The wind carried salt and song across the waves as Jillian surfaced, her sleek back glistening in the early summer sun. Mornings like these, with capelin flickering in silver clouds and the haze lifting from the hills of Newfoundland and Labrador, seem made for road-tripping whales, or sea-tripping, as it were.
Jillian first made a splash near Mobile Bay at the very end of June 2026, leaving behind a quick plume of breath and a memory for those lucky enough to be watching. Word of her arrival had barely drifted on the sea breeze before she was spotted again just a few days later, near Pee Pee Island. Out there, where seabirds tumble and the rocks sit like loyal old dogs, Jillian’s white-fluked tail drew a few cheers from the boats bobbing nearby.
Not one to linger long in any one spot, Jillian carried on up the coast, surfacing with a flourish in Witless Bay by mid-July. Whether she was chasing fish or simply enjoying the company of another fleeting humpback, her presence turned a regular day into pure spectacle for those ashore. Local watchers couldn’t help but feel the exhilarating pull of the sea when Jillian lifted her grand tail and slipped beneath the surface, as if inviting everyone to follow her wide, wandering path along the coast.
Have you seen Jillian? If you’ve been lucky enough to catch a glimpse—or snap a photo—of this wandering whale, your sighting could help fill out the tapestry of her story. Every shared moment out on the waves helps reveal the mysteries of migration and the surprising places whales like Jillian choose to visit.
Humpback whales can travel thousands of kilometres each season, but many return year after year to the same feeding grounds off Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mobile Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
June 30, 2026
Pee Pee Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 3, 2026
Witless Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 14, 2026
This is Happywhale's real data for this whale. The story above was generated based on these details, and a few creative assumptions.
Now that you've met Jillian, introduce them to your friends! Share this page directly below or to post as a social media story. Use #HelloHumpbackNL in your post to stay connected to all the other whale stories from Newfoundland and Labrador's coasts.
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By submitting to Happywhale, your sighting can become part of Jillian's data. Not only will it make their story richer for the next time they're spotted, but you'll become part of a global citizen science effort to better understand our oceans and the humpback whales that call them home.
