Amusing Monday: Poet/sailor/scientists still exist
In days gone by, men of great physical and mental strength would seek their fortune from whales rich in oil. Some sailors would travel far out into the ocean. As the sea is a lonely place, many of the whaling crews would look to those with musical talent to pass the time in song. Some would make up tunes about whales and whaling.
Although whaling has gone out of style, men (and women) still go to sea searching for whales. Their typical mission is to discover the ways of the water world and to save whales from extinction.
One such man is Jonathan Stern, who is part of a team studying the behaviors of minke whales. Check out the team members as well as the goals of the Northeast Pacific Minke Whale Project.
Now, Jon will be the first to admit that spending hours in a boat scanning the horizon for whales can do something to one’s mind, especially when the sun is beating down as it does in the San Juan Islands. He shared this report with Orca Network:
The minkes have been very good to us lately. We have been seeing multiple whales a day feeding, moving about, doing their daily chores, all yielding invaluable data for our model… It is particularly cool to see minke whales and killer whales together.
There was a bit of a tussle between a minke and a killer whale today. We found the minke whale with shreds of killer whale skin streaming from its baleen. Just a warning: keratin - it’s nature’s, well, backscratcher, come to think of it. Ok, it is late; I have had too much sun; and that’s my story. And, no, we did not see the skin in the baleen. I do have property in Florida for sale though.
Jon’s capper for the day was a fine piece of song writing. Actually, he stole the tune from Bob Dylan, but we won’t hold that against him.
JUST LIKE A MINKE
(Sung to “Just Like a Woman” by Bob Dylan)
Nobody sees any blow
Back and fin is all they show
Then you have to guess
Where it’ll surface next
Either right next to your boat
Or the Gulf of Mexico
It’s a minke that’s all you know for sure.
And she slinks-just like a minke
And she thinks-just like a minke
And she sinks-just like a minke
And she stinks-just like overcooked broccoli
—that’s as far as i got - then i quit—-Sorry Bob–
OK, Jon, you can finish this song next time you’re out scanning the horizon for minkes with a little too much sun on your brain. I’ll be happy to share your lyrics when it’s done.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Sorry…not on topic, but what do you know about the baby whale, apparently separated from its mom and nuzzling up to a anchored boat. Saw it this morning on tv.
Thanks!