Saturday, July 29, 2023

July 25 - 29 2023 I hope by writing this summary that the situation will have changed by the time it comes to press post! Our July has been probably the strangest since we began monitoring orcas in the Johnstone Strait/Blackfish Sound area decades ago. The season, with the exception of the A42s, has yet to materialize. The A42s have transited through the area with barely any presence. Their first arrival on July 7 was in the fog and they remained silent as they travelled through this area and on to Georgia Strait where they remained until retracing steps on July 23 out to Queen Charlotte Strait.. Encouragingly they returned late the next day and we were able to follow them acoustically through the early hours of the 25th as they made their way east in Johnstone Strait where they stopped for a brief rub just as they had done in Queen Charlotte Strait on the 24th. Once again the A42s made a beeline for Georgia Strait leaving us rather deflated after the excitement of hearing their calls through the night. None of this is hardly a season starter. We know Northern Residents have been spotted elsewhere, along the North and Central coasts and even near the Port Hardy area but none ventured in. All this has left us wondering. Why? What has changed? When will things go back to ÒnormalÓ? We know from years of observations that the A1 pod plays a significant role in this area and they have yet to show up. The old A30 matriline has now split into two groups, the A50s and A54s, both quite independent of each other and often travel separately. The A54s have been seen in the company of other Northern Resident families several times on the North Coast where they were reported to have two new babies. The A50s have yet to be seen as far as we know. Going back over old incidence records we know that the A30s were most likely the first group to become established in the area each season and once here they acted as ÒhostÓ to the the other various groups, ushering them in and out. The other A1 matrilines, the A12s (now the A34s) and the A36s also had a similar role, working with the A30s in the early part of the season then assuming the role once the A30s departed. The A36s no longer exist and the A12s have changed their habits gradually after the death of A12 in 2012 when they became known as the A34s, named after A12Õs only daughter. Each year the A34s have not only decreased their presence, they have virtually abandoned the early season in favour of a later arrival. It feels like a very cursory effort. We have considered several possibilities for the dramatic change of events this season: The whales are content to stay in certain areas where the availability of food is easy and plentiful. Why make the effort even though Chinook abundance is pretty decent in the Johnstone Strait area? The A54s have possibly two new babies and are reluctant to travel long distances even though they were a mainstay last year in this area. The A50s, if nothing has happened to them, are likewise busy elsewhere. The A34s continue to prefer being elsewhere. They started this trend. The A1s, by keeping their distance, have created a Ònobody is at homeÓ situation as other Northern Residents have knocked on the door fairly close by but not entered. The area has become too busy, too noisy, and the whales get too much attention. For more than a decade the season has trended to starting later and ending earlier. There are, of course, probably multiple factors. All we know is that this season has been like no other and with all that time on hand we are preoccupied with the unanswered question, WHY? 
OrcaLab
29 Jul 2023 17:48:23 PDT

