Orcas near mics.

The A4s,A5s and Gs are approaching the Cracroft Point/Blackney Pass area.
Helena
12 Jul 2008 12:06:08 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The whales, after a brief rub, turned and headed back to the west. One group on Vancouver Island is just clearing the western boundary of the Reserve and others are opposite the "Cliff" across from Robson Bight.
Helena
12 Jul 2008 11:32:15 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

We still are unable to listen to our normal range. But the "Cliff" was able to update our reports as the groups (the A11s,G17s and A5s) passed Critical Point.
Helena
12 Jul 2008 10:13:40 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The A4s and the Gs took advantage of the slack tide and went into Johnstone Strait where we think we heard A5 calls as well. All are east bound toward the Reserve by now. Also a report via Nic Templeman that 3 large male fins were seen at 7:15am off Stimpson Reef.
Helena
12 Jul 2008 09:19:25 PDT

Multiple pod calls audible.

We have new groups arriving! Calls on Flower Island.
Helena
12 Jul 2008 06:05:55 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The orcas continued westward. Thanks to the Columbia for the update.
Helena
11 Jul 2008 22:00:20 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The A23s and the A8s have finally made it back to this part of Johnstone Strait. They are now opposite (or just west of) the entrance to Blackney Pass.
Helena
11 Jul 2008 20:46:57 PDT

No orcas present.

We didn't hear anything over night and there have been no reports of any orca activity so far this morning. There is a humpback in Blackney Pass and the winds have died down.
Helena
11 Jul 2008 09:17:45 PDT

No orcas present.

It is a very blustery but sunny day here in the upper Johnstone Strait. We are still waiting for the A8s and the A23s to come back from the east. Yesterday, two dalls porpoises came right into our bay which was very unusual and exciting.
Helena
10 Jul 2008 12:44:41 PDT

No orcas present.

Today, the A23s and the A8s stayed in the lower Johnstone Strait. At 2pm they were off Ripple Point pointing towards Nodales Channel. Thanks to Nic Templeman for the update this afternoon. We did hear a few dophins early this evening in Blackfish Sound.
Helena
09 Jul 2008 22:35:14 PDT

No orcas present.

Sorry about the poor connection. We did hear calls (briefly) during the night just after 2am. The calls we distant but again in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
09 Jul 2008 07:16:37 PDT

No orcas present.

Our connection has been going up and down all day. We are trying to get it stable so bear with us. Meanwhile the A23 and the A8s went up to Weynton Passage entrance, spread out across the Strait, and at 4pm they turned back to the east. At 6:20pm they went past Critical Point and continued east.
Helena
08 Jul 2008 21:37:49 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The A23s and the A8s are continuing to the west past the entrance of Blackney Pass.
Helena
08 Jul 2008 15:12:08 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The A8s and the A23s are trekking westward. The A8s are in front and closer to the Cracroft side. The A23s and A28 are following are were closer to vancouver Island. We have already heard the A8s briefly on CP. Very wet and very misty this morning and our connection was down for a while.
Helena
08 Jul 2008 14:14:56 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The A23s and the A8s went up to the western end of Hanson Island by 6pm. From there they turned back to the east and just a short while ago we heard them off of Cracroft Point. Perhaps they will continue eastward. The tide is dropping but they have been swimming against the tide all day. Interesting note: CetaceaLab has seen the A30s and A4s and heard A5 calls as well. Seeming the A51s have not been seen here we have to conclude they are still north.
Helena
07 Jul 2008 19:41:29 PDT

Orcas near mics.

That call was from the A5s who are approaching the Cracroft Point area in Johnstone Strait. After continuing east to the Rubbing beaches (our system there is not working at the moment) they turned back to the west at 4:50pm.
Helena
07 Jul 2008 16:46:17 PDT

Orcas near mics.

