Distant calls audible. August 11 2020 Orcas: A50s, A54s, A23s, A25s, A4s (very likely A35s, A73s, A56) The inky silence of night was broken at 2:34am last night, as a humpback began to vocalize in Blackfish Sound. Under a starry sky, he/she began to produce some truly haunting sounds at 2:50am which lasted on and off for a good twenty minutes. Humpback song in the heart of summer is always a welcome acoustic addition to the many orca calls! Shortly before 3:30am we began to hear very faint A30 calls in Johnstone Strait; A4s very shortly after in the same space. Ah-ha! The A4s had come back from the east. Although we did not see them, we believe this to be all of the A35s, A73s and A56. Their calls were spread out along the length of the Strait, bouncing between both Main and Kaizumi Rubbing Beaches, which are separated by a good few miles. That is always the tricky part of acoustics - some of our hydrophones have such a good range that establishing the orcas’ exact location can be difficult. Nonetheless, we were certain that the A30s and A4s were all moving east as the day began to break. At 6:50am we saw a few fins at Strider Rubbing Beach via our remote camera, but they were travelling suredly west and did not come in to rub. We identified A72 (Bend) of the A50s and A77 (Roller) of the A35s, so the groups were mixed in with one another. We heard very faint A5 calls around the same time at 7:20am, but we did not really hear them again in this passing or see any distinctive A5 members on camera. The orcas swiftly made their way west along the Vancouver Island shore, arriving at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach around 8:30am, where they proceeded to have a long, presumably enjoyable, rub! There was some brilliant echolocation and A4 calls as these whales made the most of the smooth, stoney sea floor. We didn’t hear any close A30 calls for the duration of the 20 minute rub, so it’s possible they did not come as close to the beach this time. We heard their faint calls leading towards Cracroft Point, as the A4s left the beach and our hydrophone range - heading west - just before 9am. The A30s continued to draw closer to Cracroft Point, and by 9:14am we could see them on our remote camera. Around the same time, we received a report from Lance Barrett-Lennard that he could see the A23s and A25s heading west in Johnstone Strait, just past the Sophia Islands. This ties up the mystery of the lone A5 calls we heard earlier - these groups had taken the Cracroft side west, as opposed to the Vancouver Island shore. The A30s foraged for a little while, before moving into Blackney Pass at 9:37am. We initially thought that we had just the A50s, but after way too many fins popped up in front of us, we realized we must have the A54s too! So great to see them all together. They took their time, all spread out, spending over an hour in Blackney Pass until they cleared into Blackfish Sound around 10:45am. We heard some lovely calls from them, whilst we received a report that the A23s and A25s had been seen heading west along Hanson in Johnstone Strait. Perhaps playing catch-up with the A4s? The A30 calls played on and off in Blackfish Sound as the afternoon wore on. We were fairly certain that they had continued west, as the calls had all but stopped by 1pm. Nope! So very wrong. At 3pm we noticed lots of fins coming into our view, pretty close to the lab. They had turned around - and brought the A23s with them! They made a grand total of zero calls as they travelled into Johnstone Strait and headed east, close together in a resting line. It wasn’t until 5:24pm when we started picking up some echolocation in the Strait. Good thing everyone at the lab always has an ear and an eye on the water! We didn’t see the A25s with them, but received a report that they were seen near Bold Head just west of us around the time that the other groups passed us. It is possible they slipped by under our gaze, but we think it is more likely they continued west ‘solo’ or perhaps joined the A4s. Around the same time, Megan had finally arrived at the outpost on Cracroft Point where she’ll stay for a few days - and she saw Argonaut the humpback not too far off the platform. Just in time to see the orcas passing, too! The A30s foraged all the way east into Robson Bight, and just before 6pm we saw some fins on Strider Rubbing Beach. Their commitment to the beach seemed a little tentative to begin with, and we were unsure whether they would come in for a full rub. Fortunately for us, they did! We identified several members of the A30s enjoying the beach for about half an hour. Some made it as far east as the Main Rubbing Beach, and some turned back west to forage some more in Robson Bight. As we lost the light of day, we continued to monitor their calls - both A30 and A5 - between Main Rubbing Beach and Critical Point (in Robson Bight) from 6:40pm to 11pm. It seems there has been a little back-and-forth as the orcas make the most of their space in the Ecological Reserve. We last heard A5 calls on Main Rubbing Beach at 10:31pm - perhaps they have now gone further east again for the night? At the time of writing - 11:13pm - we still have faint A30 calls on Critical Point, suggesting that at least some of the orcas are still looking for a fish supper. Now, in comes