The fog was lifting over Trinity Bay, curling around the headlands like a lazy cat when Lilly, a grand lady of the humpback clan, left a trail of misty spouts in her wake. Salt on the air and seabirds wheeling overhead — it’s just the sort of morning when a whale might decide to stir up a little wonder.

Lilly’s story has windswept edges, like the coastline itself. It all began in late July of 2017 among the green cliffs and bustling puffins of Witless Bay. For several days she lingered, sometimes slipping down to Bulls Bay before returning to familiar waters. Her broad back and tail broke the surface, a living marker for anyone lucky enough to catch a glimpse.

Just as quick as she arrived, she vanished from sight for a few turns of the calendar. Come August 2020, Lilly surfaced anew around Renews Rocks, as if she’d never left, carrying with her a tale only the tides could tell. The next summers saw her weaving between Salvage Cove in Trinity Bay and Cape Bonavista, rolling through the cold blue straits like a thread in a patchwork quilt.

Come 2023 and 2024, Bonavista and Trinity were graced by her presence, ever the seasoned traveller, never in a hurry. By 2025, she was seen off Tickle Cove, where the capelin run thick and the waters churn with life. There’s a delicious mystery to her wanderings, and every sighting adds another ripple to her story.