September 3 2022 Orcas: A50s, A54s,A23s, A25s, I04s, I16s,,I27s,I65s Humpbacks: Guardian,Merge, Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins The scene was set. The A5s (the A23s and A25s) had already accompanied the I16s (an I15 matriline) into Johnstone Strait vis Weynton Pass and had made it to Strider beach, where they rubbed for nine minutes, all by the time the A30s and the other I15 matrilines (the I04s, I27s and I65s) made it to Johnstone Strait via Blackney Pass and were heading east from Cracroft Point. There was the possibility that one of the A5 groups, (perhaps the A25s) held back slightly and were on hand when the A30s began to approach the Kaizumi area after midnight while the other A5 group (the A23s) was further east. Among the groups there was a lot of seeming excitement, noted by the numerous calls, at the possibility of coming together. This was the first visit this year by the I16s. The other three I15 matrilines had already made one visit earlier in the season and had been around for a few days by this time. Last year the I16s barely made an appearance. So nice that the entire group was together again. Making it to Critical Point in Robson Bight by 1:14am signalled that some of the A30s had progressed as far as the Ecological Reserve. A30s were soon at Strider beach for a rub of their own at 1:22am. It was a brief effort and they were soon passing Main beach to the east. The lagging A5 group mixed it up with some of the I15s and other A30s for another quick rub at 1:33am. Four minutes later they too were off Main beach. All the groups convened off of the beaches and there was a jumble of mixed calls and even yet another nine minute rub at Strider involving A30s, A5s and I15s, from 1:46am to 1:55am. A humpback in Blackfish Sound provided a brief interlude to the continuous orca calls around 3am. That was it for rubs and the flotilla of orcas moved on east of the Reserve. Calls became distant, faint and probably out of range for a time around 5:40am. More faint and distant calls resumed at 6:06am. They had obviously not gone far and because the entire group numbered forty-two individuals it was taking time to come together, organise and coordinate movement back to the west. Hints that they were successful came just before 8am when echolocation was heard at Strider. There were enough whales who chose to be on the Vancouver Island side that they were off both Main and Strider simultaneously. A rub actually started at Main at the same time as one at Strider at 8:39am. A technical glitch prevented us determining when the rub ended at Main but the one at Strider continued until 9:21am. There had been A30, I15 and A5 calls. A61 was clearly identified but no one from the A23s. Lots of dolphins skitted about while the orcas rubbed. The orcas along with the dolphins left to the west and were soon approaching Robson Bight not long after. Boat Bay would later tell us that some of the A50s (remember the A30s had been travelling in seperate groups) with the I16s were travelling west closer to the Cracroft Island side around 10:15am. We watched those closer to Vancouver Island pass Kaizumi from 10am onwards, acoustically A30s then A5s and finally I15s filed past. In wide formation, utilising the entire width of the Strait, from shore to shore, the orcas made their way towards Cracroft Point. By 10:30am they were arriving. They began to move toward the entrance of Blackney Pass as early as 10:38am. Others followed and by 10:50am the last group, the A23s, had made the turn into the entryway as well. After watching the various groups pass the Lab we finally settled on the following group order: the I16s, A50s, A54s, I04s, A25s, I65s, I27s and finally the A23s. They had all cleared by 11:30am but not before A126 (A69Õs baby) breached several times mid channel, and other individuals hesitated and milled briefly before carrying on to Blackfish Sound. Increasingly faint calls lasted until just after 1pm. The whales carried on to Queen Charlotte Strait. At 5:45pm very faint and indistinct ÒAÓcalls were heard once again in Johnstone Strait. The faintest echolocation was then heard at 6:51pm. A report of twenty plus orcas off Telegraph Cove was relayed at 7:30pm and finally at 9:01pm distinct A5 calls were heard on the Cracroft Point hydrophone for about a half hour. At 10:43pm I15 calls were heard for a few minutes in the distance in Blackfish Sound. What a fizzle of an ending to the day! Nothing much to hang our hats on just vague indications.The fresh southeast wind had morphed itself into rain, change was literally in the air. OrcaLab 04 Sep 2022 09:37:48 PDT |
Sunday, September 04, 2022
Saturday, September 03, 2022
