Wednesday, July 31, 2024




July 31 2024 A34s ( - A62s), [A42s plus A94 Salish Sea] BiggÕs orcas: T060s, T069s Minke whale: Bolt Humpbacks: Argonaut and Corporal Even on the days when nothing seems to be happening there are events which grab our attention and make us realise that not everything revolves around the Northern Residents. Most days they are our focus and drive our activities around the Lab. This year we have had the privilege of observing Northern Residents ever since early July. Such a contrast to last year when we had to wait until mid August for the orca scene to develop. It sadly lasted for such a short time. This year has seemed much closer to the historic normal we had come to expect. So what about this day? The A34s still had a presence. After midnight they began calling while off the entrance to Blackney Pass. They had spent just a few hours in the Strait before they turned and came back through Blackney Pass. The sea was calm, the calls beautiful and their blows pierced the night. It was a perfect pass. By 1:17am they were gone. Through the night they would continue westward. The morning was blanketed with deep fog once again and so at 8:30am when they passed Bere Point Kate heard them call but did not see them. This was the last we knew of their whereabouts. Unlike other recent days they did not return. The morning shifts rolled by without any word. However, BiggÕs orcas, the T069s went west from Bere Point at 11:45am. Later in the day, the T060s showed up off Jumble Islands in Knight Inlet around 7:48pm. It is so interesting that it is often the case that we experience the coincidence of seeing and hearing dolphins in the area followed up by sightings of BiggÕs orcas. The Minke Whale ÒBoltÓ came into Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound around 5pm. Uncharacteristically, Bolt surfaced repeatedly while supposedly foraging back and forth in front of the Lab mid channel. Usually, Minke Whales take long dives, sometimes up to 20 minutes, so sightings are often sporadic and opportunistic. It helped that the skies had cleared and the seas were calm - Made for a nice moment on the deck as everyone gathered to watch. There are only about eight Minke Whales that regularly inhabit this area. Not a lot of humpback activity occurred but Argonaut was in Blackney Pass once again while Corporal was off Cracroft Point. And so went this last day of the month. It has been a wonderful month and we can hope that August has some other surprises in store.
OrcaLab
31 Jul 2024 23:33:54 PDT



July 30 2024 A34s ( - A62s), [A42s plus A94 Salish Sea] Humpbacks: (at CP: Argonaut, Ridge, Quartz, Black Pearl and baby, Magician) Pacific White Sided dolphins YesterdayÕs deep fog showed signs of lifting part way through the morning. The stirring wind was enough to push it away so that the mountains of Vancouver Island and the surrounding hills began to be features of the landscape once more. The air was full of refreshing moisture and the skies grey. The A34 group had stayed away in Queen Charlotte Strait during the night. At 6:50am Kate at Bere Point heard their calls coming from the west. A male showed up less than a mile away but then disappeared around 9:30am. A few dolphins made an appearance both in Blackney Pass and in the entrance way in Johnstone Strait. It was up to the whale watch boats to then pick up the trail. At 12;07pm Ocean Magic II saw the A34s enter into Blackfish Sound. They were spread out between Donegal Head and Swanson Island. It was not long after that we began to hear their calls at 12:37pm. We took a peak using the remote Sea Lion cam and could see them in Blackfish for ourselves. The first group filed into Blackney at 1:43pm. A55, A34, A96 and A132 along with A80 were identified in that order. By the time they reached the space between Parson Island and Hanson Island they had managed to get closer to each other as they passed out of our view to the south. It was then over to Shari at ÒCPÓ. She first saw a single male at 2:23pm and then others at 2:39pm. Generally, the whales looked like they were heading east. The Sonic was returning from Alert Bay loaded with groceries and laundry and more importantly with Tomoko who was returning after a five year absence. Amazing to realise it had been five years. But because Tomoko kept just a text message away each summer on a regular basis it has not felt like she ever really left. She has the amazing ability to listen to the audio feed and offer guidance as to which whales are calling. The time difference between here and Japan works in our favour and because of this difference Tomoko is able to offer help to those on night shift. Her efforts have been so appreciated. Now she is back she can do this in person! That is once the jet lag wears off! During the ride back a few Dalls porpoise swam by the SonicÕs starboard side just past Double Bay and then just a short while later, on the port side, and further out, a small group of orcas headed to Burnt Point. The Sonic slowed down to make sure to not close in on the orcas who were angling in earnest to Burnt Point just west of the Lab. This turned out to be the A67s