Last Week I went whale watching on a New England Aquarium whale watching trip run by Boston Harbor Cruises. I was with NOAA Stillwagen Bank NMS and Mass Audubon staff. We had a wonderful trip counting seabirds and saw several Humpback Whales. The weather was perfect – calm and sunny.
Above Cory’s Shearwater
Above Sooty Shearwater
Above several shots of Great Shearwater
Humpback Whale
Above – Humpback whale breaching
Below several photos of two whales together – one is tail slapping and the other is flipper slapping – 
Below are several examples of whale tail flukes out of the water before slapping down on the water – wonderful to see.
Flipper slapping – 
Fluke damaged by boat propeller – sober reminder of dangers whales face
Another whale fluke with a piece missing after being hit by boat propeller.
A plastic balloon floating on the water in the Sanctuary – such a danger to many marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds.
New England Aquarium Whale Watching
Boston in the distance with the Harbor Islands National park in front
