Come May of 2019, the sea seemed to tug her northward and she was found gliding through Eyjafjörður in the chilly arms of Iceland. Whether she chased the promise of spring herring or was pulled by memory and ancient instinct, only the deep knows. But she lingered over there for at least a week—no surprise, with the fjord shining like cold glass in the Arctic light.

Fast forward, and Ryan popped up in Mobile Bay during July of 2022. After two years without a whisper, she burst onto the scene in Witless Bay in July 2024, before sneaking round to Bay Bulls the very same day. No grass grows under those flippers, let me tell you. She’s the sort to keep watchers guessing, vanishing over the horizon just as the camera focuses.

Have you seen Ryan? If you spot her, your photos and stories help fill in the empty spaces between the waves. Every sighting patches the grand quilt of humpback journeys and helps us get cleverer about where these giants roam (and why). Your eyes make the research possible, so do share what you see!