Sightings from our day on the Bay of Fundy

Hi Everyone
Yesterday i went out on two whale watching trips one at 10:30 in the morning and the other at 1:30 in the afternoon. Each trip we sighted humpback whales and on the 10:30 trip we also sighted a blow of a fin whale. It was to far away for us to catch up to so we continued to the buoys where we found Foggy, Chablis and Willow. Willow decided to leave the group and go off on his own. We continued to watch Foggy a female humpback i hold near and dear to my heart. I remember Foggy when her mother Bermuda brought her to our Island many years ago. Now she is a mother and had a calf last year. She didn't fluke up yesterday but she has a very distinct dorsal fin that is very curved. Chablis is a male who showed us his pectoral fin and his beautiful tail. I got a chance to take this picture of Chablis tail.
On our next trip the first humpback we sighted was Sockeye who has an overbite. His lower jaw juts out and up over the top. So that is the first thing you see! As we travelled closer to the buoy we sighted Willow again and then Sockeye and Willow joined up with each other. AS the sun started going down we could see lots of spouuts on the orizon but it was to far down for us t get there before the sun went down. As we started towards the buoy again we could see 5 whale spouts. By the time we got there they had dispersed, and then we sighted Squiggle and her calf. We didn't stay with them long because we sighted 4 spouts up ahead. They were busy feeding by the buoy and was not bringing up their tails to id but looking at their dorsals we figured out who three of them were. They were Southpaw, Baton, 0034, and an unknown. Gannets were diving everywhere, and Sooty and Greater Shearwaters were floating in huge rafts on the water. We also sighted two puffins and wilson storm petrels, porpoises and a seal. All in all we has a good clear day with lots of whales.

Bird Pictures

Hi Everyone
Richard Stern sent in some pictures he has taken over the weekend spent at his cabin on Brier Island.They are pics of an eastern bluebird, pectoral sandpiper, baird's sandpiper, palm warbler and a northern harrier. Thanks for sharing Richard!

Pectoral, Baird's, and Raptors.

Hi Everyone
This afternoon was a windy one but clear so i decided to go to pond cove and look around. My friend Richard was there bird watching and had his scope along. We sighted 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 1 Least, 5 Greater Yellowlegs, and a kingfisher diving for fish. Also high overhead soaring over were Turkey vultures, and an imm. adult bald eagle. A merlin was passing through and 2 Northern Harriers. Lots of green-winged teal at the bottom end of the pond and a few Great Blue herons around. Grey seals were bobbing in the surf and splashing around also.
On my way back to the car i sighted 2 cedar waxwings and more turkey vultures. Her is some pics of the pectoral who was curious of me and a bairds sandpiper.

Bird Sightings

Hi Everyone
Very windy on the island today but i did manage to get a hike to Northern Light this morning and ran into Eric Mills who had been sea watching at Northern Light. He noted Kittiwakes in the distance, 5 parasitic Jaegars, Lots of Northern Gannets flying by and some shearwaters. I sighted two turkey vultures while walking along northern light. Robbie Denton sighted 7 Great Blue Herons flying by in a group today. There has been lots along the shore and in the trees on the way out through the harbor. Also groups of Blue jays and Northern Flcikers moving through our Island.

Broad-winged Hawks

Hi Everyone
Today while going up through Digby Neck i sighted small kettles of Broad-winged hawks forming. In Lake Midway there was about 100 in a kettle overhead. My husband also sighted a kettle over Western Light. Great conditions today will probably start seeing more and more hawks fly through.

Black Vultures

Bernard Forsythe reports two Black Vulltures with Turkey Vultures near Western Light this morning.

A good number of all the regular raptors plus TVs during the day today on strong N winds.

Little Blue Heron

Hi Everyone
Eric Mills passed along his photo's from pond cove of a Buff-breasted Sandpiper taken August 20, 2009 and the Little Blue Heron taken September 1, 2009.

