastic experience just being around these huge, graceful creatures. I recommend it.