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Wildlife
Reports
2005 Wildlife
Report
by Dave Snow
The year 2005 started with two
giant squid washing up on the northeast coast. Next, we heard
reports of springtime pilot whales at the edge of arctic ice… a
surprising occurrence considering these whales are more commonly
found off the Azores or pursuing summertime squid and herring in the
deep bays of Newfoundland.
By late June the centuries-old
patterns of whale distribution were in full swing as huge numbers of
humpbacks arrived off St. John's and the Northeast coast of
Newfoundland and Labrador. From June to August our tour participants
reported excellent numbers of fin whales, minkes, and humpbacks (we
have the world's largest gathering of these playful acrobats). It
was also a wonderful year for spotting humpback calves and many of
our guests were treated to some unforgettable encounters with
playful calves and yearlings. We were fortunate to get some great
tail photos which are used for identification and censusing
purposes. The mother and calf photos are especially useful as
researchers track these whales through the generations.
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Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge |
During July, a pod of three orcas
was seen in the St. John's area and they seemed to delight in
worrying the humpbacks. Here are two photos of a humpback’s tail
following one orca attack. The first photo shows the damage a couple
of days following the attack while the second shows the same tail
after several weeks of healing.
Our
Northern Whale
Study introduced us to an orca pod of seven animals — all
females and juveniles. We watched this pod surround a group of three
humpbacks. We collected what we believe to be the first underwater
vocalization recordings of local orcas together with the dramatic
trumpeting of the frightened humpbacks.
During the summer some of our
guests also saw fin whales (the planet's second largest animal),
white beaked dolphins, white sided dolphins, harbour porpoises,
minke whales (the smallest baleen whale) and a single beluga. Our
whale research network provided two reports of an orca superpod in
July — with the pod numbering 30 animals. Sadly our Trinity Bay
sperm whale swam out of the bay after providing reliable sightings
for over a year; but overall 2005 was a wonderful, whale-filled
season.
It was also a great year for bird
watching and sightseeing all around Newfoundland and Labrador.
Several holidays generated interesting trip lists of whales, birds,
butterflies, rare plants, and rare animals. After 20 years of
telling birdwatcher guests not to expect to see a summertime dovekie
(the tiny, Greenland-nesting cousin of the puffin and murre) we had
two different tour groups spot individual dovekies along the coast.
The rare animal sightings include basking sharks, sea turtles,
several vagrant songbirds, and several sunfish.
We continue to coordinate the
Newfoundland and Labrador portion of the global census of humpback
whales and our catalogue of local orcas continues to grow. We
continue to welcome all photos and stories. Your contributions make
our day! |
