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Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

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Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

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  • Tenakee Inlet and the small community of Tenakee Springs became my regular haunt for a few years. The feeding whales would regularly appear here late in the summer and September to feed. The small Alaska Marine Highway ferry that travels between the smaller communities stops here, and this is where I often finished my trips and returned to Petersburg. The local inhabitants of Tenakee Springs became very familiar with my arrival in late summer. There is an enclosed natural hot spring at the end of the ferry dock, and I would often take a long relaxing soak there after a hard day paddling with the whales. If I wasn’t out on the inlet with the whales then I would often go looking for brown bears to photograph along the beautiful Kadashan River on the other side of the inlet. There is an old native Tlingit cemetery on the small island in view.
    Alaska-camping-kayaking15.jpg
  • This was a frequently enjoyed beautiful view from my camp on a small promontory overlooking Tenakee Inlet. It was good look-out point to watch for the arrival of any whales in September when I usually ended my summer kayaking trips here in time to catch the arrival of the bubble net feeding pods of humpback whales. At high tide the little islet with trees is cut-off for a while. There is an old Indian cemetery with several wooden grave markers on there making it an even more atmospheric look-out point. When the whales are bubble net feeding in September they often feed close to the shore along here.
    Southeast-Alaska-coast10.jpg
  • Tenakee Inlet penetrates deep into Chichagof Island, and at the far end there is an old portage with a rail-track and cart to get across to Port Frederick, which leads to the native town of Hoonah. Nearly every September my summer kayaking trips ended up in Tenakee Inlet, when humpback whales usually arrive to feed on herring cooperatively using bubble nets. They often followed the herring up and down the inlet with me in tow in my kayak. This photo was taken over half-way up the inlet.
    Alaska-camping-kayaking17.jpg
  • I can never forget the amazing lighting on this morning when I was heading out of Tenakee Inlet with some guests aboard my boat "Selena" to take them to see humpback whales bubble net feeding at Point Hayes to the south down Chatham Strait. It was my birthday and I had a very unique and unexpected birthday present. We were motoring down Chatham Strait when I spotted an unusual shape bobbing on the surface: almost like the shape of ice cream sitting in a cone. When I looked through my binoculars I could hardly believe my eyes because I instantly recognised it as being a big bull northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) on the surface with its unmistakeable big proboscis drooping from its head. I had no idea that they ventured that far north, and after consulting with some local fisherman I was informed that it was indeed a very rare occurrence.
    Alaska-coast12.jpg
  • This is a rare photo taken from a boat rather than from my kayak. I took it from the deck of a small catamaran owned by the postmaster at Tenakee Springs. It was always such a mesmerising sight watching the blows of the whales being illuminated by the sun when the sun was low in the sky. It was usually emphasised by the dark backdrop of the mountains.
    Alaska-humpback-whale-blowing4.jpg
  • This was the photo that won the Mammal Behavior Category in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition in 2002. It wasn’t until after I attended the award ceremony at the Natural History Museum that I discovered that many of the judges were unhappy that it wasn’t awarded the title of the overall winner of the competition, and I subsequently discovered that that was the general public consensus as well. It was unfortunate that the controversy that surrounded the overall winner that year soured such a proud moment in my photographic career. I was contacted a few years later by the new head of the judging panel, Mark Carwardine, to ask for any guidelines for submitting a winning photo, because he felt that my photo was the best entry that year. C’est la vie !<br />
But the moment that can never be diminished or tainted was the moment that I captured the image. I was photographing a bubble net feeding group very near the community of Tenakee Springs, which can be seen to the left of the whale. They came up behind me and I can clearly remember zooming my lens back so that I could fit the entire throat of the whale into the photo, and fortunately I was just able to do that or else it might not have been a perfect award-winning photo.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet33.jpg
  • This is looking west towards the end of the inlet.
    Alaska-camping-kayaking25.jpg
  • Humpback whales love to breach; of that there is no doubt. They are the champion breachers of all whales and can continue jumping for an hour or more. Sometimes they jump completely clear of the water and either fall backwards or on their sides with a resounding thud that reverberates around the surrounding mountains. It is exhilarating to watch and it always leaves you begging for more. It is the most frustrating and challenging behavior to try to photograph because you could never be sure when and where they will jump next, so there are always plenty of surprises in store. It became the holy grail of my whale photography, and more often than not I was left empty-handed, but exhilarated. On so many occasions when I was prepared for the shot they failed to jump and likewise on so many occasions when I wasn’t ready, they jumped; they always kept me guessing, and hoping.<br />
There are many possible reasons for breaching that are similar to those for lobtailing including trying to dislodge barnacles and other parasites, communicating with other whales, herding prey and as a threat display to boats that approach too closely. It could also be just for recreation as I have witnessed on many an occasion; what better way could there be for celebrating your power and size than leaping out of the water and making a whale-sized splash! They often seem to do in the morning as if going for a morning jog, and they sometimes breach in synchronization with other whales, which is often associated with cooperative herding and feeding.
