The first confirmed right whale sighting in our area was made Wednesday, 15 Dec. by the AirCam crew! Joy and Becki braved the cold weather for the first Marineland Project aerial survey of the season and discovered a single right whale about three miles east of Ormond-By-The-Sea, swimming steadily south, escorted by a handful of bottlenose dolphins. The whale’s identity is unknown at the moment and we see no resemblance to photos of right whales that could potentially give birth this season. Given the cold temperatures and windy weather, it quite likely that whales are moving into our area without being detected further north. A mother and calf were spotted near the St. Augustine Inlet yesterday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) aerial survey team and Julie Albert of Marine Resources Council received a report of a mother and calf near the St. Augustine Pier around 5:30 pm today, 17 Dec., headed south, too late in the day for us to respond. So, if you haven’t done so already, it’s time to dust off those binoculars and turn your eyes toward the ocean. There’s no telling where the whales will appear!
