The humpbacks are here!

Happy Canada Day! Cruises have been fabulous in the Bay of Fundy as we continue to sight different humpback whales everyday! We are so pleased to report that we have sighted 5 mother calf pair already and it's only July 1st!

WE also conducted a research cruise and documented 19 individual humpback whales with lots of activity to boot!

June Sightings

The season has started very well with sightings of humpbacks on every cruise. We are still just running our Zodiac (tm) for the time being as the Mega Nova is getting ready for its commencement on June 18. So far we have sighted 6 different humpbacks, 3 of which have been identified as Luna, Littlespot and #0034. There have also been sightings of minke whales and fin whales. Prey species (herring and krill) has been abundant, enticing the seabirds and cetaceans into the Bay. Some of the birds that have been sighted are Sooty Shearwaters, Greater Shearwaters, Puffins, and Razorbills. There's lots to see in the Bay of Fundy!

A Great Way to Start 2011!

Whale watching in the Bay of Fundy has begun and off to a great start. Our first cruise was on May 14, 2011. Captain Jamie headed out towards the ledges just off Brier Island in search of cetaceans. About 6 miles out, he spotted a large back roll in the water and as he approached he determined that it was a fin whale, the largest baleen whale that we see here in the Bay of Fundy. This species can reach lengths of 25 metres! As they watched this lone whale, it would roll on its side and rush at its prey of krill and herring with its huge mouth agape, capturing its prey. What an awesome sight!

The Bay of Fundy is a summer feeding ground for many species of cetaceans (Whales, dolphins and porpoises) and seabirds. The Bay's strong tides drives nutrients to the surface, which feed the plankton, whcih then attracts small schooling fish on which the cetaceans and birds feed upon.

Job Opportunity for 2011

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises has positions available for whale watch guides for the 2011 season. Applicant must hold a Marine Emergency Duty A2 certificate as well as valid First Aid and CPR certificates. For more information or to apply send email with resume and references to whales@brierislandwhalewatch.com

An Orca in the Bay of Fundy!

What an awesome day! On September 14th, 2010 our Zodiac spotted a lone male Orca in the Bay of Fundy, a species that is extrememly rare to these waters! Usually orcas are found farther north in the Atlantic. When we saw this whale, it was chasing a group of dolphins who were obviously in distress. At one point the orca rolled and tail lobbed several times, and then the chase was on again. All of our passngers and crew were thrilled with the sighting, realizing what a priviledge to witness nature at its finest!

The whales are still here!

Hurricane Earl had little effect on the whales of the Bay of Fundy, with sightings of humpbacks close by the island. On a recent cruise, we watched a group of 4 who were identified as Peajack,Froth, Tether and Cowlick. Peajack was her usual self, rolling and flipper slapping next to the boat. Her companions were not so active, just lazily swimming close by. We also watched Tigris and Foggy and her calf.

Bird sightings have been good as well as we are seeing lots of puffins in the area, as well as Greater Shearwaters, Northern Gannets, Red and Red Necked Phalaropes with a few sightings of Northern Fulmars. We have also noticed some laughing gulls in the area after the hurricane.

Sperm Whales in the Bay of Fundy!

What next will we see? We were very surprised on August 28th to see a single Sperm whale on our morning cruise. Sperm whales are the largest toothed whale in the world that are usually only found in deep water such as in the mid Atlantic.

Being a toothed whale, they usually travel in groups but aging males will leave the bachelor groups and go off on their own. There have been other reports of this species in the Bay for the last two weeks. We also sighted a small group of Pilot whales a few days ago. What a priviledge to see these whales!