The Epic Humpback Odyssey™ that graces our Western Australian coastline each year is something everyone should treasure. Travelling thousands of kilometres to the heat of the nursery grounds in the Kimberly and then the ice of their feeding grounds in Antarctica is a pattern of migration repeated every year without fail. The calves enjoy their first few weeks of life in warm, tropical waters and grow at an extreme rate as all energy from mums rich milk is used to grow instead of also trying to keep warm. The journey back to Antarctica is inevitable though as the adult Humpbacks do not feed during their Epic Humpback Odyssey™. The warmth of Spring in the Kimberly begins the southern migration as the mothers gently bring their calves back towards the cooler waters of our southern coastline and closer to Antarctica, a long awaited meal for mom so very close yet so very far!
This morning we were excited to meet a few of these very special mothers and calves who were on their Epic Humpback Odyssey™ down the coastline. One mother and calf approached us curiously as they were making their way towards a quiet part of the resting grounds and away from the other pods. The calf appeared to begin feeding so we departed and made our way towards a pod who began to communicate The Language of the Whales™ towards each other as both pods moved too close together. Breaching, fluke slapping and tail lobs followed as both mothers encouraged their calves to practice the important communication required in resting grounds. After messages had been sent they both calmly moved off and found a new little territory of their own to relax in as the white bellied calf approached us for a closer look and mum showed off her perfect fluke with impressive tail dives.