It was a cool day out on the water, but the whales certainly didn’t mind. We spotted one blow a couple of miles away from the boat, and within a few minutes noticed that other whales were in the area as well. We began this trip by watching humpback Sundown, who soon began a unique series of kick feeding behaviors. Sundown would kick the tail against the surface of the water once, and then blow a series of bubbles before lunging upward to feed. There were a handful of birds in the area, and they moved in as soon as Sundown began feeding to try to grab a meal.
The birds always know before we do when the whale will surface
A few anxious sand eels
A gull in comparison to a humpback flipper
We moved on to a pair of whales, Aswan and Falcon. As we approached, the two whales lunged out of the water, clearly feeding as well. Even though the two whales were feeding together, they had uniquely different feeding styles. Falcon would come to the surface and close the mouth right away, while Aswan waited a bit before expelling the water through the baleen.
Aswan (left) and Falcon
A great look at the two whales, as well as barnacles and barnacle scars
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Cape Ann Whale Watch 