By Renaud Pintiaux<\/p>\n
The year\u2019s off to a great start! January 2: I\u2019ve no sooner arrived at Cap de Bon-Desir, and, standing on the boulders, I spot a large spout offshore. The whale takes five breaths and then arches its back as it dives. I watch it through my binoculars. It\u2019s a fin whale! Ten minutes later, it\u2019s back again. Even if this individual is far away, I take a few photos to confirm the ID. A nice treat to kick off the new year!<\/p>\n
The other highlight of the week concerns belugas. On January 7, I\u2019m near the ferry port in Les Escoumins. Much to my surprise, I observe between 300 and 400 belugas offshore (and this is a conservative figure!). This is the first time I\u2019ve ever seen such a gathering at this time of year. I observe multiple groups of several dozen belugas as well as several lone individuals. One section of \u200b\u200bthe river is literally filled with belugas!<\/p>\n
Also worth noting is the presence of several groups of harp seals, including one group numbering over 110 individuals in Les Escoumins on January 7.<\/p>\n
As far as birds are concerned, there are a few nice flocks of purple sandpipers (see photo taken at Cap de Bon-D\u00e9sir), a late common loon and of course numerous sea ducks (Barrow\u2019s and common goldeneye, red-breasted mergansers, black ducks, long-tailed ducks, etc.).<\/p>\n
Not to mention the striking landscapes and those breathtaking winter skies\u2026<\/p>\n
A new year commences, and with it, new adventures on shore and later, on the water.<\/p>\n
Happy New Year to all!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Renaud Pintiaux The year\u2019s off to a great start! January 2: I\u2019ve no sooner arrived at Cap de Bon-Desir, and, standing on the boulders, I spot a large spout offshore. The whale takes five breaths and then arches its back as it dives. I watch it through my binoculars. It\u2019s a fin whale! Ten […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":39941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[401],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-field-notes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n