The A23s and the A8s gave us a thrill and decided to use the back eddiy close to hanson island for their route back to johnstone Strait against the tide! The new calf from our view looked to be definitely swimming alongside of A42. They have all cleared from our sight and are headed to the Strait. calls are infrequent at this stage.
Helena
07 Jul 2008 12:30:18 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The A8s and the A23s have gone west in Johnstone Strait, entered Weynton Pass and are now crossing the top end of Blackfish Sound.
Helena
07 Jul 2008 10:36:04 PDT

No orcas present.

It seems that the A5s continued to the east. We have not heard any more reports since early afternoon when they were past Boat Bay and still eastbound. It has become unclear whether A28 actually has a calf. Today there were conflicting reports but two very reliable observers saw a new calf with A42 and not A28 so the story is still to be told. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to sort this out.
Helena
06 Jul 2008 21:46:45 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The A5s (including A28 and her new little one!) turned east just shy of Blinkhorn and headed for the ecological Reserve around 10am.
Helena
06 Jul 2008 11:59:17 PDT

Distant calls audible.

We are hearing A5 calls of Cracroft Point every so often.
Helena
06 Jul 2008 09:27:52 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

We heard a report just before 8am that a group of 8 orcas were headed west from Boat Bay on Cracroft Island. We are waiting to hear if they will be vocal on CP.
Helena
06 Jul 2008 08:26:19 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

We heard a report just before 8am that a group of 8 orcas were headed west from Boat Bay on Cracroft Island. We are waiting to hear if they will be vocal on CP.
Helena
06 Jul 2008 08:26:14 PDT

No orcas present.

We didn't hear anything more during the rest of the night. Shortly after the orcas there was a burst of dolphin calls. The morning here is misty with slight rain.
Helena
06 Jul 2008 07:32:02 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The arriving orcas, after stalling in Blackney Pass are now in Johnstone Strait. Definitely "A" calls but very, very faint and already distant as if they travelled to the far side of the Strait before calling. We are somewhat handicapped by not having the Critical Point hydrophone at the moment but imagine the whales are eastbound headed toward the Ecological Reserve. Rather lovely to be hearing calls however distant!
Helena
06 Jul 2008 01:17:00 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

We can hear blows from orcas heading south in Blackney Pass, no calls so far, not sure if they are residents or transients.
Helena
05 Jul 2008 23:24:02 PDT

No orcas present.

We didn't hear any calls during this windy night.
Helena
05 Jul 2008 08:55:47 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The dolphins are still vocal!
Helena
04 Jul 2008 05:52:58 PDT

No orcas present.

Good morning! Audio should be working again. The dolphins seemed to move further into Blackfish Sound for at times their calls were very clear and we could hear echo location as well. A humpback is strolling along opposite the Lab this morning.
Helena
04 Jul 2008 05:29:35 PDT

Distant calls audible.

There are distant vocal dolphins again in Blackfish Sound and quiet humpbacks in Blackney Pass.
Helena
03 Jul 2008 22:09:17 PDT

No orcas present.

A few more dolphin calls, plus a thunder and lightening storm rolling over the area,through the night,
Helena
03 Jul 2008 04:34:09 PDT

No orcas present.

A note from CetaceaLab (http://www.whaleresearch.ca/) that they saw the A30s on June 30th.
Helena
02 Jul 2008 10:46:22 PDT

No orcas present.

A "quiet" night. The morning is dawning grey and overcast. Waiting.....
Helena
02 Jul 2008 06:20:53 PDT

No orcas present.

Since the dolphins it has been fairly quiet through the night. Our connection was unstable as well but seems to be there at the moment. Foggy morning.
Helena
01 Jul 2008 04:36:30 PDT

Distant calls audible.

The dolphins are vocal in Blackfish Sound.
Helena
30 Jun 2008 21:08:54 PDT

No orcas present.

