Right Whale Mother-Calf No. 1

Mother-Calf No. 1

On Monday, 16 December, the first mother-calf pair for the 2020 season was sighted. Female #3560 and a recently born calf (just look at that little peanut!)  were sighted off Sapelo Island, Georgia, by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research team flying on the NOAA Twin Otter. 

  (Image: Marcy Lee, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research team, NOAA/NMFS permit #20556)  

Encouraging news is that she is a first-time mother, apparently a late-bloomer at 15 years old. There is further news―the Marineland Right Whale Project has had experience with this whale. We saw her as a calf in February 2005, as a juvenile in December 2007, and as a sub-adult in February 2011. Based on these previous sightings, we can cautiously conclude that mother and calf may appear in our area in 2020.

Then too, there are perhaps five other potentially pregnant females sighted so far, all to the north of us. Will they calf? Will they come our way? As Yogi Berra stated, “it’s hard to make predictions, especially when it’s about the future.” OK then, flippers crossed.

The Weather is Frightful

We believe that there are seven right whales in the southeast U.S. so far. But the weather has been unsettled and the survey planes have had minimal flight days.  

       Bad weather for the weekend.  

Therefore, the whereabouts of these whales is mostly unknown.  Weather and whales―the perfect combination!  Looking ahead, when we have a period of good weather, what will turn up?  When walking on the beach, take your binoculars, and call 1-888-979-4253 if you get lucky!  Anything can happen, anytime, anywhere.

 Mark Your Calendars

Our kick-off event for the 2020 season will be held on Saturday, 4 January, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory in Marineland. We will begin with a “big-picture” update and overview of our program. We will then break out into our individual teams for training details and sign-up for days and areas. And yes, there will be program caps and T-shirts, and … door prizes.

GEARING UP FOR SEASON #20

Season #20 is almost here! We are looking for local citizens to help sight the right and humpback whales that may venture into nearshore waters from St. Augustine Inlet to Ponce Inlet. We need many "eyes on the water" to find and report the the small number of these whales that may occur from January through March. Please print out the card below and carry it with you whenever you are on the coast. Join us for one of our informative talks, scheduled below.

If you are new to the Project and want to volunteer for the dedicated surveys, but cannot attend any of these meetings, please reach out to us at marinelandrightwhale@gmail.com to let us know.

Check back frequently (or sign up for email notifications to the right) for updates during the season.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE 2020 SEASON

Right Whale Introductory Talks for new volunteers, surveyors and spotters alike, and anyone wanting to know how to spot right whales. If you are a returning volunteer and would like a refresher, by all means join us. (Encourage friends and neighbors to attend!):

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019

10:00 to 11:30 AM

Flagler County Public Library

2500 Palm Coast Parkway, NW
Palm Coast

Friday, Dec. 6, 2019

10:00 to 11:30 AM

Southeast Branch

St. Johns County Public Library

6670 US 1 South
St. Augustine

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019

10:00 to 11:00 AM

Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center

601 Division Ave.
Ormond Beach

Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020

11:00 AM to 12 Noon

Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area

3100 S. Ocean Shore Blvd.
Flagler Beach

Kick-off Meeting for ALL SURVEY volunteers, new and returning, who are planning to participate in the dedicated survey effort:

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020

2:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Center for Marine Studies, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., Marineland

Surveys Begin:
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020

Surveys End:
Sunday, March 15, 2020

End Of Season Wrap-Up

Event

We held our end-of-season gathering on Saturday, 23 March 2019, at the Whitney Auditorium in Marineland.  About 90 attended.  The food was good, we sold T-shirts and caps (the new nautical red caps were popular), and held a silent auction.  Our partners, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Right Whale Aerial Survey Team had a display and gave an informative presentation on their work that included the aims and results of genetic sampling.  Next, Jim gave a summary of the season, beginning with a report on our first right whale sighting in 2 ½ years.  The new drone program, methods and results, was summarized in a video (more information below).  And finally, after the dedicated lookouts had ended, we received a surprise report from the Surf Club―mother #3370 and calf heading south―after we had, erroneously, assumed she had begun the northward migration and departed the area.

Videos

We have updated our YouTube Channel.  Go to YouTube, search on Marineland Right Whale Project, click on the Project logo, and you will see four videos.  Two videos with snapshots of our volunteers (2016 and 2019) and two drone videos (8 February and 2 March).

The 2020 Season

Our next season, December 2019 through March 2020, will be our 20^th.  We are hopeful for a continuing rebound for the right whales.  But, as Yogi Berra said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”  We’ll be here.  Join us if you can!

During the season, we will have the 20-year retrospective presentation―not to be missed!  Look for our announcements and schedule here in December.

Donations

We are grateful for the donations that help keep the program viable.  If you would like to help support this effort, please make out your tax-deductible check to “ASWH” and mail to: Jim Hain, Marineland Right Whale Project, 9741 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, FL  32080-8618.  You will receive a receipt acknowledging your donation in return.

