We had a big escort pod today of a mother, her calf and two enthusiastic followers! These two males tried to persuade the female to follow them but her entire focus was of course on her calf and things only got less promising for these males when two others arrived on the scene. Seeming unimpressed the smaller male began to trumpet every time he exhaled to try and deter these two newcomers from “his” female. Three other cow/calf pairs were also sighted today as hundreds of babies start migrating along our coast.
The Fremantle coastline is a very important resting ground for our migrating Humpback Whales as the calves need some time to rest before continuing their journey south. While resting the females try to keep as low a profile as possible but sometimes they will still attract the attention of nearby males and this is when we can see the formation of an escort pod which can quickly turn into a competition pod should there be a few males around. Generally though during this later stage of the season most females are looking for the protection of a male rather than a mate… but still our cheeky male Humpbacks will continue to try their very charming best.