Reports today count the dolphins up to 500. Yesterday, they were 200 - 250! Incredible. They are currently in Queen Charlotte Strait, west of Blackfish sound.
Helena
30 Jun 2008 11:16:16 PDT

Boat noise

Morning! Again the dolphins were pretty active during the night. lovely conditions out here this morning, calm seas and beautiful sunrise. Dalls porpoise in the Pass.
Helena
30 Jun 2008 06:23:37 PDT

Distant calls audible.

Ouch! Just too much boat noise!
Helena
29 Jun 2008 16:16:53 PDT

Distant calls audible.

If you listen ver, very carefully you just might hear the faint dolphin calls in Blackfish Sound.
Helena
29 Jun 2008 15:54:28 PDT

No orcas present.

We are back! Let's hope the connection holds but for the time being we are streaming audio once again. During the break, the A30s did not return. They were last seen travelling west from Malcolm Point in Queen Charlotte Strait early on June 25th (the day after coming in here). They had made a quick but leisurly survey of the area. Hopefully, they have gone to get friends and relations. Word has it that salmon are showing up in the last week. Last night there were vocal dolphins. Meanwhile, the humpbacks are still very active along with Dalls porpoise and even a minke or two. Today, is foggy after yesterday's sunny skies.
Helena and Paul
29 Jun 2008 10:30:38 PDT

No orcas present.

The A30s headed north through Blackney Pass around 8pm yesterday & have not yet returned. We are waiting.
Helena & Paul
25 Jun 2008 11:43:45 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The A30s have arrived! They came "in" via Blackney Pass at around 3pm today, and were spread out as they headed into Johnstone Strait. Unfortunately, our internet connection is still down, so we are unable to stream live audio & enable you to hear their their calls. But just the same, this is an exciting day, and we hope there will be many more to come this summer!
Paul & Helena
24 Jun 2008 20:31:35 PDT

Performing maintenance

Our internet connection is down at the moment, so we're unable to stream audio. We'll get it back as soon as possible but don't know when. Sorry about that!
Paul & Helena
24 Jun 2008 05:52:10 PDT

No orcas present.

It was quiet during the night. Here is a link to Paul's first day at the IWC in Santiago,Chile. http://www.orcalab.org/news-archive/orcalab_general/080622.htm Paul will be posting regularly on the www.orcalab.org site.
Helena
23 Jun 2008 06:16:24 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

Rumours have been flying today! But the latest has an appealing quality of reality. Three distinct groups of orcas have been sighted eastbound near Pine island in Queen Charlotte Strait. If they continue and take advantage of the flooding tide we may hear them later this evening or early tomorrow morning. However, nothing is ever certain and sometimes the whales like to explore QCS for a while before committing to coming all the way in. If they are not transients or offshores then this may be possible residents. Exciting any way it turns out. Stay tuned! Also today, another report had a group of 6-7 orcas right in Hardy Bay this morning and two transients were seen off Arrow Pass.
Helena
22 Jun 2008 14:14:34 PDT

No orcas present.

Humpbacks back in Blackney pass this morning.
Helena
21 Jun 2008 10:48:16 PDT

No orcas present.

The audio should now be working. It was just a security update glitch. Sorry about that.
Helena
20 Jun 2008 22:57:40 PDT

No orcas present.

For the record: Dolphins heard during the night.
Helena
20 Jun 2008 06:30:45 PDT

No orcas present.

Just heard from CetaceaLab that they have seen the A36s travelling with the A24s and the A51s! All three were there.
Helena
20 Jun 2008 15:05:36 PDT

No orcas present.

Yesterday, we woke up to a humpback doing a full picture postcard breach just off the Lab. This morning, well....it is windy, grey and pretty quiet so far. Summer just a day away?
Helena
19 Jun 2008 09:16:30 PDT

No orcas present.

The local humpbacks are certainly a lovely sight in the morning:Slowly and deliberately heading northward through the Pass. There was also a small pocket of Dalls porpoise busy hunting and a couple of passing sea lions.
Helena
17 Jun 2008 09:12:29 PDT

No orcas present.

