Guest Blogger "Ishmael" (a/k/a TSO) and His Whale of a Tale

Every spring, the North Atlantic Right Whales return to New England. One of their favorite spots is Cape Cod Bay. The right whale is one of the most endangered large whale species, with an estimated 350 remaining. In the late 19th century, the whaling industry nearly wiped out the species. Although whaling is no longer a threat, the population has not recovered, and the species remains endangered. Today, the leading cause of right whale mortality is entanglement with fishing gear, vessel strikes, and "ocean noise," which is believed to interfere with the whales' communication and increase their stress levels. 

Not the Cutest Whale in the Ocean

This spring, the first right whale was seen returning to the Cape about a month ago. Often they swim through the Canal, which causes the Army Corps of Engineers to shut it down to traffic until the whales have cleared the waterway. These happenings always generate large crowds and are always featured on the evening news, generally with overhead shots of a mother right whale and a calf by her side.

I have often asked TSO whether he thinks we will ever see a whale swimming in front of our beach house. He has always said no, that the water is too shallow. And, then, on Thursday, April 6, 2023, while I was not home, TSO called me in the car to tell me that, lo and behold, there was a right whale swimming about a quarter mile away directly in front of our house! I hurried home with our granddaughter Penny, hoping that the whale would still be here. Well, not only was the whale still here, another whale had joined him/her. Penny and I were able to enjoy quite a show from the two of them until they finally decided to swim away to wherever it is that they summer here in New England. What a thrill!

I asked TSO to write an account of his discovery for my blog. He did. Without further ado, please read TSO's Whale of a Tale: 

TSO'S WHALE OF A TALE IS BELOW

On Holy Thursday afternoon, I went up to the loft. I looked out the second floor windows to Cape Cod Bay, which was calm and still on this relatively warm day. I noticed something in the water that looked too small to be a boat but too large to be a bird. 

Something in the water - 

can you see the black dot far out in the water?

I came downstairs and grabbed the binoculars to get a better look. Still, I couldn't quite figure out what I was seeing. The object looked like a seal. To one side of the seal, there appeared to be gently rippling water, but even that was questionable, as the rippling water looked more like a sandbar. This was odd. We had never seen a sandbar that far out in the bay, about 1/4 mile from the shore, although we had seen seals before.

Is that a seal?

As I watched, more of the creature surfaced and I realized, "It's a whale!!". "Oh", I thought, "I wish Kathryn and Penny were here!" I knew they were on their way home, but would they get here in time? I frantically grabbed my super-zoom camera to take pictures, certain that the whale would disappear before I could get proof of my discovery.  Thankfully my fear about the whale's imminent disappearance was not justified. I was able to set up the telescope and take photos and even a video of the whale, and saw it spout several times. 

Right Whale skim-feeding in Cape Cod Bay

Whale spouting

Before long another whale appeared!  The two of them moved west toward the Cape Cod Canal, getting smaller and smaller in the distance. "Oh where oh where are Kathryn and Penny!"

Two whales in Cape Cod Bay

Kathryn called to let me know she and Penny would be arriving around 5:35 PM. As if on cue, the whales started coming back toward our beach. When Kathryn and Penny arrived, all three of us were all able to see the whales skim-feeding on the bay!

Thank you, TSO, for your very descriptive Whale of a Tale, as well as your awesome photographs!