    Alaska-humpback-whale-breach2.jpg
  • This feeding group clearly illustrates a typical formation with either one or two lead whales ascending vertically out of the water and the rest surfacing on their sides. Sometimes there was more than one lead whale, but quite often it was just one.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet19.jpg
  • This was one of the most unusual pods of bubble net feeding whales because of the appearance of some of their flukes every time they lunged to the surface. The co-operative feeding groups that use bubble nets to catch herring are very cohesive teams of individuals that feed together every summer, and their herding and feeding manoeuvres are tightly choreographed for maximum efficiency. This is the only pod that I witnessed using their flukes in this manner as part of their strategy.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet24.jpg
  • This photo illustrates the power of the whales when they surge to the surface. Their gaping jaws, scooping up hundreds of litres of sea water and fish, must exert a tremendous amount of drag. Some of the herring they were pursuing can be see flying through the air to escape their open mouths.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet20.jpg
  • The sight of a big bull orca powering towards my kayak would seem to be very intimidating, but after many encounters with them I was very confident that they had no interest in me other than curiosity. I had several palpitating encounters with bulls that seemed to be on a collision course with me but just at the very last moment they veered underneath my kayak and turned on their sides to avoid hitting me with their towering dorsal fins.
    Southeast-Alaska- orca8.jpg
  • Humpback whales generally have heavy encrustations of barnacles on their throats, pectoral fins and flukes. Whale barnacles are barnacles belonging to the family Coronulidae. Whale barnacles attach themselves to the bodies of baleen whales during the barnacles's free-swimming larval stage. Though often described as parasites, the relationship is an example of obligate commensalism, as the barnacles neither harm, nor benefit, their host. But they are parasitised by whale lice that are actually amphipods: tiny crustaceans that feed off dead skin and pieces of flesh from their host. In normal situations, population of these parasites seem to stay in check, thereby not hurting their large hosts. Cetacean cyamid species are specific to different species of cetaceans and the one that lives on humpbacks is Cyamus boopis.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet32.jpg
  • They are opportunistic feeders and eat a wide range of fish including herring, Pollock, salmon, cod and rockfish as well as squid and shrimp. I have even observed them catching seagulls on the surface.
    Alaska-Steller-sealion9.jpg
  • Southeast-Alaska-coast6.jpg
  • Sometimes the cooperative feeding group would surface unexpectedly. If the sea was calm and there were plenty of seabirds around to help me to track the whales then it was easier, but if it was more difficult to see the bubbles on the surface or there were distracting sounds of boat engines in the vicinity then anything could happen, and on this occasion the whales exploded out of the water right behind me and I barely had enough time to swivel around to take a photo.
    Alaska-humpbackwhale-bubblenet21.jpg
  • The lighting for photographing humpback whales in Southeast Alaska is unique, with a backdrop of snowy peaksmountains and forest-clad mountains frequently cloaked in wisps of ethereal mist, the rainbows There was commonly extensive cloud cover but any chinks of light that were able to break through the gloom seemed to highlight the outline of the whales and illuminate their plumes of transitory breath. The effect was even more pronounced when they were set against a backdrop of dark, forested mountains.<br />
This photo was Highly Commended in the Endangered Species category of the BBC Wildlife Photographer Competition in 2002, the same year that I won the Mammal Behavior category with a photo of a lunge-feeding whale, also taken in Tenakee Inlet.
    Alaska-humpback-whale-blowing5.jpg
  • Humpbacks have an enormous lung capacity, which makes it possible for them to dive for long periods, often in excess of 20 minutes, These extended dives allow the animals to descend to deep water for foraging (up to 500 ft - 150 m). When the whale surfaces to breathe, it only has a few moments to exchange the air in its lungs, so it must exhale with tremendous force. The force of this exhalation vaporises the seawater that surrounds the blowhole and creates a "blow". This vertical plume of water vapour is usually the first indicator that a whale is in the area, and can usually be seen and heard over long distances. On several occasions I paddled stealthily up to a whale resting or sleeping on the surface just to be able to observe the blowhole in operation at close quarters, and was amazed at the power and speed that the blowhole opens and shuts during the exhalation and inhalation, and the explosive force of the breath rushing out and fresh air rushing back in.<br />
I observed them often sleeping in the afternoon, their rotund backs completely motionless with their flukes and long pectoral fins hanging down. Whales and dolphins don't sleep for extended periods the way that we do but just take short naps. To avoid drowning during sleep, it is crucial that marine mammals retain control of their blowhole. The blowhole is a flap of skin that is thought to open and close under the voluntary control of the animal. Although still a matter of discussion, most researchers feel that in order to breathe, a dolphin or whale must be conscious and alert to recognize that its blowhole is at the surface.