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Saturday, July 22, 2023



No calls but orcas nearby

July 16 - July 21 2023 Biggs orcas: T060s, T046s, T109s Northern Residents (at a distance): R17s, I16s, I04s, R13s, G17s, A34s, A42s, A73s, A25s Gray Whale As we wait for the Northern Residents (an interminable wait) BiggÕs orcas continue to maintain a near steady presence in the area. Such was the case on July 16. Daughter Anna had arrived with her family for her birthday so this sighting contributed to the celebration. The BiggÕs were first sighted off the Bell Rocks at 4:16pm. From there during very long dives they proceeded north until near the Parson Island Light where they stopped and made some foraging maneuvers. Another long dive occurred and afterwards the very large male made several regular surfacings. The rest of the group were more elusive for us. By 5:56pm the silent passage was over as they headed into Blackfish Sound. The next day brought the tantalizing news that once again the north coast was host to Northern Residents. The Fin Island station heard a mixture of R and G clan calls during the early morning hours (2-4pm) as the orcas passed south through Squally Channel. In daylight the same group passed Whale Point and Hermann was able to identify the R17s and the I16s and I4s as they headed to Lorado Sound. The rest of our day was preoccupied by humpback sightings, the Cave roof construction and a great hot dog dinner assisted by Grandson Jamie!. On the 18th we learned that the A42s were still being tracked near Heriot Bay (Quadra Island) in Georgia Strait at 8:42am. By 11 am the A42s were travelling fast near Brenton Island. There were two other reports of Northern Resident groups along the coast this day. Wayne Wright identified the A34s heading into Fitz Hugh Sound. This was quite encouraging as this is really only about a dayÕs good travel from the Blackfish Sound/Johnstone Strait area. Springer (A73) was photographed with her two youngsters travelling with the A54s and the A25s near Whale Point. So much far away activity! We do know that the residentÕs favourite food, Spring salmon, has been relatively abundant this year in contrast to some lean years previously. Jim Borrowman remarked on the coincidence of the Alaska salmon fishery being closed for a month. Normally this fishery takes over 700,000 fish each season. With no take this year these salmon have become available in Canadian waters. Good news for the whales. With so much food around the orcas are probably content to stay close to the source of plenty and have delayed their normal travels to more southern parts of the coast. Early next morning the T046s passed the Cliff Research site mid strait heading eastward. By 13:14 pm the group, including T046D & E and T122 (photo ids by Lucy) were nearing Robson Bight. Meanwhile the R13s and G17s were in Goletas Channel near Port Hardy - so close, closer than even the A34s BUT they headed west and away. It seems we still do not yet have enough temptations to bring the residents in closer. The A42s from noon till 5:30pm were off south Savary Island (Georgia Strait). For us the 20th was a disappointing mess of misinformation. First came the false report of a large group of residents heading east from Malcolm Point. It turned out to be BiggÕs orcas (the T060s, T109Bs and the T046B1s - Jared Towers ID) and not residents. Later this was compounded by some further miscommunication about this same group. Twice we started an audio recording to no avail. We are so ready and hopeful for residents that we leant immediate credence to the reports. Sigh. The 21st brought an unexpected surprise - a Gray Whale came into Blackney Pass. Scotty first saw the whale off West Pass. Quite difficult to see at first but finally, when opposite the Lab just past 11am, the thin fog lifted to reveal its presence opposite the Lab on the far side. The whale continued south and proceeded slowly toward Johnstone Strait. Those on the deck, Naomi, Agathe, Carla and Jluiette in the Lab on the remote camera did a great job staying on task and even were able to relocate the whale once in Johnstone Strait. This is a fairly rare occurrence so Jared Towers made the effort to document the whale east towards Robson Bight. Jared commented that the small whale looked in good shape, robust with just a few scratches. As the Gray Whale event drew to a conclusion Ely relayed that BiggÕs orcas were seen in Tribune Channel. Jared and Ely identified T060C for sure and Jared commented that there seemed to be a bunch in the inlets that day. The BiggÕs certainly get around while making their circuits in and out of the area these days while filling the void left by the absent residents. On the slack tide Megan and Suzie donned their dry suits and slipped into the water. Claire, as part of the support , followed in her wet suit armed with her underwater camera. They were there to help install the 2nd hydrophone array designed by HervŽ Glotin of the University of Toulon. JŽrŽmie, Paulo, HervŽ and Juliette were in the boat with the hydrophone which was eventually lowered into the water then guided into position by Megan and Suzie. After weeks of preparation the actual installation went very smoothly and quickly. Some additional work was needed in the Lab before the system was fully operational. With this done, it meant that there are now two arrays (the first installation was on July 13) off the lab to help detect and localize whale calls. Specialized hydrophones on the array include high and low frequency capabilities. We are quite excited to see the first results and very thankful for HervŽ including OrcaLab in this work.
OrcaLab
22 Jul 2023 23:13:19 PDT
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Saturday, July 15, 2023



No orcas present.

