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Orcas approaching Orcalab.
T46s are in BP right now
Sara Lynn
15 Mar 2022 19:15:31 PDT |
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After having seen T060E and T060D around Blackfish Sound and Blackney Pass on the 8th and 9th of March, our excitement for more frequent Orca activity began to grow. In the late afternoon of the 9th, Lisa from Double Bay heard G clan calls on their hydrophone, and within the hour we received word from Jared that he had spotted the I65s eastbound past Donegal Head. A short 45 minutes later they were joined by the I4s and I27s in Weynton Passage. Soon after this we began to hear G clan calls from the Kaizumi Rubbing Beach hydrophone, as they were traveling further east in Johnstone Strait. For Mattis and Sara Lynn, our winter caretakers, this was especially beautiful as the G clan was the very first Orcas they had ever heard when they first came to Hanson Island back in July 2021, a true full circle moment. Their calls continued well into the evening, lasting a total of two hours. They went quiet for the night, but as the sun was rising on the 10th their first distant calls were heard at 9:21am, with more faint honks, whistles and trills to follow. It seemed they were moving closer to Kaizumi again, and heading west in Johnstone Strait. At 11:00am they reached Kaizumi and conversed very close to the hydrophone making for some very clear calls to be heard, while more distant and mid range calls continued. A short 20 minutes later they swiftly swam west towards Telegraph Cove. At 12:07pm Ely let us know their calls were being heard on the Telegraph Cove hydrophone. They seem to be happily re-exploring their residential waters as Jared watch them move south through Pearse Passage at 3:04pm, most likely having done a counter clock-wise loop around the Pearse Islands that day. In the evening, the classic and distinct calls of the G clan were heard as they slowly moved east down the Strait. First on the Telegraph Cove hydrophone, then on Cracroft Point`s hydrophone, and lastly on Kaizumi`s hydrophone over a 3 hour period. Eventually their calls faded into the night as they moved even further east. The next day at 8:11am their faint calls were heard only briefly on Kaizumi. Then again early the following morning distant calls for a short 30 minute window were heard on Kaizumi again, however it was very difficult to hear over the loud boat noise. Thanks to our network of hydrophones, awesome community of Orcas lovers and dedicated scientists we were able to track this wonderful return of the I15s over the past several days. We do hope they come back up soon!
Sara Lynn
15 Mar 2022 13:28:42 PDT |
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