Bay of Fundy's "Old Thom"

First of all, my apologies for the lapse in posting and I hope this one makes up for lost time! If you recall, in my last post, that we never know what we are going to see in the Bay of Fundy on any given day, or whale watch cruise for that matter.  No visitor has captured our hearts as much as the Orca, who first made his appearance to us in 2008.  He is not a known whale to researchers, but has since been dubbed "Old Thom" by the many who have seen him or heard of him.  We're not sure how this came about but it may be from someone making the statement that he keeps returning to the Bay of Fundy like an old tom cat, hence the name.

That, however, was not the first sighting of him.  Our colleagues at the Center for Coastal Studies documented him in 2005 while they were on their annual Northern Gulf of Maine survey cruise.  Our first impression of him was that he was not very big and from later research, we found out that he was a juvenile at the time.  We also wondered, why is he alone? That answer didn't come  until much later.  To make a long story short, it turns out that males have a very strong bond with their mothers and if the mother dies, the young male loses any connection with their pod and are on their own.  So essentially, Old Tom is an orphan.  Don't despair though!  He seems to be quite the social butterfly.  Each time that we have sighted him, he was accompanied by a large pod of dolphins and we are puzzled as to whether he is in company of them or sees them as a potential meal.  Our zodiac Captain once witnessed Old Thom feasting on an unsuspecting harbor porpoise.

Tail Lobbing next to the boat

Through the years, he returned occasionally to the Bay of Fundy and is now a full grown adult. Old Tom is also no stranger to the fishing industry.  Each winter, we get reports of lobster fishermen seeing him while out pulling their traps so he seems to be remaining in the area of south west Nova Scotia.  Why?  I wish I knew!  But hey, who am I to tell him that he's not welcome?  He can come visit me anytime!

2010

2010

2010

2015

2015

2016

2016

2016

Every Trip is Different!

This past week, I received a CD from one of our regular whale watchers and friend which documented her many whale watching experiences here on Brier Island and throughout North America.  In her notes, she commented that no matter which whale watching cruise she was on, the common phrase seemed to be that every trip is different.  And that is so true, especially here in the Bay of Fundy where we have been visited by varying species of cetaceans, the most common being; fin, humpback, North Atlantic right, and minke whales as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins, Atlantic white beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises.  We never know what is going to appear on any given day, or the quantity for that matter. Hence, in the introduction to our whale watch, I always use that key phrase, "Every trip is different!" Over the years, we have been visited by a beluga whale, sperm whales, blue whales, pilot whales and also orcas.

Well, my different trip happened in 1991, when a lone Beluga whale made an appearance along the shores of Long and Brier Island.  We were just heading home from a very successful whale watching cruise and we spotted something white travelling in the water.  At first, the Chief Naturalist thought it was an albino seal and we kept going by it.  Myself and another volunteer, who were posted on the bow that day, watched the "seal" behind us as we slowly moved away.  I insisted that we turn around and have a better look because even though I was new, I knew that it just didn't look like a seal.  As we got closer, the crew identified it as a beluga whale, a species that belongs further north.  We only saw it on that day but it was something that I have never forgotten.

In the Beginning........

So being a naturalist on a whale watch boat, we get ask a lot of questions, whether it be about the boat, the whales, the Bay of Fundy or of a personal nature.  The most common question of a personal nature is whether I'm from Brier Island.  The answer to that is no.  I grew up in a small community called West Lahave which is on the South Shore of Nova Scotia.  It was here that I was first introduced to Brier Island through a local interest program called "Land and Sea" which was produced (And I believe this show still exists) by CBC.  The topic that evening was about whale watching with Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises, a newly formed whale watch company whose roots stemmed from research of humpbacks in the Bay of Fundy.  I was in awe, and was so disappointed that the show was only a half an hour. I vowed that evening, that some day I would go to Brier Island to see the whales!

I was working in Halifax in 1990 when my friend, Paul, invited me to go along with him to Brier Island to watch whales.  You can imagine how quickly I jumped at that!  We decided to go the first week of July and take in a 1:30 departure.  The cost at the time was $30 and I really had to scrounge to come up with the money for the whale watch, accommodation and for my share of the gas money.  We both worked at Atlantic Photo Supply in Halifax and we were able to leave the same time on Friday.  We stayed at a B&B in Sandy Cove and travelled to Brier Island the next morning.  We stopped in at the whale watch office, checking that the departure was still on schedule and sure enough it was and I was pumped!

Our whale watch boat, the MV Cetacean Venture

We got to the boat in plenty of time so we could get a prime seat, behind the Captain of course, knowing that he would keep the whale on the starboard side to be sure of its location at all times.  It was a full boat that day and when the last of the passengers were boarded, a naturalist gave an opening speech, pointing out on a poster what whales we may see that day.  And then we were off!  It was so nice to be out on the water.  I really had never been on a boat that much other that a couple of times on the Newfoundland ferry and on several harbour cruises in Halifax Harbour.  It was nothing like the Bay of Fundy.  I have to admit, I was a bit of a sceptic that day, thinking that we're not going to see any whales.  My luck lately, had not been the greatest and I was being a bit of a pessimist.  Then Paul said, "I see a spout."  My answer was, "Yeah, right!"  Of course I didn't believe him.  But after a while, I saw it and started doing the thing that I tell our passengers not to do right away, is taking pictures.  At that time, taking pictures from a long distance, was an expensive venture as it was slide film, expensive to buy and expensive to develop.  No digital cameras then!  We got so much closer and I was so excited to see my first whale, a large fin whale.  I listened to everything that the Naturalist was saying about them being the second largest whale in the world and that they are also called the "Greyhounds of the Sea" because of their speed. I didn't take my eyes off that whale!  And then, it started to surface feed!  What a sight!  I was really hooked! Eventually it was time for us to return to port and  I vowed at that time, that I would return to Brier Island and see more whales! And the rest is history.

Fin Whale

Surface Feeding!

Whale Watch tourist visiting the wharf at Digby in 1990

And now for something completely different.......

So after many years of updates of whales on Facebook, I have decided to start a blog.  And you'll never guess the subject....of course, WHALES!  It has been suggested to me on numerous occasions, that I should write one but me, being my humble self, has always been hesitant.  Buy hey, why not? There's some pretty interesting stories to tell of these whales, some good and some, not so good.  And why not share them with you, my friends, who have encouraged me throughout the years, even with just a "like" on my Facebook posts.  So, as small and brief as this is, it is my first post.  An introduction of things to come.  I may even have to dig out some old whale watching pictures,  I think this is going to be quite fun, just to reminisce  over the years.  So, stay tuned!  The best is yet to come!