More Humpback Whale Feeding Activity

I just posted a thread showing the kick feeding technique that Humpback Whales use while feeding, now it's time to show off the feeding itself! After "kicking" the surface, the Humpback Whale dives and from beneath the surface it will blow a series of bubbles to either trap or confuse the fish into a tighter ball. That's when the whale comes charging up the surface with it's mouth wide open to take in as much of the fish as it can. I've seen this behavior many, many times, but it always amazes me!

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

WOW!! Great and informative set, Mandy. KUDOS to you.

very nice series of images Mandy

Terrific shots. Do you have your own boat or do you pay every time you go out? It's gotta be getting expensive doing that!

Great shots.. Being on the West Coast, we usually follow them up to Alaska this time of year, then off to Hawaii in the winter.. It must be fantastic to have these wonderful creatures close by...

Fabulous feeding images, I hope to get more than just tails when we head north in a couple of weeks..

Mandy - all your humpback shots are outstanding

FANTASTIC !!!

Gordon

Great shots!

Squid

Cucamonga, - Thanks! I like posting a little bit of background info for those who aren't familiar. I'm glad you liked it.

kmunroe, - Thank you!

Wallace, - As soon as I win the lottery I'll have my own boat. For now I go out with Capt Bills Whale Watch out of Gloucester, MA. They're a wonderful group of people and I can't say enough good things about them. As for it getting expensive, yes it does, but during the offseason I'm a home body so I can "re-coup" my money and put some aside for the following season.

LarryD, - Thanks! Whale watching here runs from April through October/Nov while they are up here to feed. Then they all head towards the Dominican Republic for their breeding season. I've been going since 2001 and I must say I would be totally lost without them now! They're remarkable animals! Best of luck to you. I'll keep my eyes open for pics.

Dgraham, Gordon, and Squid, - Thank you!

Wonderful shots!

Thank you!

Thank you Zipline,
your photos are always amazing. My girlfriend and I are make sure to go whale watching 2 to 3 time a year up here in Quebec city. Last year we had the chance of seeing 3 blue whale together and showing us their tail. Never had the chance of seeing whale feeding and we would really love to.
We're in vacation in septembre and i'd really like to have as much info On Capt Bills. We're changing our vacation plan to go to Gloucester for a week to see the whale.
All info you could give me will be greatly appreciated.
Maybe meet you there and say thanks in person.

nice catches. i wonder if a seagull has ever been accidentally swallowed..

buelle, - That's really cool about your Blue Whale sightings. I've only seen a couple of them in my 10 years of whale watching. They're a rare sighting for us down here. Capt Bill's has a website with all the info you'll need (phone number, rates, schedule, etc.). That website is http://www.captbilland​sons.com/. I can't recommend them enough. I started going whale watching with them back in 2007 and have nothing but great experiences with them.

2005GLI, - I always question whether the gulls are brave or stupid for getting so close to the whale's mouth, but I guess they're just doing what they have to do to survive too right?! I haven't seen it personally, but the naturalists have mentioned that in the past they've seen gulls being "trapped" in the whale's mouth and then the whale will generally spit them back out. I would love to see it myself.

MOST excellent behavior series there! Especially the shots showing the baleen