 |  No calls but orcas nearby Sept 2 2022 Orcas: A50s,A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s, I16s, I27s, I65s Humpbacks: Merge, Quartz, Inukshuk All groups milled around the eastern reaches of our network in the early hours of the morning. A brief rub was had at Strider beach at 12:25am, while the I15s sounded off Main beach (but no rub). The A30s, I15s and A5s all eventually began to move back to the west, beginning to call at Cracroft Point at 4:26am. The A30s with the I15s were in the lead, as the A23s and A25s followed, lagging somewhat. At 4:53am we heard a humpback warming up a little in Blackfish Sound - a hint of the acoustics that we can expect from the fall! We began hearing blows in Blackney Pass after 5am, as the A30s and I15s travelled through, audible on Flower Island at 5:24am. The groups were mixed and distanced from one another, taking over an hour and a half to complete the procession into Blackfish Sound. The A23s and A25s, meanwhile, would not come through Blackney. Instead, the A23s travelled west along the Vancouver Island shore, coming in to rub at Kaizumi beach from 7:15am to 7:32am. The A25s stayed closer to Cracroft Island, heading west also. Megan and Shari could see the hooked dorsal of A61 ‘Surge’ pass by them in the early light around 8am. Interestingly, we heard a few distinct A30 calls with the A5s in the Strait. Given the reports we received later in the day, it is possible that the A72s - Bend and Jamieson - were actually traveling with the A23s and A25s instead of with the rest of their immediate family. By 10:30am, the larger group of A30s and I15s were out of our range to the west, as the A23s, A25s and possible A72s paced the western reaches of Johnstone Strait between Beaver Cove and Weynton Passage. Eventually, they made a move north through Weynton and continued into Queen Charlotte Strait. At 2:03pm, we received a report that the A72s were with the A5 groups, but an hour later, the A72s had turned back towards Blackfish Sound, and the A5s continued out to the west. Around this time, the rest of the A30s and I15s were heading back south through Weynton Passage and into the Strait. Round and round they go! We began to hear the A30 and I15 groups at 4:36pm, and followed their movements eastwards, reaching Cracroft Point by 5:05pm. They were quite dispersed from shore to shore. Here, the day gets really exciting! We received a report that Troy at Bere Point on Malcolm Island had seen the I16s traveling east towards us at 5:13pm. This matriline completes the ‘set’ of the I15 groups; we have not yet seen them in our study area this year. And so we wait! The A30s, I4s, I27s and I65s didn’t dawdle at Cracroft Point for too long, the first whales making a move towards Blackney Pass at 6pm. By 6:20pm we could see the first blows, and we waited for the orcas to get in line with the Parson Bay Area for our ‘best view’ of their dorsals! Most of the A50s with the I65s came first, spread from the middle of the channel over to the further shore. Next, the A72s with the I4s and A54s who were also quite scattered. The I27s came last, slightly separate from one another but never wandering too far away from mum. The last fins dipped out of sight into Blackfish Sound at 7:31pm. During this passing, we received a report of ten or so orcas passing Donegal Head and south into Weynton Passage at 6:59pm… The A5s? The I16s? We waited for some acoustic clues. At 8:23pm, we heard A5 calls at the western end of the Strait and then around 8:45pm - I15 calls! We were fairly convinced that these belonged to the I16s, who had been ‘picked up’ by the A23s and A25s somewhere in Queen Charlotte Sound. Perhaps sensing that a meeting was imminent, or sticking to some predefined ‘see you at the Rubbing Beaches’ agreement: The A50s, A54s, I4s, I27s and I65s turned. Back to Blackney they came. For almost two hours the groups came through the pass in droves, and headed into Johnstone Strait. From around 9:30pm to 11:30pm we counted their blows and listened to their calls, as they passed us to the south. Meanwhile, the A23s and A25s with the I16s in tow headed directly to Strider beach and began to rub at 11:20pm. The wardens at Boat Bay heard blows passing east at 10:47pm, so it is possible that not all members went in for the rub. The A30 and I15 groups who had traversed Blackney reached Cracroft Point in dribs and drabs, and headed east to join the new recruits. Some stayed closer to the Cracroft shore, others crossed to Vancouver Island. The last three passed Megan and Shari at CP just before midnight, and the darkness was ablaze with the sounds of 42 orcas calling to one another under a blanket of stars. Suzie, OL 03 Sep 2022 14:01:58 PDT |
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