Years later as an adult, I read the work of Dr. Roger Payne and later saw his video, "In the Company of Whales" on PBS. The haunting melodies of the male humpback whale rekindled my earlier affection for whales. I felt as if I was listening to the mythical sirens that bewitched sailors of a bygone era.

I began to lead groups of teachers and students on whale watching excursions to the waters of Stellwagen Bank, a National Marine Sanctuary off the shores of Provincetown, Massachusetts. Finally we could truly and directly interact with and appreciate the majestic and regal nature of these gentle giants. I stood on the deck and watched as humpback and finback whales went gliding by our vessel. The "spyhopping" of the humpback whale, in which it lifts its head vertically out of the water peering at us dramatically, emphasized that during this encounter it was the humans who were being watched.

The humpback whale population of the North Atlantic comes to Stellwagen Bank because its waters contain abundant concentrations of zooplankton, primarily krill and small fishes that comprise the diet of the whales. Watching whales feed is fascinating. Hanging from both sides of the upper jaw of the humpback whale are a series of parallel triangular horny plates called baleen. A hairy curtain that fringes each plate acts as a sieve to strain the humpback's food from the water.

Although whales feed alone, they also cooperate in a joint effort to catch their food, creating a net of bubbles in the water that forces the tiny fish into the center. The whales then rise up from below with their mouths agape to consume the captive fish.

Although there are many places that offer whale watching, when I bring a group on an excursion I use the Dolphin Fleet, located at the Provincetown dock (www.whalewatch.com A representative from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (www.coastalstudies.org) is aboard each vessel. The Center has done extensive research on the North Atlantic humpback whale population, photographing the tail, or fluke, of the individuals in the population. Each whale has a specific pattern of black and white markings on its fluke that is unique to that whale. It serves the same purpose to a whale researcher as a fingerprint does in identifying a human. The Center maintains files of these photographs to determine population changes and movement and frequency of sighting of individuals of the humpback population.

Once onboard, these specialists give a brief introduction to the behavior and physiological of the local whales. Humpback and finback whales are sighted in these waters from March to November, right whales from February to April, and minke whales from June to September. The season for whale watching begins in mid April and lasts until the end of October. Trips usually last between 3 and 3 ½ hours.

Capture the moment!