September 13 2020: [A23s, A25s eastern Johnstone Strait]: Humpbacks and Sea Lions Here is the scene - sitting in the Lab, mist/fog/smog having never really lifted, a very grey day, a steady stream of sea lions swimming past the Lab. In short order, and as the growls of other sea lions already hauled out on the Parson Island Light rock roar over the water, you got the sense right away that the sea lions on this side understood it was time to get out of the water too. After a brief period of milling amongst the kelp they began to climb out. This is exactly what life will be like for the next several months, a pattern of hauling out, sleeping, growling, jockeying for the best spot, scratching, more growling and going back to the water when the tides or hunger dictate, only to start all over again after a few hours. Sometimes there will be a few, sometimes as many as 200, with the politics of position never failing to intrigue. Blackney Pass was pretty quiet for most of the day. There were not many boats and only two humpbacks, yet to be identified. We did hear humpbacks twice, both times in the morning, from 7:28am until just before 9am. Both incidents were in Blackfish Sound. Later in the day we learned from Scott (Prince of Whales Whale Watching) that he heard Inukshuk vocalising off Donegal Head in the afternoon. This is the second time Scott has managed to identify which humpback is vocalising. Meanwhile many seabirds were scattered, dotting the calm, somber waters. And of course, Uni (the seagull) was there too going about her business of picking up urchins and chasing any other birds who might dare to come too close. She pretty much owns these bays! Finally, a note about the A23s and A25s. This comes from Nick Templeman who left the orcas in Nodales Channel at 4pm after seeing them through Discovery Passage and back into Johnstone Strait. “The A23s were in the lead at Davis Point and the A25s were behind at Brougham Point with Pacific White-sided dolphins.” Megan. April and Paul headed to the three rubbing beaches, Kaizumi,Strider and Main, today to film and take stock of the ICListen hydrophone installations. They got back in the late afternoon with stories of the fascinating creatures and the unique landscapes they saw at the different sites. The growls of the sea lions secure on their rocks will close out the day. OrcaLab 13 Sep 2020 22:21:04 PDT September 12 2020: T060s (minus T60D & T060E), T002B, Humpbacks:Argonaut, PWD, 1 sea lion hauled out The humpback that was so incredibly vocal the previous evening just before 10pm carried on sporadically giving one last concerted effort just around midnight and again just before 1am. The rest of the night was uneventful. But morning brought a brief daytime surprise of a vocal humpback, once again in Blackfish Sound, from 7:32am to 7:38am. Then began the reports of the T060 group (same as yesterday)westbound east of the Ecological Reserve at 8:15am. By 11:14am there was chatter on the VHF radio of this group now off Big Bay, Hanson Island. They were still headed west. From there they continued “up” the Strait towards the Pearse Island looking like they were bound for Alert Bay. Along the way they possibly dispatched a Pacific White-sided dolphin. The day before they had shown no interest in the numerous sea lions in the water. We heard no calls once again from this group. The day rolled on with a special visit from long time friend Patricia Sims. It had been 15 years since Patricia had been on Hanson Island! Her friend Sarah accompanied her. They stayed for lunch and through to the early evening when Megan ferried them back to Alert Bay. While they were here we again heard humpback calls in Blackfish Sound. Scott from Prince of Whales informed us that Argonaut was vocal. This is the second time we have heard Argonaut specifically. The first time was brief as was this. The calls lasted from 6:36pm to 6:44pm. It was interesting, especially, after there had just been a discussion late last night about how rare it is to get an ID of a vocal humpback because most such occurrences happen at night. Janie Wray of North Coast Cetacean Society, up north, had just written on FB (https://www.facebook.com/bcwhales/posts/2708325762770596) about how after many frustrating instances of listening to “singing” humpbacks she was able to identify a specific humpback who went on to vocalise for 20 minutes! Patience and opportunity seem to be key here. A lone sea lion hauled out on the local rocks late in the afternoon. No one joined him and he left after an hour or so. It was a very pleasant day. The weather seems to have taken a turn. Yesterday was all about relaxing (in between wood sawing and chopping, Lab shifts) in the sun. The heavy mists brought a lot of moisture and a slug to the garden. We hope that our luck with cool weather is extended to the situation in California, Oregon and Washington State. Our thoughts go out to everyone there. Pippa, Moss and Gloria left the island as scheduled this morning. There were many promises to return next year and we will hold them to that for sure.  OrcaLab 13 Sep 2020 08:44:35 PDT