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September 15 2022 Humpbacks: Guardian, Merge, Black Pearl, Kraken and possibly Claw and Crochet. Pacific White-sided dolphins We skipped the summary for the 14th mainly because most of the day had been very, very foggy and there was very, very little to report. The 15th was a different story. Starting after midnight, the dolphins, who had been so active a couple of days previous, made a return to Blackfish Sound and became very chatty over the course of the next several hours during which they came close to a feeding humpback, went through to Johnstone Strait, produced some deliciously clear vocals, cut close to Cracroft Point and kept going in Johnstone Strait. Afterwards, the humpback who had been mostly distant in Blackfish Sound, drew closer to where the hydrophone is located and made his presence dramatically known at 5;30am. Loud calls and grumbles accompanied water movements, bubble making and terrifically huge slaps on the water by either pectoral fins or tail. The dolphins had woken everyone but the humpback kept everyone awake. Emma got up and kept notes throughout both events. Claire and JŽrŽmie at ÒCPÓ were awake too, first noticing the dolphins rushing (as they do) past the platform at 4:30am and then listening to the humpback in Blackfish Sound. Those overseas or elsewhere had tuned in as well, such a nice community brought together by these shared experiences. Despite the lingering smoke from the recent Interior forest fires the day broke free of fog. We are noticing, like everyone else, how late the sunrises now happen as the earth moves closer to the Equinox. Officially, sunrise occurred at 7:05am. It does not seem that long ago that daylight would begin to creep in as early as 4am followed by daybreak at 5am! The dolphins returned later in the day. Before 10:30am they were sighted in Blackfish Sound heading east. About a half hour later they were in view on the far side. Quixotically they changed direction often, shifting closer to the Hanson Island side and then passing the Lab while still giving the impression of being in a hurry. Surely they were chasing something of interest as they travelled generally east toward the sea lion rocks. No sea lions on the rocks but those in the water joined the dolphins with full body jumps that mirrored the antics of the dolphins. Perhaps they were just making sure the dolphins kept going. Some even went out of sight, others headed over toward Parson Island on the far side once again. Doing another 180 the dolphins travelled back to White Beach Pass, a bit further to Compton Island then back again to Parson Bay. Emma declared, ÒI canÕt keep up! At 12:30pm they were still in the Pass between Hanson and Parson Islands. They were chatty, splashy and foraging. Finally by 1pm they made it to Johnstone Strait where they enjoyed more foraging in the currents of the strong riptide west of Cracroft Point. They went west, then east and then back into the entrance to Blackney Pass and Blackney Pass proper, not slowing down the entire time. Finally around 1:40pm they committed to Johnstone Strait which they crossed, bow-riding a large cruise ship, all the while still chatting away. A breakaway group still in Blackney Pass took their turn on another cruise shipÕs bow as they moved toward Johnstone Strait. During the evening the dolphin movement never stopped. Chatty as ever they found their way back to Blackfish Sound. Do hope they find what they are looking for! At least in the absence of BiggÕs orcas they had the freedom to roam and the chance to feed undisturbed. Meanwhile, several humpbacks took advantage of Blackney Pass. Merge, Guardian, Black Pearl and her baby Kraken were present. Claw and her baby Crochet may well have been there too. In comparison to the frenetic dolphins the humpbacks looked sedate and calm. Quite the contrast. The rest of the evening was plagued with boat noise - a somewhat irritating end of what had been a lovely day.
OrcaLab
16 Sep 2022 08:21:57 PDT |
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