Mist curled along the sea's edge as Eleanor surfaced, her broad back breaking the morning calm near Cape Bonavista. It was July, and the capelin rolled in thick, sending seabirds into a frenzy. Eleanor, ever the seasoned traveller, had company—a little calf at her side, rolling and splashing in her wake. Motherhood, it seemed, suited her.
Eleanor didn’t linger long in one place. She was glimpsed again off Cape Bonavista the very next day, her calf never far behind, both wrapped in the summer mist. The rugged cliffs watched their passage; the ocean, with its shifting moods, seemed to know them well.
Come September the following year, Eleanor took a different course, weaving north to the wilds beyond St. Lewis, Labrador. There, the coastline stretches untamed, and the air tastes of salt and spruce. Whatever drew her up past the reach of most, maybe it was the promise of quietude or a school of herring answering the call of autumn.
Eleanor surfaced again in July of 2025—this time in Trinity Bay, skirting the coves and rocky inlets. At her side, another calf kept close, learning the language of the waves. By the summer of 2026, she graced Ship Island with her presence, the sun glinting off her slick sides as she moved with purpose through the blue. Eleanor’s story, punctuated by the appearance of calves, dances between memory and mystery, a line of gentle footprints drawn across the map of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Have you seen Eleanor? If you’ve spotted her or snapped a photo, your contribution could help fill the next chapter in her adventure. By sharing what you see, you add to her story and help unlock the wonders of whale migration and the riddles still left unsolved.
Did you know that humpback whale calves grow up to a metre every month while nursing? Eleanor’s calves were catching up to her in no time!
Off Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 10, 2022
Off Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 11, 2022
St. Lewis Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
September 4, 2023
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 31, 2025
This is Happywhale's real data for this whale. The story above was generated based on these details, and a few creative assumptions.
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