Magazine
Humpback Whale ‘Rumba’ in Mexico
For the past few years, I’ve been making the occasional winter trip to Mexico, just for the sake of warming…
Twelve Years of Encounters with Humpback Whale H626 (a.k.a. BBR/Gaspar)
For many years now, I have regularly gone out on the water every summer as well as a good part…
2021 Season Raises Questions
By René Roy For several years now, I’ve been plying the waters of the St. Lawrence in order to observe…
A Beautiful Story of Collaboration, from the Caribbean to the St. Lawrence
Many of the humpback whales observed in summer in the St. Lawrence spend part of the winter in their breeding…
Migration in Full Swing
Migration is truly underway in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is in full swing at the tip of the…
Exciting Observation that Sparks Bad Memories
On February 19, a senior officer of a cargo ship passing through the St. Lawrence Estuary photographed blue whales off…
Dawn of a Promising Season
A few days ago, I set sail out of Matane with a friend of mine. In the protected waters between…
Is ice a significant natural threat to blue whales in the Gulf?
Revisiting the photos I took this past summer, I pondered some of the specific markings I had observed on blue…
A Blue Whale At Last!
I finally encountered my first large rorqual of the season! And it was about time: I had already travelled 240…
A history of fidelity
Friday, June 8: after being notified of 3 blue whales purportedly present in the Gaspé region, I decide to head…
The humpbacks of Mazatlan
Thursday, January 4, 2018: while a weather bomb is pummelling Quebec, I have an appointment at 7:30 in the morning…
A great show in Gaspesie
When you take a whale-watching trip, you need to be lucky to observe a breaching session. To watch two such…
My most faithful humpback
According to data provided by the Mingan Island Cetacean Study, the humpback whale H626 (MICS catalogue number) – known as…
The Beauty of New Life
The month of May is a bit chilly out on the water and windows of favourable weather are somewhat narrower…
My First Encounter with Pilot Whales
On Saturday, May 13, together with Katy Gavrilchuk and David Gaspard, members of the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study (MICS) team,…
Exciting First Outing of the Spring
On Friday, May 5, I made my first trip out to sea of the 2017 season. Usually I make this…
Revelation of the Year: Mingan Humpbacks in my Backyard!… by René Roy
I didn't suspect that I would close out the 2016 season with so many humpback sightings in the Estuary. This…
Autumn: an awesome season if you don’t mind the cold and want to see blue whales…
In the Lower Estuary, it seems that fall is the best time to observe blue whales. Compared to other species,…
Analysis of a Trip Out to See the Giants…
When searching for large rorquals, just because you have a good boat and you head to a known offshore feeding…
Return of Blanco
August 30, 2016: a long 10-hour day out on the water. Eighty-five nautical miles cruising along the south and north…
Objective Blue Whale: Guided by the Colour of their Excrement
Despite pleasant summertime temperatures, sustained winds of 20 to 35 knots force me to stay downwind of Cap Gaspé. I…
Humpbacks off of Cap Gaspé
Thursday, June 30: two friends and I set out for L'Anse-au-Griffon for a "hit-and-run" birding mission. Our goal is to…
A Gam of Fin Whales in the Gaspé
After several days of waiting in early June, a window of favourable weather finally arrived on June 18. And so…
First Trip of the Season in Gaspé
The first trip of the season is definitely one of the most exhilarating. The excitement of being on the water…
Finding Symphonie in the Middle of the Estuary
I had a great outing in the Estuary on September 22 together with Katy and David, two members of the…
Surface Feeding Behaviour in Blue Whales
Sunday, September 13: as usual, I had to deal with the tide when putting my boat into the water and…
Straight Out of a Dream
Photos: © René Roy I just woke up from a dream ... A dream in which I was at a…
Gaspé Mission: Happy Encounters and a Sad Discovery
Almost five days on the water and some 250 nautical miles covered in the Gaspé-Percé sector from June 30 to…