Winter Wildlife on the Bay of Fundy with the Island Quest Family

We are so fortunate to be from and live in such a beautiful place year round! Yesterday we had the opportunity to head out and do some birding in and around the Fundy Isles and we were able to capture some great shots!

Common Eider Ducks

Our trip started off with these beautiful ducks, male and female common Eiders. Males exhibit the white and black plumage while the females are a lovely warm brown. Rafts of these ducks can be found all over at this time of year, with the occasion gull species mixed in! You never know what you may see when looking in these groups, just the day before a King Eider was spotted but alas, we missed it this trip.

Male Bufflehead

Our next stop led us to this handsome man, a male Bufflehead. When seen in darker lighting these ducks appear to be strictly black and white but when the sun hits the head, you see the gorgeous iridescence!

Harbour Seal

And of course to round out our trip we couldn't miss spending some time with a marine mammal or two! This busy harbour seal was playing in the Old Sow at the tip of Deer Island at high tide.


We were lucky to witness a spectacular sunset and even more lucky to enjoy that sunset on the water between the islands.

Check back in for more photos from beautiful St. Andrews by-the-sea and surrounding area and updates on the BEST whale watching company in New Brunswick :)

Cheers,

Nicole :)

Winter sunset with the Island Quest Whale and Wildlife family. 

A chilly January in St. Andrews!

Brr! What a beginning to 2015!

2015 has started off with a blast, a blast of cold air! Air temperatures have been hovering around -25°c (-13°f) with water temperatures of around 4°c (39°f). 

A chilly view of Passamaquoddy Bay.

Cold air temperatures mixed with warmer water temperature creates the smoke you see on the water in the photo above, which makes for great sunrises and sunsets!

We have been recapping some of our favourite Island Quest Whale Watching moments from 2014 on our Facebook and Twitter pages and here are just a couple photos!

Minke whale breaches right beside the Island Quest while whale watching in the Bay of Fundy!

A VERY close encounter with a Finback whale from the Island Quest while whale watching from St. Andrews.

After much deliberation and consulting with our awesome whale watching friends, we had to share these two photos from our 2014 Whale and Wildlife watching season. 

The first photo is one in a series of many that was taken that trip. We had a very energetic Minke that wanted to show off for our whale watching guests, breaching in excess of 100 times! Whale watching truly at its best!

The second photo shows the HUGE rostrum (snout) of a large Finback whale (approx. 70 feet) just about to surface within inches of the Island Quest! The fuzzy thing in the bottom left side of the photo is actually a guests head!! Such an unreal experience! 

If you want to see the video from this, here is the link to the video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152249310196432&set=vb.62722301431&type=2&theater 

We will be adding more of our favourite moments from the 2014 season here regularly so check back in! :) 

Can't wait to see all of you this summer aboard the BEST whale watching boat in New Brunswick - The Island Quest!

Cheers,

Nicole :)

Great White Shark in the Bay of Fundy - Island Quest

Good Evening Wildlife Enthusiasts!

If you haven't already heard, there has been a sighting of a large Great White Shark just minutes from St. Andrews in Passamaquoddy Bay, a small section of the Bay of Fundy!

Great White Shark Sighted close to shore - Bay of Fundy. Island Quest Marine.

We are privileged to have St. Andrews Sport Fishing Co., part of Island Quest Marine Whale and Wildlife Cruises, working with Dr. Steve Turnbull - a Bay of Fundy resident Shark Biologist to do research on and help conserve shark populations in the Bay! Together with Dr. Steve and St. Andrews Sport Fishing we offer the once in a lifetime experience of catching, tagging and releasing large sharks in the Bay of Fundy! The most extreme fishing adventure you can imagine with Shark Biologists on board to tag these amazing creatures!

Not only have we had some amazing shark sightings, but the whales have been performing some phenomenal acrobatics! Check out this Minke whale in a full BREACH! :)

Breaching Minke whale captured on a whale and wildlife cruise with Island Quest Marine. 

Amazing! This is one of 30+ breaches we got to witness and we even had 2 whales breaching at the same time!! We have been so lucky to have regular sightings of these awesome animals along with all our usual favourites; Harbour seals, Grey seals, Harbour Porpoise, Bald Eagles and even those awesome sharks!! :)

Hope to see you all soon aboard St. Andrews most recommended whale and wildlife cruise, the Island Quest!! :)

Cheers,

Nicole

Humpbacks heading into the Bay of Fundy!

We have heard some fantastic news from fishermen - reports of Humpback whales entering the Bay of Fundy! Hoping this news is a good indication for an amazing 2014 season!! 

The Island Quest is in the water and ready to go and we were so excited when we received news from Trip Advisor! We have been awarded the prestigious Certificate of Excellence! 

We are so proud to receive this nod from the awesome community that is Trip Advisor! 

We can't wait to see you out this summer aboard St. Andrews best whale watcher! :) 

Cheers,

Nicole :) 

Bay of Fundy Whale Watch Giveaway!

Hi Whale Blog Friends! 

We are doing a HUGE giveaway for SIX FREE WHALE WATCH tickets with St. Andrews best whale watcher! :) You can find our page on Facebook, Island Quest Whale & Wildlife Cruises, and enter for your chance to win! 

If you don't have Facebook you can post a comment to our blog to be entered as well! :) 

The weather has been beautiful! We are so ready for some whale watching! 

Cheers,

Nicole :) 

Bay of Fundy Whale Watching at it's Best!

Good morning whale watch friends!

What a glorious morning here in St. Andrews! The sun is shining and the robins have moved back into town and that's a sure sign Spring has started!

With an increase in temperatures in the Bay of Fundy region, there is also a rise in water temperature! Rising water temperatures and longer day length triggers the growth of phytoplankton - small, sometimes microscopic marine plants! :) Phytoplankton is the base of the food web in marine environments and plays a vital role for whales! It's almost whale time!! :)

Different species of Phytoplankton
 

Whales start their migration into the Fundy Isles region, usually mid-June with the first sightings consisting of Minke whales and Harbour Porpoise. The Fin or Finback whale is the second whale to arrive in our waters, typically early to mid-July. Humpback whales arrive around late July and the rare and endangered North Atlantic Right Whale are sometimes seen in our waters as early as August or sometimes as late as October.

Watching a Minke Whale off Head Harbour Light, Bay of Fundy

 

 

We are counting down the days until the beginning of the season, Captains Chris, Rob, James and crew cannot wait to see you aboard the Island Quest for what will be one of the most memorable days of your life, time spent with whales! :)

 

 

Check back in for more updates and posts about whales and all things Bay of Fundy and St. Andrews!

 

 

Cheers,

Nicole :)

Bay of Fundy Sunrise from St. Andrews by-the-sea and Island Quest :)



 

 

 



Warming Weather and Whales on the Move!

 

 

The maritimes have been hammered this winter with some severe storms, including the weatherbomb that hit the east last week bringing 50+cm of snow and 200+km/h winds in the Bay of Fundy!! The good news - it's finally starting to warm up!

We are hearing reports from Florida and Georgia that the Right Whale population is on the move! Heading to their more northerly feeding grounds, the whales are making their way up the coast with their new calves! The Bay of Fundy is the summer home to some of those very special whales!

 

Pictured here is Mom and Calf pair!

 

We are looking forward to an amazing season of watching Minke, Finback, Humpback and Right whales along with all of our other favourites from the stable and spacious Island Quest! Have you made your reservation yet? We are booking up quickly for the 2014 whale and wildlife season! Hope to see you all soon!
Cheers,

Nicole :)

Bay of Fundy Sunrise - a beautiful start to a morning of whale watching!