A WHALE-Y BIG DAY

The first 3 weeks of February were quiet for our survey teams.  Challenging sighting conditions—dense fog on some days and cold, blustery winds on others—led to many cancelled surveys.  Things changed dramatically starting Sunday, February 23.

Early that morning there were several public reports of 2 whales close to shore off Ormond Beach. Local volunteers in Sectors 5 & 4 responded and determined that it was a mother-calf pair of right whales. Sara arrived and tried to launch her drone, but ran into technical difficulties.  Luckily Zoe Rauscher, who had recently joined our team of drone pilots, was on site with two drones.  On her first flight, Zoe got photos that we sent to FWC, who readily identified the mother as Platypus, #3420.  She had not been seen since January 8 off Cumberland Island, when FWC spotted her without a calf.  Now we know she was pregnant at the time.  

The sighting of this new calf brought the season’s calf count to 10! Platypus is 21 years old and this is her second calf.  Zoe got additional pictures and video of the pair before they turned eastward and disappeared from sight.

The 10th calf of the season, with its mother Platypus and a bottlenose dolphin, Feb 23, Ormond Beach, FL.  Image: MRWP, Zoe Rauscher, NOAA Permit #25652

That same morning, Team 1N Sunday, comprised of Scarlett Wood and her 10-year-old son Jared, contacted their sector leaders.  They were almost positive they'd had eyes on a single right whale for 5-6 minutes off the GTM North Beach in Ponte Vedra.  Sector 1N co-leader Shea Lox, her husband Curt, and two visitors joined the team and confirmed it was a right whale.  Despite searching for a calf, they never saw a second whale.  FWC was contacted and they alerted their aerial team.  While waiting for FWC’s plane to arrive, the group watched the whale lying still and log-like (a behavior called “logging”) and occasionally saw its classic V-shaped blow until it drifted out of sight.  Scarlett and Jared were beside themselves with joy! Scarlett is training Jared to be a citizen scientist and a steward for our oceans, beaches, and planet. 

FWC identified the whale as #3380, an adult male who is at least 22 years old. This turned out to be the first sighting of #3380 in the southeast US this season.

Team 1 North’s Scarlett and Jared Wood spotted a male right whale off Ponte Vedra Beach on Feb 23. Image: Shea Lox

Fast forward to late afternoon:  Mary Ballinger of Team 1S Saturday decided to take her daily walk in a new location in Vilano Beach.  Around 4:45pm she saw and reported a whale slapping its tail repeatedly.  Several other people called the whale hotlines at BWRI and FWC with reports of a tail-slapping whale.  FWC’s plane flew to the sighting location just before heading back to the St. Augustine airport.  Their aerial observers noted that the activity came from not one whale, but two!  It was a mother calf-pair, Cashew #3292 and calf, whom they had spotted offshore earlier, traveling slowly south.  

This was a banner day for our project: 3 right whale sightings within our survey area. But, wait… there’s more! FWC’s aerial observers had spotted other whales offshore, including mother-calf pairs Caterpillar & calf and Check Mark & calf.  They also recorded a group of four whales: 2 potential mothers, an adult male, and a yearling, all of whom were new arrivals to the southeast.

Over on the west coast of Florida near St. Petersburg, there was a public report of this season’s celebrity whales, Koala & Curlew.  This pair of adult females had last been seen 12 days earlier off Port Saint Joe, traveling south.  They were still heading in the right direction to exit the Gulf.  

All told, including the 4 calves, 15 right whales were spotted in Florida waters on February 23!  Check out this article in USA Today for photos, videos, and more.

Sightings Streak

The next day, a determined Team 1S Monday decided to survey despite predicted rain and wind.  At Crescent Beach they saw what seemed like multiple whales going in different directions.  Possibly a right whale, maybe some humpbacks?  When a downpour forced the team indoors, Sara examined a series of photos taken by Sam Henderson using a 600mm lens. She realized that what looked at first like a whale tail, was actually a breaching right whale.  FWC’s Katie Jackson further examined Sam’s photos and determined it was a calf and the mother was nearby.  We will never be certain who this pair was, but the location was consistent with where Cashew & calf would be if they had continued south from Vilano Beach.

Team 1 South spotted a breaching right whale calf off Crescent Beach on Feb 24.  

