Friday, June 19, 2009

Great to see some familiar faces........uh, tails!

Greater Shearwater taking flight

Patchwork

The whale watching has been excellent, even though we have to go 15 miles offshore. The wait is well worth it. We have been seeing some humpbacks on these cruises and many are very familiar to us like Mr. Burns (One of our adopt a whales) who we have been seeing in the Bay of Fundy every year since 1995. Each humpback is identified by a pattern on the underside of their tail which is unique to each individual. They can range from all white, like Mr Burns, to all black and variations in between. Other humpbacks we have sighted thus far are Notchy, Downsweep, Bottelneck, Cacophony, Quixote, Highlighter and Patchwork!



Mr. Burns

Saturday, June 13, 2009

First Humpback!


Our first humpback has arrived in the Bay of Fundy ! On June 3rd, while on our whale watch cruise we were watching minke whales when our Captain noticed a spout. As we approached, it became obvious that we were seeing our first humpback of the season. As the whale went for a deep dive, it lifted its tail to reveal the underside, giving everyone ample opportunity to photograph the underside of the tail. From this, we were able to identify our dirst humpback as Platform, an adult female that we have been seeing in the Bay of Fundy since 1997.
Also on our whale watches, we have been seeing minke whales and on June 9 we were treated to a breaching minke whale. this behaviour is not commonly seen with this species so when it does happen it is truly thrilling!