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No calls but orcas nearby
July 18 2022 Orcas: A50s, A54s, HB: Stitch (breaching) The dark was not silent for too long, with the A30s returning to Blackfish Sound at 2 am. Their calls grew gradually louder as they made their way to Blackney Pass, their blows audible in the calm by 3:07 am. They appeared to be spread out - possibly in their two groups - as the lead whales entered Johnstone Strait by 3:40 am. They seemed to spend a good while around the entrance to Blackney, angling to the west: their calls bouncing between hydrophones. By 5:30 am they had decidedly entered Robson Bight and we began to hear their foraging echolocation and clear calls. A strong burst of echolocation at 5:38 am, with diminishing calls shortly after, signaled that they were passing Critical Point and hopefully heading for Strider! Sure enough, by 5:55am, we could see their fins in the growing dawn and their excited calls approached. This initial rub was brief; just a few fly-bys before continuing to the east. Fortunately for us, they did not stray too far for too long, and returned for what turned out to be a breathtaking event at Strider by 7:21am. The hour-long spectacle gave us some incredible underwater footage, as several orcas crammed into the frame with bubble-blowing, belly-ups, and long, sweeping rubs. We identified members of both the A50s and A54s - together again in their historic home. In no particular hurry, the groups angled west in Robson Bight, closer to the Vancouver Island shore. Here, the groups split, and the A50s crossed the Strait to Cracroft Point. At 10:43 am Megan, Heyli, and Freddy could see them from the platform heading straight for Blackney. It didn’t take long for us to see them, the first fins in our view at 11:08 am. The A50s traveled as a tight-knit group in the ebbing current, and had cleared into Blackfish Sound by 11.30 am. We received a few reports of them later in the day out in Queen Charlotte Strait near the Penfolds from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. They remained out of our earshot for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, the A54s had turned and headed east again and were slowly passing Strider towards the east at 11.30 am. We lost sight of them for a little while, before a surprise ‘chuff’ alerted us to their presence at the beaches once again! They spent over two hours here: socializing, spy-hopping, tail slaps, and more as a family. It was particularly lovely to identify A75 (Cedar) and her baby together on our cameras. By 4:45 pm the A54s had had their fill of rubs, heading back to the west yet again. Theme for the day: whales in no hurry, as they were only just passing the western boundary of the reserve at 6:42pm. At 7:30 pm they passed Kaizumi, heading in for a brief rub, before finally continuing west and out of the Strait. They were in Weynton Passage and heading north at 9:25pm, becoming audible in Blackfish Sound an hour later. Here, they largely stayed as we continued to pick up their calls. Perhaps the A50s came in to join them, or perhaps they have headed out west to recruit more families to the Johnstone Strait… tomorrow will hopefully give us some clarity!
Suzie, OL
19 Jul 2022 11:07:53 PDT |
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No calls but orcas nearby
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Suzie, OL
19 Jul 2022 11:06:43 PDT |
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