Home from the Sea

It has been a while since my last post. Being a graduate student is much different then undergrad. For one, it takes a lot more discipline since no one is telling you what you should do when. Here I am content, working on projects that are so similar to the work I'll be doing my whole life. Best of all, I am surrounded by people who are as passionate about cetaceans and the ocean as I am.

The end of the summer was wonderful. I got to go back to the small town of Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia for another two weeks of fieldwork after my whirlwind trip out west to see family and sail. There were a few windy days where we visited the east side of the island and went on a few more hikes.

Above is a photo of Pleasant Bay as seen from the Cabot Trail. It is a wonderful little town with lots of history and whales! 

As mentioned before, the winds were not always calm enough to go out on the water, so there was time to explore a bit more of the region. Above is a picture of the old gypsum mines near Cheticamp. They are now an amazing swimming hole for warm days. This was one of our stops after a nice hike.

We also visited some of the nice sand beaches on the east side of the island. Above is Neil's Harbour beach, which is a wonderful place to find all sorts of colourful sea glass. The sand is warm and fine, and the freshwater stream coming in gives this place the feel of some tropical island miles away from land. Neil's Harbour is an excellent stop along the Cabot Trial, and its beach is often quiet on weekdays.

The windy days also were the perfect opportunity to visit the local bog up in the Cape Breton Highlands just south of Pleasant Bay. It was the first time that I had ever seen a pitcher plant in the wild! Up above is the sundew plant which is very tiny and hard to spot. It feeds on small insects gnats and is a common sight in many bogs around the world (though the species my vary).

The bog itself was littered with small pools. These had tadpoles, lily pads, and more insect eating plants. It was truly a place where one felt removed from the busyness of everyday life. Best of all, there were places visible where moose had taken a nap in the long grass. 

Above is a photo of a pitcher plant flower from the bog. Who knew that such a beautiful plant could also have such a magnificent flower? There are many other beautiful pictures I took at the bog, but alas there is not room on this blog for all of them.

After the last round of fieldwork in Cape Breton, my mom came to pick me up and take me to Halifax. We spent a few days exploring the Cabot Trail. This photo is from a field of sunflowers on the drive from Baddeck to Margaree. The explosion of colours is too much to simply drive past. When the time came to head back to the mainland, we left with heavy hearts. 

Thank goodness the summer was not quite over when we got back to Halifax. After a pleasant trip to Peggy's Cove and a trip to see the famed shores of the Bay of Fundy, I finally settled into school and got down to work. So there concludes my summer. Even though the long sunny days are over, my adventures are ongoing. I will try to update the blog shortly on my fall wanderings (of which there have been many). 

Fair Winds

Wind and Whales

Wow! The last three weeks have gone by really fast. They were some of the best days of my life in many ways. When I got home to the west coast I had only about twenty four hours until I headed up to northern Vancouver Island to spend time with family, friends, and whales. Below is a photo of one of the humpbacks I encountered in the fog on a short trip out into Blackfish Sound. Both the A36 brothers and some of the A30s were also seen swimming past in the mist. Their vocalizations rang so clear through the water and were were amplified by the aluminium hull of our boat as four individuals dove beneath our boat. 

After a few days in this paradise, I  was off to sail the northwest coast of Vancouver Island with the S.A.L.T.S. tall ship called the Pacific Swift. It was a gloriously sunny morning when we set off from Port Hardy on calm glassy waters. However, it not peaceful for long. At the northerly end of Goletas Channel the swells began to roll in. The skipper decided the weather was perfect for a night run up to Triangle Island, which would be reached early in the morning. All evening the boat rocked and rolled, even in its anchorage once the island was reached. Below is a photo of our sister ship, the Pacific Grace, in anchorage besides us.

Triangle Island is truly a magical place. No one is allowed to set foot on the island without a permit and we could only go so close when we went rowing in the dories. However, despite these rules, it is excellent viewed only from the water. Below is a photo of the dories rowing through one of the expansive kelp forests found on the south side of the island.