July 11- 15 2023 A42s Georgia Strait T060s T069D2, T059 Humpbacks: Argonaut, Quartz, Ripple, Ridge, Inukshuk, Guardian and baby. Despite the fact that there have not been Northern Residents in our particular area does not mean that there was not a lot of activity. We were satisfied by BiggÕs orcas, Humpbacks and reports of distant Northern Residents. Starting with the A42s, Holly 9or SonoraÓs family. You may remember that Holly took her family past the Lab on July 7 and carried on into Georgia Strait. We were able to follow their movement because the whale watch boats coming out of Campbell River were keeping close track of their movements form apparently ealy morning to evening. On July 11 they were seen rubbing at Francis Point around 8:30am. By 10:22am they were headed north. By afternoon they had turned back south near the Quadra- Cortez ferry. Shifting north that same day Dylan Smyth heard the G03 matriline near Hope Island (north tip of Vancouver Island). On the 12th reports juggled once more from the northwest and the southeast. The A42s were off southwest Quadra Island then off the top of the spit by 10:40am very close to the beach and apparently liking each otherÕs company! Donna let us know that there were orcas between the Fosters and Holfords in Queen Charlotte Strait. This seemed very promising. Then Megan relayed that the T060s were hunting DallÕs Porpoise in Weynton Passage near the Plumper Islands at 1:40pm so probably they were the very same orca who were in Queen Charlotte Strait earlier.Jared mentioned that T069D2 was with them. Elsewhere, the A42s around 2:20pm had found another rubbing beach on northwest Manna Island. Moving to the 13th. Just before 11am Alex Morton saw a group of BiggÕs orcas heading east in Queen Charlotte Strait. This was again the T060s, this time accompanied by Grandmother T059. Jared Towers once again made the identification. We picked up their trail acoustically when they were passing Cracroft Point in Johnstone Strait and then visually with the aid of the remote camera as they continued eastward. The T060s were not done with us, turning up the next day once again off Cracroft Point at 7:42am heading east at first then turning around to the west after reaching Robson Bight at 9:25am. They passed the Cliff Research site at 1:09pm. Just three minutes later they were off the Baron Reefs and a short while later seen on the Cracroft Point remote camera. Sure enough they slipped into Blackney Pass at 1:39pm. As they headed north through the Pass they took very long dives between surfacings. Once opposite the Lab the cohesive group spread apart and began to go in different directions as if looking for something. Another long dive brought the male T060C to the surface and the fleet of boats following the whales on either side accompanied the group into Blackfish Sound at 3:08pm. On this same day, on the North Coast, the A54s, A24s, A25s passed the Fin Island Research station. The next day, July 15, the A42s were still south of but this time in Sutil Channel which just might indicate a possible shift north. OUr list of humpbacks seen during this time period includes Argonaut, Quartz, Ripple, Ridge, Inukshuk, Guardian and baby. The weather, although a bit too dry, has been spectacular. We welcomed Mark McCalllum back. Mark is working on putting a new roof on part of the main building. A huge and complicated job. Claire, Juliette, Jeremie and Agathe have pitched in and helped. We welcomed new comers Ali and Grace, as well as, Chloe and Serah more recently. Anna, Tony and Jamie have come for a short visit. Our entire little group (not so little when gathered for dinner in the small living room) has managed to keep everything going as we wait for the Northern Residents to turn up. 
OrcaLab
16 Jul 2023 07:14:46 PDT
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Monday, July 10, 2023




No calls but orcas nearby

July 10 2023 A42s (Geogia Strait) T087, T124C, T099s Humpbacks: Argonaut,Ripple,Quartz Today, the A42s continued to stay in in the same general area around Savary Island and Quadra Island in upper Georgia Strait. Meanwhile around 2pm we had a tantalizing report of 15 Northern Residents traveling east near the Deserter Islands northwest of Port Hardy. Beyond this initial report we heard nothing but were still hopeful that the flooding tide later in the early evening would nudge them along. So far it has not happened. At 6:45pm three humpbacks, Argonaut, Ripple and Quartz engaged in some heavy feeding mid channel just south of the Lab. It was for a while quite spectacular. They would have more to do a bit later. We knew that BiggÕs orcas were around as the Cliff Research site reported a group heading west around 5pm. Despite the now flooding tide these whales made it into Blackney Pass before 8pm just as, once again, we were setting the dinner on the table. It looked like a fairly large group as we counted 7 including two mature males, a juvenile male, a mum and baby and two other female sized fins. They made it all the way along Parson Island, stopped and engaged in a hunt, most likely their target was a DallÕs Porpoise. There were no calls and eventually they turned back with the current and made their way out of view towards Johnstone Strait. They were, for a time, accompanied by at least one humpback. This was not as unusual as it seems. In the past while BiggÕs orcas have been involved in a hunt we have witnessed humpbacks placing themselves in or near the action often foiling the BiggÕs efforts. Quartz has definitely done this before. At 8:38pm the BiggÕs were back in view trying once again to negotiate Blackney Pass. This time they made a straight job of it despite the opposing current. By 8:45 they were more than half way along Parson Island. By 8:57pm they were opposite the Lab cameras clicking quickly. Having a look later we could identify the large males T087, T124C and the T099s. They were gone from our view by 9:12pm and still moving into Blackfish Sound efficiently. 
OrcaLab
10 Jul 2023 22:43:54 PDT
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