Saturday, December 09, 2023




November 12 - December 7 2023 Northern Residents: A34s, A79s, A23s,A25s [A94 seen Georgia Strait] BiggÕs orcas: T002C1, T049A2, T120,T124,T117s,T167s, T060s Humpbacks: Ripple, SpongeBob,Moonstar,Bumpy,Clover, Drogon?Kailash? It has been almost a month since our last summary and so much has happened in the meantime. This time of year is usually when everything begins to wind and settle down as the winter months approach. Nearly each day seemed to bring new, sometimes amazing events. For this review we need to start with one expected transition. Janie and ErinÕs time on the island was drawing to a close mid November. Right up until their departure they were kept busy with noting the humpback sounds through each day and night. The number of humpbacks increased daily in Blackney Pass as the whales converged in its narrow waters to feed and socialise before starting on their long migrations to the warmer waters of Mexico and Hawaii (their choice) during which they would not eat again until returning to these waters in the Spring. Their calls, a mix of feeding and social calls often evolved into song, always surprising us with their vocal range and complexity. Janie and Erin had witnessed the return of the Northern Resident families, the A34s and the A5s for the start of their late season visit. And before they handed the reins over to our winter caretakers, Camille and Mathieu, they also had more encounters with BiggÕs orcas between November 19 and 20. These orcas were vocal throughout those two days, even when humpbacks continued to vocalise, in this instance in the same locale. The following day, November 21, Northern Residents were present again. This day started with a sighting of an unidentified male orca (unclear if BiggÕs or Resident) near White Beach Pass in Blackney Pass. Very soon after, at 11:54am, the A34s began to call in Johnstone Strait as they headed eastward. Vocal until 2:20pm, there was a short intermission until they approached Robson Bight and came into range of the Critical Point hydrophone. The orcas seemed to be spread out and progress was slow. Just before 9pm they were still heard on Critical Point. A humpback whale chimed in just after 9pm and an hour later BiggÕs orcas were heard in Blackfish Sound. This mix of different cetaceans occurring together, sometimes in the same space, would be repeated on several other occasions over the next month. At 11am on November 22, a small group of BiggÕs orcas was once again in Blackney Pass. The male T120 was identified. Cam and Mat followed their progress to Johnstone Strait. Later that night at 10:43pm they heard both A34 and A5 calls in Johnstone Strait. The calls continued into the next early morning as these whales travelled west. By 2am, they were approaching the entrance to Blackney Pass. By 4am, they were further west in the Strait but they had not yet left. BiggÕs orcas were heard in Blackfish Sound.just before 5:30am. Resident orcas, perhaps a second group, were heard off the entrance to Blackney Pass just before 6am as the BiggÕs orcas continued calling in Blackfish Sound. By mid morning it was possible to use the remote ÒCPÓ cam and orcas were located at 10:43am. They looked like they were approaching the entrance of Blackney Pass. A congestion of BiggÕs and Residents played out here. As the Residents continued to move west toward Weynton Pass, BiggÕs orcas moved into Blackney Pass, first seen as blows opposite the Bell Rocks, and then passing thoughtfully close to the Sea Lion rocks along Hanson Island. The Sea Lions who were hauled out took notice but there were no consequences. The BiggÕs were later identified as T167s, T117s, T124C and T043A2, by Jared Towers who picked up their trail after they had exited Blackney Pass. Jared was particularly excited about this encounter and posted the the following on Facebook: ÒAfter T049A2 and T051 were stuck in Barnes lake for 6 weeks I promised a lot of people IÕd let them know if they show up again. Looks as though theyÕve split up since we got them out of there but T049A2 was swimming with T124C in Blackfish Sound today. Also found the T117s and T167s nearbyÉÓ Jared originally posted on October 5 his description of the rescue of T049A2 and T051. ÒOnce in a while whales get into situations they canÕt get out of and it can eventually kill them. In 2021 some colleagues and I published a paper about these Ònatural entrapmentsÓ in killer whales and then in mid August this year T049A2 and T051 swam into Barnes Lake, Alaska, and became entrapped. While inside they had no company and very limited access to food but working last week with colleagues at NOAA, the Orca Conservancy, more than half the population of Coffman Cove and with support from Cetacean Research Program at DFO we managed to coax them out. Each of the methods available to move wild orcas has associated risks including decline in efficacy with increased exposure. Such is undoubtedly the case with playback experiments, but hearing a series of brief vocalizations from a few females these two guys like to spend time with motivated them into and through the narrow and shallow south exit channel at high slack. This approach, although mentally invasive and potentially socially disruptive, gave these whales their freedom and their lives back. It was authorized under NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program permit #24359.