Narragansett Bay Humpback Whale Breaches and Plays Out of Season

Summary: A Narragansett Bay humpback whale breaches and plays out of season in a 45-minute acrobatic show witnessed Monday, Dec. 28, by harbormaster Ed Hughes.

A humpback whale breaches during an unexpected visit to Narragansett Bay; photograph by North Kingstown, Rhode Island, harbormaster Ed Hughes: Boston.com @BostonDotCom via Twitter Dec. 28, 2015

North Kingstown, Rhode Island, harbormaster Ed Hughes witnessed the unexpected treat of a 45-minute acrobatic show as a Narragansett Bay humpback whale breached and played near Allen Harbor on a “cold, windy and miserable” Monday morning, Dec. 28, 2015.

A gigantic splash at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time drew Hughes’ attention to activity in Narragansett Bay waters near North Kingstown’s Allen Harbor. The sight of a huge humpback whale breaching and splashing in the marine mammal’s characteristic playfulness quickly dispelled initial worries of a boating accident.

“I thought it was a boat and thought, ‘oh, great,’” recalled Hughes. His reaction upon discovering the actual source of the colossal splashing was: “You got to be kidding me!”

The Narragansett Bay humpback whale is thought to be a juvenile lingering in unseasonably warm waters and following the food trail. Carol “Krill” Carson, marine biologist and president of the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance explained the youngster’s uncommon presence in the bay to The Boston Globe: “It’s not that unusual for juveniles to wander into areas that are not always used by the main population.”

Rhode Island state climatologist Lenny Giuliano explained the wayward Narragansett Bay humpback whale’s presence to CNN as: “It must have followed a school of fish into the bay.”

“It’s extremely unusual to see them in Narragansett Bay,” harbormaster Hughes, formerly a world-traveling charter boat captain, told United Press International (UPI). “First one I have ever seen. I have seen them this time of year south of Jamestown in the ocean. There is a herring run happening and my guess is they stay and feed.”

Hughes informed the state’s Department of Environmental Management about the unexpected marine visitor. Departmental officials who checked on the Narragansett Bay humpback whale determined that it was in good health and estimated the whale’s length at about 50 feet (15.24 meters). After witnessing the impromptu playtime, Hughes last sighted the Narragansett Bay humpback whale heading south down the bay toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Photos quickly snapped by Hughes captured the Narragansett Bay humpback whale’s above-surface leaps, known as breaches, against the backdrop of Prudence Island, the bay’s sparsely populated, third largest island. The Mount Hope Bridge, which dominates the photo’s eastern background, links Bristol on mainland Rhode Island with Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island and demarcates the transition from Narragansett Bay to Mount Hope Bay.

“It was breaching, and it was tail-flapping. With its fin, it was slapping the water. It was having a great ol’ time,” Hughes told The Boston Globe. “I was absolutely, seriously stunned.”

Hughes’ Narragansett Bay humpback whale normally is expected to leave summer high-latitude feeding grounds, such as the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf of Maine and the Pacific Ocean’s Gulf of Alaska, with the onset of winter. Wintry migrations lead to calving grounds in subtropical or tropical waters, such as in the Atlantic Ocean around the Dominican Republic and in the Pacific Ocean around the Hawaiian Islands.

Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay area has been experiencing record-breaking warm temperatures for the end of the year. The Providence Journal reported on Christmas Eve that “December 2015 is on track to be the warmest December on record in Providence, with the average temperature through Dec. 23 running 10.2 degrees above normal at 46.1 degrees, the Weather Service says.”

Narragansett Bay covers ten percent of the United States’ smallest state. The bay stretches for 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) from its Atlantic Ocean entrance inland to the state’s historic capital, Providence. Allen Harbor is located about halfway between Narragansett Bay’s West Passage and Providence.

“Truly amazing,” Ed Hughes told CNN. “What a way to end the year!”

photo by Ed Hughes: Providence Journal @projo via Twitter Dec. 29, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

photo by Ed Hughes: Boston.com @BostonDotCom via Twitter Dec. 28, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/BostonDotCom/status/681609336972509184

photo by Ed Hughes: Providence Journal‏ @projo via Twitter Dec. 29, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/projo/status/681870440294400001

For further information:

Associated Press. "Humpback whale spotted miles inside Narragansett Bay." Fox News. Dec. 28, 2015.
Available @ http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/28/humpback-whale-spotted-miles-inside-narragansett-bay.html

Boston.com @BostonDotCom. "Humpback whale spotted miles inside Narragansett Bay." Twitter. Dec. 28, 2015.
Available @ https://twitter.com/BostonDotCom/status/681609336972509184

Conlon, Kevin. "Rare humpback whale sighting dazzles Rhode Island." CNN. Dec. 31, 2015.
Available @ http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/29/us/rhode-island-humpback-whale/

Cotter, Pamela Reinsel. "Wickford harbormaster spots humpback whale in waters off North Kingstown / Photos." Providence Journal. Dec. 28, 2015.
Available @ http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20151228/NEWS/151229435

Hays, Brooks. "Humpback whale visits Narragansett Bay." UPI > Science News. Dec. 29, 2015.
Available @ http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2015/12/29/Humpback-whale-visits-Narragansett-Bay/9301451418421/

"Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)." NOAA Fisheries.
Available @ http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/humpback-whale.html#description

MacQuarrie, Brian. "Humpback whale seen splashing around in R.I.'s Narragansett Bay." The Boston Globe. Dec. 29, 2015.
Available @ https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/12/29/humpback-whale-spotted-miles-inside-narragansett-bay/50xOw166YLC58p8MhLkrQL/story.html

Perry, Jack. "Providence sets new record-high temperature for Christmas Eve." Providence Journal. Dec. 24, 2015.
Available @ http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20151224/NEWS/151229551

Providence Journal‏ @projo. "ICYMI: #Wickford harbormaster spots humpback whale in waters off #NorthKingstown." Twitter. Dec. 29, 2015.
Available @ https://twitter.com/projo/status/681870440294400001