With its vast cliffs and amazing avian life, this remote isle of rock is a scientist's dream! Channels full of sea palm, gooseneck barnacles, and giant green surf anemones give the island an other-worldy feel. Along the rocks bask large colonies of steller sea lions. Tufted puffins and other sea birds nest high on the cliffs. The photo below is of the Pacific Swift against the cliffs of Triangle.

After a wonderfully short stay there, the ships sailed south towards Vancouver Island's western coast. Sailing around a large outcrop of land we saw about fifteen humpbacks lunge feeding and travelling across the horizon. Our next shore excursion was along the south side of Brooks Peninsula. The rocky coast was strewn with rocky tide pools full of sea life. Along the shore there was even a decent sized cavern that we could squeeze into through a small entrance. Below is a photo of that coastline.

The very next day, we did another long shore walk to the Estevan Point Lighthouse. At the beginning of the trail there was a neat section of sculpted rock in an area of high sulphur (whether from springs or a combination of sources I'm not exactly sure). There were pockets of washed up seaweed that showed an incredible amount of diversity!

Beyond this part of the beach was a vast field of boulders that stretched to the lighthouse. The crossing was a little tedious, but very interesting! On the way back the tide was so high that only a narrow field of rocks was available as a path along the shore. This is one of the most scientifically interesting beach walks I have ever done.

Below is a photo of the lighthouse from the water. When we left the beach the sea was very calm and glassy. Down past the point we travelled to a place called Hesquiat Harbour to stay the night. 

The next day everyone went ashore to cook a wonderful Spanish rice dish known as paella. The whole affair took about two and a half hours over smouldering coals as each part of the meal was carefully cooked and prepared before being stirred together to simmer.

One of the last stops on this wonderful journey was a little river in Barkley Sound. Boating up the stream with grassy banks and evergreen forests behind seemed to be a wonder in itself. Through the clear water of the estuary one could see oyster beds and jellyfish. However, further up the river a whole new world of waterfalls and quiet pools greeted all. It was almost as if a piece of Hawaii had been found along the B.C. coast.

After one last full day of rain and a fun lacrosse game on a nearby beach, the Pacific Swift motored into harbour to let off its boatload of trainees. It was such a bitter sweet moment to see a community formed over ten days finally disband to bring its newfound knowledge back into the real world. In many ways I wish I would have been able to stay on the ship with all the wonderful new friends I had made, but God has other plans for me. 

I am now back in Nova Scotia with the pilot whales, dreaming of sailing the Pacific once again. Sir Winston Churchill once said, "Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." As I leave what I have known on the west coast to start a new chapter of my life, I cannot help looking forwards with a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and anxiety. What will the coming years bring?

Fair Winds!

Farewell to Nova Scotia

It's amazing how fast time passes when you're having fun! Seems like just the other day that I was landing on a rainy runway in Nova Scotia. Now a month has passed and I am once again westward bound. The time I spent in Pleasant Bay was all too short, but I guess that's the beauty of life. 

My last post ended with the Fishing Cove adventure. Above is a picture of the cove itself from the end of the trail. After seeing it from the boat so many times, it was nice to finally stand on the shore and glance seawards.

I'm going to miss the fishing boats all lined up in the harbour that always greeted us as we returned from our trips to sea. Their brilliant colours made Pleasant Bay that much more inviting. 

During the last week there were quite a few days that were rainy or too windy to go out. We didn't do any more long hikes, but walked along the MacIntosh Brook and visited the Lone Shielding. There were many beautiful sunsets and even some thunder storms.

Looking through my photos, it brings me back to the days of motoring along Cape Breton's cliffs. This is a photo of the rock faces just south of Otter Brook, where we would often find grey seals hanging out. The rugged coastline of this part of the country has a beauty like none other. Sometimes you almost feel as though you've been transported to a different world entirely.

The geology is also a part of Cape Breton that has been wonderful to explore throughout my time here. From beaches glittering with mica, to the sedimentary layering visible from the sides of rocks that flank the ocean, there is so much to learn about this part of Canada. It truly is a scientist's dream!

If you look closely among these rocky cliffs, there are numerous waterfalls and sea caves just waiting to be explored.

