The cold
weather that greeted surveyors this morning brings with it an
increased likelihood of seeing whales. To date, we have not had a single
sighting in the Project’s area, but there is hope. On Tuesday, 10 January, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission aerial survey team finally documented a right whale south of Jacksonville. Half Note (RW#1301) and her
calf were photographed just over 7 nmi east of Jacksonville Beach. There are now three
mother/calf pairs and about 30 other right whales that have been provisionally
identified in the SE US.
What’s
taking so long for the whales to make their appearance in our area? The mild air
temperatures that we enjoyed last week have slowed the cooling of water
temperatures, which hovered in the mid- to upper-60’s until this latest cold
front arrived. As further evidence of warmer than average water, the AirCam
crews have sighted manta rays as far north as Marineland, a first in the
Project’s 12 seasons. Jim Hain compared sea surface temperatures over the last
few weeks with previous seasons and observed that they mirror temperatures
recorded in 2009, also a “warm” and “late” season. In 2009, the first right
whale, a single, was documented on 5 January. The first mother/calf pair
appeared on 14 January that year and we continued to have sightings well into
March, with the last one on the 25th. Sea surface temperatures in
2009 remained cool until well into the spring.
The area
of cooler water, in the 50’s, along the Georgia/Florida coast is growing and
expanding south, and should encourage the whales in our direction. Winds have
grounded the aerial teams since Tuesday and may continue for another several
days. If the whales are moving south, it’s up to the surveyors and
opportunistic spotters to catch them!
