No calls but orcas nearby 6+ transients just headed south ~250 off the lab, just as the light was fading!!! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!!!!  Leah, Angela, Hella, Cindy, Conrad, Benton and dogs! 31 Dec 2011 17:14:02 PST

Superb sounds!! Nice clear calls with no boat noise!! Leah 31 Dec 2011 14:02:12 PST

Distant calls audible. We just heard a distant call on Flower Island. We can only see ~6 orcas at the bottom of Blackfish Sound at the moment. Also, a correction...we have not seen the T19s today. Leah 31 Dec 2011 13:37:01 PST

No calls but orcas nearby It appears that the group of 4 females (maybe one is a sprouter) and 2 juveniles are eating their sea lion as numerous gulls hang over head. The T002Cs, T020 & T021 are in the area too, but have been doing there own thing. At one point T020 took to hunting another sea lion 10m off the lab!!! We don't think he was successful. They are all still in the area spread in their original groups, but even though we put a new battery at our local hydrophone it is still not working. We cannot be sure if they are vocalizing or not?!? What a morning!!! Leah and amazing crew! 31 Dec 2011 13:11:28 PST

No calls but orcas nearby Angela and James reported 2 male and 2 female transients heading west at Ledge Pt. (Pt. McNeill) around 1:30 this afternoon. There may have been more orcas, but there was quite a bit of chop with the strong SE winds. Leah 29 Dec 2011 21:14:27 PST

No calls but orcas nearby 8 transients quietly traveled south in Blackney Pass at 11am. A group consisting of 1 male, 1 female and a juvenile swam along the far side of the pass while 2 females, 2 juveniles and a calf swam ~200m off the lab. We were able to observe them for half an hour before they headed into Johnstone Strait. ID's to come!! Leah and Hella :) 29 Dec 2011 12:19:30 PST

No calls but orcas nearby Just got a report from Jim Borrowman that 4 orcas were off Telegraph Cove heading east at dusk, including T19B. The wind was blowing SE 30kts at the time! The T18/19s were in the group off the lab yesterday, so it appears that they are still in the area. Perhaps that was them chatting on Flower Island earlier this afternoon...unless there are more orcas around?!? Leah 27 Dec 2011 16:59:34 PST

No calls but orcas nearby The transient calls only lasted for about 5 minutes. The orcas have not ventured south into view even though the current is flooding in. Leah 27 Dec 2011 14:00:22 PST

Distant calls audible. Transient calls in Blackfish Sound! Leah 27 Dec 2011 13:24:44 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

5-6 transients headed south past the lab towards the sea lion haul out where they milled, spyhopped, tail slapped and circled off the rock. One very large male sea lion remained hauled out while approximately 10 sea lions made the jump in, but it appeared that there were no casualties. The orcas then turned north and headed 20m off the lab at high tide towards Blackfish Sound. They were vocal on Flower Island before harassing the sea lions. 
Leah and Angela
26 Dec 2011 15:44:31 PST

No orcas present.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Hanson Island!!! It is a beautiful, rainy day here with a light NW wind blowing through, as we sit here hoping for some orcas to sing everyone a merry tune! Hope you all have a wonderful day or night, wherever you are :)
Leah, Angela, Pat, Derek and dogs :)
25 Dec 2011 09:48:40 PST

No orcas present.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone! http://on.fb.me/sXJwWA 
Helena & Paul
24 Dec 2011 09:34:56 PST

Performing maintenance

Right after I installed the new batteries on Parson Island the sun came out and lit up the solar panels!! It is overcast now, but everything is a go!!
Leah
20 Dec 2011 14:33:20 PST

Performing maintenance

Sorry everyone, but our internet connection from Hanson Island has gone down. It will probably be down for a couple of days, but we hope to be back again by the Solstice. Thanks to Leah!
Paul & Helena
19 Dec 2011 19:19:06 PST

No orcas present. Jim Borrowman caught up with the humpbacks in Beaver Cove for photo ID. They then continued east in Johnstone Strait :) Leah 17 Dec 2011 17:05:44 PST

Maureen and Dave Towers just reported 2 humpbacks traveling east in front of Alert Bay!! Wonder who they are?? Leah 17 Dec 2011 13:40:55 PST

No orcas present.

Pretty quiet around here over the past week or so. It is another grey, intermittently rainy day here in Blackney Pass while the SE winds blow.
Leah
16 Dec 2011 13:28:13 PST

Distant calls audible.

