While enjoying some late October sun on Harbor Mountain, I noticed something white down on the sound near Vitskari Rocks. At first I thought perhaps it was a boat (or boats) catching the sun just right, but it did not take long for me to realize that was not the case. I was actually seeing the spouts of Humpback Whales (Megaptera noavaeangliae), and there were quite a few whales active in that area. I saw as many 7 or 8 at a time, and I’m pretty sure there were more than that. In the picture above, 6 are easily visible, and the remains of a 7th can be made out as well.
I would not have expected to be able to whale watch from such a distance (about 11 miles and 2000 feet elevation), but now I wonder what it would look like if the whales were breaching. No doubt it would not be as exciting or visceral as being down on the water with them, but I do think it would be interesting.