and as they approached closer to the Hanson Island shore they milled and spy hopped before resuming southward. The Lab was watching. As the A67s moved ÒdownÓ to the sea lion rock area south of the Lab, the Sonic managed to finally get around Òthe cornerÓ and land at the Lab. By this time, Scotty was reporting that the lead group (SimoomÕs A34 group) were foraging close to the Vancouver Island shore near Izumi Rock. EclipseÕs A67 group were not yet through Blackney Pass but they soon would be and when they were off CP they foraged, sometimes close to the camp, formed a resting line of sorts then turned to swim after the rest of their family. SimoomÕs group were already into the Ecological Reserve after 5pm and as part of their eastern trek went in for a quick rub between 5:19pm and 5:21pm. This would not be their only effort. The rub was repeated from 5:47pm to 5:49pm. They did not rub at Main beach but that hydrophone picked up their calls as they continued east. EclipseÕs group were still well behind and believed that they only arrived at Robson Bight by 8:48pm. There was some very clear echolocation at this time so perhaps their progress had been further delayed by more foraging. Calls in the Bight continued for a while longer. By 9:59pm we had lost track of either groupÕs movements. Shari at CP was fortunate enough to see, in addition to the orcas, the humpbacks Black Pearl and baby, as well as Argonaut taking a hiatus from his usual Blackney Pass haunt. Quartz, Ridge and Magician. Ridge was lunge feeding during the morning and Scotty remarked that he saw several sea gull casualties in the area sparking ShariÕs comment that maybe the humpbacks had been a little ÒcallousÓ with their lunge feeding. Additionally during the day there was a report of part of the R5s near Ketchikan and Dylan, doing survey work on the central coast, chimed in that they had the R5s as well as some of the R17s 15 miles west of Calvert Island a few days ago. With them were the I18s, I4s, I65s (remember them?) and the I27s. By the end of the day, the mist, the fog and the rain took over once more. Looking into the forest the relief of moisture was palpable with hues of intense green and the ground softened underfoot. The rain barrels had become full once again. The rain also meant that the sauna fire could be lit so everyone might enjoy a shower before collecting their newly laundered clothes.
OrcaLab
31 Jul 2024 04:00:16 PDT
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Monday, July 29, 2024




July 29 2024July 28 2024 A34s ( - A62s), [A42s plus A94 Salish Sea] The A34s, now the only Northern Resident group in the Johnstone Strait area, continued to move eastward after midnight. Their progress was fairly easy to track from their calls which were frequent. From midnight to 1am, they covered the area west of Cracroft Point to Kaizumi beach (west of Robson Bight). By 1:44am they were closer to Robson Bight and on their way to Strider beach an hour later. Between 2:49am and 4am they approached Strider slowly. Some of the group went for a 4 minute rub between 4:05 and 4:09am. Main beach then heard these whales pass by. From then on, their calls grew fainter. As the whales went out of range there was a bit of a break. By 5:47am they were heard again when they turned back to the west. They were not in a hurry. By morning heavy thick fog blanketed everything, softening and blurring land and sea. Impossible to see any of the humpbacks in Blackney Pass but there were lots of blows. The A34s were, by 6:45am off the east end of the Reserve and an hour after that, Boat Bay saw 5 individuals mid strait off of their camp. The whales were now definitely heading west. And just like in the early hours of the morning when they were moving east the pace was unhurried but deliberate. Echolocation on the Kaizumi system indicated that they were past Robson Bight and a little further on their way ÒupÓ the Strait toward Cracroft Point. Between 9 and 9:30am, the A34s swam past Cracroft Point, pushed across the entrance to Blackney Pass and found their way along to Big Bay. They favoured the Hanson Island shore. It was now 9:35am. The 9 orcas were spread out. One individual was seen definitely closer to Vancouver Island and by 12:22pm the group had arrived at Beaver Cove. They would eventually cross over as their intention to turn into Weynton Pass by 2pm became clearer. Following the Hanson side of Weynton brought them past the Plumper Islands to Blackfish Sound. By 3:14pm, they were mid Blackfish Sound heading northwest. We assumed, as there were no other convenient reports or calls, that the A34s carried on through the fog into Queen Charlotte Strait for the rest of the day. Megan had kayaked to ÒCPÓ to join Shari for a night. Justus and HervŽ got on their way while Tomoko Mitsuya, after a long absence from Hanson Island, arrived. She actually crossed paths with HervŽ at the Port Hardy airport. With the thick fog making travel difficult it was a convenient day for the Sonic to go in for an annual service. So when the fog clears sufficiently, as it seemed to do just before dark, Tomoko will be able to complete her return to the Lab.