The whales themselves were wonderful the last few days. I woke up yesterday to flat seas and pilot whales spread across them as far as the eye could see. You might be observing a single pod, but there would be as many as nine distant groups visible on the horizon surrounding you. Hundreds of whales! One fella was even playing next to our boat, the resulting splashes being shown in the photo below.

My summer in Cape Breton has come to an end, but there will be next year to look forward to again. Now I'll be off to sail the tall ships around Vancouver Island for a while before coming back out east to begin school for the next two years. Farewell to Nova Scotia!

Fair Winds!

Stormy Seas

The days keep flying by at an unprecedented rate. As I look towards my last week and a bit here, I definitely have mixed emotions. One part of me feels like going home, while another already misses the adventures I have had in this corner of the world.

We’ve had some more beautiful sunset swims at the beach. It is always an adventure getting down to the water, as the side of the hill is so steep that a rope is needed to help everyone get down. I have done it without, but it takes a lot longer!

Down on the shore we swim and look at all the fish and seaweed beneath our feet. I have been told that there are crabs down on the beaches around here, but have yet to see one! In the sunset, our silhouettes make the perfect picture as we play frisbee and enjoy the evening.

The past few days have been windy and many of our boat trips out to the pilot whales were cancelled. On the first of these days, a couple of us headed up to the nearby Gampo Abbey. This Buddhist monastery has many quiet hikes and stunning views of the ocean. There is a beautiful tranquility to walking through their woods.

Our next adventure led us to hike a trail known as “Skyline”. We took the long way to get there, and bumped into a bull moose on the way. Even though I have seen many moose during my time here, this is the first one I have been able to snap a good photo of. The view from the end of the hike was phenomenal!

The last few evenings have been spent at my neighbor’s house, filled with good company, food, and fun. I’ve taken to playing the fiddle like a cello and have had a lot of fun jamming in the company of guitars, spoons, drums, mandolins, and other instruments.

After another full day of whales on the water, the wind picked up again giving me yet another day off. At this point I was beginning to feel like a landlubber. A bunch of us took this opportunity to go on a longer hike to Fishing Cove. It turned out to be a fantastic day. The trail meandered through the forest, following the river down to the sea. The rocks making up the beach were full of mica, so they glittered as the sun hit them. On the way back we even stopped at a beautiful waterfall pool in the river for a swim. After finishing the trip with ice cream, it was back home for a quite evening. Below is a photo of a mum and newborn pilot whale calf. The strips down its sides are fetal folds, which can take up to a year to fade away.

Today we were back out with the whales. It was such a joy to be out on the water! Even the pilot whales seemed relieved to be free of the crashing waves. Far across the horizon many different pods could be seen slowly travelling through the vast blue ocean.

Fair Winds!

Wind on the Water

Another week has passed and my adventures have continued to amaze me day by day. Some days the whales are far off in the distant ocean and we must travel miles out to find them. Other times they are waiting right outside the harbour for us.

I have seen them breach besides the boat and spy hop all around to check us out. Sometimes they merely travel by, but they often come close enough to the boat to give those who come to see them a good look. One thing about the Cape Breton is that the water here is clear enough to see many things beneath the waves. This includes the whales. Seeing the whales under water has been one of the most spectacular parts of my summer thus far. Often the pilot whales flip upside down as they swim under us, showing their light anchor patch.

We had a curious minke whale swimming close enough to the boat the other day, that we could see the white on it's pectoral flippers and the outline of the cetacean as it came up to breath. I got some photos, but since those are on the lab camera, I will have to show them to you at the end of the summer. On the topic of minkes, I was lucky enough to see one breach about ten times in a row the other day! This is phenomenal for a species that rarely is seen partaking in a behaviour made famous by the humpbacks. 

Perhaps the cutest thing out on the water are the newborn pilot whales! Complete with a floppy dorsal fin, fetal folding along their sides, and a sugar-lips smile, these awkward babies make you smile as they leap up for air. Every day we seem to see more. 

The sunsets here definitely rival most others I’ve seen, as the sky seems to always wear shades of pink, purple, and orange come nightfall. 

I have to run off to work now. Since I’m not done with the week’s adventures, I will write more soon J

Fair Winds