Thank You

To each and every one who helped make this season a success―thank you!

A Surprise Sighting!

We thought the whale season was over.  Done.  Whales gone.

But, Thursday morning, 21 March, the phone rang.  A mother-calf pair, #3370, off Surf Club.  They went slowly south, and by 5:30, they were off Varn Park. 

The surprise is that this pair was sighted off Georgia on March 8, headed north.  Somehow, and for some reason, they changed their mind.  Two weeks went by.  Then, the Surf Club sighting!

On Friday, 22 March, they were sighted again, just south of Grenada Blvd. in Ormond Beach, still heading south! They continued south at a steady pace until we left them at Main St. Pier in Daytona Beach just before 5 PM. 

Will we see them when they return north? Keep your eyes peeled just in case!

Whales on March 2

It has been a l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g 2 1/2 weeks since our last right whale sighting.  Recall that on Tuesday, 12 February, we had female #3370 and her 2^nd calf, down at Highbridge in North Peninsula State Park.  It was a memorable event, as our report was a new mother-calf pair for the season:  #6.

Then it got quiet―at least for us.  But not for mother-calf pair #3370.  They traveled farther south, south of Cape Canaveral, and getting down to Sebastian Inlet on 19 February.  They then turned north.  They were off New Smyrna Beach on 28 February, and off Daytona Beach Shores on Friday, 1 March.

Saturday, it was our turn.  The phone rang at 07:47 in the morning.  Terry Clark and Dave Gustafson reported whales from North Flagler.  We were on site at N 16^th Street by 08:35.  We relayed information to Florida Fish and Wildlife, and their plane arrived about 09:45.  We also got in a number of drone flights (image below).  The whales were slowly moving back-and-forth, in close, and in calm seas, until about noon.

Our season has two more weeks. In some past years, March has been a strong month for sightings. Keep your eyes peeled seaward!

Female #3370 with her 2nd calf, returns to our area after 2 1/2 weeks down south. The calf is growing! (Image from N. Flagler Beach on 2 March by Terry Clark, conducted under NOAA/NMFS research permit #20626)

Aerial Video of Right Whales

Our drone operator, Ralph, made a very nice video of our mother and calf right whale sighting from Ormond-By-The-Sea on February 8, 2019. Runtime is 5:20. Click on the link below or copy/paste into your browser:

https://youtu.be/8gSIsqLnOFw

Mother-Calf #6

The winds were brisk.  The seas were lumpy with lots of whitecaps.  At about 9:00, the phone rang.  Julie Albert, Marine Resources Council, relayed a call: whales in south Flagler, moving slowly south.  The initial call came from Linda Grissom, an off-duty team member (her neighbor alerted her and she in turn went to confirm). Team 4 was alerted.  They re-positioned.  At 09:10 team leader Stephanie York called: yes, further confirmed as right whales.  The responders and drone operators got on the road.  Lookouts at a walkover at the Flagler/Volusia line reported a possible mother-calf pair.  At 10:39, the whales were approaching Highbridge, within the Peninsula State Park.  A mother-calf pair was confirmed.  In windy and challenging conditions, drone operator Ralph Bundy obtained the identification photos we were looking for.  Images were relayed to our colleagues with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Team in Ponte Vedra.

Soon, the information came back: Katie Jackson, Florida Fish & Wildlife, identified the mother as Catalog #3370 with her 2^nd calf.  Wait! The story gets better.  This was a new report for the season—a new mother-calf pair!  This brings the total to six—we are inching forward!

The whales are like mirages.  They appear and disappear. Female #3370 was sighted without a calf on 1 January.  At the time, she was with another adult female, #2503, Boomerang, also without a calf.  Six weeks later she appears in south Flagler—with a calf.  Since the 1 January sighting, Boomerang has also had a calf.

The Marineland Right Whale Project has prior experience with this right whale.  She was also seen by us in February 2005 and March 2009.  There are some unknowns:  her age is unknown; her mother is unknown.

The drone (and drone operator) has/have once again proved its/their value.  On a day when windy conditions precluded the survey aircraft from flying, the Marineland Right Whale Project’s volunteer sighting network, supported by the drone photography, was able to add a noteworthy finding to this season’s right whale research.

The research is conducted under NOAA/NMFS research permit #20626.  The drone is flown by an FAA-certificated drone pilot.

Volunteer in the 2019 Whale Season

As we begin the 2019 whale season, there is an opportunity for local citizens to help sight whales.  We need "eyes on the water" to detect and report the small number of whales (right and humpback) that may occur from January through March.  Please print the card below and carry it with you when on the deck of your condo, or on beach walks.  There are also a few opportunities to participate in our dedicated survey teams.  For the latter, please reach out to marinelandrightwhale@gmail.com.

Return to this site for lecture and event schedules, and whale updates. 

Thank you.