Cape May pelagic

   This past Friday I went on a 12-hour birding and marine life pelagic boat trip out of Cape May.  I was hoping to see jaegers (parasitic or possibly a pomarine), a couple different shearwaters or some other surprise birds.  Unfortunately, the only truly pelagic birds seen on the trip were some northern gannets, and they were on the inshore portion of the trip.  The only surprise birds we saw offshore were a couple of yellow-rumped warblers and a blackpoll warbler about 50 miles out.  As it turned out, they were the only birds we saw that far out.

The trip, however, was salvaged by the whales we encountered on our way out and on our return to inshore waters.  In all, we saw seven humpback whales and a rarely encountered North Atlantic right whale.  On the way out, one of the humpback whales was very accommodating.  For what seemed like over a half hour, it surfaced time after time near the boat.  After surfacing and diving along one side of the boat, it would re-emerge on the other side.  When it dove again, watchers stood at the ready with cameras for it to pop up again, but not sure where exactly.  It surfaced at the front of the boat, at the rear and the sides.  Sometimes it was close enough to hear it expel the air from its blow hole.  Melissa, one of the naturalists on board, said this behavior is called mugging, when a whale stays close to a vessel.  A captain trained in proper whale watching will not move his boat until the whale moves itself a safe distance away.

Humpback whale surfacing.  © S. Weiss
Whale species can be identified at sea by their blow spots, as well as their backs and dorsal fins.

All of the humpbacks we saw exhibited the diving sequence that the naturalist explained to us earlier.  A humpback whale will do two or three shallow dives followed by a deeper dive.  On the shallow dives, its back and dorsal fin only are visible as it goes under water.  On the deep dive, the whale's tail, or fluke, will come out of the water to help it go deeper.  The deep dive last longer than the shallow dive.

Whale raising its tail as it deep dives.  © S. Weiss

Whale's fluke and its flukeprint on the surface once submerged.  © S. Weiss

Whale researchers use photos of the mammals' flukes, along with body markings and scars to help identify individual whales.  Each whale's fluke has a unique pattern of color, scarring and ridges much like a human fingerprint.  Researchers maintain a database of whales and use it to follow their encounters and migration patterns.  Melissa was able to identify one of the whales nicknamed Binary.  When I looked at my photos of Binary's fluke, I recognized it too.  I remembered the little round circle on it that looked like a tattoo.  My wife and I saw this same whale last year on a trip with the other whale watching outfit in Cape May.

Two different humpback whales.  © S. Weiss
The scars on the left side of each whale differ.  The scars on the whale in right photo may have been caused by a boat propeller.

Two different humpback whales.  © S. Weiss
The shape, color pattern and ridges differ on each of these two whales.

Two separate encounters with humpback whale individual VARF-230.  © S. Weiss
I have encountered humpback whale VARF-230, nicknamed Binary, twice off of Cape May.  The left photo was taken on October 21, 2022.  The second was taken on October 8, 2021.  I identified Binary by the small circle on the right side of the fluke.  Whale researchers identify VARF-230 by the deep notch along the top edge on the left side of the fluke.

On our return we were watching a humpback whale when the naturalists grew excited after another whale surfaced and dove in the area.  They were sure they had spotted a North Atlantic right whale.  The blow spout of a right whale is distinctive with a split as in a V pattern.  Humpback whale blow spouts are in a solid column. Also, a right whale does not have a dorsal fin, the fin on top of its back.  The captain stopped the vessel and everyone on board scanned the ocean all around the boat, patiently waiting for it to resurface.  When it finally did, the excited crew confirmed it as a right whale.  According to them, this species of whale is critically endangered with an estimated population of only around 350 individuals.  Captain Matt explained the rarity of seeing a right whale by saying that since 2012, this was only the third right whale sighting for the crew.  How lucky am I?  Well, I was aboard the boat for their second sighting on March 21 last year.  In fact, that encounter was of a mother and her calf just hanging out only a few miles the beach.

North Atlantic right whale.  © S. Weiss
The white bumps on the whale's head and face are callosities, which researchers use to identify individuals.  

Views of the right whale raising its fluke as it begins to deep dive.  © S. Weiss

Because of its endangered status, vessels are not permitted to approach within 500 yards of a North Atlantic right whale.  Before it eventually swam off from us, the whale gave great views, including a partial breach that caught everyone off guard, lifting its whole head out of the water.  Not nearly as acrobatic as humpback whales, the face and tail of right whales often are not seen.  This whale showed us both, raisings its fluke on a couple deep dives.  Right whale individuals are identified by the white bumps on the top of their heads called callosities.  Callosities look like barnacles but according to the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life website, the callosities are raised tissue the same color as the whale's skin.  The callosities are covered with a lighter colored whale lice that make them appear white.

North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf viewed off of Cape May, NJ on March 21, 2021.  © S. Weiss


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