A seaside reverie

In Tadoussac, minke whales have been present every day, as have belugas, harbour seals and grey seals. Harbour porpoises have also been noted despite their small dorsal fins, which are not always easy to pick out in the waves. In the moonlight, a North Shore resident listened to the soothing breaths of belugas and other marine creatures from Pointe de l’Islet. She was even surprised by what appeared to be a large seal splashing about just a few metres away!

Giants have been timidly returning to the Tadoussac and Les Escoumins sectors. In addition to the few humpbacks roaming the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, there was a fin whale, two blue whales and a handful of harbour porpoises!

Binoculars, cameras or spotting scopes in hand, observers on the banks patiently watched in hope of seeing a spout, a fin or a snout split the water surface. Everyone has their own technique! Some stare at the water while others take advantage of the gentle autumn breeze to read or even carve wood between two glances at the open sea. This peaceful pastime seems as old as the world and yet, if today’s whales amaze (or even obsess) us, this hasn’t always been the case. Depending on the cultures and the eras, whales have embodied monsters, deities, and nowadays rare animals that we want to protect. What an incredible opportunity to be able to see them from the shores of the St. Lawrence!

At Pointe-des-Monts, Atlantic white-sided dolphins have arrived. One resident counted about twenty in a single glimpse, but it is difficult to know whether or not they were the same individuals as those that paraded past the window of his chalet. According to him, the total size of the group might very well have exceeded a hundred! The North Shore resident also tallied 15 to 30 grey seals and 5 or 6 minke whales in calm seas.

In Franquelin, a marine mammal enthusiast shares her observation:

“There were a lot of harbour porpoises this week in the Franquelin area. At least three minke whales as well. In addition to the usual rather solitary and scattered grey seals, a small herd [of grey seals] of about twenty passed through. The group was hemmed in by females who kept an eye on their surroundings, while the younger individuals were swimming fast… It was fascinating to watch!”

The local resident also had the opportunity to see a humpback whale, a species that has been rare in these parts recently. Moving quickly west between Franquelin and Baie-Comeau, “it was taking breaths at irregular intervals and sometimes covering quite large distances between them. I was able to observe this sequence three times before I completely lost sight of her!” she says.

In Gallix, two minke whales were spotted close to shore. Off the coast of Sept-Îles, scientists saw two groups of white-sided dolphins, five blue whales, two fin whales and two humpbacks! In the Mingan Islands, grey and harbour seals, harbour porpoises and minke whales are still present. A naturalist was even able to hear “howling sea wolves.” The term “loup marin,” French for “sea wolf” is a very old name used in these parts to refer to different species of pinnipeds in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence depending on the region. When grey or harbour seals vocalize, it sounds a lot like a wolf. In Quebec, many people even use this term to designate any kind of seal in the St. Lawrence.

In the waters around Matane, an amateur cetologist was able to document three fin whales, two blue whales, two humpbacks and about twenty belugas. The humpbacks were identified as Splinter, observed last July in Gaspé, and Chalk, encountered in mid-August in the same area. As for the two blue whales, “it was Jaw-Breaker, a well-known female in the estuary, and B488, whom I’ve known since 2013 but hadn’t seen since 2018,” reports the whale enthusiast.

There’s also been a lot of action bird-wise, with razorbills, Atlantic puffins, white-fronted scoters, gulls, great blue herons, terns, ospreys, guillemots, common eiders, common loons, all sorts of shorebirds and other seabirds carpeting the air and waters of the St. Lawrence. Along the shores of Île Fantôme in the Mingan Archipelago, naturalists encountered a group of about forty young and adult razorbills. “We could hear not only their raucous cries, but also the soft cries of young birds and the whistles of guillemots,” says one of the naturalists.

At the Tadoussac dunes, migration is in full swing! A barrage of passerines, raptors, saw-whet owls and a record number of lesser black-backed gulls are just a fraction of what the Tadoussac Bird Observatory has observed this season.

A landscape of a thousand colours is taking shape as the autumn days tick by. The captivating rhythm of the surf along the St. Lawrence lulls observers, tourists and locals alike. Marine mammals continue to dot the St. Lawrence in the golden reflections of the ever-moving waves. Both the estuary and the gulf mark the beginning of the ocean. The constantly changing water colour can be described in many ways: metallic waters of molten lead or cast bronze, or watercolour-like with orangish hues. The St. Lawrence can go from pastel, iridescent and pearly tones to indigo, vibrant, and occasionally dark greyish waters in a matter of hours. In this motionless watercolour, marine mammals also appear differently to us. Everyone appreciates and cherishes this undulating river in their own way.