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This
started out to be a regular report on the summer, however, it did
not get continued past the July 17th entry.
The comments below have been added to round out the season.
July
5, 2000
Don't
let anyone ever tell you that you can't see whales in June or July
in New Brunswick! If they do it's because they have never been to
Grand Manan to go whale watching.
We
have been out to the whale watching areas around Grand Manan several
times beginning on June 20th this season and have had some great
whale viewing. There have been a group of up to 9 fin
back
whales feeding daily just east of White Head Island. These animals
give a new meaning to the words "synchronized swimming".
The size, speed and grace of these whales will astound you. We
ventured farther "up the Bay" one day in late June and
found 4 North Atlantic right whales. This number should increase
steadily to about 60 to 100 animals very soon. We can only hope!!!
There are only about 325 northern right whales remaining in the
world, so this area presents, perhaps the best opportunity anywhere
to see them. We usually see one or two minke whales every day as we
do harbour porpoise and seals.
There
have been lots of pelagic seabirds so far this season - razorbills,
murres, guillemots, greater shearwaters and an unusual number of
sooty shearwaters, gannets, storm petrels and, yes, we often see
puffins! Over a hundred one day!
July
17, 2000
The
right whales have arrived in significant numbers now. The most we
have seen in one trip so far was a group of about 30 just over a week
ago. We usually see some of these whales every day now.
The
fin
back
whales have also increased in number to 15 or 20 in the area and have
been feeding in the same area as the right whales. This makes for
some great viewing.
We
saw our first basking shark of the season on July 16 and there are
lots of sea birds most days.
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The
rest of the season:
By
the end of July there were about 70 right whales in the Bay of Fundy
around Grand Manan Island, so we had some real good viewing for the
rest of the summer. The fin back whales seemed to peak at a
population of around 30 that we could depend on seeing regularly, and
a few humpback whales were present throughout August and September.
White
sided dolphins were observed on 6 different occasions in groups of
60 to 100 animals. These are always fun, making for some great photo
opportunities. Basking sharks were almost a daily occurance from mid
summer on, and the sea birds were real good this summer. We saw one
or two minke whales almost every day throughout the summer.
Overall
our weather was great for the 2000 season as were the whales and
birds of the Bay of Fundy. We are glad to share the home of the
whales with visitors from all over. If it is whales you want to see,
then it is Grand Manan you need to visit - remember, "the whales
call it home!"
We
want to thank all those who sailed
with us last season. You helped make our summer a success. We
hope you will be able to join us again
and we look forward to sharing the whales and birds of the Bay of
Fundy with many new visitors this coming season.
Back to Past season Reports page
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