No calls but orcas nearby Summary for August 1 2020: A50s, A23s, A25s, I15s, Bigg’s August now, and the orcas seem to have settled into routines. Personally, after a busy day, after a week away, coming home this evening, heading down Johnstone Strait with the sunset behind us and the whales not far away was such a familiar and warming experience. We were looking forward to getting back in step to the lovely rhythms, sights and sounds of summer. We soon found out that the day had been apparently long. Starting off at midnight, the orcas were in Blackney Pass, blows everywhere, as they moved through. A30s, A5s, I15s into Johnstone Strait by 1 am, efficient. From the entrance to Blackney Pass they made their way eastward toward the Ecological Reserve. In sequence, the calls were picked up by the Cracroft Point, Kaizumi (1:07am) and Critical Point (1:34am) and finally by Main Rubbing Beach (3:30am) hydrophones. The A30s were heard again off Robson Bight just before 5am. What once was a progression eastward was now going the opposite direction and with the order reversed. The I15s made it back to the entrance of Blackney Pass first by 5:34am. The A30s were behind but not by a whole lot, and the A5s were now last. This meant that the I15s (the I16s and I4s) were ready to come back into Blackney Pass by 5:44am. They were once again pretty efficient on the ebb tide and cleared our view by 6:02am. The A30s (the A50s) were still in the Strait negotiating their way west but by 6:12am they too reached the entrance of Blackney Pass and headed through at 6:22am. The A5s (the A23s and A25s) were a step behind now and at 6:23am they too headed to Blackfish Sound. Seven hours had passed since they had come into Blackney Pass. Constant movement but typical in summer. Calls were heard briefly in Blackfish Sound at 7:03am. The whales all travelled into Queen Charlotte Strait. At 10am they were reported off Lizard Point. A couple of hours passed during which the A30s were once again heard in Blackfish Sound. They had moved back eastward. During the next hour all the groups spread themselves across the “top” end of Blackfish Sound. By 1:30pm, it was reported that they had formed into a huge resting line and were drifting east mid channel. While the Lab was anticipating seeing them arrive once again a small group of Bigg’s orcas surprisingly caught their attention. The Bigg’s orcas did not linger but pushed through smartly at 1:34pm toward Johnstone Strait. Not to be outdone, the A30s (A50s), the A23s,and the A25s appeared at 1:54pm. They were followed by the I15s maintaining once again a similar order in the parade. More of the I15s arrived at 2:15pm. Perhaps all the I15 groups were now together. Had they rejoined in Queen Charlotte Strait? By 2:30pm all the orcas had cleared to Johnstone Strait. While the A30s and the A5s heard across to Vancouver Island and the Kaizumi Rubbing Beach, the I15s formed into a resting line once again off Cracroft Point. The A30s and A5s enjoyed a rub at Kaizumi at 2:52pm. From there they continued east along the Vancouver Island shore. An hour later we heard their close calls off Critical Point in Robson Bight. They had another destination in mind. By 4:15pm the A23s and the A25s went in for a rub at Strider Rubbing Beach. The A50s joined them at 4:36pm. It should be noted that there were some lovely close images of Fife (A60) at Strider. Twenty minutes later the whales began to leave off their rubbing activity and head west once again. We listened to their progress. By 5:08pm the A30s (closer) and the A5s (more distant) were heard off Robson Bight. Meanwhile further west, the I15s became evident on Cracroft Point again at 6:22pm. Between 6:28pm and 6:36pm they travelled north through Blackney Pass to Blackfish Sound. This time the others did not follow but kept to a westerly course “up” the Strait. They were reported off Blinkhorn at 7:23pm. By 8:11pm, orcas were seen coming out of Beaver Cove and turning eastward. As mentioned Paul and I were headed back to Hanson, taking Johnstone Strait, with its lovely early evening light and calm seas. From the opposite shore and some distance away we scanned briefly for the whales but missed and carried on home. Boat unloaded and supplies put away, the night began to close in when eventually A30 calls were heard off Kaizumi Rubbing Beach just after 10pm confirming that they had indeed continued east. The kayak camp at the Sophias heard blows on the Vancouver Island shore at 10:32pm and the last calls heard were at 10:35pm approximately. No A5 calls, no I15 calls. Perhaps change is in the air? The A30s, at least, are for now staying in the Strait as one day turns into another.  Helena 02 Aug 2020 00:26:18 PDT Superb sounds!! There are some pretty I15 calls on our hydrophones right now! OrcaLab 01 Aug 2020 05:42:53 PDT