Sur la route des baleines au Québec

Postcard CA-381370 from Canada shows a North Atlantic minke whale from a whale-watching cruise near the mouth of the Saguenay River in Québec, Canada. Minke whale, or petiti rorqual, can be classified into two species: Common minke whale or northern minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) that includes the North Atlantic minke whale subspecies, the North Pacific minke whale subspecies and dwarf minke whale subspecies; and Antarctic minke whale or southern minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Minke whales, measured 7 meters and weighted 4-5 tons in average, are not in danger of extinction.

The postcard has a 63-cent Montreal Canadiens^® stamp, from the NHL Canadian seven-team commemorative stamp series, depicting a current team jersey as well as one from 1946; and a permanent Superman stamp, one of the five from the set issued on September 10, 2013 to honor the superhero’s 75th birthday and his Canadian roots.

Alaska: Humpback Whale's Tail at Moonrise

Humpback Whale's Tail at Moonrise

I can't believe that it has been ten years! I bought this card when I attended ASPRS annual conference at Anchorage, Alaska from May 5 to May 9, 2003. There were several others in the set, along with a couple of shaped cards and a bronze postcard. I like them very much and wanted to keep them as my personal permanent collections. However, I recently realized that a better way to appreciate them was to share them with my friends. This card is going out today as US-2213857 to Taiwan.

Two Whales Frolic in the Ocean

The postcard sent to Belarus as US-1834439 was part of the Alaska collections. There are actually two whales shown on the card. I had not noticed that for a long time before I sent it out on August 25, 2012.

Update: Another Alaska postcard showing a winter cabin illuminated by the eerie glow of Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) was sent to China via ICardYou on May 8, 2013.

Northern Lights