Humpback nursery grounds can be found just off the Perth coastline during October to November as mother Humpback Whales find the perfect place to rest with their calves. Today we observed a large group of whales travelling through the Humpback nursery grounds as multiple mothers and calves enjoyed the peaceful conditions. The turquoise hue of the Indian Ocean contrasted beautifully with the charcoal grey of the females as they surfaced gracefully. The calves were enjoying every moment as they tail sapped, pec slapped and wiggled at the surface with excitement. During these times when there are many pods converging into a small area it is a wonderful opportunity for the little ones to enjoy some playtime.
Grace and her team from the Fat Whales Project were kept busy monitoring and collecting data during each of the interactions as one pod after the other swam past. It was a beautiful morning as all of the females seemed content in spending some time feeding their calves, resting and relaxing before enjoying some social time as the next pod moved through. The next generation of Western Australian Humpback Whales is looking fantastic as healthy calves showed off their ever growing strength and coordination. Always a privilege to be in the company of such magnificent creatures and be welcomed into the pod of a female Humpbacks entire life focus at this time, her new-born calf and keeping her precious little one safe on such an epic migration.
