A sea state of 3 or more, which was often the case, results in whitecaps. Whitecaps disguise the splashes whales make when they break the surface. So, except for the whales the observers flew directly over, many of the whales were probably camouflaged by the choppy seas. Researchers are hoping to see many more mother-calf pairs in northern waters this spring and summer. Here too, bad weather has prevented many boat and aerial surveys.
Whales seem to be feeding on abundant zooplankton in the waters here.
Right whales are mammals, and mammals don't always do what we assume they are going to do. One whale swam up the Delaware River towards Philadelphia one year. Another mother-calf pair made their northward migration and then took a side trip back south towards the Chesapeake Bay area. We are only just beginning to understand these whales, and often in trying to answer one question we raise many more. Until my next report, this is Anne Smrcina, education coordinator of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary signing off.