On a day when the sea was dotted with capelin and the sun played hide-and-seek behind gentle clouds, Heather slipped through the cool Atlantic waters like a spirit of summer. There's always been a certain grace about her—steady, calm, and a touch mysterious, as if she’s quietly mapping every cove and inlet for herself.
Back in July 2017, Heather was first noticed near Witless Bay, swaying with the swells in that lively, music-filled place where puffins dart overhead. With her grand return in 2020, she was found gliding off the rugged shores of Trinity Bight—her presence turning heads among seabirds and seafarers alike.
The next summers cast further clues to her story, with twin sightings just off Salvage Head at the end of June and the dawn of July 2022. Whether she was chasing schools of fish or simply soaking in the endless blue, Heather lingered long enough for another glimpse east of Eastern Island a few days later. Islanders might say the current favoured her, for on July 11, 2023, she surfaced near Trinity again, right on cue as if marking an anniversary of her old routes.
Her latest curtain call was in July 2025, back in Trinity Bay, trusted stomping grounds lit by the brilliance of northern sun and the silvery flash of herring. Each sighting builds a patchwork map of Heather's wanderings—proof of the magic stitched into these coastal waters.
Have you seen Heather? If you have a photo or story to share, adding your sighting could reveal more of this gentle whale’s journey and help us understand where she goes between visits. Every piece of information brings richness to her tale and helps us follow the trails of migration and mysteries yet unsolved.
Humpback whales, like Heather, can travel thousands of kilometres each year between feeding and breeding grounds—a true marathon in the open sea!
Witless Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 11, 2017
Off Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 25, 2020
Off Salvage Head, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
June 30, 2022
Off Salvage Head, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 1, 2022
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 Heather, 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 Heather'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.
