Our days on Upper Cape Cod: Part 3b WHALES!

Once out in the whaling sanctuary, the means by which the Dolphin Fleet could guarantee sightings became clear. The first ship out in the morning would have the toughest job of locating a group of active, feeding whales. the other ships would merely have to follow their sister ship to the one or two dozen active whales and each ship would take turns following the whales as the day went on. However they worked it, once the ships were on the whales, the captains were careful to keep the ship speed slow and do as little as possible to disrupt the feeding whales.

In any event, we got to see between 16 and 20 different whales in the hour and a half that the Dolphin VIII was out in the sanctuary waters. These are just a few of the photos I took. All the whales we got up close to were humpback whales. There were a few minke whales off in the distance but not close enough to get good photos.

Why are they called humpbacks? 

When a whale sounds, it often flips it's tail upright. The coloration of the underside of the tail can be used to identify the whale. This rather plane upper surface is of little help, however.

Whale's tail. 

The whales are feeding on little lancets--they look like 6" long worms--that they corral with a bubble curtain. The whale dives to the bottom (about 150 feet) circles as it releases bubbles forming a tube about 18-20 feet in diameter. Then the whale rises in the center of that tube with its mouth open wide to scoop up the small food fish. The humpback uses baleen to strain the fish from the salt water and gulps down the fish. Birds congregate to pick off the spillage.

Three whales feeding. 

Birds enjoy some easy pickings. 

Cow and her calf do lunch together. 

Distinctive color pattern on the underside of the tail flukes. 

Whale strains its food to the delight of the gulls. 

(...to be continued.)