Thar they blow!

Just last Tuesday, humpback whale H859 was seen meandering between the islets known as Îlets Boisés, past Les Escoumins and Les Bergeronnes! That same day, two observers witnessed a powerful breach by a humpback in Les Escoumins… Was it H859?

In Franquelin, a large whale made a brief appearance before disappearing into the blue depths. One cetacean enthusiast writes in:

“Between Baie-Comeau and Franquelin, I saw a fin whale moving through. It blew three times, dove, and I didn’t see it again after that… Our magnificent greyhounds of the sea!”

Where was it going, and where did it come from? Impossible to say for sure, meaning its identity will forever remain a mystery! Using quality photos of the animals’ dark backs and dorsal fins and the techniques of photo-identification, research teams can piece together the paths taken by large rorquals through the St. Lawrence!

From Tadoussac to Franquelin, minke whales throughout the estuary continue to amaze with their ever-impressive acrobatics, revealing their bellies swollen with water… and little fish! At the mouth of the Saguenay, diligent observers recorded at least six individuals, most of them in the process of surface feeding!

In Baie-des-Sables, two nature lovers patiently await the now-daily arrival of a highly punctual whale: “Since Sunday, we’ve been lucky enough to observe a minke whale at high tide in the afternoon, swimming to and fro near the docks. It passed so close that we could clearly hear it when it exhaled. Hopefully we’ll see it again today.” Ultimately, patience is the mother of all virtues, and the whale reportedly “came [back] to swim near the Baie-des-Sables marina” the following day, describe the enthusiast whalewatchers.

Several groups of belugas have been wandering the fjord and estuary, including “a group of large white ones… We were able to see as many as four at a time, but there might have been as many as twenty,” excitedly report a couple of tourists passing through Portneuf-sur-Mer. From L’Anse-de-Roche, three observers had the pleasure of watching dozens of these white whales’ sparkling spouts in the low light of the late afternoon.

In Franquelin, one whale enthusiast reported a herd of about 100 grey seals! A group of approximately 75 grey seals also surfaced near Cap de Granite in Tadoussac. These pinnipeds regularly congregate to feed. Not far from there, locals even had the good fortune to identify a bearded seal! For this Arctic species, this is a rare but not unheard of phenomenon (article in French) in the St. Lawrence.

The Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) shares its most noteworthy sightings of the week: up to fifteen minke whales, seven fin whales, six humpbacks, and two blue whales, as well as 25 white-sided dolphins and three North Atlantic right whales. According to MICS, this is “definitely not a good year for humpbacks, but it is for blues.” The team has already tallied around 70 individuals since spring, compared to 135 in 2019. In addition to a few basking sharks here and there, the group also observed an ocean sunfish (also known as a common mola)! According to the founder of MICS, blue whale B275 (Phoenix), a regular visitor to the estuary, has been lingering in Sept-Îles for almost a month now.

The sky is veiled in a periwinkle mantle, the water is cloaked in powdery tones, and the wind is now just a whisper as a coppery full moon rises over the St. Lawrence. Fall might be around the corner, but warm weather is still here, allowing any observer to admire the bounty of life the waters of the St. Lawrence have to offer. The tides come and go, as do the marine mammals. While old acquaintances resurface, some of our regulars continue to search for food before heading back out to sea for their winter migration to more suitable waters for breeding and calving. The cycle of life is continually unfolding here, right before our eyes!

These data were reported by our network of observers. They give an idea of the presence of whales and in no way represent the actual distribution of whales in the St. Lawrence. Just for fun! Click on the whale or seal icons to discover the species, the number of individuals, additional information or photos of the sighting. To enlarge the map, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner.

The map works well on Chrome and Firefox, but not so well on Safari. To display the list of sightings, click on the icon in the top left-hand corner.

Special thanks go out to all our observers who share their love for marine mammals with us! Your encounters with cetaceans and pinnipeds are always a pleasure to read and discover. On the water or from shore, it is your eyes that give life to this column.