Saturday, April 09, 2011

2011 Naming and a New Facebook Page

Hello everyone, I hope that you have all had a great winter. I don't know about you but I am ready for spring to really arrive (and STAY) and then for our 2011 whale watching season to begin! Nick, Jolinne and myself are all back as your naturalists and we are itching to get back on the water of the Bay of Fundy.

It's almost that time of year again, the time of year when naturalists and researchers from the Gulf of Maine get to name all of the unknown humpbacks and returning calves from 2010. We have 2 unknowns that we saw during our 2010 season that are up for naming and if you think of any great names please pass them along. As before there are rules to naming humpbacks...

- Each name can only be used once
- Names can not be gender specific....so even if you think of a name like "Daisy" because you see a flower patter on the tail that name will not be choosen because it is also a female's name.
- Must be for a mark on the tail (sometimes the dorsal fin or the trailing edge of the fluke) and not a specific event related to the whale.
- No brand names aloud...humpbacks will not be used for advertising

and

- the names should be short and one word


There was another unknown whale that we did see in 2010 but as I mentioned in a previous post this whale washed up dead on the shore of Brier Island in December of 2010 so this young whale will not be given a name but will be given an official number in the catalog which I will share with you when I can.

We have a new Facebook Page! I changed the page for a number of reasons but this will allow us to organize our photos better and make changes to the page and allow you to receive updates on your wall. Please "LIKE" us on facebook.

On a non-whale note....I have become utterly fascinated with watching a bald eagle cam in Iowa. The pair has 3 young eaglets, less than a week old and they are amazing. CLICK HERE to check them out.

Also, on a personal note, this coming June I will walking in the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Petawawa, ON. My boyfriend's mom lost her battle with ovarian and uterine cancer last November and she was one of the most generous and beautiful women I have ever met. If you would like to sponsor me and help find a cure for cancer please CLICK HERE.

Thanks so much for checking in and check back often for updates on the whale naming!

Cheers,
Danielle