September 2 2021 Orcas: A50s,A54s, A23s,A25s,A42s plus A94 As this day was to unfold it became one of being about coming together. Where we left off was with the A30s and the A23s and A25s still off the Ecological Reserve around midnight. We did not immediately know what had happened to the A42s. As the A30s and their A5 companions shifted offshore of Strider and Main rubbing beaches the A42s came into focus as they passed Robson Bight and neared Strider Beach by 1:30am. They began a five minute rub there at 1:40am. The others were still east of them. After the rub, the A42s then shifted back toward Robson Bight. As they did so a humpback at 2:02am began to make his presence known in Blackfish Soundand just as the A42s were nearing Robson Bight at 2:26am, the humpback edged into song. These hydrophones are located in quite separate acoustic spaces, the distance between is considerable, regardless we are able to listen simultaneously. Patrick later remarked that this was a Òloud dayÓ referring to all the activity happening in every corner. To resume, as the humpback took a rest, the A42s found themselves back in the Bight where they continued to call as they foraged and waited for the others to catch up. The humpback began making sounds again in Blackfish and carried on through to 3:12am. By then the majority of the A30s and the rest of the A5s were in the Bight. From 4am to 5:34am there were very clear calls while these orcas were in the Bight. The A42s, always seemingly one step ahead, were already moving west along the Vancouver Island side as the others left the Bight and moved offshore. Some were still undecided as to which direction they should go in and by now it was light enough for the remote cameras to witness their on going indecision. Following the A42s won out and by 8:30am they were on their way. At 8:52am, faint echolocation was heard as whales approached Kaizumi Beach. This was followed by a four minute rub. The rub was remarkable for two reasons. The underwater camera installed just the day before by Paul, Suzie and Megan successfully captured the close image of an orca. However, two kayakers, camping on the beach, unwisely decided to launch their kayaks at the sametime as the whales were rubbing. Clearly, a violation of the regulations meant for the protection of the whales, especially when engaged is such a sensitive behaviour. The rub ended quickly and the whales moved away. Lucille and Sofia on the other side of the Strait at ÒCPÓ were becoming aware of the approaching A23s who began to forage and mill in front of them. It became a mecca as others collected in the same area. Some of the whales at 10:22am looked like they were going to head into Blackney Pass, others looked like they might continue west. It was busy! In the end, it was the A50s who made the successful dash into Blackney Pass. A61 (of the A25s) tried too and even had come into view of the Lab but elected to turn back just before 11am just as the A50s came into view headed north. The A50s had dolphins with them. These orcas were very spread out, going against the current, taking time and moving slowly. As they cleared just after 11:40am, the rest of their family, the A54s came into Blackney Pass.They had a greater urgency and cleared our view by 11:57am. The A5s back in the Strait, were still pretty unorganised and still heading in different directions. By 1:25pm they had come together in a beautiful resting line that oriented into the entrance of Blackney Pass. Remember the theme of this summary was about coming together. Here, all the A5s joined together as a family. It was now I:38pm. They made no calls. If they had the intention of following the A30s into Blackney they made little progress in doing so. The will to do so was just not there and because current was pushing back they found themselves once again slipping closer to Johnstone Strait. The resting line began to unravel and they began to slowly turn. Almost an hour had gone by. Now moving east they still stayed together as they moved past ÒCPÓ. Beautiful to see! Patrick, as he held his hand steady, continued to film this extraordinary passage. Johnstone Strait was clear and very blue in the early afternoon sun backlighting the blows for just the right amount of emphasis. Noone was in a hurry, they could be seen mid strait past 3:30pm. A huge blast from the logging operations nearby monetarily jolted us from this idyllic scene. Soon after, just before 4pm, we heard the stirrings of the A30s in Blackfish Sound. By 4:57pm we could see them on the Flower Island remote camera making their way toward Blackney Pass. Eleven minutes later they were in view. It looked to be some of the A50s. Inexplicably, they turned back at 5:14pm after not venturing very far into the Pass.. Twenty minutes later, at 5:34pm, the A54s entered our view instead. Half way through, by 6:06pm, they came together as a group and continued southward. As they approached the Parson Island hydrophone they began to call. The A5s had become vocal for a while in the Strait as they neared the Robson Bight area but they subsided leaving just calls of the A54s to be heard. At 6:20pm, the A54s hesitated off the southern edge of Parson Island. A minute later, the rest of their family, the A50s, moved out of Blackfish into Blackney. They brought along with them several dolphins again. The A54s continued to call up to the time they cleared at 6:31pm. As the A50s advanced through we could now hear the calls of the A54s on the Cracroft Island hydrophone and the A50s on the Parson Island one. Checking, we found the A54s off Cracroft Point. It was now 6:43pm. The calls of the A50s on the Parson Island hydrophone proved as good as the A54s had been. At 6:49pm, the A54s suddenly turned back to the west. The A50s also turned and the two groups returned eventually to Blackfish. It was now about 7:15pm. In the Strait, the A5s had also turned. By 7:18pm, they were back off Kaizumi and rubbing. The camping kayakers had gone, the beach was theirs. During their nine minute rub the underwater camera proved amazing. Whale after whale swam through its view. Incredible! As the A5s moved away from Kaizumi a breaching humpback in Blackney Pass caught our attention. By 8pm these days the light fades quickly, regardless, ÒCPÓ informed us that a male orca had gone into Blackney. Prior calls on Parson Island seemed to support this. Humpbacks were also still active, breaching, making sounds. Just before 9pm, the orcas gathered in Blackfish Sound engaged in some serious foraging as evident by the echolocation, crunching cavitation, and many ÒehsÓ expressed deliberately. At 9:47pm, the A30s began calling in earnest as they became more distant. For a while, As had been heard in the Strait as well. By 10:08pm, everyone and everything was quiet except for the now persistent boat noise. It had been an interesting day with the A5s and the A30s deciding to come together as their own groups. Will this be the case through the oncoming night, or will there be further changes, and what will the humpbacks do as well, will they continue to experiment with their sounds, are they getting ready for autumn?  OrcaLab 03 Sep 2021 07:51:53 PDT