A Whirlwind of Observations Amidst the Snowflakes

It’s during strolls along the coast that the most exciting—and most unexpected—observations sometimes occur! While hiking with friends along the shores of the Haute Côte-Nord region, one naturalist had the privilege of stumbling upon a large white bird. “As we approached our first observation site, I saw a large bird take flight. I quickly shouted out, ‘Snowy owl!’” Quebec’s national bird, the snowy owl was classified “Threatened” earlier this year by COSEWIC, with human activity being cited as the primary cause of its decline. To avoid disturbing the animal, we keep our distance!

The group was also surprised to see a minke whale and a harbour seal during their walk. “Any not just any minke whale: It was Ba004 a.k.a. Fidèle. The first minke whale I saw in 2025, on April 5, was the same individual as the last one I spotted, on November 23,” the naturalist points out. This minke whale is part of the catalogue maintained by Mériscope, a research station based in Portneuf-sur-Mer.

A little farther east of Tadoussac, a wildlife photographer and naturalist reports a pair of minke whales, as well as the powerful blows of two fin whales and a group of harp seals. “Seeing large spouts in late November, whether up close or from afar, is not particularly unusual, but it is awesome!” Powerful blows were also spotted between Franquelin and Baie-Comeau. The first ones were identified as three blue whales, but those sighted a few days later were attributed to a different species: “I think they were fin whales this time, because the intervals between breaths were really too short to be blue whales,” suggests the seasoned observer.

One quiet Wednesday afternoon at GREMM’s offices in Tadoussac, the doorbell rings, distracting us from our work. A delivery? A lost tourist? Actually, it was a local villager who came to tell us that he had just spotted two minke whales close to the docks! We greatly appreciate his efforts, especially considering the howling winds outside. After all, it is thanks to dedicated observers that we have enough material to write this column week after week!

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.

• Maxime Esther Bouchard
• Marie-Andrée Charlebois
• Hélène Guitton
• Jade-Audrey Lavergne
• Diane Ostiguy
• Pascal Pitre
• Renaud Pintiaux
• Guillaume Savard
• Marielle Vanasse