{"id":315,"date":"2019-01-24T17:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T17:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/24\/first-humpback-whale-of-year\/"},"modified":"2019-11-22T22:38:48","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T22:38:48","slug":"first-humpback-whale-of-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/first-humpback-whale-of-year\/","title":{"rendered":"First humpback whale of the year!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nIf we never try, we never know. Today, besides the ocean being a bit rough, we decided to go out and try our luck. And what a lucky day! After waiting for a while, almost giving up, we were surprised by a humpback whale<\/a>! The first of the year! <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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\nIn our 11 years of sightings data collected, we have seen humpback whales every year. In total, 78 sightings, from which 58% were done in April and May. However, since 2014, some animals have been observed passing by S\u00e3o Miguel Island in January and February. Humpback whales are the species of baleen whale that we usually sight closer to the shore, and therefore, in shallower waters. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\nToday, the waiting was worth it. We could see the pectoral fins, that for this species can reach 6 meters, and it delighted us 2 or 3 times with its beautiful tail. It was always travelling South, so probably continuing its migration to warmer breeding grounds. We would love to see this whale again!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nWhat a happy day!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\nHere in the Azores, in the last years we have seen humpbacks coming from Cape Verde, but we know that some of them are coming from the North Atlantic. Who knows about this one? Check some recent tracking data at <\/span><\/span>
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\nHere is the video we recorded this morning:<\/span><\/p>\n
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