{"id":44804,"date":"2018-09-07T15:45:01","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T15:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baleines.wpengine.com\/?p=44804"},"modified":"2019-10-16T15:45:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T15:45:31","slug":"september-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/en\/september-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"September Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just before students head back to school and knitting season returns, the long Labour Day weekend has allowed thousands of vacationers to flock to the North Shore and Gasp\u00e9 regions. And the whales were also plentiful!<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Perc\u00e9<\/b>, a park warden posted atop the cliffs of Bonaventure Island on September 4 spots two spouts to the southeast. \u201cI point my telescope and bingo, two fin whales are swimming practically side by side.\u201d A few minutes later and a little farther south, he spots two more large spouts: another duo of fin whales! At the end of the day, as he prepares to head down to the boat launch for the last departure back to the mainland, a large blow to the northeast catches his attention. \u201cI return to my telescope and point it in the direction of the spout, I see a huge breath, a light gray mottled back, a tiny dorsal fin\u2026 no doubt about it, it\u2019s a blue!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One whale-watching captain has been encountering blue whales every day for weeks. \u201cI\u2019ve been seeing between one and four individuals in\u00a0Gasp\u00e9 Bay\u00a0<\/b>and at the mouth of the bay, one of which shows its tail when it dives. It\u2019s been there for at least three weeks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who chose to observe whales from the rocks of\u00a0Les Bergeronnes\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Les Escoumins\u00a0<\/b>or on the water have been lucky enough to observe blue whales, fin whales, minke whales, humpbacks\u2026 Tall column- or balloon-shaped spouts have shooting up in every direction. \u201cI don\u2019t know which way to turn!\u201d exclaims one observer posted on the docks in Les Bergeronnes who can see the animals well, even without binoculars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our collaborator Ren\u00e9 Roy has observed a seventh blue whale calf this season, this time in Baie de Mille-Vaches opposite\u00a0Longue-Rive<\/b>! Further details can be found in his\u00a0Field Notes\u00a0<\/i><\/a>(in French only).<\/span><\/p>\n

At\u00a0Pointe-des-Monts\u00a0<\/b>on September 1, the sky shows a purplish hue and the river is calm.\u00a0 About 1\u00a0km from shore, three balloon-shaped spouts rise into the air: two adult humpbacks and one juvenile are swimming together. Our observer also notes the presence of two fin whales, minke whales, porpoises, gray seals and even the daily presence of a harbour seal. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since we\u2019ve seen seals like that!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On September 1, about 20\u00a0km east of\u00a0Baie-Comeau<\/b>, our observer writes that she has been regularly observing minke whales, a few seals and a solitary humpback. Surprise! The following day, she observes two humpbacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Sept-\u00celes\u00a0<\/b>Bay, Anik Boileau, researcher at the\u00a0Sept-\u00celes Research and Education Centre (CERSI)<\/a>, observes three fin whales and two juvenile humpbacks, one of which has numerous traces of killer whale attacks on its tail.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 31 in the\u00a0Mingan\u00a0<\/b>region, the\u00a0Mingan Island Cetacean Study<\/a>\u00a0team observes two humpback whales that had been identified in Maine a few weeks earlier. They also spot two fin whales.<\/span><\/p>