The underside of its chin is on the left, and its left pectoral fin is emerging on the right.  Image: Sam Henderson

From Wednesday, Feb 26 through Sunday, March 2, there were multiple sightings of humpback whales over our entire survey range.  Some were very clearly humpbacks, showing their small dorsal fin, arching their back when diving, slapping their long white pectoral fins, or breaching.  Others were cryptic.  In several cases there were public reports of a mother-calf right whale pair, which upon further inspection turned out to be a humpback whale with dolphins.  In other cases, a whale was slow moving, showing a flat back, seemingly doing its very best to impersonate a right whale!  Needless to say, this spate of whale sightings kept us and our colleagues at BWRI and FWC very busy.

Many humpback whales have been sighted this season, such as this one swimming quickly south past Marineland on Feb 26.  Image: Bill Gough

Scanning the Seas

Official surveys end on Saturday, March 8.  Given the many recent whale sightings and many cancelled surveys, some folks are planning to do informal surveys after that. No obligation; feel free to keep scanning the seas through the end of March.  No data sheets or survey bags needed; just call Sara if you see a whale. 

Who knows?  Maybe someone will catch Koala & Curlew on their northbound trip!

All the best, Sara and Jim

INTERESTING SIGHTINGS & TECHNOLOGY

Calves 8 and 9

There have been no new right whale sightings nearshore in our survey area since our last newsletter.  There have, however, been some interesting sightings elsewhere.  For starters, we are now up from 7 to 9 calves this season.

The 8th mother, Accordion, #4150, was first sighted with a calf by NOAA on February 3 off Sandy Hook, NY, far north of the traditional calving grounds.  We don’t know whether the calf was born that far north, or if the pair evaded detection earlier in the southeast. Accordion is estimated to be between 14 and 17 years old and this is her first known calf.

Calf number 9 was spotted by FWC on February 5 just south of Amelia Island, FL.  The mother, Cashew, #4292, is 23 years old and this is her 3rd known calf.  She is named for her biggest callosity, which looks like a curved cashew nut.

Koala and Curlew’s Big Adventure

The other exciting news concerns the two adult females, Koala and Curlew, who have been traveling together since late November.  The last time they were seen off the east coast of Florida was on January 13, heading south toward Boca Raton.  Several weeks went by with no new sightings, until they popped up on February 2 in an unusual location--near Mobile, Alabama! That day they were first sighted near Perido Pass, which seems fitting since “perdido” means “lost” in Spanish. 

Only a handful of right whales have been known to venture into the Gulf.  Between 2004 and 2020, three first-time mothers took their calves there (2004, Derecha; 2006, Boomerang; and 2020, Snow Cone).  Each mother-calf pair eventually exited the Gulf and headed north as expected. 

Koala and Curlew are the first pair of adult right whales recorded in the Gulf. They created quite a splash and garnered lots of media attention including an article by Dinah Pulver in USA Today, featuring images by our colleague Joel Cohen of BWRI.  By February 8, public reports showed that they had started moving eastward.  They were last seen on February 11 off Port Saint Joe, heading south. When and where will this traveling pair show up next?

Sightings of Koala and Curlew, Nov 24 to Feb 2 (yellow) and Feb 8 to Feb 11 (pink).  

(Based on preliminary data collected by CMARI, GDNR, FWC, MRWP, BWRI, and NOAA Fisheries)

Other Marine Animal Sightings

Over the past few weeks there have been several sightings of humpback whales. Around the beginning of February, our colleagues at BWRI sighted multiple humpback whales over 3 days off Melbourne Beach and Sebastian Inlet.  On February 12 there was a humpback breaching repeatedly off north Flagler Beach.

Be aware that at this time of year manta rays return to the waters along the east coast of Florida.  These large black and white rays have two fins that sometimes protrude from the water, so they are easily mistaken for dolphins.  They can also be mistaken for larger whales, since they create large splashes when they breach.  If something like this catches your eye, watch for additional cues such as a blow or a fluke to help determine if it is a whale or a manta ray.

Technology-Focused Mid-Season Meeting

On Saturday, February 8, about 110 volunteers gathered at the Whitney Lab for social hour, delicious potluck lunch, and presentations.  Sara gave updates on the calving season to date. She premiered two videos of sightings Koala & Curlew and Check Mark & calf.  These videos were shot and edited by volunteer drone pilot Jeff Greene and are now available on the Marineland Right Whale Project’s YouTube channel.   