a tug boat through Johnstone Strait and we will possibly lose “sight” of the orcas for a little while. Let’s see where they are once it passes! Suzie 11 Aug 2020 23:39:32 PDT Superb sounds!! Beautiful sounds right now as the A30s forage in Robson Bight, with the A5s a little further east! http://www.orca-live.net/community/ Orcalab 11 Aug 2020 22:15:36 PDT Multiple pod calls audible. We have the A50's heading north through Blackney Pass right now. We think the A4's continued to the west early this morning. The A23's and A25's are still in the strait. Watch live on Explore:https://www.explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base Orcalab  11 Aug 2020 09:50:31 PDT Superb sounds!! Rather nice humpback at the moment in Blackfish Sound. As you listen here is the day's summary: August 10 2020: A50s, A23s, A25s,HB: Argonaut, PWD The night was interesting but not because of the activity of the orcas.More on that later. Quite sure wherever the orcas got up to during the night it was interesting for them but for us it was fairly uneventful. We did hear their faint calls from midnight to 12:41am and sporadically through the early morning hours at 3:03am and again at 4:12am. They did not seem to have any clear direction and the calls could only be described as faint. Morning came and with it the welcomed sight of A61 and others (possibly the rest of the A25s) approaching the Main Rubbing Beach from the east. Aha! They had gone east afterall and were now coming back. Ahead of A61 and already at Strider Rubbing Beach were the A50s and the A23s. A61 turned into the Main Beach and had a brief rub. He then moved off to Strider Beach. Soon,and by 7:01am everyone was heading away from Strider and travelling “up” the Vancouver Island shore towards Robson Bight and beyond. As their calls became close on Kaizumi Rubbing Beach at 8:47am, Megan noticed the humpback Argonaut by the Parson Island Light. With the orcas demanding so much of our attention the self sufficient humpbacks in Blackney Pass have somewhat faded into the background these days. They are present most days, usually on the far side of the Pass. Today, however, was a bit different for the number of breaches throughout the day and for the vocals from an individual on the Parson Island hydrophone at 4:10pm. By 9:30am the orcas, meanwhile, had crossed over to the Cracroft Island side and began to forage. Unlike the day before the foraging was less intense and by 10:20am they started to head into Blackney Pass. We were able to follow them on the Parson Island, Sea Lion and OrcaLab base remote cameras as they travelled through. A60 was pretty much in the lead. The rest of the A23s were closer to the far shore along with Bend (A72) and Jamieson (A108), A61 came in with his group and the rest of the A50s travelled closer to the Hanson Island shore. These small groupings kept form and by 11:10am everyone was in Blackfish Sound where they engaged in more serious foraging for the next few hours. We could hear their calls, never really close, but at times slightly louder as they shifted positions around Blackfish Sound in pursuit of salmon. The calls ended around 1:22pm when they moved into Weynton Pass. At 2:53pm we picked up their calls soon after they entered Johnstone Strait. Megan happened to be in Telegraph Cove by this time and when leaving she noticed A60. The blows of the others could be seen heading east toward Blinkhorn. As the whales continued east we began to hear their calls at 3:05pm on Cracroft Point. A mark as to how far they had come. The aforesaid vocal humpback diverted our attention away from the faint orca calls for a short while. Just before 6pm, the orcas stole the show once again. Coming in close to Kaizumi Rubbing Beach the A50s (A30s) began a really good rub! The sounds were crystal clear; every pebble, every whistle, every call. It was great! By 6:30pm they were done and moving east again. Both groups approached the Bight, with the A5s leading. By 7:30pm orcas were approaching Strider Rubbing Beach. First A5 calls followed by A30 calls. The whales divided their attention between the two beaches. At 7:47pm there was a rub at Main. A60 was there. At 8:06pm there was a rub at Strider. The general movement was east and after a sudden short burst of close calls on Main Beach the game was over and the whales carried on. A few dolphin calls on Critical Point occurred at 9:12pm. Then it was quiet until 10:46pm when a brief bout of echolocation was heard. This was followed by close A30 calls at 10:57pm. The last calls, not as close, were at 11:05pm. Day done! But that brings me back to why the previous evening was so interesting. At 10:07pm, Jennifer heard and recorded some quite different vocalisations. We spent part of today trying to figure out who. The debate included the possibility of a Risso dolphin. Quite rare, but not unheard of, in these inside waters. Apparently they like hanging out with Pacific Whitesided dolphins (who wouldn’t?) and that there have been quite a few sighted recently, albeit, not here but in their more usual haunts off the west coast etc. We are hoping that someone will be able to tell us if our guess is correct and if not, at least, who it was we were listening to. These mysteries always seem to happen at night!  Helena 11 Aug 2020 03:03:46 PDT