This morning is just so lovely! We now see that there is a sizable group of dolphins heading into the Pass from johnstone Strait.
Helena
17 Jun 2008 09:44:19 PDT

No orcas present.

Apparently there were even orcas today. Just heard that there were a couple of transients seen earlier in Blackfish Sound headed north. Too bad we missed them!
Helena
17 Jun 2008 13:31:07 PDT

No orcas present.

As the sun struggles to come out, the humpbacks are making their way south through Blackney Pass. On the beach, three noisy baby ravens, are being supervised by their parents.
Helena
14 Jun 2008 08:41:04 PDT

June 12 OL comments.

Transients T20, T21, T69A, T69A1 in the area, and news from the A30s, G2s and G12s.

No orcas present.

A small group of dolphins headed past the Lab this morning. They were headed south.
Helena
12 Jun 2008 10:07:09 PDT

No orcas present.

We just heard from CetaceaLab that they have recently seen the A30s travelling with a small R clan group. They also have seen the G2s and G12s recently. All of this is very welcome news.
Helena
12 Jun 2008 13:12:23 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

Apparently, the Lukwa (Stubbs Island Whale Watching) has found a small group of transients in the vicinity of Blackfish Sound. We also just saw a humpback moving slowly south through Blackney Pass.
Helena
12 Jun 2008 14:48:36 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The small group of transients reported earlier have made their way through Blackney Pass headed toward Johnstone Strait. The male remained offshore while the 2 females and calf followed the Hanson Island shore.
Helena
12 Jun 2008 16:07:25 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

The transients turned and went back to Blackfish Sound!
Helena
12 Jun 2008 16:50:42 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

Stubbs Island identified the whales as T20, T21, T69A, T69A1.
Helena
12 Jun 2008 17:20:32 PDT

No orcas present.

The weather finally has warmed up and become sunny. The forecasts promise the cool, unseasonable weather will return so we really enjoyed the day. We woke up to see a small humpback slowly making its way north through Blackney Pass.
Helena
11 Jun 2008 17:35:16 PDT

Superb sounds!!

We're listening to transients orcas calling on the Critical Point hydrophone... sounds like they're in Robson Bight.
Helena
02 Jun 2008 00:28:31 PDT

No orcas present.

No calls to listen to just now (only boat noise) but we're resumed streaming live audio anyway.
Paul & Helena
01 Jun 2008 16:54:00 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

A small group of transients travelled through Blackney Pass this morning headed toward Blackfish Sound. There were no calls. The whales looked relaxed as they travelled along. The sea is calm and the sky sunny, lovely. We will resume audio streamig tomorrow.
Helena
31 May 2008 09:25:48 PDT

Orcas near mics.

We are hearing dolphins from time to time in Blackfish Sound. The audio had been off in the last while but is now streaming. Things are beginning to warm up. At least three humpbacks are in the area and more reported further north.
Helena
29 May 2008 12:33:05 PDT

Superb sounds!!

We are listening to transient calls in Blackfish Sound. A large group of transients just past us,heading north, quite close to the Hanson Island shore. Lots of rolling, tail slaps etc and now vocal!
Helena
28 Apr 2008 11:14:50 PDT

No calls but orcas nearby

There was a small group od orcas who headed quickly through Blackney Pass toward Johnstone Strait.
Helena
25 Apr 2008 16:32:40 PDT

Distant calls audible.

We are hearing very faint transient calls in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
25 Apr 2008 16:54:40 PDT

Orcas near mics.

