An encounter with Charlotte souncloud/iwhales August is a special time for Humpback whales in Hervey Bay. Young humpback whales are one of the first groups to visit Hervey Bay during August. They may range from one to six years of age. These young Humpbacks are full of life, curious and keen to explore the world around them. This encounter with Charlotte is what is known as a close extended encounter. This means that Charlotte intentionally came to the research vessel, stayed and interacted with those aboard for over an hour. Such encounters provide priceless opportunities to closely observe, photograph and film the behaviour of humpback whales and to learn about them. In Charlotte’s case we were able to confirm that she, and the younger whale with her, were female. It also appeared that Charlotte was involved in showing the younger female how to behave around a vessel and the etiquette of interacting with humans. This type of encounter does not usually occur during the migration along the east coast of Australia. So because of such encounters visitors aboard the Whale Watch Fleet in Hervey Bay are offered a unique opportunity to experience humpback whales up close and personal. Hence the Whale Watch Captains have come to fondly call these early visitors to Hervey Bay The August Whales. The East Australian Humpback Whales travel in an unending cycle of migration between their birthplace in the inter-reef lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef and their Antarctic feeding areas. Their world is comprised of vast stretches of ocean where songs emitted by the Humpback Whales can be heard over great distances. Each year the whales sing a new song. Haunting melodies of radiant joy which fill the ocean along the East Coast of Australia. When ecosystems across the planet are collapsing and species are becoming extinct at an accelerating rate, the East Australian Humpback Whales are making a remarkable recovery. They have become Australias national treasure and a symbol of hope for our imperilled environment. We as the new generation of caretakers of the planet Earth have learnt from the mistakes of our elders and are helping nurture the Rebirth of a Species. © The Oceania Project 2014 All Rights Reserved.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 21:55:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015