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January 13, 2009 Brandon Michael witnesses the birthing of a Humpback
Whale at Makena Landing on Maui.
Brandon Michael narrative on YouTube.
Photographs Copyright Brandon Michael
MAUIBRANDON@HOTMAIL.COM
To more fully appreciate the significance of Brandon's observation and photograph I will quote from Gregory D. Kaufman & Paul H. Forestell's book HAWAII'S HUMPBACK WHALES, published in 1986 with second edition in 1994 by Island Heritage Publishing. This is my primary source of information on Humpbacks. It has been great sport photographing behavior and matching it to that described by Kaufman and Forestell. Thanks.
Page 114, "The rather surprising fact, however, is that there is no
well-documented evidence of an actual birth in Hawaiian waters. While
many
claim to have witnessed a birth, it is found on closer examination the
observer thought they saw a newly born calf."
March 27, 2010 I had the good fortune to be riding the Expedition's
ferry over to Lanai. We were not too far from the harbor when the boat
stopped abruptly. Regaining my feet ( I had actually been thrown back
into
my seat) I realized something was happening on the starboard side of
the
boat and got the camera rolling.
Spent a few minutes watching events at McGregor Point on one of my
day
trips over to Makena State Park. Filmed the group of whales burning
toward
the point and then veering off to the North in quest of the female.
None
present said they had seen anything quite like this. I am talking about
the knowledgeable volunteers that work for the Pacific Whale
Foundation.
Friends of Makena State Park was formally formed in 2003 to assist the Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources in the stewardship of Makena State Park.
Consider a contribution to Doctor Leisure's Friends of Makena State
Park if you want to help defray the cost of this site and the
efforts
to save Makena State Park and the adjacent lands from unneeded and
unwanted
development. Twenty dollars pays for the gasoline necessary to
get
Dr. Leisure to the park for five days. Forty dollars pays for the ink
cartridge
for the printer. Twenty five dollars covers the cost of the web site
for
one month.
Membership is open to anyone interested in the stewardship of the unique natural resource that constitutes Makena State Park situated on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. The world famous nude beach known as Little Beach is contiguous to Makena State Park.
To declare your membership and to receive the electronic newsletter
of
Dr. Leisure's Friends of Makena State Park click this link: LittleBeachMaui-subscribe@topica.com
and
send
a
blank
email.
Dr. Leisure's Friends of Makena State Park
PO Box 1137
Kihei, HI 96753
808-250-4160
--Dr. George R. Harker can be reached by email at drleisure1@aol.com.
Article
may be reproduced with appropriate credit: drleisure.com
Copyright 2010, Dr. George R. Harker
©Copyright
2010 Dr. Leisure. All rights reserved.
