The dance of Stalagmite and Tmain (28/08/11)

L-R: Rafal setting off in search of whales; Humpback diving; Humpback fluke; Flipper slapping - you can see Stalagmite's other flipper underwater.

L-R: Top left side of Stalagmite's fluke; Spyhop; Hug me;

Bottom: Perfect ending to a fabulous day.

And so it happened....the ride out to the whales was long and very bumpy but no sooner we found two we found 11. We had a successful tag and were treated to the wonderful dance of Stalagmite and her friend Tmain. They were both very curious and circled our boat (which is apparently unusual for such BIG animals) and displayed a number of behaviours including spyhopping (poking head out of water as if to have a look), flipper slapping (turning onto the side and slapping a flipper repeatedly), tail slapping (launching the whole peduncle out of the water and slapping the water), breaching (launching the whole body out of the water), double breaching (both breaching simultaneously) and rolling (lying on their back and sticking both flippers upwards as if in praise).

What a day...and tomorrow is our day off as we await the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

(P.S: Click on the collage to zoom in)

Tagging a fin whale

I have arrived in the tiny town of Long-pointe-de-Mingan and am enjoying the hospitality of the folks at the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS). Due to bad weather we were unable to head out on the water on the first day so - we found the next best thing and practiced! Of course we don't use our hands to do the tagging but this gives you an idea of what the tag looks like (note it attaches to the whale via a suction cup). The last picture shows Rene using the VHF system to track the tagged whale. The beeping gets stronger and louder when the whale comes up to the surface and we can follow it from a distance until the tag automatically pops off at a stipulated time - ready for collection!

The data you get about the whale's dive behaviour includes acceleration, depth, temperature and direction allowing you to visualise exactly what the whale was doing underwater. Its amazing what we can learn using non-invasive techniques like this one.

This beautiful replica of a fin whale is in the MICS museum. DEFINITELY worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. Its small but has so much information and the murals and sculptures are truly fantastic. The team members give visitors a tour and explain all the science behind studying these great creatures. They also run whale watch tours or you can join a researcher on the water - check them out at www.rorqual.com

On a final note - I went for a walk on the beach and saw my first minke whale swimming around not more than 50 m off shore. I am SO excited to be here!