 |  Superb sounds!! Sept 1 2022 Orcas: A50s,A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s,I27s, I65s Humpbacks: Squiggle, Guardian, Quartz It is quite remarkable that we can still trace the movements of orca families into the night, after darkness has fallen. Their habits - somewhat predictable - and unique acoustic profiles continue to paint a picture on the night’s black canvas. After moving back into the Strait, most of the families continued to the east. Their distant, tinny calls off the eastern beaches suggested that no rubbing was to be had, but they were nevertheless entertaining themselves more offshore. Here they stayed for most of the night. Our intrigue was piqued when, at 7am, we began to hear A30 calls (likely A50s) around Cracroft Point, and some A5 calls shortly after. Some groups had hung back to the west, not reaching the eastern end. Tomoko - long time OrcaLab assistant and listening from Japan - remarked that these A5 calls did not sound like the A23s, whom we have had in the area for several days. Her bet was on the A25s. Sure enough, at 7:52am, we heard closer A5 calls on Kaizumi and an 8-minute rub began. We caught a glimpse of the very top of a male dorsal: left bending, just like A61 “Surge”. Tomoko’s guess was a good one! These orcas tracked east along the Vancouver Island shore to Critical Point in Robson Bight at 9:10am, as the A50s mirrored their move more mid-channel/Cracroft Island side. Silently, the A25s made their way down to Strider beach by 10am. This rub was quite possibly one of the most beautiful rubs we have ever seen. Now, A61 “Surge”, A85 “Cordero” and A121 “Twilight” were clearly visible. The low tide, mirror-calm water and brilliant sunshine made the beaches as clear as a glacial pool, and we saw incredible footage of A61 in particular. It is quite the thing to see a huge male orca clearly beneath the glassy surface, rolling on his sides and back, waving those huge pectoral fins. The rub lasted for less than 10 minutes, but will stay with us for a lifetime. The A25s moved briefly to the east, just as we received the report that the wardens could see lots of whales moving west towards them. The rest were on their way back! In droves, the A30, A5 and I15 groups came by. Some A30s did a brief fly-by of Strider at 10:28am, as the I27s came in to rub properly at 10:38am. We could clearly ID I27, I77 and I107 with some more spectacularly clear footage. The rest of the I15s and A25s joined in too, and the beaches looked a little like orca soup for a while. All headed on to the west, with the A30s passing Critical Point at 11:15am, the others not far behind. As we’ve come to expect, the A23s hung back for a while, letting the others move on before coming to rub briefly at Strider at 11:51am. They too, followed suit and off to the west. Now very spread out, the leading A30 and I15 groups were already approaching Kaizumi and came for another quick rub at 12:15pm, then 12:33pm, before beginning their crossing to Cracroft Point. Megan and Shari on the CP platform could see the I27s, A50s and A54s at around 12:35pm. These groups would wait a little while, foraging in the rip, as the other groups caught up. By 1:10pm, these first whales had made a move towards Blackney Pass, and the I65s and A25s were reported to have begun the crossing from Kaizumi to Cracroft Point. True to form, the A23s shadowed the others’ movements, passing Izumi Rock towards Kaizumi at 1:19pm. The Blackney Parade began at 1:16pm, as members of the A50s, A54s and I27s came into view. They were fairly far-side and moving quickly in the choppy, ebbing current. Spreading out, the I4s, I65s and A25s came next. Just as these first groups were all clearing from our view into Blackfish Sound, the A23s finally made it, shadowing the movements of their distant cousins. They started off quite mid-channel, but the turning tide was beginning to push against them. Bunched up and diving deep, the A23s came closer and closer to the Hanson shore, riding the back-eddy into Blackfish Sound. It was one of the best looks at this matriline we have had all year. A60 ‘Fife’ is always a peoples’ favourite, and each whale in his family has some distinct feature! The groups stayed in Blackfish for a good while, scattered from shore to shore. We received reports that they were foraging, milling, and resting for a good few hours. Eventually, they turned back towards us and politely timed their arrival before we sat down for dinner, passing the lab again in almost exactly reverse order at 6:36pm. The A23s were first, followed by the I15 groups and A25s - all dispersed across Blackney - with the A50s and A54s coming last right down the middle. For the first time this summer, the I65s came closest to the lab in a tight group and hugged the Hanson shore into the entrance of Johnstone Strait. It was lovely to get a good look at the growing fin of I122, and at their 2-year-old baby, I165. By 7:16pm the leading groups had passed Cracroft Point and were angling back to the east, and the rest followed suit. As the whales approached CP, it seems they had shuffled around, and the girls saw A72 (Bend) with A108 (Jamieson) intermingled with the A25s and members of the I15s. They all continued east, some crossing to Vancouver Island, others remaining closer to the Cracroft shore. We traced their mixed calls to Robson Bight, where they foraged as they travelled, the first I15s arriving at Strider at 10:22pm for a ten-minute rub. The calls were mixed and clear, telling us that At least some variation of A30s, A5s and I15s were rubbing together! Shortly before, the wardens at boat bay reported a group of orcas travelling east past their camp, under the stars. With 35 whales in the area, not all can fit in for a rub! The I15s moved on east, leaving room for some A30s to rub at Strider at 10:45pm, for another 10-minute session. The A5s did not seem to rub, continuing straight on to the east and foraging loudly around Main beach from 11pm. One more pass of Strider was to be had at 11:30pm, before the rubs for the day were done. Their intermingled calls persisted into the night as, once again, the Northern Residents hugged the eastern stretch of our range in Johnstone Strait well into the early hours. Suzie, OL 02 Sep 2022 11:51:05 PDT |
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