Ó Back to November 23. As the BiggÕs orca distraction was happening, the A34s went through Weynton Passage from Johnstone Strait where their calls were heard at 2:55pm. A few minutes later T049A and T124C swam back through Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound. The A34s stayed in Blackfish Sound until 10pm when they returned to Johnstone Strait via Weynton Pass once again. They headed east and by 11:38pm they were off Cracroft Point. After midnight on November 24, A5 calls were noted along with those of the A34s. The evening had also been marked by humpback calls in Blackfish Sound. BiggÕs orcas were not to be outdone and as the A34s and A5s excitedly congregated, Bigg's orcas ÒopenedÓ up vocally in Blackfish Sound very close to the Flower Island hydrophone. All this activity was enough to make oneÕs head spin but Cam and Mat managed very well to keep track of all the comings and goings. The A34s and A5s were still vocal in Johnstone Strait at 6am (they had moved east to the Cracroft Point area) and continued to be so until 10:22am when their calls were close to Critical Point in Robson Bight. Jared went out once again and this time he found the A79s without the rest of their A42 family travelling with the A34s who were without the A62s part of their family. Most importantly, Jared noticed that Current, A79, is now a mother for the second time! It was unusual for Current to be without the rest of her family but less so for the A62s to be travelling independently of the rest of the A34s as they have hinted at independence recently. So where was everyone? By 6pm the A34/A79 group was well past the Ecological Reserve and still moving eastward. The next morning, November 25 at 8:22am, the orcas moved back ÒupÓ the Strait. By 11:17am they were past Izumi Rock (west of the Reserve) moving along Vancouver Island. Cam and Mat found them on the remote CP camera at 1:19pm as they approached the Cracroft Point area and moved toward the entrance of Blackney Pass. They were spread out and very active, tail slapping etc. They passed the entrance to Blackney Pass and kept going west but did not leave the Strait. By 10:30pm they had turned around. Before midnight their calls were back on the Cracroft Point system as they edged eastward. A humpback became vocal as well in Johnstone Strait before 1am on November 26. Throughout the 26th the Resident orcas maintained their presence in the Strait. Sometimes they became excited but did not seem to progress far in either direction off the Cracroft Point area and never really made it back to the Ecological Reserve. Successful foraging may have been reason enough for the excited exchanges and the limited range of movement. This remained the situation until before 8pm when the whales finally decided to shift east. Again a humpback, this time in Blackfish Sound, made social calls around this time. November 27 was pretty much the same as the day before with the orcas remaining in the Strait throughout the day and into the night and early morning of the 28th. Then the mood changed. As the A34s and A5s moved east past Kaizumi Rubbing beach they (at least some) went in for a rub which lasted 9 minutes (from 9:35am until 9:44am). From the beach they headed to the Ecological Reserve. They were near Critical Point by 11:18am from where they kept going. By 12:19pm only distant calls were heard as they slipped eastward past the range of the hydrophones. November 29 had begun with the T060s travelling south at 8:44am through Blackney Pass. As they moved toward the entrance to Baronet Passage on the north side of Cracroft island, we received a report that the A23s and A25s were southbound off of Lund in Georgia Strait. Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. We had wondered about the rest of the A5 pod, suspecting we had heard all of its three matrilines, but so far only A79 and her young ones had been visually accounted for. At some point the A23s/A25s must have passed through. We donÕt know by which route. We suspected that the rest of A79Õs group, the A42s, had probably done so as well but that is still to be determined. Starting at 10:09am Resident orcas were heard on Flower Island throughout most of the day. We think this is when the A34s probably departed. We were still noting A5 calls up to 6:25pm. There were no Resident type calls on November 30 but a humpback obliged in Johnstone Strait. On December 1, A5 calls in Blackfish Sound resumed at 9:09am. It was one of those ÒcrowdedÓ days again with Resident calls in the morning, humpbacks producing very good ÒsongÓ in Blackfish Sound and BiggÕs orcas vocal just before midnight in Johnstone Strait. December 2 was no less busy. Humpbacks at 12:40am, BiggÕs orcas at 2:53am, possible echo location at 5:07am and later more humpbacks vocal in Johnstone Strait and then the most beautiful vocal session of westbound BiggÕs in Johnstone Strait from 4:07pm until 5:22pm on our hydrophones! Further west, the hydrophone at Telegraph Cove picked up their calls soon after. They were still intense, excited and constant. Jared, who did not go out this time as it was too late in the day, remarked that he thought it must be quite a large group. BiggÕs orcas are not often as vocal so this was a recording to treasure. The number of Sea Lions hauled out had increased steadily over this time period.. Each day the count was in the 70s and by the 5th the count was over 100! BiggÕs were sighted in Blackney Pass on the 3rd (a small group consisting of a male and smaller fin) and 5th (T002C1). And on the 5th, Cam and Mat watched in amazement as the humpback Ripple plus another foraged in Blackney Pass while making incredible sounds. Later they passed close by the Lab in the dark. Cam and Mat saw this passing. In silence at 12:10pm on December 7, the A23s and A25s passed in front of the Lab. They carried on to Blackfish Sound and later, Jared watched as they entered Fife Sound. On December 6, the A23s and A25s had been seen off Grief Point near Powell River. They were reported to be accompanied by A94. This was another surprise as Mystery (A94) has been travelling with the A42s in recent years. A94 was not with them by the time they passed the Lab just a day later. At some point we hope there will be more information about the A42s. It has been strange to hear reports of only parts of this group who normally have travelled together. Their habit is to stay a good length of time in Georgia Strait over the winter so we will just have to wait and see.
OrcaLab
09 Dec 2023 12:31:25 PST
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Sunday, November 12, 2023




November 4 - November 11 2023 NR: A34s, A5s BiggÕs orcas:T060s Humpbacks: Claw, Ripple, Hunter and many others This week the A34s continued to make wide circuits around Hanson Island and occasionally finding themselves joined by the A5s. Throughout the week the humpbacks kept the recordings going - almost non stop, challenging Erin and Janie to keep up with the notes. Days flowed from day to night and into day again without too many pauses. Who would have guessed that this time of year would become so intense. It has become increasingly so with the humpbacks acquiring so much of our attention. But we are learning lots too - the late season habits of orcas, the nuances of humpback vocalisations. On November 4 the A34s were first heard in the distance in Johnstone Strait just before 8am. We gained a sense of their movements when their calls occurred on the Òother sideÓ at the western end of Blackfish Sound at 11am after taking Weynton Passage. Once there they stayed into late afternoon foraging. Alex observed them near Donegal Head on Malcolm Island around 5pm. They were still in the vicinity at 6:46pm but by 8pm, 12 hours after leaving Johnstone Strait, they were back after retracing their steps through Weynton Passage. Their movements became fuzzy after this reentry and there would be no clues until 2:23am PST (we had changed from PDT to PST overnight on November 5 at 2am) when audible west of Cracroft Point. Three hours later they were westbound toward Weynton Passage and by 7:26am (PST) they were back in Blackfish Sound once again. This merry-go-round activity took on a new twist when A5 calls were heard suddenly near the Cracroft Point area in Johnstone Strait at 11:11am. The A34s, who had been in Blackfish Sound until 9:47am (at 7:42am, Alex saw them off Bold Head heading northwest), now turned up in Johnstone Strait just after the A5s were first heard. They apparently had enough time (even with going through Weynton Passage) to join with the A5s off the entrance to Blackney Pass and Cracroft Point. Then an interesting development. The A5 calls dropped out as the A34s made