Right Whales, Right Now!
Our hopes for better weather and calm seas were finally realized. We were anxiously waiting to get back in the air. When it comes to studying wild animals, or wildlife of any kind, you never really know what to expect when you head out into the field. Every day is a new adventure and last weekend was no exception! With the weather finally turning around, the South Carolina aerial survey team was back in the air in search of highly endangered right whales. As we settled into the small plane our expectations for the day were not very high since overall sightings have been low. After a few hours our expectations could not have been more wrong!
Over the next three-day period, we sighted more than 20 individual right whales that have yet to ever be documented by anyone in the southeast region. Right before our eyes, more than 20 whales made the migration from the Gulf of Maine to the coast of South Carolina. The fact that these animals swim hundreds of miles to this calving ground is quite a wonder of nature when you think about all the hurtles that must be avoided. There are many obstacles along the way including entanglement in fishing gear, navigating among commercial shipping traffic through many major working ports and even steering clear of recreational vessels navigating through the open waterways. These are the threats that right whales face on a daily basis.
To eyewitness 20 undocumented whales making this trip successfully is awesome and it's what gets me going every morning. I love this job, it gives me such a great feeling to be a small part of their amazing trek.
We also had an extra special surprise during this weekend's aerial surveys. As soon as we started circling on a pair of whales we spotted in the distance, we realized we had a mother and her new calf in our sights - a first for this season.
The calf was a great addition for our yearly total of calves born this season. With calving season running through mid-April it was a pleasant surprise to see a mom and her newborn calf together.
During our most recent survey on March 1st, we sighted four more unrecognized right whales. Each whale is added to our vast database and our seasonal tally continues to rise. It has been quite a week for us and we wait in anticipation for our next flight.
Reporting from the skies off the coast of South Carolina, Wildlife Trust Right Whale Aerial Survey Observer, Melanie White, works to locate and document right whales.