Sara then discussed some emerging technologies to detect and conserve right whales, including satellite imaging, acoustic monitoring, and rope-on-demand fishing. Sector 1S Team Leader Mike Alyea described how he and Cindy Alyea recently provided support to an acoustic monitoring project.  They provided a boat and services to recover, and later redeploy, a Slocum glider outfitted with a passive acoustic monitoring package.  The research project, led by Erin Meyer-Gutbrod (University of South Carolina) and Catherine Edwards (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography), is testing the feasibility of using gliders to autonomously listen for and record right whale vocalizations in the shallow coastal waters of the southeast U.S.  (This news piece on All Things Considered summarizes the project nicely.) 

Team photo after a successful recovery of a Slocum glider off Saint Augustine, FL, Jan 29, 2025. Image: Mike Alyea

Sector 4 volunteers Zoe Rauscher and her mother Laura Rauscher took turns presenting some innovations that they designed for our program: new sightings cards and a modern website.  In addition to providing the whale hotline number and right whale characteristics, the cards include two QR codes: one pointing to an online donation page, the other to our sleek and informative website MarinelandRightWhale.org.  Check out the website when you get a chance!

Mark Your Calendars

Saturday, March 8:  Last official survey. 

Saturday, March 15, 1:30-4:00pm:  Season wrap-up meeting at the Whitney Lab.  

In the meantime, let’s hope for good sighting conditions and more right whales in our survey area.  

Flippers crossed!

Sara and Jim

WIND AND WHALES

What a Difference a Week Makes!

Our third and fourth weeks of surveys were a study in contrast. The week of Jan 19 brought a tornado warning, cold weather advisories, and strong sustained winds from the north. Aerial survey teams from South Carolina to Florida were grounded, and we cancelled our shore-based surveys (although some intrepid souls scanned the waters from time to time).  On Saturday Jan 25, as the seas began to settle, our volunteers mounted full lookouts and FWC’s plane surveyed as far north as St. Simons Island, GA.  No mother-calf pairs were spotted.

Sunday Jan 26 heralded a stretch of warm weather and calm seas. It didn't take long for the phone to start ringing!  At 8:45 am, Team 2 Sunday called from the Marineland boardwalk with their team's first ever whale sighting: two whales with V-shaped blows, heading south!  Sara verified the sighting, notified leaders of nearby community teams at Surf Club, Cinnamon Beach, and Hammock Dunes, and called all our drone pilots.

Members of Team 2 Sunday were thrilled to spot right whales off the boardwalk of Marineland, FL on Jan 26.  Image: Sara Ellis.

Groups of volunteers started leapfrogging down the coast, following the whales to Bay Drive Park, in Palm Coast.  Jeff Greene was able to get drone photos of this mother-calf pair and FWC quickly identified the mom as #3705, Check Mark.  She is the seventh mother of the season, first sighted by FWC on Jan 17.  She is 18 years old with her 1st known calf. 

Carol Logan captured additional photos and videos via drone while others took photos from land. The whales were staying close to shore as they continued southward, so we sent out the first RoboCall of the season.  Throughout the day, many volunteers watched this pair and kept us apprised of their locations.

Check Mark & calf, off Palm Coast, FL on Jan 26.  Image: Jeff Greene, NMFS Permit #26562.

The next day, at 10:45 am, Team 3 Monday spotted a pair of whales near the horizon, north of the Flagler pier, heading south.  They were too far offshore to be reached by drone, and FWC’s plane was further north, so there was no chance of immediate identification; we guessed it was the same whales seen the day before.  

The team kept their eyes on the pair and at 1:30pm, Russ Hatfield texted to say the whales were much closer now--maybe within drone range.  Conveniently, Sara, Lorraine, and Sector 3 co-leaders John & Linda Wilson were having a snack at the Golden Lion restaurant and now could see the whales from there!  They headed to the nearest beach walkover and called in the program’s newest drone pilot, Michelle Ross, who lives close by.

As Sara flew her drone and examined the mother’s callosities, she realized it was NOT Check Mark.  She noticed odd coloration on the mother’s right flank and saw old propeller scars.  It was Caterpillar (#3503), so named for the large caterpillar-shaped scar she received from a vessel strike when she was two years old.  Caterpillar is the 4th of the seven moms spotted so far this season. She is now 20 years old and this is her 1st known calf.  

