Aug 08, 2014
The crew began stirring before first light and as I did my usual morning exercises, I could smell the Nespresso coffees, plural that is, wafting up the stairs. We left Hull Bank just after 6am and surveyed by slowly driving around the sound, collecting photo-ids on all humpback whale pods encountered. More chocolate whales ply the green waters… perhaps we have been at sea for too long? Your call.
A healthy, rotund mother carefully guides her week old calf in the warm, calm waters of the Kimberley.
Males raced around, pairs travelled and snuggling cows and calves were the flavour of the day. This is the calving and breeding ground so we are going to observe a mixture of everything! Each day we are seeing more cow/calf pairs, some with escorts – some without. I just love being in the presence of cow/calf pairs. The care and dedication shown by the mum to her calf is instinctive and yet subject to individual styles. How so, you might think? Each mother has her unique flavour of caring techniques including protecting from rowdy, interested males and inquisitive boats. Other mothers, often mature ones, shown by their curved flukes, often give junior space and let them stray further apart than younger mums allow their calves. Curt drives so calmly and carefully, that cows often use Whale Song, steady and slow, as a distraction for escorts in their attempt to lose the escort. Each pod is different and this is always one of the interesting features of each encounter. Tiny calves bob in mum’s slip-stream, making very cute little exhalations, beside their very rotund mum. Each making each other appear smaller or larger.
Calves are born close to 5 m long weighing 1.5 tonnes, not dissimilar from a small family car. Ouch! After 10-11 months of gestation creating her calf, the mother cares for her calf for a further twelve months. This dedication is the only strong bond within humpback whale society. A male will only be with a female for 2 hours or 2 days. He is only interested in passing on his genes, far and wide, with as many females as possible during the winter breeding season.
The shadow of Earth, opposite the setting sun boasts a delicate pink and blue palette.
The close, tactile relationship between a humpback cow and her calf is beautiful to observe. With tenderness she guides, protects and keeps a steady, watchful eye on her bonny babe. There are males to negotiate and a huge journey to the feeding ground in the Antarctic, as well. Along the way there are many lessons to be learnt. One of the first lessons is breathing and then feeding. The calves will feed daily on approximately 365 litres of milk which is rich in fat, some 40-50% milk fat, allowing the calf to double their weight during their first year of life. What an amazing start for the calf by the cow. Uniquely, the cow is not actively feeding but using her accumulated summer blubber layer to metabolise this calf milk. As the winter turns to spring and towards summer she can lose around 3 tonnes. A mother’s annual weight loss can be called seasonally-anorexic.
After a day of many pod observations, we anchored at Wilson Point and thoroughly enjoyed the sunset in the golden tones toward the sinking sun and pink and blue hues on the opposite side, being Earth’s shadow. The Kimberley is such a beautiful place. Thank you whales for choosing this location, we are thrilled to be here with you!
Overwhelmed by the Kimberley,
Mich
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