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Whales - Cape Cod

Humpback Whale Bubble Feeding while Gulls and Sheerwaters pluck fish out of the whales mouth.We had an exceptional whale watch on July 23rd.  Having been on many whale watches, this was my first time experiencing Humpback Whales bubble feeding.  This method of feeding behavior is when the whales blow clouds or rings of bubbles around a school of fish. The bubbles then rise around the fish which are trapped inside the column of rising bubbles while the whales rise up with their mouths open and trap the fish using baleen as the filtering mechanism. “Bubble feeding”  is unique to the Humpback whales.Humpback Whale Kick FeedingWe were also fortunate to watch a fairly recent feeding method that has been adopted by the Humpback Whales - "Kick feeding" where the whale pounds the surface of the water with its tail before diving and blowing a bubble ring.  It is believed that the tail pounding stuns the fish and makes them easier to catch.All Monica's images were captured using a Panasonic Lumix GX8 and the Lumix 35 - 100 mm f/2.8 lensBubble Feeding Bubble Feeding - pool of water and fish in the lower jaw Baleen Detail Into a Dive Whale's Tail