We're listening to transient calls on the Flower Island hydrophone, the first orcas we've heard for some time. Cold & sunny days here & we're fine, hope all of you are too. Good news about Robson Bight a couple of days ago - the diesel fuel tanker lying at the bottom is going to be removed, hopefully before the northern resident orcas return (see update story on OrcaLab site).
Helena & Paul
20 Apr 2008 23:59:54 PDT

Performing maintenance

We have closed the viewer comment column for the moment, to give everyone a break from persistent spam problems, and allow our technical staff time to figure out a solution. We do appreciate the exchange of ideas and information that happens on the comment board, very much, and hope to bring it back soon. Meanwhile, we will continue to stream live audio (as long as our internet connection is stable) and will continue to post comments on this side of the board. We wish everyone the best during this comment time out.
Paul & Helena
02 Apr 2008 06:07:46 PST

No orcas present.

Our internet connection has been stable for several days, so we've started streaming live audio again.
Paul & Helena
29 Mar 2008 14:53:28 PST

Performing maintenance

Sorry everyone, our internet connection is mostly down at the moment. We are going to try & shut down the comment column for the moment, though this may take a few days. Please excuse the inconvenience & thanks for your patience. Our best wishes to you all.
Paul & Helena
25 Mar 2008 19:29:52 PST

No orcas present.

Very windy and cold, not like spring at all at the moment except for a few brave flowers and robins. Our hummingbirds have yet to arrive. We even had snow that covered everything for the better part of a day. Good news from Jared Towers that Springer has been seen further north in the company of her kin!
Helena
22 Mar 2008 12:45:40 PST

Distant calls audible.

Transient calls out there somewhere. We have not located a source so no map at the moment.
Helena
19 Mar 2008 20:37:09 PST

No orcas present.

Just a bit more news on yesterday's transients. Jackie Hinderling saw 5 transients in Beaver Cove later that same afternoon. Unfortunately, they were being harassed by a boat. I guess some people don't realise how little it takes to disturb these whales. On the northern resident front: DFO has encountered a large group (several pods) further north. This will certainly help this year's survey!
Helena
17 Mar 2008 15:20:10 PST

Distant calls audible.

We are hearing transient calls in Johnstone Strait once again. Cold, grey and snowy today!
Helena
16 Mar 2008 12:58:17 PST

No orcas present.

For the record the MacKays reported that a large group of transients were seen off Port Hardy yesterday. The transients certainly have been busy lately.
Helena
09 Mar 2008 10:23:45 PST

Superb sounds!!

Very interesting transient calls in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
07 Mar 2008 22:30:36 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

Bill and Wendy have seen a group of 4-5 transients off of the east end of Pearse Islands in Johnstone Strait. This west of Hanson Island. The two females, one male, one juvenile and a possible sprouter, may have done a kill, and then headed off to Stubbs Island. Pictures have been sent to the DFO.
Helena
04 Mar 2008 12:18:55 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

A group of 7 transients have been in Blackney Pass for the last hour. They surrounded a seal which then disappeared. This may have been a kill. By dark they were still in Blackney, a little further south, milling opposite a group of young sea lions. The group consisted of females, juveniles and one young calf.
Helena
04 Mar 2008 18:59:49 PST

Boat noise

There no further calls from the transients after 9:30pm (yesterday.) It was a blowy night, this morning there is rain and the wind is beginning to flip to the northwest.
Helena
03 Mar 2008 09:23:25 PST

Orcas near mics.

Dolphins tonight!
Helena
02 Mar 2008 20:24:05 PST

Orcas near mics.

Transients in Blackfish Sound!
Helena
02 Mar 2008 21:04:21 PST

No orcas present.

We have had recent reports of 5 transients in Johnstone Strait yesterday and in Weynton Passage today. Thanks to the MacKays for both reports.
Helena
26 Feb 2008 21:55:24 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

We just had 4 transients pass by headed north through Blackney Pass. It looked to us like the T18s. They have not made any calls but T19B (the young male) made a lovely spyhop before moving on.
Helena
19 Feb 2008 13:46:47 PST

Superb sounds!!

We're listening to the T18s in Blackfish Sound, after they passed silently through Blackney Pass, heading north. Lovely sounds & no boat noise!
Helena
19 Feb 2008 14:50:36 PST

No orcas present.

