The Marineland Right Whale project posted an update on their blog describing the afternoon's events as they worked to verify MRC's hotline call. It took about 4 hours to verify a species ID, determine the number of whales, and whether a calf was present. As of December 6th, there is still some debate as to whether or not it was a mom/calf pair, or 2 adults/juveniles.
A huge thank you goes out to Frank Gromling for making several phone calls and getting responders to the scene. We couldn't have done it without him! Joy Hampp and Sheila McKenney with the Marineland Right Whale project were on scene for verification. Here's what they posted on their blog:
"For the first time since the Marineland Right Whale Project began in 2001, we confirmed right whales in Flagler Beach in November! Julie Albert of Marine Resources Council received the call on the Hotline this afternoon and we mobilized a response team from Nautilis Condominium in south Flagler Beach. They spotted two whales at S 25th Street and followed them as they quickly moved to the Flagler County line, disappearing as they swam into Volusia. Despite searching for two hours in Ormond Beach, we did not see the whales again and were unable to get photographs with our long lens. However, Dale Hench of Nautilus got a photo of a right whale’s head and the tip of a second whale’s fluke, so we could confirm species and number. Based on behavior, we believe that they were two adult/juveniles.