A few very faint calls? came over the house speaker around 5pm. It was hard to tell whether it was orcas or dolphins, so here's hoping they speak up again!
Leah
13 Dec 2011 17:25:55 PST

Boat noise

The boat noise has been fairly consistent over the past couple of days. Right now it sounds as though a tug is rearranging its log tow in Robson Bight. Above water it is another calm, beautiful day here on Hanson. Cetacealab also reported A4 and A5 calls in Squally Channel yesterday. 
Leah
09 Dec 2011 12:37:58 PST

Just an update about yesterday's orcas. The transients had split into two groups and Jim reported that one group headed west past Alert Bay and the other group appeared to be heading west out Queen Charlotte Strait. Then Alex reported 4 orcas, 2 males and 2 females, heading west past Ledge Pt. (which is west of Alert Bay) at 4pm. 
Leah
06 Dec 2011 18:51:02 PST

No calls but orcas nearby I might have been a little excited when I reported 30 orca to Helena and Paul, but they were moving so fast it was hard to get a good count. There were at least 20-25 transients porpoising in Johnstone Strait. After they reached Weynton they made a quick turn to the east as they headed to the Vancouver Island side. Not long after, Jim Borrowman, reported that they had made another turn back to the west at Blinkhorn, porpoising the whole while! The T10s, T26s and T18/19s could be seen in the group, but that only accounts for 9 individuals. We will keep you posted on further identification. Leah 05 Dec 2011 16:53:45 PST

No calls but orcas nearby The transients are still moving quickly westward towards Alert Bay. Helena 05 Dec 2011 13:38:31 PST

Distant calls audible. Leah, who was at CP, when the transients went by, reports that there were 30!! transients headed west now angling towards Weynton Pass. Helena 05 Dec 2011 12:46:02 PST

Superb sounds!! We have been listening to lovely varied transient calls in Johnstone Strait. The whales are westbound past Cracroft Point. Helena, Leah & Paul 05 Dec 2011 12:22:57 PST

Distant calls audible.
There are transients calling and echolocating in Blackney Pass as the current begins to flood in. Beautiful starry morning here!
Leah
03 Dec 2011 04:32:19 PST

Performing maintenance
Thank you J Stream for getting us up and running again, you are so great!
Helena, Leah & Paul
02 Dec 2011 09:52:43 PST

Performing maintenance
We are back & streaming once again.
Leah, Helena & Paul
02 Dec 2011 08:25:15 PST

Performing maintenance
Sorry everyone, we have another problem with our internet connection. This time it's a power issue in one of the links in our wireless network. Leah will get to it as soon as the weather allows, though it won't be today because of yet another storm. Thanks for your patience & our best wishes to you all.
Paul & Helena
29 Nov 2011 12:00:02 PST

Performing maintenance
It seems as though we still are not streaming even though the internet is up and running again. We are trying to get audio back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.
Leah
28 Nov 2011 16:41:46 PST

Distant calls audible.
Dolphins! There are dolphins in Johnstone Strait.
Leah
28 Nov 2011 15:14:12 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
The severe winds and tides caused the internet to go down, in Alert Bay late saturday afternoon, but we are back up and running now. Unfortunately, this meant that we were unable to stream the A4s and A5s in Johnstone Strait yesterday :( At 4:45pm it sounded as though they came in through Weynton and headed east to Robson Bight. Hopefully, they managed to find a snack as a lot of echolocation could be heard on Critical Point. They then turned back to the west, but resisted getting sucked up Blackney Pass by the ebb tide as they continued down Johnstone Strait. The last we heard of them were distant calls on CP and Critical Point around 2am this morning. Wonder where they are now??
Leah
28 Nov 2011 10:11:08 PST

No orcas present.
This months new moon has brought extreme tidal exchanges of ~17ft.. We have also been experiencing strong SE winds ranging from 30-40kts! The two combined have made for a pretty dramatic scene. It has been quiet for cetaceans here outside of this mornings dolphins. However, Janie heard the A36 boys up at Cetacealab last night.
Leah
25 Nov 2011 20:31:48 PST

Distant calls audible.
Dolphins. At 3 am there was a quick burst of dolphin chatter, but not long enough to ascertain where they were. Nice to know they are around!
Leah
25 Nov 2011 09:11:29 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
We got a report, from Jim Borrowman, that 6 orcas had come from the east towards Telegraph Cove and then turned back to the east at 5 pm. Maybe these were the same orcas that we were hearing in Johnstone Strait???
Leah
23 Nov 2011 20:51:25 PST

Distant calls audible.
A few more Aclan calls in Johnstone Strait!
Leah
23 Nov 2011 17:33:18 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
There were a few Aclan calls in Johnstone Strait almost an hour ago...how exciting!
Leah
23 Nov 2011 16:41:09 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
Approximately 8 transients were heading NE in Blackney towards Baronet Pass around 1pm. They then turned in hot pursuit of a meal as they porpoised and circled their prey in a tight group. After a short duration of calls and some logging at the surface they headed south towards Johnstone Strait. They were last seen traveling very fast to the east in Johsnstone. Calm, sunny day here today!
Leah
23 Nov 2011 13:47:29 PST

A California sea lion was barking amongst all of the growling Steller's this evening! Calm night here, with growing tidal exchanges, as we approach the new moon.

