August 19 2021 Orcas: A42s (?A94), A25s, I4s, I27s, I65s Humpbacks:Stitch, Argonaut, Hunter, Ridge, Stingray (with possible young one!) Not entirely a quiet night. From 1:17am to 2:27am the I15 groups though never close lingered in Blackfish Sound. A not so distant humpback also chimed in around 2am, first with breaths then lovely moaning bordering on the beginnings of song. From the very big to the very small, snapping shrimps punctuated the Blackfish Sound soundscape around 3am. The rest of the night was uneventful. Just after 6am, the I15s came back! For the next half an hour they made their way into Weynton Passage and from there into Johnstone Strait. They headed east. As we waited to track their progress a sea otter swam past the Lab at 9:27am. More common further west we have only ever seen a few sea otters. Classically swimming on his back he had several looks back at all of us staring at him! A few minutes later came word of the I15s in Johnstone Strait just off the southwest corner of Hanson Island. From there they crossed over to the Vancouver Island shore. By 11:13am they were approaching Kaiaksh Creek all the while vocal. In the next hour they moved closer to Robson Bight and approached its eastern headland. A mere fifteen minutes later they were already approaching Strider Beach. The rub for the I65s started at 12:36pm. Surprisingly, the I27s began a rub at the Main Beach at 12:42pm while the rub at Strider continued. Our attention toggled between the two sites. I107, in particular, seemed to enjoy going back and forth along the Main beach. His mum, I27 and brother I77 had preceded him there but now moved further offshore together indicating their intention of going west. I107, as his rub ended at 12:50pm, caught up with the rest of his family, and after some hesitation and changes in direction, they formed a line together and moved toward Strider Beach. By 12:59pm, the rub for the I65s and the I4s at Strider was concluding and they too were moving away. The I27s now had an opportunity to make for Strider where they rubbed from 1:08pm until 1:13pm. The progress of these groups west was probably stayed by the next unfolding events. Cory, on the Discovery Skiff, happened to pass a lone male going in circles way to the west near Weynton Island. Just as we pondered who this might be, at 1:40pm we heard ÒAÓ calls!!!! The I15s, still closer to Strider, answered excitedly and immediately. Reports flowed in. ÒAsÓ were simultaneously heard on the Telegraph Cove hydrophone confirming our impressions that these new arrivals were coming to Johnstone Strait from Weynton Passage. As we strained to hear the calls through the heavy water slop of the strong northwest winds and the persistent boat noise, rumours and guesses abounded in all the excitement. It had been a long time since anyone had seen or heard different groups. Clarity came as the new whales travelled eastward. At 2:06pm they were reported off Blinkhorn and in a hurry! Twelve minutes later the lead group was off Kaikash Creek. Their calls became clearer and we began to understand that we were listening to A5 calls. There had been reports of the A25s (part of the A5s) but this did not account for the number of whales present. The A25s have been travelling mostly with the A23s. But as the whales appeared at Kaizumi Beach at 2:31pm and began a rub a minute later, the consensus was that here was the A42s and not the A23s. The A25s had apparently decided on different travelling companions! No complaints. Way up north, Janie had heard A5s and A30s yesterday so maybe we can surmise that she was hearing the A23s. After these whales crisscrossed the beach, above and just under the surface, for seven minutes, they porpoised away to the east. We did not see A66 participate in the rub but Scotty of Prince of Whales had snapped his picture earlier. As this group neared Robson Bight, the I15s became vocal too. The I15s (possibly the I27s) then turned ahead of the new groups and led them toward Strider Beach. 3:29pm was the start of the next rub session. The I27s were ÒinÓ first. As the I15 calls shifted east toward Main, the A5s were getting ready for Strider. From 3:59pm to 3:44pm both beaches were busy with mostly the A5s but some of the I15s as well. A61 went to his ÒfavouriteÓ Main Beach with two others while the Strider rub was finishing up. The activity at Main wrapped up at 3:49pm. Despite the now ebbing tide, the whales had stayed at the Beaches through the slack tide, everyone went east. They curled their way along the shoreline. The I15s, all this long time they have been in the area have not ventured very far east but perhaps the joy of being with other members of their community who love the eastern parts of Johnstone Strait encouraged them to do so. We can be somewhat reassured that those who go east will eventually return. We will be waiting!  