Whales: An Unforgettable Journey Page #4

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The whales seem to know

they're being helped

and accept it passively,

perhaps even gratefully.

After weeks at sea,

the Humpbacks approach Alaska.

Some may have lost nearly

a third of their weight since last eating.

No animal on Earth makes a greater

effort while going without food.

One of the gravest threats

faced by traveling whales

comes not from people,

but from their own kind.

Here, a skull of a Killer Whale

is a ghostly reminder

that they lurk

in the surrounding waters.

Armed with massive teeth,

they are to other whales

the most fearsome predator

in the sea.

Roaming in packs, Killer Whales

often prey on whale calves

and even attack adults.

In open water,

there's no place to hide.

Not all whales will reach

their destination.

A final piece of the whale story lies

in the icy waters of Alaska-

both feeding grounds and journey's end

for the migrating Humpbacks.

The Odyssey and its crew

have sailed here to wait for their arrival.

Around Odyssey, the season of plenty

has begun in the far North.

Though the Humpbacks

are headed here

for the swarms of krill

and tiny fish

the spring and summer months

in Alaska also provide a bounty

for year-round residents.

A wildlife spectacle around

them, but no whales in sight.

Days of looking turn to weeks.

As big as whales are,

they can be hard to find.

You can often hear them

before you see them.

The long and hazardous journey

is over.

The whales have made it back.

A big male comes to the boat

and rides the bow wave

something Payne has never seen

a Humpback whale do before.

As the day wears on,

more and more whales arrive

but to the crew's

disappointment

Misty and Echo

are not among them.

Finally, a procession of mothers

and calves begins to arrive.

Then, the moment

they had hoped for.

By sheer luck, they spot a calf

with familiar markings.

It's Echo...

...and Misty is with her.

They've made it unharmed.

The long months of fasting end

as the herd assembles to feast.

Dependent until now

on their mothers milk

the calves are about to get

their first taste of krill and fish.

Humpbacks have developed one of the

most unusual feeding strategies in the sea.

In a coordinated action,

they blow nets made of bubbles

to encircle

small schools of fish.

Then, while one submerged whale

screams to concentrate the prey

they all rocket upward

through the bubble net

to engulf the trapped fish

in their huge mouths.

It's a perfect strategy.

The fish won't cross

the barrier of bubbles.

Seldom seen by humans

it is one of nature's

most extraordinary sights.

When summer ends, the Humpbacks

turn southward again

continuing the ancient cycle

of their lives.

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