their way into Blackney Pass by around 1pm. At 1:12pm the first male orca came into view. The calls became very excited. Afterwards the A34s made their way through and into Blackfish Sound by using the Blackney Pass route. We could find no evidence of any of the A5s and this left much head scratching. The A34s stayed in Blackfish until at least 3pm on and then at some point made their way into Weynton Pass and around and into Johnstone Strait by 6:50pm. Still no sign of the A5s. Over the next few hours (to just before midnight) their calls remained distant and only faintly heard in the Strait. There was a possible hint of A5s ever so briefly. At 3:18, on November 6 there were distant calls in Johnstone Strait. The A34s resumed calling there at 9:26am. The calls remained distant for the next two hours. At 11:22am the A5s chimed in and once again gave the impression of being in the Cracroft/Blackney Pass area with the A34s. Gradually by 1:43pm the calls became very faint as the groups shifted away. This time the A34s took the A5s with them into Blackfish Sound where orcas were heard from 2:28pm until 5:48pm. During that time the A5s had disappeared by 3pm, perhaps after heading to Queen Charlotte Strait. The A34s meanwhile positioned themselves to eventually move back into Weynton Pass and turn up in Johnstone Strait by 6:38pm. We think the A34s, often in two groups, were still as one unit up to this point but the possibility exists that the two groups might have been functioning independently - this would naturally complicate this story. With that in mind we pick up the narrative at 5am on November 7 when both A5 and A34 calls were heard in Blackfish Sound. Did part of the A34s stay with the A5s and were now accompanying them? Within an hour the calls had faded and disappeared as the whales entered Weynton Pass and moved on to Johnstone Strait. Three hours later both families were heard on the Parson Island hydrophone as the whales neared the entrance to Blackney Pass. It was a drop off - the A34s, and only the A34s, came into Blackney Pass and travelled north toward Blackfish Sound. They were gone out of view of the Lab by 10:14am. They stayed in Blackfish for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon as well. Alex noted that these whales were spread out taking variable directions, most likely foraging once again. After clear calls at 5:23pm the A34s were readying to head back to the Strait and once more via Weynton Pass. They got there by 7:37pm. But true to the past two weeks the A34s vacillated once more between Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Sound and at 6:39am on November 8 were heard again in Blackfish Sound. By 10:29am A34s were heard in Johnstone Strait. The A5s showed up too. After some serious pacing and foraging the orcas staged an entrance into Blackney Pass. By 11:41am they were in! But this time only the A67s and A34s came through, no A5s and no A62s (the other half of A34Õs family). Had the A62s been the ones in Blackfish from 6:39am - 7:15am? Had they preceded the rest of their family into Queen Charlotte Strait? The family acoustic traditions run deep and it is very difficult to tell closely related intra matrilines apart. The A5 calls simply disappeared as the A34/A67s travelled through. We never heard them again and by 2pm these A34s also disappeared. This time, sadly, they made no circle back. They carried on to the west. No Resident orcas were evident in the following days. But on November 11 around 4:30pm Janie noticed that the Sea Lions had suddenly departed their rocks. The reason became clearer a short while later when the T060s were seen passing to the north. They made no calls. Of course, during all this time humpbacks were very active. Finally, as in seasons past, Blackney Pass entertained as many as eight humpbacks daily. Lots of feeding and socialising. When we had the remote camera trained on the orcas while off Cracroft Point humpbacks, sometimes in groups of two or three, rolled over each other and foraged all the while, giving the impression of casual ease, with night time vocal activity often spilling over into daytime. When the orcas were off Cracroft Point on November 5 the humpbacks chimed in with incredible calls of their own. Each night brings out the rich tapestry of their calls. The descriptors include shrieking, grunting, whuping, chirping, knocking, raspberrying, buzzing. Honestly, it feels as if they enjoy hearing the different sounds they can make! Best of all is when the calls come together as song. Patterns emerge, melodies ensue, effort is sustained. Time will come for the humpbacks to move on but in the meantime it is great to have the opportunity to share their space. 