OrcaLab
30 Jul 2024 01:53:10 PDT
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Sunday, July 28, 2024




July 28 2024 A34s ( - A62s), [A42s plus A94 Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Freckles and baby,Stitch, Ridge,Argonaut, Quartz,possibly Merge This day was different. Not only did it rain (real west coast rain!) but there was change in the habits of the orcas as well. Gone was the interplay between the A24 group and the A34 group. Somewhere in Queen Charlotte Strait the two groups parted ways. The previous day they were a relaxed social combined group off Donegal Head. But sometime during the night then eventually went their separate ways. During most of the next day the A34 group would linger between the border of Queen Charlotte Strait and Blackfish Sound, not going far, content to shift, frequently foraging. First things first. Rolf Hicker found the orcas opposite Lizard Point mid morning. They were moving east. In short order they were off Donegal Head by 10:06am and still eastbound. The distant A1 calls (the A34s) and echolocation in Blackfish Sound told us that they had kept to this trajectory. For what seemed the longest time, all we heard was fairly distant calls, all we ever saw was distant fins on the Sea Lion remote camera looking into Blackfish Sound. Eagle55 confirmed that the whales were spread out in Blackfish Sound. Finally, at 1:07pm orcas came into Blackney Pass. There were only a few and they came no further in than West Pass. We surmised that it was A80, A96, and A132 from the comments Straitwatch detailed about the groupÕs movements prior to this. Ò Yes, we had three earlier, guessing A80, A96 and A132,heading down from Donegal Head towards Blackfish Sound.There were reports of other whales around but we did not see them. Then they travelled down Blackfish. These were the whales that the Lab saw. While those individuals were in the LabÕs view we picked up another group of 5 off Egeria Shoals (northern end of Swanson Island). Then when the small group in view of the Lab turned and travelled back north (1:42pm) all the whales came together and began foraging between Donegal Head and Bold Head.When we left them around 4:30pm they had grouped up and were heading southeast along the Swanson shore.Ó We then listened to continuous A34 calls until 5pm but no orcas ventured into view again. Of note were the humpback calls at 5:32, 5:42 and 5:46pm in Blackfish Sound which added a postscript to this rather nondescript day. Then just before 11pm the A34s finally managed to find some direction as they moved into Johnstone Strait via Weynton Pass. It will be interesting to see how far they get and whether the A24s follow them. The rain was lovely but it meant that JŽrŽmie and Justus had to work in the rain while attempting to solve radio problems at Parson Island. And the rain also made a wet departure for Justus, Kelly and HervŽ in our open boat, the Sonic. This rain is more than welcomed. The trees got a good soaking and hopefully the creeks are a little fuller. We are all very aware of the destruction around the province and in Jasper, Alberta that the wildfires have caused. We hope the current weather systems coming from the Pacific help ease the severe dry conditions. Our hearts go out to all those affected.
Orcalab
28 Jul 2024 23:12:50 PDT



July 27 2024 A24s (A64s plus A78), A34s(- A62s), [A42s plus A94 Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Quartz, Ridge, Stitch, Argonaut, Aquarius, Freckles and baby On the stroke of midnight the A24 group was close to Strider beach. Their calls were loud and clear - a clarion call to the A34 group who were following but still behind. As they made their way east their calls began to fade. By then the A34s were abeam Strider at 1:09am. They followed up with a short rub and when finished at 2;16am the A34s brushed past Main rubbing beach and continued to follow the A24 group to the east. Progress was not hurried and calls could be heard for another hour. It was now 3am - a long night for the Lab. Briefly at 4:36am there were a few more calls then a longer break with the whales well past the Ecological Reserve. In the interval, the A24 group must have made a wide arc which brought them over closer to the Cracroft island shore while the A34s stayed closer to Vancouver Island. It was in this formation that both groups came back to the west just before 10am. The A42s were still in the Salish Sea and in the same locale as the previous day near Sutil Channel. We heard the distant A34 calls first at 9:58am but did not see them approach Strider beach until just before 12pm. A34, A55, A96 and A132 were identified at the beach as their rub began at 12:03pm. It was another short rub and they were soon carrying on west. By 12:07pm we were hearing the A24s as well. In short order we heard calls on the Critical Point system as the whales came abeam Robson Bight. The ever diligent Straitwatch, guarding on the water nearby, watched as the whales grouped together. A humpback vocal from 12:53 to 1:08pm rather surprised the Lab as at this time of year vocal humpbacks are not common. Straitwatch was able to report at 1:51pm that the A24s were off the Sophia Island and approaching Cracroft Point. This report was followed by us hearing echolocation and seeing whales on the ÒCPÓ remote camera. The outcamp was already in action with cameras and notepad ready. The highlight of their day would be the double spy hop they saw in front of them. The A24s continued across the entrance to Blackney Pass and found themselves closer to the Hanson Island shore. In the Salish Sea the A42s had turned back to the north around Sentry Shoals. The A34s, meanwhile, were over on the Vancouver Island shore still and at 2:37pm they were off Blinkhorn. Really, these two groups were working in tandem and when opposite Telegraph Cove the A34s crossed over and moved into Weynton Pass after the A24s. By the time they had gone through Weynton at 3:16pm the two groups moved even closer together and by the time Alex saw them off Donegal Head around 5pm they were all mixed together and Alex was able to offer the following description. ÒThree groups working so hard against the tide. Quite spectacularÕ They really didnÕt move very far as they were reported just west of Donegal Head at 6:23pm. By 7:35pm Ocean Magic II announced that they were now eastbound and sure enough we picked up a few calls at 8:12pm on the Flower Island system in Blackfish Sound. Claire actually could see some distant fins using the Sea Lion remote camera trained and zoomed in to the west. But despite continued calls and even some echolocation the whales never materialised and by midnight had ceased as they retreated back toward Queen Charlotte Strait. The Lab had an evening thrill as a humpback came close to our boat, the Sonic tethered at the mooring at 10:26pm. This was the last day for Justus, Kelly and HervŽ. We have so enjoyed having all three at the Lab and appreciated all that they have done. Justus and Kelly are on to new adventures and school in the Fall. For HervŽ, it is back to France, family and work at the University of Toulon. HervŽ made a presentation to the group about some of the incredible findings his research has produced. We will think of him each time we turn on ÒStethorcaÓ when we record whales in Blackney Pass. Bon Voyage!!
