First newborn Southern Right Whale calf for Season 2021 sighted today in Flinders Bay, Augusta! It was with much excitement this morning a powerful exhale was sighted and immediately afterwards a much smaller exhale which belonged to a very small calf. The mother Southern Right Whale was happily swimming along with her precious calf who was much paler in comparison to mum which is normal for such young whales. Checking images Grace had taken from yesterdays Southern Right Whale interaction we could confirm that this was a different female Right Whale which is great news to see a few early arrivals for the season of this special species. The Fat Whales Project is a fantastic opportunity to further our understanding of the importance of the emerging Southern Right Whale nursery grounds in Augusta and it is exciting times ahead for the season as we hope to watch the progress of this calf and many others who will be born in Flinders Bay.
A cheeky Humpback Whale had approached mother and calf curiously but soon realised that this wasn’t the sort of pod he was looking for and continued on with his journey. Further Humpback Whale pods were moving past the cape with much focus as the northern migration is in full swing. Competitive displays could be sighted amongst a few of the pods including three individuals who were moving into the bay and all swimming side by side. Swimming quickly it appeared that a further pod of three behind us were closing in the gap as the reactionary distance in-between the pods was decreasing quickly. A sharp left hand turn took one of the pods back towards the reef line as they continued to chase after each other in the morning sunshine. A beautiful day that also included the company of the local Bottlenose Dolphins who raced over to great us this morning and seemed excited, a delicious breakfast of fish looked to be on the menu as Gannets dived all around.
