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September 6th 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Freckles and baby, Quartz Pacific White-Sided Dolphins The silent darkness was punctured at 3:40am, with faint A54 calls in the western end of Johnstone Strait. These orcas had not gone far from the night previous, and had finally made their way through Weynton Passage. They did not give many more hints as to their whereabouts until the day had fully broken, and they were calling loudly in the entrance to Blackney Pass at 8:05am. Meanwhile, our day broke out with a ÔbangÕ Ñ or several Ñ as two humpbacks breached out front of the lab at 6:10am, barely visible through layers of thick fog. At 8:25am, a few orca fins were barely visible through the haze, but we could track them through Blackney Pass into Blackfish Sound by counting their ÔblowsÕ as they passed. A few acoustic clues as they passed told us that all groups Ñ A54s, A23s, A25s and I4s Ñ were present and together again. Their passing was brief, entering the Sound by 8:43am. During this time, a huge group of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins made several close passes to the lab and our neighboring bays Ñ their chatter was audible and it made quite the foreground to an eerie, foggy backdrop! The orcas were largely silent, giving us one last quiet round of calls in Blackfish Sound at 9:44am. The rest of the day Ñ from our perspective Ñ was spent enjoying the dramatic fog banks burning off in the bright sun to reveal brilliant blue skies. We said goodbye to two dear lab assistants, Sullivan and Paolo, who have been incredible help to us this summer and will be sorely missed. Back to the Northern Residents, and it was the A5s to first make themselves known again at 3pm, back in Blackfish Sound. At 3:24pm, calls from the A54s and I4s in Johnstone Strait told us that they had taken Weynton Pass. The A23s and A25s zoomed past the lab at 4pm, with the current in their favor, and also entered the Strait. We sensed a reunion was imminent! Sure enough, All groups rejoined in the ripping current off Cracroft Point, and turned back towards us. This time, they were plenty vocal, and came by the lab in a procession starting at 5:12pm. Part of the A54s came first, favoring the far side of the pass, while the A86s of that matriline came much closer to the lab. Next, the A23s travelled mid-passage in a tight family unit, with the A25s flanking them a little further away. Finally, the I4s, too, made a closer line past the lab, and all were clear to the north by 5:55pm. It was a beautiful passage, with the beginnings of golden light, and a group of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins also sped through the scene, shimmering in the setting sun. As has been their preference these last few days, all groups seemed to linger in Blackfish Sound for the next few hours, calling infrequently and drawing steadily further from our ears to the west.
OrcaLab
07 Sep 2024 11:49:59 PDT |
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September 5 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Stitch The night was largely quiet, with just a few calls from the A54s after midnight in Blackfish Sound, and a humpback grunting near the lab at 3am. The Resident orca groups must have reentered Johnstone Strait overnight (their path unknown) as Ñ with no warning Ñ just before 7am, we heard the unmistakeable ÔchuffsÕ as a few individuals came in to rub at Strider! The A54s and I4s were together, and they did not stay long at the beach before continuing to the west. Breakfast was served in Robson Bight around 7:20am, and we heard faint calls of the A5 groups in tow around 7:39am. By 9:50am, another beautiful day had truly begun, and the glassy waters of Johnstone Strait were punctured by dorsals and blows. The leading A54s and I4s headed past the entrance to Blackney Pass, and continued west in the Strait favoring the Hanson shore. The A23s followed suit, passing the Baron Reefs en route to Cracroft Point at 10:10am, with the A25s in their wake not long after. These A5 groups foraged briefly around the ÒripÓ off the point until 11am, before heading west after the rest. They all made their way, in succession, through Weynton Passage and into Blackfish Sound. Around noon, the A54s were foraging off Egeria Shoals, while the A5s favored Hanson Island. All groups would stay in this area for the majority of the afternoon, occasionally vocal in our range but out of sight. At 7:43pm, louder A5 calls began in Blackfish Sound, and at 8pm they were joined by the strikingly different tones of the I4 whales. Finally, in the fading sunset around 8:30pm, we saw tiny, grainy fins on the far shores of Blackney Pass, as the A5, I4 and A54 groups attempted to buck the strong current pushing against them. We continued to hear their blows once the light faded but, eventually, they seceded and fell back into Blackfish Sound, the last blow heard at 9:34pm. They were not vocal for the rest of the evening, choosing instead to welcome the darkness in silence. A much ÔsimplerÕ day than previous weeks, often the case as September draws in and we prepare for the inevitable departure of the daily Northern Resident activities.
OrcaLab
07 Sep 2024 11:09:01 PDT |
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