Notes From A Naturalist

03/05/2025

Ten right whale calves so far in 2024-2025.

02/18/2025

Know before you go! Below are all of the mandatory and voluntary speed restrictions active along the U.S. East Coast to protect North Atlantic Right Whales as of February 7, 2025.

Right Whale Slow Zones: Areas in which right whales have been visually or acoustically detected. All mariners are requested to avoid or transit these areas at 10 knots or less.
⚠️ There are currently 9 active Right Whale Slow Zones from New Hampshire to North Carolina.

Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs): Mandatory 10-knot speed restriction for most vessels 65 feet or longer are also in effect in the following areas:
🐋 Mid-Atlantic U.S. SMAs (Nov 1 - Apr 30)
🐋 Southeast U.S. SMAs (Nov 15 - Apr 15)
🐋 Cape Cod Bay SMA (Jan 1 - May 15)

Give Right Whales Room: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law!

Details and graphics of all vessel strike management zones currently in effect: https://bit.ly/3UnAIOj

01/20/2025

Calf #7.

12/31/2024

More good news for the upcoming New Year!

12/28/2024

My study of a minke whale mother and calf. I was unable to find a reference image of a common minke whale calf nursing, so the composition is partly conjecture based on images of other species. Gouache on 15”x 20” illustration board.

12/19/2024

Right whale calf #3 for this season.

12/02/2024

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Just letting you know that my Downeast Wildlife Etsy store is having a 25-percent off holiday sale for one week only starting today. The “Marine Mammals of the Bay of Fundy” poster is normally $24.95 and the blankets are usually $59.95. The chart was the result of months of watercolor studies with an expert consultant, and makes a unique and memorable gift for friends and loved ones.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CzWipYMLs/

Shop items by DowneastWildlife.

06/02/2024

Good news from the Virginian Coast!

05/31/2024

5-30-24: The weather was ideal for a water tour, with partly sunny conditions and a high of 59 degrees. It was good to get out on the water after a long winter! Our first stop was the Old Sow whirlpool, which did not disappoint. We had a big vortex just off of Deer Island Point (Old Sow herself) along with a smattering of “piglets.” In terms of wildlife encounters, the trip was dominated by bald eagles. Our first eagle sightings were on Pope Island, where we observed two adult birds attending a nest. A crow was buzzing one of the adult birds, which completely ignored the swooping corvid. We saw another two eagles perched on the Black Rock ledge marker, and another adult near a nest with a chick on Spruce Island at the top of Head Harbor Passage. The other birds worth noting were large numbers of black guillemots--they seemed to be everywhere today. We had a few marine mammal sightings as well, the first being several gray and harbor seals on the north end of Casco Bay Island, and a few harbor porpoises just off the Head Harbor Lighthouse. No whales yet; it is still a bit early for them, but sightings are always a possibility.

Best,
John Delaney
Naturalist