Leah
22 Nov 2011 21:05:14 PST

Just a note to say that Janie, up at Cetacealab, had the A34s pass by Gil Island yesterday. Pretty quiet around here outside of the strong SE winds blowing at the door!
Leah
20 Nov 2011 19:04:16 PST

Performing maintenance
The audio is streaming again for the moment. We are in the midst of testing the system. Thank you for your patience.
Leah
18 Nov 2011 11:34:48 PST

Performing maintenance
We have had to temporarily shut down the live streaming. However, if there are any calls we will be sure to begin streaming again. In the meantime a boat is moving through the network :(
Leah
17 Nov 2011 22:21:06 PST

No orcas present.
The transient calls and boat noise have subsided in Johnstone Strait. Boy did they have a lot to say on this calm, clear and starry night!
Leah
17 Nov 2011 21:00:35 PST

Boat noise
Sounds as though the transients are heading east in Johnstone Strait. Unfortunately, a boat is coming from that direction.
Leah & Helena
17 Nov 2011 19:25:19 PST

Orcas near mics.
Transients in Johnstone Strait!
Helena & Leah
17 Nov 2011 18:50:27 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
A report came in from Angela that there are 4 orca milling about in Chatham Channel off Knight Inlet. Windy, snowy day here today!
Leah
17 Nov 2011 14:56:20 PST

Performing maintenance
Up and running again!
Helena
15 Nov 2011 13:14:00 PST

No orcas present.
Leah managed to get to Cracroft Point and she found the whales headed toward Blinkhorn. They were quite chatty for a while. She identified A61 and A79.
Helena
14 Nov 2011 17:39:26 PST

Orcas near mics.
A short while ago we were surprised to hear "A" calls off Cracroft Point! They have gone silent.
Helena
14 Nov 2011 15:23:58 PST

Distant calls audible.
This morning Leah saw a group of transients enter Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound. This group (possibly the T55s) travelled half way through Blackney Pass to the northern edge of Parson Island and then turned back to the north and Blackfish Sound by 11:30am. There have been a few calls. Very changeable weather is preventing a trip to do some system maintenance unfortunately. Thank you for your patience.
Helena
14 Nov 2011 12:55:10 PST

Performing maintenance
We have lost battery power at one of the radios that run our wireless network, so have no internet connection at the moment. We will be back as soon as possible, thanks to Leah. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Paul & Helena
13 Nov 2011 21:10:07 PST

No orcas present.
It has been pretty quiet around here since the G17s came through, outside of the sea lions that is. Windy, rainy and cold day here today.
Leah
12 Nov 2011 13:46:35 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
The G17s made it to Johnstone Strait and then became quiet. We have not heard from them for ages. nice to know they are around though.
Helena & Leah
08 Nov 2011 17:08:09 PST

Superb sounds!!
The G17s are making their way to Johnstone Strait via Blackney Pass.
Helena & Leah
08 Nov 2011 14:51:58 PST

Distant calls audible.
We can hear Gclan calls on Flower Island!!!
Helena and Leah
08 Nov 2011 13:12:59 PST

No calls but orcas nearby
A lone male orca was spotted, by James, heading east in front of Alert Bay at 9:30 this morning. Beautiful, calm evening here tonight with a glorious waxing moon.

Leah

07 Nov 2011 20:57:11 PST

Distant calls audible.
If you listen very hard you can just hear the distant dolphins in Johnstone Strait.

Helena

02 Nov 2011 18:49:13 PST
 
No orcas present.
Heavy Fall winds are definitely making their way on to the coast! Very windy through the night and this morning. Yesterday, we saw humpback blows in the distance near the Cracroft Island shore. The sea lions, a bit edgy with each other finally settled down on the local rocks.

Helena

02 Nov 2011 07:31:27 PST

Superb sounds!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Paul & Helena

31 Oct 2011 22:12:53 PST


Distant calls audible.
We've been hearing transient orca calls, but aren't sure where they're from.

Helena

31 Oct 2011 00:12:25 PST

No orcas present.
There were dolphin calls throughout the early morning hours starting from about 2:30am. The calls became closer around 3:30am - 4am. This was the first dolphin calls in a while - wonder if the dolphins who have been east are arriving back here.

Helena

30 Oct 2011 08:06:21 PST

No orcas present.
All's quiet out there today. Business as usual for the sea lions. Watched an eagle snatch a big chum salmon from a sea lion and then try to figure out how to hang on to it as it struggled. The sea lion looked seriously miffed. Humpbacks went back an forth but at a distance. The ocean was calm for most of the day with a lovely gentle very high new moon tide. All in all a nice day in Blackney Pass.

