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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 |
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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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