Around 4:30 pm I spotted a blow close to the Texada Island side of Harwood Island. After rushing upstairs for the binoculars and staring out at the water for a while, I determined I was seeing things. That is, until I saw another blow by the reef off of Blubber Bay, where the Texada ferry docks. Then, over a period of time, another 5 or 6 blows by one animal. No sighting of back or tail flukes, and looking at the size and shape of the blow, I lean towards it being a Gray Whale rather than a Humpback. I lost sight of any blows close to the Texada shore around 6:30pm. Calls to a few other people with slightly different vantage points yielded no other sightings of the animal till I saw one more blow, still no back or tail flukes, back by Rebecca Rocks at a little after 8pm. It's nice to have enough light so late now.
No reports of other whales, dolphins or porpoises around the Sunshine Coast today, but they must be out there.
Orca Live from the upper Johnstone Strait area had one report of Transients today:
Wow more transient excitement this morning! The T023's came back heading North in Blackney. They attacked a sealion about 100m off the lab and were very vocal throughout!!! They have now left view still headed North. They did not kill the sea lion and he seems ok as I am watching him now about 30 m off the lab. There have still been a few intermittent calls.
Marie
And from Orca Network in the US:
April 20
4/20/11 - About 7 Orcas actively feeding off southwest end of McNeil Island for 10 minutes starting @ 0815 (est. 47 deg 12 min 00 sec X 122 deg 43min 40 sec). Maybe one male and at least three young. Seen from Mahncke Point. Departing direction unknown. Two of our four resident eagles and about 10 seagulls went out to clean up the scraps.
Kurt Anderson