As a renowned marine wildlife photographer, Rachelle Mackintosh eagerly awaited the arrival of humpback whales in mid-May off Sydney, Australia.
The season opened May 20 as the first whales – migrating northward from Antarctica to Queensland – announced their presence with spectacular breaches and other surface behaviors.
Mackintosh, shooting from Go Whale Watching vessels, filled her Instagram page with images that capture the power and grace of these 40-ton leviathans until June 26, when another COVID-19 lockdown was imposed throughout Sydney.
“Which is basically when the northbound migration begins to peak,” Mackintosh told For The Win Outdoors. “Other places on our state’s coastline are still able to go out and watch the migration, but for those of us in the city it’s all-day pajamas and watching Netflix for our wildlife fix.”
As Sydney awaits an impending decision by the New South Wales premier whether to end or extend the lockdown, Mackintosh agreed to allow some of her images captured pre-lockdown to be showcased in this post.
“This year we’re expecting 35,000 to 40,000 whales to pass by the city, first heading north from Antarctica between May and July and then passing by us again from late August to November as they journey back to Antarctica,” the photographer explained.
“So yeah, there’s still plenty of time to see them BUT this part of the migration is super exciting because it’s when the competition/heat runs are going off, as the males get their biff on and the ladies make the fellas work for the opportunity to breed with them.
“It’s always a hormone rush for the whales and an adrenaline rush for us humans to see it. Knowing they’re out there partying while we can’t really leave the house is making me itchy.”
Mackintosh typically shoots four days a week, but inclement whether kept the boats in the docks for several days before the lockdown.
The accompanying images were captured during the 15 days she was able to be on the water.