Hi, Sorry a computer update bumped the streaming. We rebouted and are now streaming again. There have been no calls. A small group of dolphins (silent) went past yesterday morning.
Helena
15 Feb 2008 13:55:59 PST

No orcas present.

Hi,Sorry we have been down again but are now up and running. Interesting sealions in Blackney Pass today, sunny, calm, warm weather.
Helena
13 Feb 2008 17:47:23 PST

Superb sounds!!

The transients are in Johnstone Strait not too far from the Robson Bight area!
Helena
10 Feb 2008 12:51:04 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

The transient calls seem to have ended for the moment. The tide is flooding and this may have encouraged them to head east. But we will see. They managed to be heard a few times over the boat noise (which is also gone now too).
Helena
10 Feb 2008 14:36:56 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

A group of seven transients were seen off the Pearse Islands by Bill and Wendy so , if the same group (probably) as heard earlier, they went off to the west and not east. Bill and Wendy thought they possibly made a kill off Weynton Island. They continued west toward Sointula.
Helena
10 Feb 2008 15:59:51 PST

No orcas present.

Hi! We are up and running again. There have been no further A5 calls.
Helena
08 Feb 2008 18:31:17 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

We heard A5 calls in Johnstone Strait around 4am yesterday, and though we weren't sure what direction they were going in, it was great to hear them!
Helena
07 Feb 2008 00:10:24 PST

Performing maintenance

Sorry everyone, we've lost our internet connection again, so we're unable to stream live audio. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it back again, but this may take a few days. No calls heard since our last post.
Paul & Helena
05 Feb 2008 22:11:48 PST

No orcas present.

It has been fairly uneventful. However, the weather has been lovely and even a touch of snow this morning.
Helena
03 Feb 2008 22:41:48 PST

No orcas present.

A nice grey day here on Hanson Island. The MacKays reported seeing a small group of transients near Gilford village this morning. Snow on the mountains, all has melted on the ground.
Helena
31 Jan 2008 14:26:50 PST

Distant calls audible.

For the second time tonight some very brief dolphin chatter in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
28 Jan 2008 23:58:37 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

There is a group of 8 transients around today. They were first sighted by the MacKays off Bold Head headed to Stubbs Island. They must have then gone through Weynton Pass as they were next seen in Beaver Cove by Jackie Hinderling. They are now moving off to the west toward Alert Bay.
Helena
27 Jan 2008 15:17:01 PST

Boat noise

Hi We are back! Fingers crossed it holds.
Helena & Paul
25 Jan 2008 12:41:56 PST

No orcas present.

We've heard no calls for several days, but our internet connection may be ok again. If it's still there in the morning tomorrow, we'll start streaming live audio again... fingers crossed.
Helena & Paul
19 Jan 2008 02:27:23 PST

Performing maintenance

Sorry everyone, but our internet connection is still unreliable, i.e. too unreliable for us to resume live audio streaming. Apologies for getting your hopes up, & all our best wishes to you all.
Paul & Helena
19 Jan 2008 15:44:14 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

We heard A5 calls in Johnstone Strait this afternoon.
Helena
11 Jan 2008 00:12:46 PST

No orcas present.

We're connected again, at least for the moment, so have started streaming live audio again. Another storm is on the way, so this session may not last long. We haven't heard any calls since this afternoon, but think at least some of the A5s may be nearby or not too far away, so it's possible we'll hear them again.
Paul & Helena
11 Jan 2008 00:33:41 PST

Performing maintenance

Hello everyone. Storms have interrupted our internet connection, so we've been unable to stream live audio for the past few days. We hope to get things working again, but don't know how long this will take. Please accept our apologies, along with our best wishes to you all.
Paul & Helena
06 Jan 2008 22:21:47 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

Seven transients just travelled south through Blackney Pass headed for Johnstone Strait. Too far away for identifictation but the group included a mum and calf, two adult females, a possible juvenile and an adult male. They made no calls but moved back and forth over something when opposite us.
Helena
02 Jan 2008 13:35:14 PST

No orcas present.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone... and a happier year for our world!
Helena & Paul
01 Jan 2008 08:35:01 PST

No orcas present.