OrcaLab
12 Nov 2023 22:14:44 PST
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Monday, November 06, 2023




October 26 - November 3 2023 NR: A34, A5 BiggÕs orcas: vocal, T049C Humpbacks: singing! During these nine days the A34s stayed and were a near daily presence in the area. They have completely made themselves at home once again by touring the area, foraging heavily and vocalising energetically day and night. It has been reassuring to see and hear them managing so well after their prolonged absence. Looking through theLab books, realising that last fall and winter (into the New Year) they had likewise established themselves. This Fall seemed more like old times when they were most often the predominant Northern Resident group at this time of year. It has taken a few years to get back to this and it is very welcomed. Here is a quick run down of their recent activities (with one pleasant surprise) as well as a sketch of the doings of the constantly intriguing Humpback Whales. October 25 - 26: The night recordings revealed that the A34s were in Johnstone Strait around 10:30pm. A first group came through Blackney Pass and headed into Blackfish Sound. The second part of the family followed to the entrance of Blackney Pass but seemingly elected to stay in the Strait and head west from there with their calls becoming very distant in the early hours of the morning. Presumably, they went through Weynton Passage and followed the others out into Queen Charlotte Strait. Then just before 9am a few calls were heard from that direction but it was not until the early afternoon that they actually became more committed to Blackfish Sound. At 2:26pm they were in view of the Lab. This time they were arranged in three groups. A34 and her daughter A67Õs family were first but soon merged with A34Õs other daughter A62Õs family. A small group, including perhaps A96 and her new baby, followed. They all headed to Johnstone Strait where upon arriving crossed out and westward. This seemed to be the pattern of travel they willingly adopted. By 5:40pm Jim and Mary Borrowman saw them spread out off the entrance to Weynton Pass more or less opposite Telegraph Cove. As the impression was being formed that they would choose to go through the Pass they turned and headed back ÒdownÓ (east) the Strait once more. Around 8pm they were once again approaching the area adjacent to the entrance of Blackney Pass. All the while, humpbacks kept up their steady presence too by vocalising almost constantly through the night and into the day, always with such a variety of effort and expression. October 27: The A34s once again showed up during the night recordings but only very faintly and distantly on the Flower Island hydrophone about a half hour after midnight. They had had plenty of time to get there as the last calls were around 8pm (the previous evening) in the Strait. As to how they got there they did not inform us. Their toggling back and forth between the different passages continued and by 5:20am they were heard back in Johnstone Strait. Whatever plans they had did not include going very far to the east in the Strait. Just before 8am they were again west of the entrance to Blackney and once again Jim was soon able to offer some additional info. At 9:33am he heard calls on the Telegraph Cove system and then saw a male near the Wastell Islets just east of Telegraph Cove where Jim is located. The A34ds then proceeded to head toward the Plumper Islands and Blackfish Sound beyond where we picked up their calls at 10:04am. They skirted the top end of Blackfish, foraging as they went and moved into Queen Charlotte Strait. Quite the merry-go-round. We are still hearing bubble net feeding by the humpbacks so in addition to their incredible sounds this is pretty interesting especially when herring make sounds too cluing us into some of the features of this type of feeding. One very good episode happened just before 8am. October 28: The A34s stayed out of range to the west for the entire day. The humpbacks had all of our attention therefore. They did not disappoint when some of their cries (shrieks really), grunts and moans morphed into actual songs. Their vocal bouts are tending in that direction of late. Very dramatic ÒbangsÓ and slaps spoke to their energy and sheer physical behaviours during the night. One beautiful session at 8:30pm) elicited many remarks from recent volunteers who make a habit of tuning into the Orcalab audio link. ÒThese calls are so beautifulÓ (Barbara), ÒSo clearÓ (Emily) and simply ÒListeningÓ (Tomoko). October 29: The whereabouts of the A34s became clearer at 2:07pm when Kate Braur reported that a group of orcas had just passed Bere Point to the east. One female apparently came in for a brief rub before proceeding on her way. It was not long after (2:49pm) that their calls registered on the Flower Island hydrophone. The current was in flood with the daytime hightide reaching the 17.1 ft level - the highest of this cycle. Despite this the A34s did not come into AlexÕs view for some time and it was only after 6pm when she reported seeing them. Calls had long before ceased. With enough light still in the evening sky Alex observed that they were coming ÒdownÓ the east side of Blackfish