After Sara sent ID photos to FWC and sent out a RoboCall, Michelle took advantage of the calm conditions and slow-moving whales to fly her drone with Sara’s guidance.  As the watch day went on, more volunteers and members of the public got to observe these whales from shore. Drone pilots Jeff Greene and Jack Dewhurst took additional photos and video.

Caterpillar & calf, off Flagler Beach, FL on Jan 27.  Image: Jack Dewhurst, NMFS Permit #26562.

FWC’s aerial team flew down to Flagler Beach.  In addition to photo-documenting Caterpillar, they spotted Check Mark & calf, as well Black Heart & calf, 5 and 6 miles off Marineland.  Also, Julie Albert received photos from a member of the public of Nauset & her calf just north of Cape Canaveral on Jan 26.   All told, there were four mother-calf pairs spotted over these two days!  

Before the cold windy streak, the seven mother-calf pairs were being sighted fairly regularly near--or north of--the Florida/Georgia border.  After the winds abated, four of these pairs were spotted between Marineland and Cape Canaveral.  Had the calves been pushed southward by prevailing winds?  Or did the mothers travel south purposefully, in search of warmer water?  Further inquiry may help answer such questions.

Mid-Season Meeting

Our mid-season meeting is fast approaching.  It will be held Saturday, Feb 8, from 1:30 to 4:00, at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 N Ocean Shore Blvd. St. Augustine, FL 32080.  Signage by the road will help direct you to the location.  Please carpool if possible. 

The first hour will be for social time.  This will be a “light” pot-luck event.  Please bring finger food or desserts.  We will provide coffee, beverages, plates, and utensils… and door prizes. You can pick up your pre-ordered merchandise and there will be some extra items for spontaneous purchases (cash, check, or credit).  

At 2:30 we’ll move into the auditorium, and pick the lucky winners of the door prizes.  Sara will give updates on the current survey season, an overview of research & conservation technologies, and—drum roll please—an introduction to our program’s new website and sighting cards!

Join us for fun, food, and updates.

In the meantime, here’s hoping for more whale sightings in our survey area!

Sara and Jim

TWO WEEKS IN

A Promising Start

In this 25th season of surveys, our team of volunteers is more than 270 strong! Welcome aboard to new volunteers, including the community team at Cinnamon Beach in the Hammock area of Palm Coast.

On the afternoon of 3 January, 170 people gathered at University of Florida’s Whitney Lab in Marineland for our Season Opener. Before the meeting began, Kelly Fischbach of Marineland Dolphin Adventure reported two whales to the hotline. The aerial survey team of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) diverted their plane to Marineland and identified the whales as #3940, Koala, and #4190, Curlew. 

These adult females have been sighted together in southeast US waters since late November. Both are considered potential mothers, since they are old enough—16 and 14 years old, respectively—to be mothers. Neither has ever been seen with a calf, and it is unknown if either is pregnant. Some volunteers got a chance to see the whales before the meeting, while others searched on their way home.

Two days later, 5 Jan, another call came in to the hotline: two whales, off Beverly Beach, heading south. Photos taken by our new volunteer drone pilot Jeff Greene were verified by FWC to be Koala and Curlew again. Our 2025 Robocall system was not yet functional, so Sara called Team Leaders, who in turn contacted their teams. Crowds gathered along A1A as the whales slowly cruised past Flagler Beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

Adult female right whales, Koala (left) and Curlew, off Flagler Beach. Koala’s callosity resembles a koala bear. Curlew has a curved scar on her back shaped like a curlew’s beak. Image: Jeff Greene, Research Permit #26562

That very same Sunday, there were public reports of a mother-calf pair further north, off South Ponte Vedra Beach. Team Leaders of Sector 1 North, Kim Jacomo & Shea Lox, responded to verify the sighting, as did FWC’s aerial team. The mother was #2430, Minus One. She is at least 31 years old and this is her fourth known calf. This pair was first sighted off Amelia Island, FL on 9 Dec, then several times offshore in the Ponte Vedra Beach area. This was the first time they were sighted so close to shore.

The head of Minus One’s calf is dwarfed by its mother’s huge pectoral fin. Image: Kim Jacomo.

Many volunteers—old and new—got to see their very first right whale on January 3rd or 5th. Over these two days, more of our volunteers saw whales than over the entire 2024 season! 

