What An Awesome Day is a post from: Moreton Bay Whale Watching Reports

The Humpback whales have developed a very successful method of feeding , they blow bubbles to school large amounts of small crustaceans and fish, then in one massive scoop they extend their baleen plates out to capture their food. The ocean was aloud with clicking noises clearly heard as the whales approached these masses of fish, it was very apparent the mothers were teaching their calves the methods of feeding so they can place the much needed blubber to survive the long swim South.

CAPTAIN KERRY LOPEZ

Moreton Bay Alive With Mothers and Calves and Masses of Bait Fish is a post from: Moreton Bay Whale Watching Reports

Traditionally the humpbacks will give birth to their calves in the warm waters of the Whitsunday’s, around the end of August through to mid September, it is then that they will start their return journey back to the Antarctic, however what a delight it was to see two new born calves this week.

As we approached I thought it was a dolphin slapping its tail playing with the whales, then just as if to show her baby off the humpback mother swam directly to the boat and the little fellow put on a playful display.

A female will have a calf every second year, this calf can weigh between 1 – 3 tonnes , be 4-5 metres in length and will drink up to 600 litres of milk per day, it is one of the longest bonding relationships in the mammal world with the calves remaining with their mums for up to eighteen months before she will wean her baby off, the gestation period is eleven  months and they become sexually mature at the age of five.
If they are born on the East coast of Australia they will continue to migrate the east coast and likewise with the west coast.
Perhaps the warm sheltered waters of our bay are fast becoming the chosen breeding grounds for the Mums to birth.

The humbacks become sexually mature at the age of five and the gestation period is 11 months

Early Arrival for Baby Humpbacks is a post from: Moreton Bay Whale Watching Reports

The Humpback population has made a full recovery meaning that their are more whales then ever before.

View the footage here

Courier Mail – Humpbacks off Brisbane is a post from: Moreton Bay Whale Watching Reports

Too Many Whales to Count! is a post from: Moreton Bay Whale Watching Reports