Sound. Calls were now clear but only briefly. Then quiet, leaving the night to the humpbacks once more and no further anticipation that the A34s would use Blackney. October 30: At 1:05am the A34s were back in Johnstone Strait but their distant calls disappeared before 2am and were not again obvious until 3:18am when the calls were stronger. The humpbacks were incredibly busy producing bout after bout of calls. Getting on toward 6am the A34 calls pierced through the humpback vocals before disappearing once more. By 8am the ever moving orcas had shifted back to Blackfish Sound, most likely choosing Weynton Pass to get there. Alex watched as they crossed the top end of Blackfish Sound where they stalled. Their calls over the next several hours were frequent and clear. A male BiggÕs orca garnered some attention by travelling near to the Pearse Island group during this time. Apparently a lone male had shown up near Fort Rupert where a funeral service was being held for Beatrice Wadhams. Jared wondered if this was one and the same. The A34s were generally spread out foraging so the recording rolled on and on. They made some beautiful calls, unfortunately spoiled by a persistent boat trying to get pictures. This is just what we had hoped would not happen in regard to this family. The annoying, constantly manoeuvring boat stayed on them for about forty minutes. Thankfully, the A34s were intensely foraging and maintained their focus. A few made appearances on the far shores near West Pass but it was not until after 1pm that any serious attempts were made to go through. It was a really busy and ambitious day at the Lab. Paul went to get Quin and Simon to work on modifying some of the trees near the Lab to enable a better WiFi connection. Difficult work but they got right to it on arrival as did Don, Herb and Cecil from Alert Bay, here to work on securing a much needed tarp for the ailing Bath-house roof, a challenging job. It was an incredibly beautiful day. The orcas finally filed through. They were still very scattered. A55 was the last to come through at 4:22pm. Soon after, Paul ferried Quin and Simon back to Alder Bay and the others hurried to complete the difficult tarp job. By late afternoon they had finished, loaded their boat and departed. Paul was not back yet but on his way he had noticed the A34s up near Weynton Passage. They had done their usual circuit yet once again. And sure enough just after 6pm they were back in Blackfish Sound. Calls ended there around 8:30pm. Presumably the A34s carried on to the west. The humpbacks now signalled a change too. Throughout the night their calls were quite distant, almost eerie - a coincidental but fitting precursor to Halloween! October 31: At 5:47am the faintest of faint A34 calls on Flower Island were detected in the night recordings. They must have been quite some distance still to the west. Finally in the early afternoon, just after 1pm, they called again, this time louder. Jared, who had been watching T049C interacting with humpbacks near the ÒtopÓ end of Blackfish, located the A34s one mile west of Swanson IslandÕs Bold Head. It was 1:24pm and by 2:17pm the advancing orcas turned around. Just as well as Paul and Helena had to leave for town in order for Janie to come back and take over. There was some urgency to go as the wind was freshening and the day was getting on. When Janie arrived the A34s were still in Blackfish Sound but by 7:14pm they were back again in the Strait heading east having retraced their travels through Weynton Pass. Just before 10pm they were near the entrance to Blackney Pass. The humpbacks were busy breaking into song and kept it going through the night. The wind was now blowing with that promise of an advancing gale. November 1: The A34s probably stayed in the Strait overnight. Just before 3pm they were not far from the entrance to Blackney Pass. By 4pm after a long pause they resumed calling in approximately the same location. After yet another pause they picked it up again just before 6pm, this time closer. Within a very short time they were back in Blackfish Sound after passing through Blackney Pass very quickly. Before 7pm they and their calls were distant. November 2: 4:30am and the A34s were back in Johnstone Strait. They were still there before 8am but not for long. By 12:12pm they had found their way once again to Blackfish Sound. A short while later they sounded very excited. With good cause, the A5s had arrived! (this was our hint at surprise). It is not unusual for the A5s to come back at this time of year. Good for the A34s to have company too. The ever watchful Alex reported at 1:39pm that some of the whales were east of Flower Island. This seemed promising but the A5s had other plans. Just after 3pm they were heard in the Strait after taking Weynton and not Blackney as hoped. The A34s remained in Blackfish Sound for a while longer then followed their A clan companions to the Strait by 5pm using the same route. Just as the orcas were passing the entrance of Blackney Pass and Cracroft Point area humpbacks in Blackfish Sound and in Johnstone Strait created very beautiful, perhaps the best ever, songs. Janie had brought Erin, who is studying humpback vocalisations, to OrcaLab so