Distant calls audible. At least the A4 group came back to Robson Bight from the Rubbing beach. We caught them on our Robson Bight cam at 9:20pm. We lost track of them as we were losing light. Sounds like they are still near the Bight.  Am 31 Jul 2018 22:05:44 PDT Orcas hunting fish. Today was full of orca movement. Although the different groups seemed to have separate agendas they somehow managed to keep in touch with each other at various different times through the day. Here are the various threads we followed. We previously mentioned that during early yesterday evening (about this time actually) some of the A30s tried to follow the A4s and A42s into Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound but turned around and retreated. They were eventually joined once again by some of the A4s (1:18am)who had gone west in the Strait and slipped out via Weynton Pass. After a brief and distant exchange between the A30s and this A4 group, the I15s came out of Queen Charlotte Strait and followed the A30s to the Strait (4:44am. The A4 group followed suit but probably did not follow the A30s and the I15s very far eastward. The A30s and the I15s "met" up with the A42s when they were not far too far from Robson Bight between 7 and 8 am. There were a few dolphins nearby and caught on camera with the orcas. By 8:30am some of these whales were passing over the rubbing beach. Some whales seemed to continue east. Others headed west past Robson Bight by 9:15am. Generally, the collective movement continued westward over the next while. As this was happening we picked up the distant calls of the A4 group still to the west of Cracroft Point and noted the report (Lukwa) of whales up by Bauza at 10:19am. The A4 group (the A35s) then went through Weynton Pass again and into Queen Charlotte Strait. The A5s, A30s and the I15s continued west toward Cracroft Point and the entrance to Blackney Pass between 11:30am and 1pm and then on to Weynton Pass. They were off Stubbs Island (between Weynton and Blackfish Sound) by 1:40pm. The A35s (the afore mentioned A4 group) were by then off Lizard Point in Queen Charlotte Strait. The A42s probably stayed Strait side. We picked up their calls at 2:47pm from the Cracroft Point hydrophone. They were joined again in the Strait by first, the A30s and the I15s, and then the A35s once more. Around 5:30pm the I15s and A30s approached Blackney Pass entrance way from the west and began to travel north in small groupings spread out and mostly on the far side. Quite a few humpbacks had congregated around White Beach Pass while the orcas were passing. From then on we began to hear A30 and I15 calls in Blackfish Sound. The A4s (A35s and possibly still the A73s) and the A42s carried on toward the Ecological Reserve, through the Bight and on to the rubbing beaches. Around 8:25 and 8:30pm we watched as a few passed over the beach. This brings us pretty much up-to-date and we are waiting right now to find out if these orcas will return to Robson Bight. Helena 31 Jul 2018 21:15:39 PDT Orcas near mics. I15's and A30's can be heared chatting away as they pass by the front of the lab! Chenoah and Dylan 31 Jul 2018 17:56:06 PDT Distant calls audible. And the I15s are there too! Tomoko 31 Jul 2018 05:31:21 PDT Distant calls audible. Sounds like the whales (at least the A30s) took Weynton Pass to enter the Strait. The calls are still very distant on CRPT hydrophone.  Tomoko 31 Jul 2018 04:59:40 PDT Boat noise The A4's and A42's went south through Blackney Passage just after 7pm yesterday evening. During this time we also heard A30 calls on the Flower Island hydrophone. The A30's could eventually be heard on Local Left, but we only saw a few orcas enter Blackney Pass before turning back to the North. The A4's and A42's continued to Johnstone Strait and at least the A42's made it as far as the Bight. The A4's seemed to be a bit farther behind, still in the Strait. There were not many calls as the night progressed, but shortly after 1:00am we could hear very faint A1 and A4 calls on Flower Island. Perhaps they all took the ebb back to Weynton Passage as they returned to Blackfish Sound. We will wait to see what clues morning brings.  Tomoko and Dylan 31 Jul 2018 04:06:25 PDT

Distant calls audible. A30s too!! Orcalab 30 Jul 2018 19:29:04 PDT Superb sounds!! A4/5s coming south n Iblackney Pass. Orcalab base cam- explore Orcalab 30 Jul 2018 19:25:03 PDT Boat noise We got a report from Captain Bill on Naiad Explorer that a group of orcas have turned to the east off Bere Point at 1:11pm.  Emma & Momoko 30 Jul 2018 14:23:16 PDT No calls but orcas nearby The A4s along with the A42s have all gone west into Blackfish Sound. Most recently we had a report that the A42s were westing near lizard point. All is quite right now. We are currently trying to get ID photos for two humpbacks on the far side of Blackney Passage.  Dylan and Chenoah 30 Jul 2018 11:02:53 PDT No calls but orcas nearby We just had the A35s and A73s head north through Blackney Pass and now the A42s seem to be following from Johnstone Strait. Helena 30 Jul 2018 07:38:42 PDT Distant calls audible. A4's and A42's passed Critical Point at 8 o'clock and are heading west! They are calling now at CP! Ben 30 Jul 2018 07:35:34 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby The A4s have moved on to Blackfish Sound quite quickly on the ebbing tide. Helena 29 Jul 2018 22:19:10 PDT Superb sounds!! Beautiful A4 calls in Blackney Pass as the groups begin to move north through Blackney Pass. Helena 29 Jul 2018 22:11:55 PDT Distant calls audible. A4's and A42's passed Critical Point at 8 o'clock and are heading west! They are calling now at CP! Ben 29 Jul 2018 21:45:48 PDT Superb sounds!! The A42s, A35s and A73s drifted by the front of the Lab in the flooding tide. They are very relaxed, lots of spy hopping. Wonderful to see them all together! Now they are passing CP. Go to watch them on explore! http://explore.org/live-cams/player/orcalab-cracroft-point-surface Helena 29 Jul 2018 14:54:42 PDT No calls but orcas nearby Orcas soon on the Orcalab base camera. The A42s,the A35s and the A73s headed our way from Blackfish Sound. https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base Helena 29 Jul 2018 13:58:19 PDT No calls but orcas nearby The orcas came to the Bight around 6:20am this morning. We could see them on Robson Bight cam. At 7:07am, they had turned and headed west. Then just before 8am 4 orcas came slowly west past CP with A56 in the lead and continued past Big Bay and along the Hanson Island shore at 8:42am with a second group of 5 following. At 11:15am we had reports of a big group moving north-east from Stubbs Island towards Bold Head. Momoko & Sian 29 Jul 2018 12:41:58 PDT Boat noise We are hearing the A42s and some A4 calls on Cp and Critical Point hydrophone. Possibly that took Weynton Pass to re enter the Strait. Now they are slowly making their way to the east.   Tomoko 29 Jul 2018 03:29:52 PDT Distant calls audible. The A4 and A5 groups have been slowly making there way east since our last update. At 11:11 pm we started to hear faint calls on the CP hydrophone. Both groups were audible and stayed around the entrance to Blackney Pass for quite some time. Eventually, just after 11:30pm, the groups started to make their way north. A small A4 group lead the way, followed shortly after by the A5s. They were very slow moving by the lab, with no tide to push them in any which direction. The calls were beautiful as there was nearly no boat noise! The lead groups eventually cleared into Blackfish Sound while another, slower A4 group was still lagging behind. Finally, at 1:14am the last of the blows cleared Blackney Pass. We are now listening to both the A4s and A5s on Flower Island. The tide has turned to a slow flood, we await their next movements! Dylan and Momoko 29 Jul 2018 01:15:23 PDT