Cloud Oldest documented Whale

Hello Everyone
Went out whale watching this morning although today was a bit foggy the sun tried to peek through. At least the sea conditions were great the water looked like glass out there today. Today we sighted the oldest known documented whale named "Cloud". Cloud is a male and he was sighted from when he was a calf until now. He is now 32 years old. Although there is older whales than him researchers sighted cloud when he was a calf when the study of whales had first begun. It was great to see him today because we haven't sighted him all summer. We had reports he was over in the Grand Manan area hanging out. He was feeding and boy his breath sure smelled of fish ! Peeeeeeyooooooo!
He also found a bit of kelp to roll in and enjoy. He is some pics from today
Enjoy!

Minke Breach

Hi Everyone
Recieved these photos from James Hodgson who was one of the passengers from our trip yesterday. They went to the cafe on the end of long island and watched the fog roll in and out. Here is the pictures from that also. Great pics James! Thanks for sharing them.

Minke breaching, humpbacks, dolphins and seabirds

Went out whale watching with my husband this afternoon on the 1:30 cruise and went out the southern end of the Island. Along this shore you can see greenhead and then we sighted about 12 turkey vultures lining the shoreline.The rock ledges where seals like to lay to we sighted grey and harbor seals and on gull rock we sighted a immature bald eagle. Outside these ledges we could see a Minke whale surfing in the rip created by the ledges and then low and behold it started breaching over and over again. I captures these shots from our cruise. It was amazing to see and the Minke whale really seemed to be enjoying it as much as we enjoyed watching his acrobatics!
We then left the minke in search of humpback whales. About 6 miles off Western Light we sighted Cornucopia with another whale we couldn't Id because it didn't bring up its fluke. Further down we sighted another three humpbacks traveling together with about 6-8 atlantic white-sided dolphins! First ones i have seen all season. The three whales were Identified as Lace, Foggy, Vector. We also sighted : 1 Common tern, 1 Pomarine Jaegar, 6 puffins, wilson-storm petrels were everywhere, some greater and sooty shearwaters along with Northern Gannets. All in all we had a pretty fantastic trip!

Eastern Bluebird

Hello Everyone\Went to the fireman's breakfast this morning and on my way back home i noticed two eastern bluebirds with 3 fledglings in the trees fluttering back and forth. So i went home and grabbed my camera and out i went down the road on my sons bycycle to capture this photo on the hydro line. I also captured a photo of a yellow-rumped warbler.

Sightings from our Island on land and sea

I got an email from Julie who walks Dartmouth point alot. SHe spotted two Whimbrels and just sent me a picture. Will post as soon as it is downloaded.
Shelley was on out a research cruise yesterday and came across a single whale that she identified as a Sperm whale! You never know what you might see. You can view her blog on my link list to the side.
Today at pond cove i sighted two northern harriers, 1 buff breasted sandpiper, semi-palmated plovers, semi-palmated sandpipers, sanderlings. Also spotted an adult bald eagle.

Whales and Birds

Hi Everyone
Today started out as a nice clear day with a bit of a fog bank rolling in. I took these photo's this morning as the sun was rising over Freeport and you can see the fog rolling in. Went up to the bird banding station and a big group of migrate birds finally started to move through and into the nets. I took my newphew up and he was treated to many species of birds he had never seen before. I have posted some of the pictures i managed to get before i had to leave to go on the morning whale watching cruise at 10:30. By that time the fog started to roll back in and it had breezed up a bit but this didn't deter us and as we got out to the ledge area we sighted meteor, magpie and lagoon.
We then headed in and Shelley and I jumped ship and went on the Mega Nova for the 1:30 cruise.
As we headed out Northern Light on our second cruise we sighted a Merlin fly by!
Lots of Great Blue Herons sitting up in the trees as we went passed the lodge out through the passage. We went out to the ledge area again and sighted up to 8 different humpback whales! These included Lagoon, Magpie, Foggy, Slumber, 0985, Teather, Froth, and Blanco. We went in towards Gull rock and stopped at the ledges to view the harbor and grey seals. We had a lovely view today of basalt rocks and a cliff called greenhead.
Some of the birds we sighted out there today were: Red-necked phalaropes, gannets, 1 puffin, wilson storm petrel, greater and sooty shearwaters, and 1 hummingbird buzzed by us.