 |  No calls but orcas nearby Sept 2 2022 Orcas: A50s,A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s, I16s, I27s, I65s Humpbacks: Merge, Quartz, Inukshuk All groups milled around the eastern reaches of our network in the early hours of the morning. A brief rub was had at Strider beach at 12:25am, while the I15s sounded off Main beach (but no rub). The A30s, I15s and A5s all eventually began to move back to the west, beginning to call at Cracroft Point at 4:26am. The A30s with the I15s were in the lead, as the A23s and A25s followed, lagging somewhat. At 4:53am we heard a humpback warming up a little in Blackfish Sound - a hint of the acoustics that we can expect from the fall! We began hearing blows in Blackney Pass after 5am, as the A30s and I15s travelled through, audible on Flower Island at 5:24am. The groups were mixed and distanced from one another, taking over an hour and a half to complete the procession into Blackfish Sound. The A23s and A25s, meanwhile, would not come through Blackney. Instead, the A23s travelled west along the Vancouver Island shore, coming in to rub at Kaizumi beach from 7:15am to 7:32am. The A25s stayed closer to Cracroft Island, heading west also. Megan and Shari could see the hooked dorsal of A61 ‘Surge’ pass by them in the early light around 8am. Interestingly, we heard a few distinct A30 calls with the A5s in the Strait. Given the reports we received later in the day, it is possible that the A72s - Bend and Jamieson - were actually traveling with the A23s and A25s instead of with the rest of their immediate family. By 10:30am, the larger group of A30s and I15s were out of our range to the west, as the A23s, A25s and possible A72s paced the western reaches of Johnstone Strait between Beaver Cove and Weynton Passage. Eventually, they made a move north through Weynton and continued into Queen Charlotte Strait. At 2:03pm, we received a report that the A72s were with the A5 groups, but an hour later, the A72s had turned back towards Blackfish Sound, and the A5s continued out to the west. Around this time, the rest of the A30s and I15s were heading back south through Weynton Passage and into the Strait. Round and round they go! We began to hear the A30 and I15 groups at 4:36pm, and followed their movements eastwards, reaching Cracroft Point by 5:05pm. They were quite dispersed from shore to shore. Here, the day gets really exciting! We received a report that Troy at Bere Point on Malcolm Island had seen the I16s traveling east towards us at 5:13pm. This matriline completes the ‘set’ of the I15 groups; we have not yet seen them in our study area this year. And so we wait! The A30s, I4s, I27s and I65s didn’t dawdle at Cracroft Point for too long, the first whales making a move towards Blackney Pass at 6pm. By 6:20pm we could see the first blows, and we waited for the orcas to get in line with the Parson Bay Area for our ‘best view’ of their dorsals! Most of the A50s with the I65s came first, spread from the middle of the channel over to the further shore. Next, the A72s with the I4s and A54s who were also quite scattered. The I27s came last, slightly separate from one another but never wandering too far away from mum. The last fins dipped out of sight into Blackfish Sound at 7:31pm. During this passing, we received a report of ten or so orcas passing Donegal Head and south into Weynton Passage at 6:59pm… The A5s? The I16s? We waited for some acoustic clues. At 8:23pm, we heard A5 calls at the western end of the Strait and then around 8:45pm - I15 calls! We were fairly convinced that these belonged to the I16s, who had been ‘picked up’ by the A23s and A25s somewhere in Queen Charlotte Sound. Perhaps sensing that a meeting was imminent, or sticking to some predefined ‘see you at the Rubbing Beaches’ agreement: The A50s, A54s, I4s, I27s and I65s turned. Back to Blackney they came. For almost two hours the groups came through the pass in droves, and headed into Johnstone Strait. From around 9:30pm to 11:30pm we counted their blows and listened to their calls, as they passed us to the south. Meanwhile, the A23s and A25s with the I16s in tow headed directly to Strider beach and began to rub at 11:20pm. The wardens at Boat Bay heard blows passing east at 10:47pm, so it is possible that not all members went in for the rub. The A30 and I15 groups who had traversed Blackney reached Cracroft Point in dribs and drabs, and headed east to join the new recruits. Some stayed closer to the Cracroft shore, others crossed to Vancouver Island. The last three passed Megan and Shari at CP just before midnight, and the darkness was ablaze with the sounds of 42 orcas calling to one another under a blanket of stars. Suzie, OL 03 Sep 2022 14:01:58 PDT |
Friday, September 02, 2022
|  Superb sounds!! Sept 1 2022 Orcas: A50s,A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s,I27s, I65s Humpbacks: Squiggle, Guardian, Quartz It is quite remarkable that we can still trace the movements of orca families into the night, after darkness has fallen. Their habits - somewhat predictable - and unique acoustic profiles continue to paint a picture on the night’s black canvas. After moving back into the Strait, most of the families continued to the east. Their distant, tinny calls off the eastern beaches suggested that no rubbing was to be had, but they were nevertheless entertaining themselves more offshore. Here they stayed for most of the night. Our intrigue was piqued when, at 7am, we began to hear A30 calls (likely A50s) around Cracroft Point, and some A5 calls shortly after. Some groups had hung back to the west, not reaching the eastern end. Tomoko - long time OrcaLab assistant and listening from Japan - remarked that these A5 calls did not sound like the A23s, whom we have had in the area for several days. Her bet was on the A25s. Sure enough, at 7:52am, we heard closer A5 calls on Kaizumi and an 8-minute rub began. We caught a glimpse of the very top of a male dorsal: left bending, just like A61 “Surge”. Tomoko’s guess was a good one! These orcas tracked east along the Vancouver Island shore to