Helena

28 Oct 2011 22:08:23 PDT

Superb sounds!!
Too bad about the boat noise... the transient calls continue. Judging by the echo location and whistles they may be close to Robson Bight.
Helena
27 Oct 2011 05:48:13 PDT

Superb sounds!! These transient calls are happening in Johnstone Strait! Helena 27 Oct 2011 05:05:28 PDT

Orcas near mics.
Boy things can happen quickly around here! We spotted a group of transients coming in from johnstone Strait. They were close to Hanson Island. They made the sea lions very nervous as they gave them a really close look. They continued along Hanson and as they rounded the corner a humpback began calling over on the other side! Whew! The transients are in Blackfish and the humpback....?
Helena
26 Oct 2011 12:12:00 PDT

Distant calls audible.
Thought the humpbacks had quieted down - not quite! There is someone making a few calls in Johnstone Strait. There is also a very slow boat headed east making a lot of noise. Heard dolphins in the night around 4:20am.
Helena
25 Oct 2011 06:33:37 PDT

No orcas present.
We had a couple of humpbacks pass the Lab this morning heading south with a group of dolphins all around. This is the first dolphins we have seen for a while. 3 dolphins headed in the same direction earlier by themselves. The humpbacks (were there actually 3?) were our side of Blackney Pass but did not present their tails. One of the humpbacks looked like "Nick" BCX0565. They were vocal in Blackney and again as they got into Johnstone Strait. Last night's humpbacks off Critical Point were spectacular. Thanks "Haywire" for the report on the dolphins - simply amazing!
Helena
23 Oct 2011 12:22:22 PDT

Orcas near mics.
Close and wonderful humpback calls continue near Robson Bight and transients are vocal in Blackfish Sound at the same time.
Helena
22 Oct 2011 23:51:21 PDT

Orcas near mics. The humpbacks are busy tonight both in Johnstone Strait and Blackney Pass. The tug has moved into Blackfish Sound. Helena 22 Oct 2011 21:15:02 PDT

Superb sounds!! Fabulous humpback calls! This time near Robson Bight. Helena 22 Oct 2011 20:24:59 PDT

Orcas near mics. For much of the later part of the afternoon we were aware of a rather breathy humpback in Blackfish Sound. Just a short while ago we heard calls in Blackney Pass. We believe these were also humpback sounds. Helena 22 Oct 2011 19:48:55 PDT

Orcas near mics. These transients have not gone away! They are still vocal in Blackfish Sound. Helena 22 Oct 2011 15:05:15 PDT

Distant calls audible. We had a short power outage and when we turned the scanner back on there were transient calls in Blackfish Sound! Helena 22 Oct 2011 13:22:10 PDT

Superb sounds!!
We're hearing occasional and very lovely humpback vocalisations in Blackfish Sound!
Helena
20 Oct 2011 03:12:10 PDT

Superb sounds!!
The transients continue in Johnstone Strait and a humpback is warming up near Parson island.
Helena
19 Oct 2011 20:41:31 PDT

Orcas near mics. The transients may have moved further east. Very clear calls on the Critical Point system. Helena 19 Oct 2011 19:07:30 PDT

Orcas near mics. The transients have moved on on further into Johnstone Strait. They are still close enough to the entrance to be heard also on Parson Island but most of the calls and the loudest are offshore of Cracroft Point. Continuous calls. The humpback scene in front of the Lab has calmed down. There was a lot of feeding going on much to the excitement of the birds! Helena 19 Oct 2011 17:44:28 PDT

Superb sounds!! Humpback and transient calls in Blackfish Sound - what a day! Helena 19 Oct 2011 14:32:08 PDT

Superb sounds!! The transients were very interesting. They came into Blackney Pass and went all the way past Parson Island and then turned. This was the group of females and "kids". The "kids" turnde first but were joined by the "Mums" by the time they were back opposite the Lab mid channel. T20 was seen coming into Blackney Pass as the turn was in progress. He was mid channel as well. The other group passed him, breaching as they went north. T20 then turned and followed them out. T21 may have been there as well. A humpback came into Blackney Pass parallel to the transients. Tried to see who this was because this may have been the vocal humpback from earlier. The HB did not oblige. The transients are in Blackfish now. Helena 19 Oct 2011 12:15:53 PDT

Orcas near mics. We have been listening to transient calls in Blackfish Sound and humpback calls in Blackney Pass. Both at the same time! Helena 19 Oct 2011 11:11:21 PDT

Superb sounds!! The humpback calls have moved from Blackney to Blackfish Sound. They are lovely and continuous. Helena 19 Oct 2011 03:36:48 PDT