{"id":49600,"date":"2018-08-29T15:52:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T15:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/cest-fou\/"},"modified":"2020-03-11T16:12:15","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T16:12:15","slug":"gannets-galore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/en\/gannets-galore\/","title":{"rendered":"Gannets Galore!"},"content":{"rendered":"

With her tuque snug over her ears, one observer marvels at three gannets as they dive in unison off the rocks of the Cap de Bon-D\u00e9sir<\/strong> observation site in Les Bergeronnes<\/strong> on August 26. That same day, she would see three minke whales rise to the surface at the same time, a fin whale, three belugas and a gray seal. Observations of gannets have been more numerous<\/a> than normal over the past few summers in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Even if their presence delights observers, it is not necessarily a good thing. Northern gannets congregate in colonies in the Gulf during the summer breeding season, which historically has meant that observations in the Estuary were rather limited to non-breeding birds.\u00a0However, now adults are being seen. These gannets are likely seeking their prey much farther away than usual to bring back to their nests in the Gulf.<\/p>\n

Gannets are also being observed in Sept-\u00celes<\/strong>, off \u00cele Corossol, as are two fin whales and a humpback with a newborn. But where we see the most gannets is obviously around the colony on Bonaventure Island<\/strong>. \u201cIt was snowing around Perc\u00e9 Rock,\u201d exclaimed one naturalist, referring to the coordinated dives of these seabirds with predominantly white wings. \u201cI’ve never seen such a concentration of diving gannets. There are thousands! They were after mackerel,\u201d she says about her observation on August 24.<\/p>\n