Transient Orca, Resident Orca, Dolphins in slightly smaller numbers and Dall's Porpoise. The Fin Whales may have made another appearance. Plus a bit of information on Fin Whales transiting in our inside waters.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Northern Resident Orca
September 21:
2:30 pm Resident Orca with a number of Pacific White Sided Dolphins harassing them were at Hull Point. (broken radio transmission)
4 pm Resident Orca, possibly the A34's with 15 to 20 Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping all over them were in Nodales Channel. No specific direction. (The Orca usually just try to get away from the Dolphins - SM)
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
Transient Orca T018
September 20, 2011
Photo: Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Transient Orca
September 21:
10:30 am 4 Transients were in a Southbound direction around Walkem Islands to Cinque Islands in Discovery Passage.
Radio transmission to Fog Horn Jeff
12:40 pm 10 or 11 Transients including T18, T19, T19B, T19C, T123, T123A and T46 were Southbound by Brown's Bay in Discovery Passage.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
2:30 pm Large group of Transients Southbound by Race Point.
Benito
5:30 pm 5 to 6 Transients Southbound by Quathiaski Cove, across from Campbell River. At the same time:
4 to 5 Transients including one male with a floppy dorsal fin Northbound by April Point, across from Campbell River.
Hi Susan. The transients we thought were going north turned back to the south about 545 pm. Garry
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
September 20:
10:15 am 4 Transient Orca Westbound by Cape Mudge Light.
Commercial Fishing vessel
11:55 am to 2:30 pm 5 to 7 Orca between Savary Island and Sentry Shoal heading North-West towards Mitlenatch Island. There were two big males and one that looked like it may be a juvenile. There were lots of breaches, rolling around and tail slaps. They had started out looking as if they were going in circles – possibly hunting.
Dee & Bill Ingraham, Savary Island
1 pm Seymour Narrows 3 Transients Westing.
2:30 pm 4 Transient Orca Southbound right at Seymour Narrows.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
5:44 pm 2 groups of Transient Orca total of around 10 animals between Race Point and Brown's Bay. Two large dorsals.
7:10 pm These guys (Transient Orca – see photos) were travelling North this afternoon past Campbell River. They were travelling quite spread out up to Seymour Narrows then came together to transit the narrows. We didn't spend to long with them but there was some searching around and splitting up after but we didn't see any kills. On our way home @ 1910 we found a large gang of T's coming North up Discovery Passage at Eagles Cove. There were 12-13 Orcas. I haven't gone through the pics yet and it was a little dark so I'm not sure we can see any too well but I will check. I did recognize the gang above, plus T046B1, and I think T123,T123A. We only spent 10 min with these guys as it was getting dark, but they were about 3 miles away from about 250 plus Pacific Whitesided Dolphins that were spread out above Chatham Point. Cheers!
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Transient Orca T019B
September 20, 2011
Photo: Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Transient Orca T019C
September 20, 2011
Photo: Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
September 21:
9:40 am 5 to 6 Dolphins by Deep Water Bay, just North-West of Campbell River.
Radio
2:30 pm Resident Orca with a number of Pacific White Sided Dolphins harassing them were at Hull Point. (broken radio transmission)
4 pm Resident Orca, possibly the A34's with 15 to 20 Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping all over them were in Nodales Channel. No specific direction. (The Orca usually just try to get away from the Dolphins – SM) repeat from Resident Orca Report
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
September 20:
8:30 am Some Dolphins in Surge Narrows
Radio
Around 3 pm 75 to 100 Pacific White Sided Dolphins were by Cinque Islands heading North-West.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
7:10 pm We only spent 10 min with these guys (Transient Orca) as it was getting dark, but they were about 3 miles away from about 250 plus Pacific Whitesided Dolphins that were spread out above Chatham Point. Cheers! (partial repeat of Transient Orca Report)
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Dall's Porpoise
September 21:
10:30 am a few Dall's Porpoise by Eight Foot Bay, just north of Campbell River.
Radio
9:30 am Couple of Dall's by Surge Narrows, then later:
Both going in around 10 am and out around 2:30 pm of Bute Inlet on the bear tour there were small groups of Dall's Porpoise by Fawn Bluffs and Orford River.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
Fin Whale Possible Sighting and Information
September 20:
7:10 pm One of the tour boats (I'm sorry I did not catch who) spotted a whale type of surfacing close to Kanish Bay, close to Campbell River. There were no flukes and it just looked like the back of a large whale. It was not spotted again, but Fins can dive and travel a great distance on one breath.
An anonymous email asked when the last time we had seen Fin Whales in the area. Nick said around 10 years ago, Jack said around 14 years ago, and personally, I have not seen them this far down the inside coastal waters. They intermittently show up around the Upper Johnstone Strait area, which is the last place I saw one. They are usually seen above Vancouver Island and are generally considered pelagic, travelling the open oceans. The last reported sighting in the inside waters was the unfortunate impalement of a juvenile 20 meter (70 feet) long Fin Whale on the bow of a cruise ship that docked in Vancouver, BC July 2009. This was the second impalement of a Fin Whale on the bow of a Cruise ship docking in Vancouver. The previous one was in 1999, and when we had seen the Cruise ship pass us in Queen Charlotte Strait, just by Port Hardy, there was nothing on it's bow. This tells us that the impalement happened somewhere below Port Hardy. The 1999 Fin Whale skeleton is on display at the Telegraph Cove Whale (Museum) Interpretive Center.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC