Summary for August 31 2019 A50, A54, A25, A42, I4, I16, I65, I27 Some days the pieces to the puzzle just seem to come together effortlessly. This day was like that. By chance between 2 and 2:30am, with a high tide task to do (don’t ask), we heard blows in the Pass on the far shore. They seemed to be southbound. Indeed, an hour later we heard calls in Johnstone Strait as the A50s, A54s A42s ,I4s and A25s headed east toward the Bight. Up until then there had not been any calls, no clues about the whereabouts of the A30s, A5s and I4s who had passed through Blackney to the north earlier the previous evening. From 3 to 3:26am the calls were clear and steady but unfortunately a large cruise ship with the world’s worst propulsion system and a tug, coming from the opposite direction, flooded the Strait with disturbing levels of boat noise and the calls were lost to us for a time. They eventually picked up again and by 4:54am the whales were approaching the Main rubbing beach east of Robson Bight. The calls became loud and clear by 5:12am and remained so until 5:30am. The whales were still in range from 6am to 7am but were then quite distant and infrequent. There must have been a split in the groups with the A54s and A25s continuing east while the A42s, A50s and I4s headed west. They arrived back in the Bight by 9:53am. The A42s, A79 in particular, were both visible on the camera and heard on the hydrophone. Eventually these groups pushed on toward Cracroft Point and the entrance of Blackney Pass by favouring the Vancouver Island side. They had an agenda! They seemed to be content to go no further than the entrance of Blackney Pass. For quite a while they foraged and milled, pacing back and forth, calling continuously. The reason soon became obvious. There was a report at 11:30am of another group in Blackfish Sound heading east favouring the Hanson shore off Double Bay. Soon after, a different report suggested that the A25s and others (we assumed their favoured companions, the A54s) were heading west fast from the area adjacent to the Adam River in the more eastern portion of the Strait. Forty-five minutes later, the rest of the I15 pod matrilines, the I16s, I27s and I65s, rushed through Blackney Pass headed to Johnstone Strait. This was the first time this season that the I16s had come back. Whales being who they are accommodated the new comers by making room. They shifted west while the newly arriving I15s hurried eastward. These I15s didn’t go too far. By 1:30pm the A25s and A54s passed by the Cliff site opposite the Bight. Now it was the I15s turn to make room for them. They turned back toward CP and mixed in with the I4s and A50s who had by now returned to the CP/Blackney Pass entrance. The A42s decided to continue independently westward toward Telegraph Cove and eventually Beaver Cove by 3:15pm. The scene in front of CP was one of dorsal fins going every which way, back and forth, grouping, regrouping, spy hopping and tail slapping. A lone Humpback worked the Blackney Pass rip while the confusion of orcas continued. Around 4:30pm the groups eventually shifted more determinedly to the west. There had been continuous calls throughout the afternoon. When the whales went through Weynton Pass we could no longer hear their calls. But at 6:20pm they emerged on the Blackfish Sound side and as they crossed toward Bold Head from the Plumper Islands their calls were audible once again. However, the calls remained distant to about 7:30pm as the whales took the rest of the ebb current out to Queen Charlotte Strait. The busy day seemed to be drawing to an end. The fog closed in once again as did the evening light signalling the end of this rather interesting day. Today we said good-bye to Emily. We will miss her cheery disposition and very keen ear for whale sounds. We hope Emily travels and upcoming school year go well. Take good care! OrcaLab 31 Aug 2019 21:48:37 PDT