New Humpback Babies

The new birthing season for Western Australia's humpback whales is up and running.  These images of a mother and new born calf were taken from The Centre for Whale Research (Western Australia) vessel 'Whalesong.'

Whalesong is a new ice capable vessel recently acquired by CWR (WA) and ironically was operating just offshore from the abandoned whaling station Norwegian Bay towards the southern end of Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef.  Just as it was when whalers operated from this station, it is an ideal location to observe humpbacks on both the northern and southern legs of their annual migration.

Most humpback calves are born 1200 km further north in the warmer waters of the Kimberley and scientists are concerned that these births may be occurring too early in the migration cycle and incur high mortalities.

In the last few weeks two calves have had to be euthanised after becoming separated from their mothers in Ningaloo's shallow lagoons. Orcas (killer whales) have attacked and taken two other calves. It's a wild ride for the newborns and a sad end for some.

Whale Meet Again - Seen Again after 17 Years

On October 26 2009 Pam photographed this humpback north of Rottnest Island, Western Australia during a routine shoot for the Centre for Whale Research's (CWR) humpback catalogue. A large section of the flukes have been excised possibly from a predator attack.

We were delighted to hear from CWR's Micheline Jenner this week that they first photographed this whale in June 1992 near the Monte Bello islands. At this time, the whale was heading north on the annual migration to the Kimberley waters and was travelling with one other adult whale. The section of fluke was missing then.

When we photographed the animal last October it was in a rather boisterous pod of 13 adults on their return to Antarctic seas to feed.

Micheline has advised that at 17 years, it is now the longest re-sight of any whale in their catalogue. May it plough the seas for many more years and hopefully whale meet again.