for the humpbacks to trip into this new level of effort was very good timing indeed. And it was still evening and many people far and wide were listening too. Pretty amazing to have these Northern Resident orcas and humpbacks joined together acoustically. At least the A5s continued to the east. The A34s let them carry on while they made their typical circle back to Blackfish Sound by 9:30pm. We last heard themat 10:04pm. November 3: BiggÕs orcas turned up in Johnstone Strait at 6:12am and overnight the A34s returned there as well. By the time the A34s continued at 9:43am, with calls on both Parson Island and Cracroft Point, humpbacks had already found voice in Blackfish Sound. The A34s then made their way into Blackney with A55 first to make an appearance. By 10:40am they were entering Blackfish Sound. A long pause in orca calls ensued until 5:20pm when a few more calls were heard in the distance. The humpbacks, true to form, kept their presence known well into the night. The next days and nights were just as full and will be featured in our next report. In the meantime, perhaps join us by finding time to listen to the live audio broadcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk1ODDZQy8c
OrcaLab
06 Nov 2023 09:12:01 PST
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Thursday, October 26, 2023




October 16 - 25 2023 NR: A34s Humpbacks galore and glorious! The humpbacks just donÕt disappoint. Every night, usually every day they make their presence known. Large exhalations, bangs and slaps, bubbles and water movements and above all calls. The night is when they usually really let go and fill their ocean spaces with their voices. Throughout the night we record and during the morning we review the recordings delighting when social calls morph into song, pleaded when we hear the distinctive sounds of bubble net feeding. Of course they are not the only ones out there. On October 20th BiggÕs orcas crossed the entrance of Blackney Pass at 9:43am. They carried on west and through Weynton Pass. By 12:34 they were in Blackfish Sound and for the next half hour we listened and watched the group on the remote Flower Island camera. This event proved to be just a brief interruption in what has become daily humpback routines. Skipping to October 23. We had just said our good-byes to Suzie and Quin who had come to help with some of the final winter preparations. Suzie did a dive to retrieve the special hydrophone arrays in front of the Lab. Thanks to MeganÕs careful planning the work went off without a hitch. Previously, while Jeff Chamberland tidied and secured the Strider Beach installation Megan, Suzie and Rachel took care of the surface cameras at each rubbing beach location. It really began to feel like the summer season was over. Quin meanwhile busied himself with the network systems with plans to radically change how we will connect and deliver our video and audio signals to the Internet in the near future. Of course, not everything went to plan although the weather cooperated. Quin found it necessary to head back to Alert Bay to fix a problem and we decided to save the lasagna until he got back! Quin managed to get the systems in good enough order but he realised that a return trip was going to be necessary. He and Suzie left. The wind had dropped and the sun was out. They had a stop to make on their way into town at Double Bay to say hi to Nicollette and return the borrowed Double Bay boat. While there they heard A1 calls on the Double Bay hydrophone, then saw fins heading east. They reported immediately back to the Lab and soon after we heard the calls too. Unmistakably the A34s! Despite their past prominent role in the Johnstone Strait orca social scene the A34s for the last several years have dialled back their involvement in this area to the point that they now usually return well after the regular season has wound down and the other orca groups have long gone. This has caused no end of discussion. Speculation as to the cause for this seemingly deliberate delay of presence includes the idea that A34 and her family have elected to give the busy part of the season a miss. Early one Fall when the season had almost ended the A34s arrived in Blackfish Sound only to encounter three whale watching charter boats who immediately gave them all their attention. As we watched on the remote camera we saw the family reverse their course of travel and leave the area. They returned later only after whale watching and cruise ship activity had stopped. Is this coincidence or compelling evidence of a change in behaviour? Their actions may be having an affect on the other families. This year the orca season did not begin until mid August - a full month later than what has come to be expected. And it lasted only one short month. For a number of years now the resident orca season has become shorter and with fewer families participating. Historically this has been an important area to the Northern Residents and earned the designation of Critical Habitat in recognition of their predictable use of the area for foraging and socialising. The A1 pod, of which the A34s are a part of, had always maintained the most constant steady presence. But another member group of the A1s, the