No orcas present. August 20 2020 Orcas: A50s, A54s, A23s, A25s, A35s, A73s, I4s, I13s, I16s, I27s, I65s (likely A56) You can tell from our list of matrilines that we have had quite the day! The A50s, A54s, A23s and A25s who had gone west yesterday evening stayed quiet for the quiet, and now we know why - they had gone to meet with other A and G clan orcas and bring them back here for the day… Our network was down this morning, but fortunately the whales were still out west and we didn’t miss any of their passings or calls before it was working again. By 10:55am we had a report that there was a group of orcas heading east in Blackfish Sound, and it wasn’t long before we heard clear A5 and A4 calls, hooray! At 12:20 we saw the first fins in Blackney Pass, led by A61 with A60 and their families not far behind. We quickly identified A77 and A35, and it is likely that the A73s (Springer) were there too, but they were very far over the other side of the channel. They travelled quickly, making it into Johnstone Strait in just twenty minutes by 12:40pm, and they headed straight for the Vancouver Island shore where we picked up their calls and echolocation at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach between 12:47pm and 1:32pm. They were heading east. We had a good feeling they were headed straight for the eastern rubbing beaches… As we tracked these A4 and A5 groups east, we received a report from Dylan at 2:31pm that some members of the I15s were currently in Weynton Passage, travelling into Johnstone Strait! A-ha. Excited calls and “missing” A30s starting to make sense. The A30s are known to “chaperone” other groups in and out of the area. Perhaps they were travelling a little behind the I15s? By 2:46pm the A4s and A5s had arrived at Strider Rubbing Beach, where they proceeded to rub for a good long while. It was quite the day out in the Strait, with strong winds and big waves. The conditions didn’t deter the whales, and made for quite some dramatic footage. Between 3:15pm and 3:30pm, we saw some of the most beautiful scenes with a little baby, lots of orcas spy-hopping and a close-up of big male A61. A staggering two hours and 45 minutes later, the orcas finally left Strider and headed back to the west. We lost their calls for a while, and were totally distracted by incredible G clan (I15 and I13) calls at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach at 5:50pm, as the new groups came in for a rub at this beach instead! We caught some amazing sounds of the clashing pebbles and some very excited calls, trills and echolocation for around 45 minutes, before their calls became more distant and they moved towards Cracroft Point. It can often be a couple of hours before orcas make it from Kaizumi into Blackney Pass. Often they forage off CP for a while or mill around, but they headed straight over Johnstone Strait and into Blackney Pass in just 30 minutes and totally silently! The first fins caught Suzie by surprise as they had arrived so quickly, but it wasn’t long before everyone was assembled on the deck, setting to work identifying these orcas. The orcas began to chatter loudly, and we quickly discerned that we had the I27s, I13s and I65s - probably with some I16s - come in first just after 7pm. At 7:15pm a large group followed them and headed north, with some very recognizable fins indeed… the A50s and 54s! They were travelling as a tight group with the I65s and likely some more of the I16s too. Still no calls from the A1s, we had had no idea that they were here with the G clan whales. Another 15 minutes later, yet more orcas came in. The A23s and A25s! They had made it from Strider Rubbing Beach in impressive time, arriving only minutes after the leading groups. Just as they had all cleared from our view at 7:45pm, we were discussing the possible whereabouts of the A35s. Perhaps they had parted from the A23s and A25s and gone east after their long rub at Strider, or continued west down Johnstone Strait? No! They were right in front of us. Passing a stone’s throw from the lab and bringing up the rear of this orca parade. Once again, they were totally silent. We were delighted to see Springer and her babies in the mix once again. The groups, with around 60 orcas in total, had orchestrated a meet-up without communicating via any obvious calls. It never ceases to amaze us the decisions these orcas make, and how they so effortlessly coordinate their movements. So many things go on under the surface that even we, having been listening for 50 years, still don’t know. It makes the world of the orca ever-more full of wonder. As the orcas reached Blackfish Sound we heard a chorus of A30 and I15 calls, but some groups still decided to remain silent. We heard our last calls at 8pm, and the night has been silent since then. It was a really beautiful end to a wet, windy and whale-filled day.  Suzie 20 Aug 2020 21:58:19 PDT Superb sounds!! We have the I15's moving north through Blackney Pass. Some lovely calls on Parson island right now! Watch live at: https://www.explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base Orcalab 20 Aug 2020 19:08:47 PDT Superb sounds!! Seriously amazing I15 calls and rubbing sounds right now! Orcalab 20 Aug 2020 18:27:58 PDT No calls but orcas nearby Orcas at Strider Rubbing Beach! https://www.explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base Suzie 20 Aug 2020 14:44:35 PDT Orcas near mics. We have Orca heading south in Blackney Pass. A4's A5 calls so far! Watch live on explore.org :https://www.explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base Orcalab 20 Aug 2020 12:14:25 PDT