Critical Point in Robson Bight at 9:10am, as the A50s mirrored their move more mid-channel/Cracroft Island side. Silently, the A25s made their way down to Strider beach by 10am. This rub was quite possibly one of the most beautiful rubs we have ever seen. Now, A61 “Surge”, A85 “Cordero” and A121 “Twilight” were clearly visible. The low tide, mirror-calm water and brilliant sunshine made the beaches as clear as a glacial pool, and we saw incredible footage of A61 in particular. It is quite the thing to see a huge male orca clearly beneath the glassy surface, rolling on his sides and back, waving those huge pectoral fins. The rub lasted for less than 10 minutes, but will stay with us for a lifetime. The A25s moved briefly to the east, just as we received the report that the wardens could see lots of whales moving west towards them. The rest were on their way back! In droves, the A30, A5 and I15 groups came by. Some A30s did a brief fly-by of Strider at 10:28am, as the I27s came in to rub properly at 10:38am. We could clearly ID I27, I77 and I107 with some more spectacularly clear footage. The rest of the I15s and A25s joined in too, and the beaches looked a little like orca soup for a while. All headed on to the west, with the A30s passing Critical Point at 11:15am, the others not far behind. As we’ve come to expect, the A23s hung back for a while, letting the others move on before coming to rub briefly at Strider at 11:51am. They too, followed suit and off to the west. Now very spread out, the leading A30 and I15 groups were already approaching Kaizumi and came for another quick rub at 12:15pm, then 12:33pm, before beginning their crossing to Cracroft Point. Megan and Shari on the CP platform could see the I27s, A50s and A54s at around 12:35pm. These groups would wait a little while, foraging in the rip, as the other groups caught up. By 1:10pm, these first whales had made a move towards Blackney Pass, and the I65s and A25s were reported to have begun the crossing from Kaizumi to Cracroft Point. True to form, the A23s shadowed the others’ movements, passing Izumi Rock towards Kaizumi at 1:19pm. The Blackney Parade began at 1:16pm, as members of the A50s, A54s and I27s came into view. They were fairly far-side and moving quickly in the choppy, ebbing current. Spreading out, the I4s, I65s and A25s came next. Just as these first groups were all clearing from our view into Blackfish Sound, the A23s finally made it, shadowing the movements of their distant cousins. They started off quite mid-channel, but the turning tide was beginning to push against them. Bunched up and diving deep, the A23s came closer and closer to the Hanson shore, riding the back-eddy into Blackfish Sound. It was one of the best looks at this matriline we have had all year. A60 ‘Fife’ is always a peoples’ favourite, and each whale in his family has some distinct feature! The groups stayed in Blackfish for a good while, scattered from shore to shore. We received reports that they were foraging, milling, and resting for a good few hours. Eventually, they turned back towards us and politely timed their arrival before we sat down for dinner, passing the lab again in almost exactly reverse order at 6:36pm. The A23s were first, followed by the I15 groups and A25s - all dispersed across Blackney - with the A50s and A54s coming last right down the middle. For the first time this summer, the I65s came closest to the lab in a tight group and hugged the Hanson shore into the entrance of Johnstone Strait. It was lovely to get a good look at the growing fin of I122, and at their 2-year-old baby, I165. By 7:16pm the leading groups had passed Cracroft Point and were angling back to the east, and the rest followed suit. As the whales approached CP, it seems they had shuffled around, and the girls saw A72 (Bend) with A108 (Jamieson) intermingled with the A25s and members of the I15s. They all continued east, some crossing to Vancouver Island, others remaining closer to the Cracroft shore. We traced their mixed calls to Robson Bight, where they foraged as they travelled, the first I15s arriving at Strider at 10:22pm for a ten-minute rub. The calls were mixed and clear, telling us that At least some variation of A30s, A5s and I15s were rubbing together! Shortly before, the wardens at boat bay reported a group of orcas travelling east past their camp, under the stars. With 35 whales in the area, not all can fit in for a rub! The I15s moved on east, leaving room for some A30s to rub at Strider at 10:45pm, for another 10-minute session. The A5s did not seem to rub, continuing straight on to the east and foraging loudly around Main beach from 11pm. One more pass of Strider was to be had at 11:30pm, before the rubs for the day were done. Their intermingled calls persisted into the night as, once again, the Northern Residents hugged the eastern stretch of our range in Johnstone Strait well into the early hours. Suzie, OL 02 Sep 2022 11:51:05 PDT |
Thursday, September 01, 2022
