We're waiting on a big, stable high pressure system to smooth the
waters in hopes that it'll bring the host of mother/calf whales we've
come to expect this time of year. Usually a 4-5 day stretch of light
westerly winds accompanies this much anticipated "Bermuda High" and
during this period we often see 3, 4, sometimes 5 mother/calf pairs in a
single day. Until now, we've had a few early arrivals milling about. Now
it's time for the party to start.
Some good surveys were flown during the holiday season, with the 17th
thru the 21st being particularly productive. The end of the month was
not bad either, considering the sea states we were flying in. All in
all, these flights have yielded 2-3 new calves and half a dozen or so
"miscellaneous whales," usually juveniles visiting the area (for lack of
something better to do?). I've had a quick look at the pair mentioned in
the table as being an adult with a large calf or small juvenile. In some
of the photos, the smaller animal is positioned under the larger whale,
perpendicular to its midsection, a configuration we've come to associate
with nursing. So this could be a calf born way before the rest of its
class. Back in 1989, a mother and calf were seen making their way down
the coast of the Carolinas in late October. Photos taken near Myrtle
Beach showed the calf to be strong and healthy. I guess mom just
couldn't wait until she got to Florida... sort of like birth in the
backseat of a taxi cab? Maybe she gave birth near Chesapeake Bay or
Delaware Bay. It's possible that not every mom makes it to the westward
end of the Georgia Bight to expel her 1.5 ton writhing little milk
sucker.
Just last week, Philip (that would be Philip Hamilton, friend,
colleague, photo-ID person nonpareil) identified photos of a mother/calf
seen on Jeffreys Ledge (~25NM off the coast of New Hampshire) this past
October. Now the calf was big, definitely born last winter, and Philip
determined the mom to be #1412, which doesn't sound particularly
impressive, just another serial number. Thing is, #1412 is a big,
heavily scarred animal that hasn't been seen but twice prior to last
October's sighting. And both earlier sightings were in the fall of 1984,
when she was photographed with a calf... on Jeffreys Ledge. It amazes me
that, with all the planes buzzing around here last year, a whale and her
calf could have gone undetected for the entire season. Then again, #1412
went undetected for 13 years. Perhaps she has strange haunts and
peculiar habits? Maybe the combined efforts of two state agencies, the
Navy, our surveys and all the other eyeballs out there will never find
every whale using this area. But we'll keep trying.
Chris Slay
New England Aquarium
Right Whale Sightings - New England Aquarium cslay@ibm.net