A50s, did not show up at all in 2023. The other part of their family, the A54s, showed up very late on September 1. This had never happened before and it is worrisome. Change happens slowly in this orca community. Afterall they have honed their habits and preferences over thousands of years and strong traditions and site fidelity are passed from generation to generation through the orca mother who usually has a long life expectancy and a further role to play as a grandmother. There have been changes to the A1s. The A36s, previously the A1Õs third matriline is no longer as all its members have died. The older females of the other two former matrilines have also died. Has this been enough to so radically change such embedded habits? Back to October 23. The A34s made their way into Blackney Pass by 1:42pm after making their way very slowly through the once again choppy waters of Blackfish Sound. The humpbacks in the Sound were very vocal and called out in tandem with the orcas. The first to venture into Blackney Pass was Echo, A55, SimoomÕs oldest. Simoom (A34) followed soon after. Her second oldest daughter, Eclipse (A67) with her own, A102, A112,A125. SimoomÕs youngest son, A80 was not far away. Rainy, SimoomÕs youngest daughter, was there with her new baby. They made their way through Blackney and on into Johnstone Strait. Before arriving into the Strait they made some very clear uninterrupted calls starting at 2:17pm. While on their way we heard additional calls in Blackfish Sound and knew that the A62s would soon appear. Sure enough they arrived closer to the Hanson Island shore. Researcher Jared Towers followed at a respectful distance. As the A62s cleared into Johnstone Strait Jared reported that they headed away on their own to the west. We were hampered following the whales into Johnstone Strait as we were experiencing a Network issue. Cameras and hydrophones were unavailable. Jared filled us in. As said, the A62s went west and the others did not go for a rub and would eventually follow the A62s to the west. Briefly around 5:48pm we heard calls once again but were not able to locate them. We were not entirely sure that a group had not made it to Blackfish Sound. Around 7:49pm Jim Borrowman reported that there were calls on the Telegraph Cove system. After reviewing the nighttime recordings the next day we noticed lengthy echo location in Blackfish around 8pm. No calls however. The rest of the night and the beginning of the next day belonged to the socialising/feeding humpbacks. On the 24th, Telegraph Cove reported hearing very faint A1 like calls then at 1:26pm Nicollette heard calls on the Double Bay hydrophone and saw one male fin mid blackfish Sound. Had they been circulating through the night back and forth to and from the Strait or had the group maintained the earlier split with groups in either location? The afternoon was dedicated to looking for and eventually finding very small fins on the Flower Island camera that were framed by the Malcolm Island shore to the north of Stubbs Island and west of Donegal Head. They were going back and forth. Alex thought at one point (around 5pm) they were making a try for Weynton but then their direction changed for one last time and she saw them headed toward Lizard Point just before 5:30pm. Amazingly we could hear their distant calls during all this time. As the sun was beginning to set our attention was diverted to the humpbacks off of Flower Island. They and the birds were busy feeding. Two humbacks joined closely together for several surfacings. Then everything seemed to go off to the west and the sun set, bringing a close to a long and busy day. The night brought more vocal humpbacks but no orcas. Had then stayed off to the west? About the same time as the day before A1 (A34) calls were heard in Blackfish Sound in the afternoon of the 25th. It was just a single call and impossible to source. Two hours later there were more calls. This time the calls were more frequent and definitely in Blackfish Sound. They sounded far closer than the day before and their echolocation seemed to indicate that they might be approaching. However, their arrival coincided with our scheduled shut down of the Flower Island remote camera so no peeking this time. The calls continued for almost the next two hours. No one seemed to be advancing. Interspersed with their calls were those of a close humpback or two. The increasing boat noise did not seem to deter the humpbacks but the orcas became quiet around 5pm.. The tide in ebb, wouldnÕt turn until 8:30pm - not encouraging for travel into and through Blackney Pass. At 6:26pm the A34Õs plans came together as they eventually made way into Weynton Pass. By 9:07pm their calls were further east in johnstone Strait as they approached the entrance to Blackney Pass. The calls were distant so perhaps they were closer to Vancouver Island. By 10pm, it felt as if one part of the A34s entered Blackney and headed north into Blackfish Sound. A second group elected to continue west and out via Weynton Pass. By now the clock had begun to turn to the 26th. The 26th would hold more encounters origination from Blackfish Sound.
OrcaLab
26 Oct 2023 17:17:08 PST
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