WHALES!

All the wildlife in Newfoundland was a big draw for us in moving here. Especially when we heard whales can be seen from the shore! So once the Capelin rolled in we started going out in search of whales as often as we could. 

Our first few trips were not successful, but at least one included a neat look-out point and a box of Timbits, so it was a success in it's own way. (Timbits are Tim Horton's donut holes -- Scott says if you haven't heard of Tim Horton's, you've never actually been to Canada). We don't actually like Tim Horton's, but we crave and consume them nonetheless!

This little lady can pack away 8 Timbits in a sitting. And she is not above swiping other people's drinks.

Not a bad view, eh?

Several times we heard about sightings of really active Humpbacks in a location we had been at only an hour earlier. This was one of those times.

But during the second week in July we hiked out Torbay Point and along with incredible views, we saw our first whale, and our first glimpse was of the tail! Humpback whales only lift their tail above water when they are taking a big breath and then diving down deep for a longer period of time. Seeing a tail right away was a thrill! We were told by fellow whale watchers that they were both Minke and Humpback whales. We thought it was so cool how when the whales are near the surface, the water around them turns a very light blue and their white markings are plain to see. 

Unfortunately we only have a couple cell phone pictures from that hike since our camera was acting up. And we don't have a single picture of a whale. Here are some pictures of the hike:

Traipsing down the boardwalk...

...and disappearing into the woods.

The wooden stairs had lines carved into them for traction. They looked like the letter X and the boys called them "expats."

Just past this spot we saw our first whale! 

Ian and I stood here while the whales played below us. Ian is showing how big the whales were. This picture doesn't show how steep and scary the ledge was. I've grown accustomed to holding tight to a child's hand on these hikes and repeating the refrain "if you start to slip, sit down!"

On these adventures Joseph is always pushed the brink of his hiking abilities. He is generally a happy hiker, but when he gets tired he'll say "When we get to that stickin' out bush right there, can you please carry me?"

Here they are standing on the edge of the peninsula. I'd like to say the picture makes it look worse than it was, but they really were probably only a couple feet from a sheer cliff. The memory of doing these hikes is always scarier than it is to actually experience it. 

After our first sighting we were hooked. The next week Scott joined us on his lunch break for a quick trip up to Cape Spear for a picnic. We were hopeful that we'd see some more whales but had to settled for catching glimpses and seeing a bunch of mist from their blowholes. 

The irises were in bloom. Newfoundland seems to have one cheery wildflower after another. 

Racing to the lighthouse. Though we'd been to Cape Spear twice before, we'd never gone up to the lighthouses. 

 Helen is always thrilled to have time with Daddy.

This fence was more picturesque than it was helpful. 

Spontaneous trips sometimes mean wearing a skirt to the windiest place on earth. But it was worth it for the chance to see a whale and some extra time with Daddy.

We were determined to see some whales really put on a show, and we'd heard fabulous things about the whale watching tours out of Bay Bulls, about a 30 minute drive from our house. So on Saturday the Coopers babysat all afternoon while we went to see the whales up close. We felt terrible leaving the boys out of it, and have vowed to go again next year and take them along. 

Only a couple minutes off shore we began hearing the telltale blowing sound and seeing misty sprays. Scott had a front row seat!

 See the mist? 

Beginning to dive...

 and the tail!

We couldn't believe how close this zodiac got to the whales. 

We were a bit let down by the whale tour in that we didn't have the close encounters that many of our friends had experienced. We got to see lots of tails, but that was because the whales wanted to get away from us and kept diving deep, and then staying under. But really, any chance to see a whale in the open sea is really special.

We learned a bunch of interesting facts about the Humpback whales: they put on 5 feet of blubber during their time around Newfoundland (June through October-ish). They return to the Caribbean to give birth and they do not eat again until they return to Newfoundland. They sleep with only half their brain at a time, for about 4 hours total per day. The half that is awake is keeping watch for their only predator, the Orca. Between 200 and 300 Orca live in these waters and they are known for attacking weak, young or elderly whales. A Humpback can break the back of an Orca with it's tail. Humpbacks grow to be 50 feet in length, weigh up to 50 tons and live about 50 years. 

Next up was Gull Island, with gulls, murres, and puffins!

Puffins are only 8" tall. They are ridiculously cute, especially when they attempt to fly. When they'd be in our boats' path, they'd drag their bellies along the surface of the water flopping up and down, and then eventually give up and dive down below to safety. Puffins can dive more than 200 feet under water!

 

Image from Wikipedia

The lumps on the hill are puffin burrows. They dig them for their young, and each tunnel has two chambers: a nursery, and a bathroom. The eggs are laid about a month before the Capelin arrive, so that when they hatch there will be plenty of food to eat. Baby puffins don't leave the burrow but are brought Capelin daily as they grow. When the puffins are a few months old, the Mom and Dad puffin leave enough fish for a few days and then take off into the open sea, where they will spend the rest of the year. When the baby runs out of food it leaves the borrow for the first time, falls off the cliff into the water, and makes it's way out into the ocean to fend for itself. Four years later it returns to the same island to mate. 

The island was covered in birds!

They are mostly Murres, a penguin look-a-like that lays an egg on the edge of the cliff. The egg has a flat bottom so it doesn't roll off. 

Image from Wikipedia

There were also some Kittiwakes, a type of sea gull. But unlike its' cousins who hang out in the McDonalds parking lot, the Kittiwake is pelagic, meaning it spends it's entire life out at sea, except for when it breeds and lays eggs on the cliff, in a nest made of seaweed.

The island seemed to be painted in beautiful patterns. The white is bird poop, and the scent is strong. Right about this point a bird pooped on my leg.  

It was a beautiful, hot (80 degree!) day, and the scenery was spectacular.

Especially when I faced this way...

It was a fun afternoon together. We've got a couple more months of whale season left and we hope to have lots more whales in our future!