Tagrorqual à bosse
Rorquals in the Fjord and Sperm Whales
A new species is visiting the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the first time this year: the sperm whale. In…
Stars of the St. Lawrence
They exude an aura of magic that animates evening get-togethers along the shores of the St. Lawrence. Every year, visitors…
Gaspar, Guadeloupe and Aramis Put on a Show!
Although the start of the season has been a quiet one, whales seem to have finally arrived in the St.…
Large Rorquals in the Gulf
This week, large rorquals were present all around the gulf. A blue whale made an appearance near Sept-Îles, minke whales…
Fin Whales Are Back!
This week, marine mammals were not deterred by the snow and wind from parading up and down the St. Lawrence.…
Return of Tic Tac Toe
To begin these field notes, we first need to travel back in time to September 1999. It was one of…
Arrival of Tic Tac Toe
While some communities are eagerly waiting for the ice to break up on the local river or for the tulips…
White Whales Mark the Return of Spring
This past week in the St. Lawrence, strong winds, inclement weather and rough seas did not make easy to observe…
Why are some whales two-tone?
Many whales feature both dark body parts and light body parts. This is the case for a number of species…
Big gulps in the bay
The day is calm with a quiet whisper of a wind, while out in the bay, a few dark spots…
Humpback Whale Season Winding Down
As winter approaches, migratory whale species are slowly beginning to leave. Although humpback whales are becoming more scarce, the waters…
Action on the Horizon
Whether watching through their binoculars, through the lens of their camera or with their own two eyes while squinting from…
Cetaceans by the Dozen
A dozen or so humpback whales have been observed in Gaspé Bay over the past week. A few individuals approach…
Autumn Winds
Mariners are well aware that in fall, storms often produce strong winds from the east or northeast. While some enthusiasts…
Fog-shrouded Waters
This past week was marked by the presence of fog almost all across the St. Lawrence. Mingan Islands, La Malbaie,…
Dolphin, harbour porpoise or…fish ?
It is a beautiful evening of observation, a magnificent sunset, a refreshing breeze, a most grandiose panorama. The eyes turned…
Are there fewer whales in the St. Lawrence this season?
On both shores of the St. Lawrence, many folks are concerned about the paucity of whales observed in the river…
A Drive Down the “Whale Trail”
Between Tadoussac and Kegaska, Route 138 hugs the coast of Quebec’s Côte-Nord region for over 850 kilometres. Dotted with magnificent…
Swimming against the current
After the pioneering belugas that ventured into Baie des Ha! Ha! last week, this week it is the humpbacks’ turn to…
Entangled Humpback – A Chronicle
On Wednesday, July 13, a humpback whale was spotted off the coast of Les Escoumins accompanied by a calf that…
Exploratory Belugas
Belugas made headlines this week when a group of a dozen or so individuals was observed in Baie des Ha! Ha!…
Memorable Observations
When it comes to marine mammals, sometimes no two days are alike. For several weeks, a resident of Tadoussac had been…
“Now the season can start!”
A certain enchantment can sometimes develop between whales and the naturalists who observe them. For naturalist and wildlife photographer Renaud…
A Funny Coincidence
Belugas took full advantage of their first day of calm in the Saguenay Fjord. Many light-coloured backs were present in…
Humpbacks Stealing the Show!
Exuberant, splashy, and ubiquitous, humpback whales sometimes tend to turn our attention away from other cetaceans. And not only when…
Spring Arrivals
Every year, when the month of April kicks off in the Haute-Côte-Nord region, an indescribable emotion begins to flow through…
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…
Giants Under the Ice
On the St. Lawrence, it’s ice and more ice as far as the eye can see! In the Gaspé, where…
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…
Humpback Serenades Begin in September in Canada
As the autumn foliage grows brighter and the days grow colder, the humpback whales in Canadian waters are slowly beginning…
Whales in words and pictures at the CIMM (more!)
You don’t always need to see whales live to fall under their charm. Thanks to the selection of books (all…
The Magic of Dawn and Dusk
It was a bountiful week on the St. Lawrence this week, with spectacular marine mammal viewing to locals and visitors…
Conceiving the Inconceivable (2/2): Templates for Humpback Whale Songs
As early as the 1980s, whale song research pioneer Roger Payne stated that “It is inconceivable that such rapid and…
With large rorquals… in the rain!
My name is Stéphanie, and I’m one of GREMM’s (Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals) research assistants for…
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…
Conceiving the Inconceivable (1/2): Metamorphosis of Humpback Whale Songs
Cultural transmission is a widely-accepted hypothesis within the scientific community to explain the movement and transformation of humpback whale songs through space…
Migration in Full Swing
Migration is truly underway in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is in full swing at the tip of the…
Field Season Debut and the Return of Two Stars: Tic Tac Toe and Ti-Croche!
Back on the water for the 2021 season. It should be a great summer offshore, between Tadoussac and Les Escoumins.…
Dinner is served!
“The capelin are rolling like crazy here in the Gaspé,” says one observer. “At least ten humpbacks have been tallied…
Do Whales Have Hair?
All mammals have hair. At first glance, this characteristic seems completely incompatible with the image we have of whales, animals…
On the lookout for big blasts
Friday, May 28: It’s barely the crack of dawn on the dunes of Tadoussac when Laetitia from the Tadoussac Bird…
Technological Innovation: Filming the Secrets of Sleeping Humpbacks
When researchers placed a camera on the back of a humpback whale, they probably weren’t expecting an hour-long video during…
Educational Podcasts on Marine Mammals
Itching to set sail in search of marine mammals? Virtual experiences are available thanks to the following list of podcasts…
Valentine’s Day, Cetacean Style
Signs of affection, saying “I love you” and showing it with sweet gestures. Such is the essence of Valentine’s Day.…
Belug-ice
Between the snow squalls, a small group of belugas weaves its way through the ice floes off Les Bergeronnes on…
When it comes to whales, how can we remain optimistic about the future?
In the realm of conservation and research, long-term efforts to further our knowledge about cetaceans and protect them continue. This…
Generosity For Your Loved Ones… and For Whales, Too!
The 2020 holiday season will come with its share of challenges, just like the periods of adaptation that we all…
Dead Humpback Found in Varennes Victim of Ship Strike
On June 10, the team from Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine performed a necropsy on the whale, meaning…
Visiting Humpback in Fluvial Estuary (Québec City – Montréal)
The humpback as an ambassador for a greater cause We understand the emotional aspect of the situation. Local residents who…
My dream is to swim with dolphins or whales. What would be the impact of such an activity?
In many places around the globe, ecotourism organizations offer the opportunity to swim with marine mammals. Whether we’re talking about…
Sometimes, Best Way to Help Whale is to Leave It Alone
Many people have been writing to us to express their concern about the humpback whale currently in Montréal. We appreciate…
Post-whaling Recovery: The Beautiful Story Of Humpbacks
This year in the St. Lawrence, no fewer than 13 mother-calf humpback pairs have been identified by teams from the…
Travelling “down south”… by Albert Michaud
By Albert Michaud This winter, I had the chance to leave Quebec and go “down South”. Not to the Caribbean…
Trap-Feeding: a New Creative Feeding Method
Innovation often derives from need. So has been the case for humpback whales off northeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Humpbacks…
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,…
Young Humpback Found Stranded in Godbout Given Second Life in Tadoussac
On the shores of the Côte-Nord region, near Godbout, a small humpback whale was reported to Marine Mammal Emergencies on…