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Superb sounds!!
August 26 2022 Orcas: A50s, A54s, I4s, I27s, I65s Humpbacks: Quartz, Stitch, Tag, ?Inukshuk, ?Meteorite Overnight and out of our range in Queen Charlotte Strait, the A30s met up with the I4s, I27s and I65s. Perhaps this was met with lots of vibrant, excited calls as is often the case when groups meet up. These I15 groups have been away from the area since August 1, and a few mixed calls in Blackfish Sound at 3:20am alerted us to their presence once more. All groups slipped into Johnstone Strait via Weynton Passage as the dawn crept in, and we only heard a few brief calls in the Strait. The morning was socked in with fog, and the whales snuck by Cracroft Point without a peep, and into Blackney Pass at 8am. They passed the lab in near-silence and shrouded in fog, but assistants on deck could track their blows heading north. They had all passed into Blackfish by 8:32am where we heard more brief calls and, with a strong ebb, they headed back out into Queen Charlotte Strait for a while, stretching to the Penfold Islands. By the early afternoon they were on their way back to the east again, and we started to hear reports that they had separated into two groupings: The A50s with the I27s and I65s together nearing the Plumper Islands, and the A54s with the I4s just off Bold Head. The term ‘love fest’ was used to describe the behaviour of the latter group! Slowly, the A54s and I4s drifted east through Blackfish Sound, while the A50s, I27s and I65s chose Weynton Passage. Eventually, they picked up the pace and the A54s and I4s were with us in Blackney at 15:42pm, speeding by in a tight-knit group. They did a few deep dives and made haste into Johnstone Strait, crossing over and heading for the Ecological Reserve. The A50s, I27s and I65s meanwhile made their way east from Weynton to Cracroft Point, where they foraged and milled for a good while in the ripping current. They would remain here for a few hours, while the A54s and I4s rubbed at Strider. The rub lasted for half an hour from 6pm and we caught some beautiful footage. It was great to see the huge dorsal and pectoral fins of I76 on our underwater camera! It has been mainly the A54s at the beach lately, and they lack large males in their group. It is easy to forget just how big they are. A few rubs were also heard at the Main beach during this time. Eventually, they moved off to the east at 6:30pm, leaving the space clear for the next groups. The A50s, I27s and I65s, slowly easting, moved over to the Vancouver Shore as the others were rubbing. We heard some lovely clear calls on Critical Point as they foraged, and a short while later the I27s & I65s came in for a brief rub at Strider at 9:10pm. They only stayed for 25 minutes in the fading light. They, too, rubbed at the Main beach on their way eastward at 9:40pm. The A50s, further behind, didn’t come in for a rub and we are unsure if they made it all the way east, or waited for the other groups to eventually turn back west. Nevertheless, midnight approached with clear mixed calls sounding out from Kaizumi to Main beach: A beautiful concordance of Northern Resident orcas chatting into the night.
Suzie, OL
17 Aug 2022 17:02:50 PDT |
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