Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Finbacks and Minkes sighted by Island Quest!

The first finback of 2008!!!
We had an amazing day today here at Island Quest! The first fin whale of the 2008 season! The sightings were great, I almost forgot to take photos! haha. The finback whale is the second largest whale in the world and can reach 80ft in length!! Island Quest was privileged enough to be one of the first St. Andrews whale watchers to find this magnificent mammal thanks to the help of the local fisherman. Captain Chris estimated the fin whales length to be approx. 60 ft!!


The weather was great today, the winds cooperated and our guests were wonderful! A full tour of Whales, Eider ducks, American Bald Eagles, Guillemot, Harbour Seals and Porpoise made for a spectacular day out on the Bay of Fundy.

Hope to see you all here in St. Andrews at Island Quest Marine, St. Andrews most recommended Whale and Wildlife adventure.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Greetings from St. Andrews by-the-Sea!

Another spectacular whale and wildlife season is upon us once again!

The 2008 season has started off with great sightings, our local seal population were the first to greet the Island Quest and it's passengers upon entering the Bay of Fundy. We have two species of seals here, the Harbour Seal (4-6ft in length and approx. 200lbs.) as well as the larger of the two, the Gray Seal (6-8ft, reaching a weight of approx. 733lbs.!). The conservation status of both the Harbour and Gray seals are of lower risk, ranging from least concern to nearly threatened.
Another Island Quest favorite has been spotted regularly on our 2½ to 3 hour cruise, the Harbour Porpoise. The Harbour Porpoise is one of the smallest ocean mammals, their size ranges from 4.6 - 6.2ft in length and are on average 120lbs. Considered a threatened species, the harbour porpoise is not commercially hunted. These little guys are the hardest to photograph because they're just so darn quick!
Our nature cruises just wouldn't be complete without seeing those majestic American Bald Eagles, a regular for the experienced Island Quest crew to point out. Recently taken off the endangered species list, the Eagles here in the Passamaquoddy Bay-Bay of Fundy region are thriving. Here are a few photos I've snapped since our opening June 10th! Hope you enjoy!






Getting the Island Quest ready for launch day with the help of my neice and nephew, Hannah and Dylan, they love to help out with the boat!




Great views of an aquaculture site from our top deck!



Local Cormorants, one of the many types of birds we see aboard the Island Quest. Notice the outstretched wings, cormorants are less water resistant than other diving birds so they dry themselves by holding open their wings.

One of my favorites, the mature American Bald Eagle sitting atop one of it's usual hang outs. Stunning!