Mirapakon

With little wind and few ripples on the water, today’s visibility is ideal for beluga whale watching from the Sainte-Marguerite Bay lookout in the Fjord-du-Saguenay national park. White and grey backs crest the dark surface of the Saguenay. The camera crackles as we seek to photograph the flanks of all the individuals present, in order to better document and understand the interactions between these different age classes gathered here. Among the big white backs, we notice a dorsal crest marked with three notches – it’s Mirapakon! What is he doing in the company of females suckling young bleuvets and other males? We’d love to find out, so we keep a close eye on them. For nearly four hours, several groups mingle, interact and communicate. Around forty individuals in all, proof that this is a strategic area for the belugas. When the majority of the herd finally makes its way down the Saguenay, Mirapakon is too busy frolicking, diving and perhaps hunting… He doesn’t realize until it’s a little late that he’s been left behind, and speeds off to catch up with the group.

We take advantage of the gorgeous weather to visit the downstream sector, where we regularly come into contact with herds of males. We cross paths with Mirapakon off Îles aux Basques. He’s in a herd of some sixty individuals, including adults and a few gray individuals. The herd is split into about ten groups of six at fifteen belugas. We also recognize males JP, Douxi and DL0370.

The animals are scattered and highly active. Some belugas poke their heads above the surface as if to spy on us, others are spitting out water. They’re swimming dynamically and in one distinct direction when they suddenly stop, dive and resurface several times at the same spot. They’re probably feeding. The encounter with Mirapakon is also very rich in terms of acoustics. We hear all kinds of vocalizations: door squeaks, whistles and much more. Belugas are aptly nicknamed “canaries of the sea”.

We are at the confluence of the Saguenay and the St. Lawrence Seaway, opposite the Tadoussac dunes. DL0204 is swimming in a herd of some forty individuals, including adults and young. He is swimming in the company of another known male, DL0370, who is also a member of one of the Saguenay’s two male networks. The belugas are swimming in all directions, probably in search of food, when a few individuals of the herd vocalize at the surface. We notice two groups of large individuals in the distance, surely bulls, which are swimming in a straight line upriver.

Our boat is offshore, opposite the Grandes Bergeronnes River. Visibility is excellent. Early in the encounter, about ten adults are dispersed one by one. In less than an hour, they are joined by some forty other adults. They form groups of up to ten individuals swimming side by side. Their frequent changes of direction suggest that they are hunting for food. DL0204 is identified swimming in the company of Vita, Frima and DL0014.