For surveyors who did not get to see whales either day, there is still good reason for hope! 

Traveling Ambassadors

Koala and Curlew have made quite an impression along Florida’s east coast, as they continued steaming south past Cape Canaveral. Between 10 and 13 January, our colleagues Julie Albert and Joel Cohen of Blue World Research Institute (BWRI) documented the pair’s presence as far south as Boynton Beach!

The travels of this dynamic duo have caught the attention of the media, who are helping spread the word about right whales and the issues they face. Articles have been published recently in the Observer (of Palm Coast and Ormond Beach) and Treasure Coast Newspapers.

   

Where will Koala and Curlew show up next? Will they continue into the Gulf of Mexico? Will either—or both—have a calf this season? Only time will tell.

Wintry Weather

The weather has been variable over the first two weeks of surveys. After several calm and warm days, things turned windy and wintry. Some days, surveyors bundled up and carried on. On others, cold weather advisories and freeze warnings prompted full cancellations. If anyone out there has a connection with the weather gods, please put in a good word for us! 

Members of Sector 1 South’s Sunday Funday Team modeling necessities on chilly survey days: warm clothes and donuts!  Image: Liz Hanahan.

Mark your calendars

On Thursday, 30 Jan, 1:00-2:30pm, Terran McGinnis of Marineland Dolphin Adventure will give a right whale presentation at the Education Center of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, 505 Guana River Rd, Ponte Vedra Beach. If you have a chance to attend—or visit GTM another day—check out the center’s huge models of a mother-calf pair of right whales.

Other keys dates ahead: 

• Saturday 8 Feb, 1:30-4:00pm: Mid-season meeting with potluck.
• Saturday 8 Mar: Formal surveys end.
• Saturday 15 Mar: Closing meeting, with potluck and “world famous” raffle. (Donations of raffle items are welcome. Please contact Sara to discuss.)

In the meantime, here’s hoping for light winds and heavy whales! 

THE 2025 SEASON BEGINS!

Kick-Off Meeting

The Marineland Right Whale Project has entered its 25th season!  Surveys began on Saturday, January 4 and run through Saturday, March 8.

The Season Opening Meeting and Orientation took place on Friday, January 3 at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in Marineland.  Old and new volunteers had a chance to meet each other and their Team Leaders, and hear updates on right whales, 2025 program plans, and survey protocols. 

Whales to Date

As of December 16, seven right whales have been reported in southeast U.S. waters.  These include mother #2413, Nauset, 31 years old, with her 5th calf, and #2430, Minus One, at least 31 years old, with her 4th calf.  Several potential mothers have been sighted, as well as a four-year-old male, #5132.  

 

A Cost-savings Change

A reality check.  Money is often an issue for small environmental and conservation groups such as ours.  For the 2023 and 2024 seasons, we experienced a deficit.  To rectify this situation, we have incorporated a cost-savings measure for the coming season.  Sara will manage the program in Florida; Jim will take care of administrative tasks from his home in Massachusetts.  The savings will offset the deficit.  We hope to return to normal in future years.

 

Education and Outreach

This fall, we participated in several events to educate the public about right whales and our surveys, sign up new volunteers, and raise program support.

 

The annual Right Whale Festival was held in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, 2-3 November.  Kim Jacomo and Shea Lox set up and manned our exhibit, with help from Jean Cardany and Sue Delegal.  Anne Sheridan and Heike Hudes made a wonderful quilt for a successful fundraising raffle.

Closer to home, more than 20 volunteers took shifts at our right whale table at the Marineland Market on 2 November and 7 December.   

 

Thank you all for keeping our education and outreach efforts strong.

 

2024 Report and Team Handbook Posted

Each year we prepare a summary report for the preceding season.  This provides volunteers, colleagues, and collaborators an overview of the season.  The 2024 report is posted at www.aswh.org.  On the homepage, find “MRWP Right Whale Report 2024”, in the menu on the left. 

 

There is also an updated version of the Team Handbook (also in the menu on the left).  A hard copy will be provided in each team survey bag, and anyone can download a personal copy from our website.

 

On the Alert

Both mother-calf pairs have been sighted off Amelia Island.  They have come into Florida waters.  When beach walking or on the deck of your condo or local restaurants, have your binoculars and the HOTLINE phone number (888-979-4253) handy.  We will organize a response.  Good luck to us, and to the whales !