No calls but orcas nearby August 25 2021 Orcas: I4s, I27s, I65s, A42s+ A94 Humpbacks: Guardian, Ridge, Lucky, Corporal Another busy August day, another set of beautiful calls, rubs and footage via our remote systems. In the early hours of the morning, the whales returned from the west, taking Weynton Passage into Johnstone Strait, as we started to hear clear A5 calls at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach just before 3am. Listening from Japan, Tomoko identified at least some of these calls as the A42s. Faint calls at the western reaches of Johnstone Strait suggested that other groups were following. All moved east, echolocating and producing some lovely calls as they foraged and travelled through Robson Bight. By 4:46am the A42s were really clear and loud as they approached the eastern headland of the Bight close to the Vancouver Island shore and hopefully heading for a rub. We didn’t have to wait long, as by 5:20am the A42s had reached Strider Rubbing Beach and began to rub. At 5:31am we heard distant I15 calls approaching the same beach, and a few minutes later members of those matrilines were in the rub too. Given what we know about the groupings later in the day, it is possible that the I4s were here. Just as the trailing whales were finishing their rub at Strider, another rub began on Main Rubbing Beach with clear A5 calls at 5:46am, suggesting that all were still moving east. We caught some very early morning footage of the whales rubbing at both beaches, a little grainy but with some orange sunrise creeping in! Their calls continued to dwindle as they moved down Johnstone Strait and out of our range. The last A5 calls were heard at 7:07am. A report from the Cliff at 6:57am alerted us to another group of five individuals heading east past Boat Bay on Cracroft Island side, and the louder I15 calls on Strider at 7:08am suggested that the I27s and I65s were following the earlier A42s and I4s east, spread out a little in the Strait. We last heard them around 9:25am. A brief Bigg’s interlude, as Lance on the Skana reported the T060Bs at Ledge Point (northwest of Port McNeill) at 9:45am, heading west along the Vancouver Island shore. Once again, the whales diverged, with the A42s and I4s remaining further east for much longer. It did not take long for the I65s and I27s to turn and circle back to the west. Their distinct acoustic signature was picked up off Main Rubbing Beach at 10:40am, and by 10:54am the I65s had made it to Strider, where they very briefly passed over the rubbing beach, just a few chuffs were heard. The I27s were possibly offshore. They continued west, and headed deep into Robson Bight around 11:05am for another good foraging session. Scotty from Prince of Whales confirmed that all except for I107 was in the Reserve at this time; he was just outside of the boundary, foraging by himself. By 1pm they were approaching Kaizumi Rubbing Beach, and we noticed a large DFO test seine boat Western Brave setting its net just offshore of the beach. The whales were particularly vocal as they approached, and we noticed that the DFO boat naturally drifted west, leaving space for the whales to come in. The whales were not deterred and began to rub at 1:36pm. It did not last long, before all made a move to the west. We identified I107, I27, I122, I65 with her baby I165. Our newer assistants are getting pretty good at identifying pixelated dorsals! The I4s and I65s began to cross the Strait angling towards Cracroft Point, spreading out, foraging, and switching directions a lot. By 3:30pm Megan could see I77 and I27 very close to the platform at CP, perhaps 150m off, accompanied by their very loud calls. The I27s all began to forage in the “rip” coming out of Blackney - a very strong flooding current at this point! Eventually, the I65s caught up and began to forage too. Both groups remained fairly chatty, spread out across the Strait and seemingly hungry for a good few hours as they foraged in the rip. Rewinding a little: Around noon, the Skana team had caught up with the I4s all the way east by the Broken Islands, with the A42s and A94 a little ahead. By 1:30pm the A42s and A94 at least had made it again to St Vincent’s Bight, and at 2:40pm they were now westing around Milly Island near Port Neville - after playing in some kelp, apparently! They continued west, and we kept our ears on the rubbing beaches as our eyes were focussed on the whales off CP. There were no reports of the A25s. By 6:10pm, the current had finally slowed down and was approaching slack tide. The whales who had been foraging here for an impressive few hours would finally be able to enter Blackney Pass without too much resistance. By 6:30pm, the I65s had cleared from Megan’s sight at CP, heading into the Pass. We were ready! The I27s did not make a move into the Pass; they stayed off CP angling more to the east. It did not take long for the I65s to reach us, with the first fins in the gap at 6:35pm. They produced some excellent calls as they passed us, spread out somewhat and favoring the further shore. I145 was leading, with I65 and baby I165 in the middle, then I122 bringing up the rear, more mid-pass. As the I65s were in Blackney, we received a report of around 8 whales at the eastern boundary of the reserve, heading west. The 42s and I4s now westbound were imminent! Sure enough, they were rubbing at Strider by 6:54pm. The A42s and A94 came first, with the I4s only a few minutes behind. We were thrilled to identify A94 on our surface camera at 7:11pm. He has been travelling with the A42s for a while now. The rub ended and the whales headed west, reaching Robson Bight by 7:25pm. The lab was a flurry of activity with whales in Blackney Pass, a rub on Strider and calls on almost every hydrophone! By 7:25pm the I65s had cleared into Blackfish Sound and they did not produce many calls as they continued west. The I27s, did not follow them through Blackney Pass but continued east. Meanwhile, the A42s and I4s foraged in the Bight for a while, before heading to Kaizumi for a few brief rubs at 8:18pm. They then crossed over the Strait to forage around CP like the others had done. There were a few moments when we thought they may follow suit through Blackney, but ultimately they headed west in Johnstone Strait. We heard their tapering calls for a couple of hours, and we wondered if they might go through Weynton Passage to join the I65s in Blackfish Sound. Finally, those easting I27s eventually turned around, and at 9:43pm the folks at Boat Bay reported a few blows heading west under their camp in the darkness. By 11:06pm we were hearing their loud calls on Parson Island and a few blows outside. Eventually, some four hours later, they had finally followed the I65s into Blackfish Sound. As the clock struck midnight, we were hearing the tail end of the I27s in Blackfish Sound, and the I4s and A42s in Johnstone Strait, all heading west. We did not see nor hear of the A25s all day. Two theories: either they continued west the night previously after they had passed the lab into Blackfish Sound, or they headed east with the A42s and I4s overnight and remained there, separated, for the day. Tomorrow should hopefully bring some clarity. We were also delighted to see humpbacks ‘Lucky’ and ‘Corporal’ today. Lucky stole the hearts of our assistants in 2017 with a very close bubble-net feeding session in front of the lab, and this is the first sighting in Blackney Pass this year!  Suzie 26 Aug 2021 13:49:02 PDT