Hello from PEI where the temperatures are below -5 C in the pit and much much colder above ground in the wind (1).

    We met up with the PEI Conservation Officer, and made our way out to the dig site with the help of a snow plough that the PEI government paid to clear the road to the whale graveyard for us (2). We used the excavator to dig a large pit (3), and thanks to the map of the area provided by the Conservation Officer, we found the remains of the whale (4).

    The bones appear to be relatively free of flesh, but the entire carcass is encased in a thick tough blubber with a very blue skin. Many of the bones appear to be broken, but are repairable (5), and we have removed the right scapula (the world's biggest shoulder blade) (6). After 20 years in the ground, there is still a lot of tissue to be cut and removed (7).

    We are going to be joined tomorrow by 5 volunteers from the University of Prince Edward Island Veterinary College. They will help us to cut into the whale to assess the condition of its ribs and vertebrae.

    The size of the whale is overwhelming. It is one thing to be told how long it is, but it is another to stand on it and see just how big a 160,000 pound animal really is (8).

    As of tonight, we are feeling very optimistic that we will be able to recover the skeleton.