OrcaLab 19 Aug 2021 21:41:10 PDT August 18 2021 Orcas: I4s, I27s and I65s, report of A30s and A5s. Humpbacks: Argonaut, Stitch, Ridge, Guardian, Tag, Quartz, a few unidentified The day started well for our friends and colleagues up north: Janie Wray and her team at BC Whales heard distinct A30 and A5 calls at their Fin Island station at 5:45am! Using their unique and clever triangulation system, they detected that these whales were moving south. We have been wondering where the A30 groups have got to, as we would usually be seeing them much more regularly this time of year. We so hope that they continue south and come this way! It is a long way, but they have been known to do it in just three days... Here at the lab, our day started fairly early, too. We picked up the calls of the I15 groups once again on our Parson Island hydrophone, and a few minutes later we saw our first fins in Blackney Pass. The I27s were first, mid-channel, leading the brigade in the overcast, breezy morning. The I4s and I65s came together at 6:43am and followed suit. We saw a few lovely spy-hops from the tailing group around 7am. They cleared shortly afterwards, and had made it to Bold Head by 8:40am. We waved goodbye to our good friends - the Weinbergs - after their few days with us on Hanson Island. Lots of fun was had by all! Until the next time Linda, Hal, Sarah and Eric. The orcas seemingly did not mill around, taking Weynton Passage into the Strait and back into range of our Cracroft Point hydrophone just after 10am. Perhaps another day of loop-the-loops around Hanson?! Well, they certainly tried. We tracked their calls through to Parson Island, and saw those teeny dorsals in our southmost view at 11:06am. Once again, the I27s led the way and they tried to battle the strong flood for a good while, before admitting defeat and turning back to the Strait by 11:41am. During this time the whales were incredibly vocal. We were to find out later that the I65s and I4s were just out of our view around the corner, closer to Johnstone Strait. We also noted a couple of sea lions diving around them, perhaps a fish foraging frenzy was had by all. On the "CP" remote camera, we spotted the I65s and I4s returning south toward the Strait. Very slowly, they headed southeast; crossing Johnstone Strait towards the Kaikash Creek area. There, a group of Pacific White-Sided dolphins accompanied them for the remainder of the day. At 1:45pm, Patrick caught sight of three fins angling towards Kaizumi Rubbing Beach, and all three of the I27s came in for the briefest rub - just one pass of the beach before continuing their very slow meander to the east. The other groups were not far behind, and followed at 2:21pm. We believe a mixture of the I4s and I65s rubbed, associating still with the dolphins, but neither I122 or I76 - the big males - were seen. They were hanging more offshore, also heading east. They continued their eastward trajectory, and entered the precious, protected waters of the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve shortly before 3pm. They foraged, frolicked and called for the next hour, as they moved ever closer to the hydrophone. In waves, we saw them pass Critical Point and onwards to the rubbing beaches. The I27s were first (of course!) beginning their rub at 4:02pm. It wasnÕt long until the others caught up, and once again we caught some mesmerizing over and under-water footage. Their characteristic ÒsquarksÓ and ÒtrillsÓ rang through the speakers, as the blows were heard from our surface microphone. Although we are well familiar with this incredible behaviour, at no point does it become normalised. Each event we capture on our systems is just as awe-inspiring as the first. All at once, it was decided that the rub was over. The I65s and I4s left first, and a few minutes later the I27s followed. By 4:25pm the beach was empty, and the whales had all turned back to the west. We believe the I4s and I65s must have continued west along the Vancouver Island shore, as we have not seen them since, but we tracked a group of vocals passing through the Bight and past Kaizumi. The I27s, however, crossed over to the Cracroft Island side, favouring it as they often do. We caught sight of them from CP just after 6pm, and it looked like they were angling towards Blackney Pass. I77 teased the entrance to the Pass, but no fins ever came up in our view. We ÔguestimateÕ that they continued west, too toward Weynton Passage. Shortly before 8:30pm, we picked up their calls and echolocation again in Blackfish Sound as they emerged from Weynton Passage and crossed the western end of Blackfish Sound. The ÒexcitedÓ vocals from the I15 groups today will hang over our dreams; wondering if they know something that we donÕt. OrcaLab 19 Aug 2021 05:12:55 PDT