As Kelly mentioned in her last blog entry, we lucked out on a recent survey and witnessed a first-time mother, Skittle (she's #3260 if you want to search for her in the Right Whale Catalog) with her newborn calf. Karen did a fantastic job of spotting her from over 3 miles away but when we approached the vicinity, we were initially alarmed by the whale's behavior. She was swimming in tight circles, occasionally head-lifting, frequently diving just below the surface and repeatedly thrashing her peduncle and flukes in and out of the water. Karen examined the photographs and saw no evidence of entanglement or injury, and so we continued to circle in the plane above looking for clues.

More than once, we wondered aloud whether there was a second whale with her but given the white water produced by the whale's behavior, it was a while before we were able to spot the tiny calf right next to her. Skittle kept her calf on the inside of the circle (see photo) and although we witnessed the calf swimming on its own, we also saw the mother diving just below the surface and lifting the calf on her back out of the water! This rarely witnessed behavior, thought to occur only shortly after birth, has only been seen once before in a North Atlantic right whale in 2005 by Jess and Monica who were fortunate enough to observe the full birthing event (see the associated Q&A here). We are happy to report that we video-taped this recent occurrence and hope to share it with you in the near future.

- Suzie

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It's been about 2 weeks since Valentine's Day was observed throughout the U.S. and many other countries. All day long, love and affection among family, friends, and especially significant others was celebrated. However, this wonderful celebration can also have harmful affects on marine animals. During the last few days, NEAq observers have frequently witnessed evidence of Valentine's Day in the form of pink and red balloons scattered throughout the Central EWS survey area.

Just because it's late in the North Atlantic right whale calving season doesn't mean we're done seeing new mothers! In fact, in the past week Southeast surveyors have added four new moms to the list, including one this morning, #3260. But it gets better: we had sighted #3260 yesterday morning at 11:50 without a calf and then saw her this morning at 9:50 with a calf! That means that we can narrow down the time of her calf's birth to a 22-hour window, and with great photo-documentation of the newborn we can learn a lot about a mysterious event--right whale calving. It's extremely rare to be able to see such a freshly born calf and its interactions with its mother, so this is a very exciting event for us and for right whale research in general.

Below is a photo of one of the two newest mothers in the Southeast that we've personally seen on Aquarium surveys: #2710. Click here to search for and learn about identified whales in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog. Tune in for a blog (including photos!) about #3260's newborn calf from one of my teammates who witnessed it herself.




-Kelly

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During our aerial surveys, we get an important perspective on North Atlantic right whales. Aerial photographs provide a full view of the right whales' callosities, entire body shots that often show us unique scars or fresh wounds, and even fishing gear that can be wrapped around a whale in places that are hard to see from the water, like the flippers.

However, after seeing whales from one thousand feet up in the sky, it's a special treat to have an up-close encounter with living, breathing right whales from the water. Earlier this week I had an opportunity to join the biopsy team for a day of research on the waters off Jacksonville, FL. We spent the majority of our day with one particular individual, a young-looking whale who meandered around for a few hours as we stayed close behind.

Though the whale generally kept its distance, during one surfacing we were able to approach for photographic documentation. At this point I was the one taking paper data, and as the whale mellowly began to display some unusual behavior, there was a lull in written data collection that allowed me to enjoy my proximity to and experience with such a unique and rare animal, and I was able to pull out my personal camera and take a short video. In this video the whale has maneuvered itself perpendicularly in the water and is lifting its chin briefly into the air before sinking back down under the surface. You can see the whale's right chin callosity, a couple mandibular islands, a little bit of the right bonnet callosity, and a peak at a white chin.




Video taken under NMFS permit #775-1875. Please note: It is illegal to approach a North Atlantic right whale within 500 yards (50CFR 224.103(C).


-Kelly

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Ryan Hagins is the Aquarium's newest pilot and has been flying the Central EWS surveys since 2009. Ryan was born and raised near Fernandina Beach, Florida. After graduating from ATP (Airline Transport Professionals) Flight School in Jacksonville, Florida in 2008, he has been employed with Environmental Aviation and Eagle Cap Aviation. He has been flying for 3.5 years.

In addition to flying for NEAq, he has had some interesting opportunities over the past few years. Beginning in 2008, he has flown jump planes in air shows for skydivers throughout the states of Florida and Georgia.

Additionally, in 2008, he had the opportunity to fly ship shock trials for the U.S. Navy off the coast of Florida. Ship shock trials are when Navy ships (either new types or ones with significant modifications) are subjected to a series of tests that determine whether it can withstand sea combat. The shock trials involve the detonation of explosive charges near the ship, along with an analysis of the effects on the ship. In order to prevent detrimental effects of these tests on marine mammals and turtles (learn about different types of sea turtles here, here and here) in the surrounding area, aerial surveys are carried out. Ryan piloted these aerial surveys to be sure the area was clear of marine animals.

While he enjoys all aerial work, he is particularly proud of the conservation-based projects he has been involved with, especially his work with NEAq. As with all of our pilots, Ryan's involvement in the Central EWS surveys is an integral part of protecting right whales off the coast of Florida.

- Karen and Ryan

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