    Alaska-humpback-whale-sounding10.jpg
  • Three humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) blowing simultaneously, Tenakee Inlet, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
The lighting for photographing humpback whales in Southeast Alaska was exceptional, as was the backdrop of forested mountains. There was commonly extensive cloud cover but any chinks of light that were able to break through the gloom seemed to highlight the outline of the whales and illuminate their plumes of transitory breath. The effect was even more pronounced when they were set against a backdrop of dark, forested mountains.<br />
This photo was Highly Commended in the Endangered Species category of the BBC Wildlife Photographer Competition in 2002, the same year that I won the Mammal Behavior category with a photo of a lunge-feeding whale, also taken in Tenakee Inlet.
    Humpback whales-7-2.jpg
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeanglia) lunging during cooperative feeding using a bubble net, Tenakee Inlet, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
This was the photo that won the Mammal Behavior Category in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition in 2002. It wasn’t until after I attended the award ceremony at the Natural History Museum that I discovered that many of the judges were unhappy that it wasn’t awarded the title of the overall winner of the competition, and I subsequently discovered that that was the general public consensus as well. It was unfortunate that the controversy that surrounded the overall winner that year soured such a proud moment in my photographic career. I was contacted a few years later by the new head of the judging panel, Mark Carwardine, to ask for any guidelines for submitting a winning photo, because he felt that my photo was the best entry that year. C’est la vie !<br />
But the moment that can never be diminished or tainted was the moment that I captured the image. I was photographing a bubble net feeding group very near the community of Tenakee Springs, which can be seen to the left of the whale. They came up behind me and I can clearly remember zooming my lens back so that I could fit the entire throat of the whale into the photo, and fortunately I was just able to do that or else it might not have been a perfect award-winning photo.
    Humpback whales.tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) cooperative feeding using a bubble net, Tenakee Inlet, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
This feeding group clearly illustrates a typical formation with one lead whale ascending vertically out of the water and the rest arranged laterally around it. Sometimes there was more than one lead whale, but quite often it was just one.
    Humpback whales-14.tif
  • A pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) blowing and sounding, Tenakee Inlet, Southeast Alaska, USA.
    Humpback whales-22.tif
  • The Kadashan River valley is one of my favourite places for many reasons, and for a variety of habitats: it has a beautiful beaver dammed flooded area in the forest not far from the river: avenues of birch trees: and there are very extensive grass meadows and mud flats at the mouth of the river. It is an excellent place to watch brown bears catching salmon in the fall. The Kadashan River flows into Tenakee Inlet where I always used to end up in September to photograph the bubblenet-feeding humpback whales. It provided a beautiful break from my high-octane pursuit of the whales up and down the inlet, as did soaking in the hot springs in the small town of Tenakee Springs opposite.
    Alaska-forest-beaver-pondAlaska-vege...jpg
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeanglia) lunging during cooperative feeding using a bubble net, Tenakee Inlet, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
Sometimes the cooperative feeding group would surface unexpectedly. If the sea was calm and there were plenty of seabirds around to help me to track the whales then it was easier, but if it was more difficult to see the bubbles on the surface or there were distracting sounds of boat engines in the vicinity then anything could happen, and on this occasion the whales exploded out of the water right behind me and I barely had enough time to swivel around to take a photo.
    Humpback whales-5.tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) cooperative feeding using a bubble net, Tenakee Inlet, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
This photo illustrates the power of the whales when they surge to the surface. Their gaping jaws, scooping up hundreds of litres of sea water and fish, must exert a tremendous amount of drag. Some of the herring they were pursuing can be see flying through the air to escape their open mouths.
    Humpback whales-21.tif
  • Beaver dam flooded area of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) temperate rain forest, with devil's club (Oplopanax horridus) and western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), Kadashan River Valley, Chichagof Island, USA.<br />
The Kadashan River valley is one of my favourite places for many reasons, and for a variety of habitats: it has a beautiful beaver dammed flooded area in the forest not far from the river: avenues of birch trees: and there are very extensive grass meadows and mud flats at the mouth of the river. It is an excellent place to watch brown bears catching salmon in the fall. The Kadashan River flows into Tenakee Inlet where I always used to end up in September to photograph the bubblenet-feeding humpback whales. It provided a beautiful break from my high-octane pursuit of the whales up and down the inlet, as did soaking in the hot springs in the small town of Tenakee Springs opposite.
    Alaska-forest-beaver-pondAlaska-vege...jpg
  • Ponds created by beaver in temperate rain forest, Kadashan River, Chichagof Island, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br />
<br />
The Kadashan River on Chichagof Island, that flows into Tenakee Inlet, was my other favourite place for vegetation, particularly where there are many beaver dams, that serve to open up the forest and allow more light in.
    vegetation-16.tif