The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note of any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
The people who study whale activity use tail markings to identify individual whales.
The most useful identification photos are of the ventral side of the tail but identity can be made by scars on the dorsal side as well. Scars are caused by orcas, sharks, sea lions and fishing gear. Attacks on humpbacks by orcas have been reported by fishermen for decades, but these attacks were sometimes discounted as 'anecdotal'. They have been amply proven by the everpresent video camera. Fatal attacks while not common, do happen. Here is a link to some folks who are serious about whale tails.
http://www.alaskahumpbacks.org/...
photos : R.A.Bateman (Wood Gas drove the boat, He's an excellent boat driver, excellent)
Above is a photo from a previous diary, I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to decipher an object. Preconceptions, we are looking at whale heads, below what part of a whale head is this?
It is of course the New England Great Wing that these brilliant creatures are named for, seen end on.
This is a serving of leftovers, I don't see anything else coming up, so am going with a small something is better than a big nothing. Comments are good, spring reports are great. Pictures? love 'em. Jokes jests and pokes? How could we stop 'em?
I am scheduled today, we are doing some final bits and moving some stuff into the new house. I won't be able to keep up, but Ill try to play catch up as I can.
Please let us know whats going on around you neck of the woods, bugs, birds, weather or whatever. If it's natural we are all interested, some obsessed.