| August 31 2022 Orcas: A50s,A54s, A23s,I04s,I27s,I65s.BiggÕs heard Humpbacks: Squiggle, Guardian, É So while the Northern Resident groups, the A5s,A1s and the three I15 matrilines occupied Johnstone Strait from west Robson Bight to east of the Ecological Reserve, the still vocal BiggÕs orcas still calling at 12:25am disappeared somewhere to the west. It is very rare to have both Northern Residents and BiggÕs orcas vocal within range of each other so this event here was an occasion to note. Over the next four hours the resident orca calls waxed and waned, sometimes close, sometimes distant depending on their proximity to any one particular hydrophone. They never came west enough to be heard on the Cracroft Point system but favoured the area nearer or in the Ecological Reserve. This aimlessness changed just before 5am when individuals from one of the A groups struck the beach at Strider starting at 4:58am. Their effort lasted until 5:06am. The next thing we were dealing with were calls further Òup the lineÓ at Critical Point. The whales were on the move!. Everywhere was covered in dense fog, such a contrast to the day before which had started and ended sunny and clear. Our ears had to become our eyes. Activity around and near Critical Point in Robson Bight lasted until 6:25am. We could tell that the orcas were generously spread to mid strait and distributed over a wide area from Strider to Kaizumi beach. Cracroft Point was picking up calls by 6:31am from the whales out in the middle. Fortunately, a few of the I15s came into Kaizumi beach (we could see this on the remote camera) and began a rub that lasted from 7:07am until 7:21am. One small individual indulged in a rub by herself after the first four had moved along. Of a like mind, A60 and others rubbed at Strider from 7:26am until 7:42am. Eight to nine whales (in the fog) were, by this time, already passing Cracroft Point. Four more blows could be heard further out. It really was quite the spread with the families in combinations with each other. The journey into Blackney Pass began at 7:49am with members of the A30s and the I15s. The Lab, like CP, could not see anything, at least at first. The tall fin of I77 and the growing fin of I07 were identified with a few other orcas passing not very far off shore of the Lab at 8:14am. None of the accompanying A30s were identified visually by the time these whales cleared into Blackfish Sound a few minutes later. Another combined A30 and I15 group, who were further away,also cleared into Blackfish Sound at 8:30am. I15 and A30 calls in Blackfish Sound naturally followed. Surprisingly, but perhaps not surprisingly given how spread out groups had been earlier, there was a third A30/I15 group that came along out of the Strait. Obviously, this group had to first cross from Vancouver island over to Cracroft Point. They did this between 9am and 10am. They were well into Blackney Pass before we started to hear their blows at 10:16am. It was not a huge group and they were through by 10:30am. The orcas in whatever preferred combinations they had going all ended up in Queen Charlotte Strait. At 11:18am they were off the Penfold Islands. It was encouraging to hear that they were heading back east though it would be more than two hours before they came into range of the Flower Island hydrophone again. *The A23s, who we had not been able to track properly earlier, were the first. A30 calls followed and eventually those of the I15s too. Seemed like everyone was still holding together. It was well into the afternoon by now and the fog had finally burned off. We could see that it was another beautiful day. Again the whales were very widely spread. While a few were foraging off of the Plumpber Island at 3pm other whales were already filing through Blackney Pass. A60 came in first followed by the rest of his family the A54s accompanying the I04s, I65s and I27s and finally the A50s. They had all cleared by 3:48pm and on their way in these formations toward Johnstone Strait. Some of the A30s managed to move over quickly to the Vancouver Island shore and into Kaizumi beach by 4:19pm for a six minute rub. Although they did not follow suit and go for a rub some of the I15s came in close as well around 4:30pm. However, yet other groups elected to stay and forage off of Cracroft Point. A lot of back and forth ensued and once again the orcas were to be found across a wide area. More went towards the east, but no one seemingly too far. The A23s got close to Kaizumi at 5:57pm, while others returned to this area at 6pm along with dolphins as part of what would become a western trend back to the Cracroft area. This restless movement went on until 6:30pm when the orca families began to coalesce and once more head north into Blackney Pass. How they were now arranged gave us some insight into how they might have been earlier when they passed in the morning fog. The I65s passed first, the A50s behind them, then the I27s, the A23s, the I4s and finally the A54s. Except for the I27s most of the whales, with a few other exceptions, carried on to the north. The I27s moved much closer to Hanson Island before leaving the Pass. It was actually a lovely passing. The A23s were all together close with the I4s and like the I27s not far from the Hanson Island side. The beautiful evening light enhanced everything. The whales spent until 9pm in Blackfish Sound. After which they went back to Johnstone Strait via Weynton Pass. The first group, the A5s, arrived at 9:29pm. From then onwards the others, the A30s and the I15s, followed, their calls gradually getting stronger as they moved east. They were all very vocal. All indications suggested that a busy night was about to unfold. OrcaLab 01 Sep 2022 11:18:49 PDT |
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