Blows after the storm?

On December 4, an observer posted on the docks in Les Escoumins tallied one minke whale, one harp seal, two grey seals and one harbour seal. On December 7, i.e. the day after the storm, photographer Renaud Pintiaux observed long-tailed ducks, a species of diving duck with various plumage patterns that will remain in the region throughout the winter. Every day at Cap de Bon-Désir, this bird and whale aficionado also spotted dozens of large spouts in the distance. He describes his most recent outing on the St. Lawrence to observe lingering large rorquals in these field notes.

From the shores of Godbout, several humpbacks were seen early in the morning this week. “I observe them from shore, because there’s too much wind to watch them from a boat,” explains one observer. On the morning of December 8, she reports seeing 35 humpbacks in groups of up to 7 individuals along Route 138 between Baie-Comeau and Godbout. The same day, the blasts of three humpbacks were spotted near the shore in Franquelin. According to a local resident, the behaviour of these whales suggested they were foraging. A minke whale also surfaced in Franquelin this week.