Happy Christmas! and Happy Holidays to everyone, with love from Hanson Island.
Helena & Paul
25 Dec 2007 11:32:14 PST

No orcas present.

From a dark and stormy Hanson Island: Nice to know the light will get stronger, happy solstice!
Helena & Paul
21 Dec 2007 17:09:16 PST

Orcas near mics.

These G clan calls are sounding closer to the Critical Point hydrophone now, so the orcas are probably in or near Robson Bight.
Helena
20 Dec 2007 00:10:42 PST

No orcas present.

It has been both stormy and beautiful here for the last while. The "micro hydro" crew has come and gone. They were a great crew and we will soon see the benefits (reducing our emissions) of their hard work. Hats off to Brooke, Morgan and Scott and their instructor, Steve Lapp at the Technologist Program. St. Lawrence College, Ontario. Scott, Morgan and Brooke did not get to see any orcas during their stay but an obliging sea lion growled through their last night and then hauled out the next day. Eagles, seals, mergansers, harlequins were also a delight to these landlocked Ontario residents. Also,the Robson Bight investigation, as you know, ended during this time. Living Oceans has posted pictures and an update on their web site: www.livingoceans.org.
Helena
19 Dec 2007 11:37:35 PST

Distant calls audible.

We just started to hear G clan resting calls in Johnstone Strait!
Helena
19 Dec 2007 17:33:47 PST

Distant calls audible.

A few more of the same calls at 6:26pm. A little louder in the persistent boat noise.
Helena
19 Dec 2007 18:56:38 PST

Distant calls audible.

We're listening to occasional distant calls from transient orcas on the Flower Island hydrophone. Still thinking about Corky, first morning as a captive. The underwater inspection of the wreckage in Robson Bight will begin this morning.
Helena & Paul
12 Dec 2007 07:02:58 PST

No calls but orcas nearby

The transients heard earlier this morning in Blackfish Sound (to 7:20am) may have circled around to Johnstone Strait. Very briefly (and faintly), we heard calls in the Strait. Bill MacKay, who was taking media to the sub dive off Robson Bight today, saw the whales (a large group of about 11) off of the Sophias. The transients, according to Jim Borrowman (who is on scene with the sub), continued east very fast past Boat Bay. A small group of Dalls porpoise had been off the Bight prior to the transient's pass. Right now we can hear the muffled conversations between the sub and the rest of the crew which is rather interesting.
Helena
12 Dec 2007 11:52:58 PST

No orcas present.

Today, December 11th, is the 38th anniversary of Corky's capture in 1969. We've lit a candle for her, to help focus our thoughts on this sad day, and invite you to do so too.
Helena & Paul
11 Dec 2007 07:06:27 PST

No orcas present.

Here is the link to our small tribute to Corky. Our candle is still burning. http://www.orcalab.org/news-archive/orcalab_general/07-12-11.html
Paul & Helena
11 Dec 2007 20:16:41 PST

No orcas present.

We've heard no calls overnight, our first night at home in quite a while. Many thanks to Tim for keeping everything running, and Leo safe while we were away... and our best wishes to all.
Paul & Helena
07 Dec 2007 08:14:21 PST

Distant calls audible.

Short bout of calls heard in Johnstone Straight around midnight last night.
Tim
05 Dec 2007 10:46:48 PST

Performing maintenance

Our Internet problems are ongoing, but we should be streaming audio again now.
Tim
05 Dec 2007 10:47:25 PST

No orcas present.

No calls overnight or so far today. We should be streaming live audio again now.
Tim
02 Dec 2007 11:52:31 PST