OrcaLab
28 Jul 2024 11:57:54 PDT
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Saturday, July 27, 2024




July 26 2024 A24s (A64s plus A78), [A34s Queen Charlotte Strait], [A42s plus A94 Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Claw and Baby, Sponge Bob, Stitch Our dayÕs story begins deep in Queen Charlotte Strait. Kate, who is based at Bere Point on Malcolm Island, heard the A34s between 1:43 to 2:45am. They had left Johnstone Strait before midnight and this was a continuation of their travels west. But then two hours later, at 4:14am, Kate heard them again. The calls lasted until 6am and during this time Kate could hear their blows as they moved east. This was good news, they had not left! While Kate was listening to those blows, the A24s, east of the Ecological Reserve, were being heard once again as they made their approach to the Ecological Reserve after being out of range most of the night. On this westward path they were not really interested in a rub and gave Strider beach only a perfunctory go-over at 6:05am. Lasting less than a minute the orcas continued efficiently on their way west. They made it a straight shot and carried on past Kaizumi by 7:30am, opposite Cracroft Point by 7:53am, past Kaikash Creek by 8:30am and Telegraph Cove by 9:17am. They would leave the Strait via Weynton Pass. At 11:05am they were between Pearse Island and the Stephenson Islets. Meanwhile, Megan was keeping track of the A42s in the Salish Sea and reported that at 11am they were off the Wilby Shoals near the southern tip of Quadra island. By 2pm, they were off Dogfish Bay heading north along the Quadra shoreline. Megan also remarked on seeing the humpback, Guardian. Guardian, is a very familiar humpback to the Blackney Pass area. It was good to know more of her range this summer. More news came from Kate in the afternoon. She saw a group of orcas circling around Malcolm Point to the west of her camp around 1:38pm. There were no calls. These whales shifted out near Numas Island but she lost sight of them by 3pm. When she next saw them they were about 3 miles east of Numas and at 5:50pm she could see them approaching Lizard Point. She counted five orcas, two of which were males. There were no calls to help with identification. At the Lab, we heard just a hint that the A24s had finally made it through Weynton Passage and into Blackfish Sound. An hour later, the Naiad Explorer reported that the A24s were west of the Foster Islands in Queen Charlotte Strait. Megan, meanwhile, continued to update about the A42s. At 2:28pm they were travelling south past Francisco Point on Quadra Island. The A24s stayed in Queen Charlotte Strait. In the late afternoon they showed signs of beginning to move back toward Blackfish Sound. By 7:48pm, JŽrŽmie saw them crossing the area in front of Parson Bay, in Blackney!. They had not given much warning about their progress but everyone jumped into action and followed the group through Blackney Pass and into Johnstone Strait in good order, only briefly distracted by the nearby sea otter! At 7:29pm, a group of nine were passing Lizard Point. The day was definitely getting interesting! The A24s cleared the LabÕs view just before 8:30pm and from Cracroft Point they headed east while mid strait. They were almost to the Sophia Islands when we heard calls and echolocation in Blackfish Sound at 9pm. Half an hour later the A34s (minus the A62s) were in Blackney Pass following the A24sÕ route to Johnstone Strait. It took them only 30 minutes before they were well on their way. By then it was truly dark and we followed their progress east from their calls. By 10pm the A24s were off the Ecological Reserve. The A34s were much further behind but both carried on eastward. Their night journey would be out of range of our systems. Amazing what lengths they go to in order to co-ordinated their movements. Makes our job interesting, always.
OrcaLab
27 Jul 2024 15:15:17 PDT
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