Storms and Orca Sightings

Whales are almost impossible to spot when there's a storm, but in a few places the seas weren't quite as bad as out in front here. The indication was that the Orca were headed towards Powell River, but no-one managed to spot any from Saltrey Bay to Powell River and across towards Campbell River. Seas were high enough that no ferries were running and the salt spray is all over my windows. The Whales are out there though, so with things settled down, keep your eyes open.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

Orca – Killer Whales

January 23:

Hi Susan -
We got this report tonight that you might be interested in:
Jan 23 @ 5pm Alan and Jennifer Fletcher here, north side of Hornby Island. We Just had a pod of approximately 7 orcas ,no confirmed ID ,but probably group of Resident as sea lions swimming happily nearby! Animals moving east about one km off shoreline
Cheers Alan

It could be J pod, who went by SJI (San Juan Island) yesterday - so just a heads up in case they show up in your neighborhood again, whoever they are!
Susan Berta, Orca Network

January 22:

9:10 am Call came in 2 Orca (at least) were Southbound towards Powell River from between Savary Island and Lund. One Male, one Female.

Al Wood, Lund Water Taxi

Al couldn't stay long with them, but was certain about two Orca at least. There was no sign of them down to Powell River, but the seas were full of whitecaps. SM

 

2012 Charter Cruises

Enjoy a personalized week long Charter Cruise in the pristine wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest. Information can be found on the 2012 Charter Cruises pages of Whales and Dolphins BC.

Whale Sightings and Hummingbirds

Today we did get some Orca – reports follow. Still not sure if these are Residents or Transients though. It's a bit too cold and choppy to get out on the water for ID's. Their behaviour makes me lean towards Transients rather than Resident Orca. Wonderful to have everyone letting me know so I can post the information – Thank you for networking and good eyes !

As for the Anna's Hummingbirds, thank you for all your emails. With many comments of surprise to have Winter Hummingbirds, I also heard of many other Winter Hummers in Gibsons, Sechelt, Lang Bay, all along the Sunshine Coast and up to Lund. Sounds like lots more people will be putting feeders out too.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

Orca – Killer Whales

January 19:

10:30 am Call came in that there was a large group of Orca headed Northward from Lang Bay. They were spread out across the channel.

Heather Dixon

11 am Call came in that there were whales coming towards Grief Point.

Gail Alsgard

12:30 pm Over 300 Seagulls were feeding on what looked like possibly a very large herring ball. Although something must be chasing the food up and there were a few splashes that looked to be too large for birds to make, there was no clear view of any dorsals from Orca or Dolphins.

Michael Stewart

Orca off Westview, Powell River

January 19, 2012

photo by: Steven Grover (from his deck)

Hello Susan,

Did you happen to see the 2 pods of Orcas going North Jan. 19, today around 1 pm. I haven’t seen them this week but I wondered why cars were stopping along Marine Avenue. I live at Beacon B&B Spa so looked out on the water and there they were. I read your notes from January 17th and I think these appear to be the same whales you indicated on that date. There appeared to be a large one and in another location was a baby. They were fairly close by but still hard to detect how many of them there were. Happy whale watching,

Shirley Randall

1:30 pm After the “Orca out in front” sighting call from neighbour Steve Grover, I got binoculars on at least 4 Orca out in front of Westview Powell River. One male breached just off the Viewpoint as it headed in towards shore. About 2 pm An additional 3 Orca (1 Male, 1 Female & 1 Juvenile) passed by making my total count 7 Orca. They were not wasting time in heading Northward towards Atrevida Reef.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

Later email report back from Steve: I never got a great look at the entire pod but I think 5 were there. I did get some shots of the bull off the deck. You can actually see the dorsal quite clearly in these shots. (see photo)

Steve Grover

January 9:

Just a hint of how far reaching the internet is: I received a late third hand report of some Orca by Cape Mudge lightstation on the afternoon of January 9^th. The report came from Jodie in the UK

 

2012 Charter Cruises

Enjoy a personalized week long Charter Cruise in the pristine wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest. Information can be found on the 2012 Charter Cruises pages of Whales and Dolphins BC.

Hummingbirds in Snow Photos - No Whales Today

Although this really has nothing to do with Whales, Dolphins or Porpoises, these winter Anna's Hummingbirds are just too amazing to ignore. I managed to get a couple of photos of them at the feeder with the snow falling. The photos had to be taken through the window since they were too skittish to allow me to stay under cover and outside with them.

If you think you might have Hummingbirds over-wintering in our colder temperatures, the feeder mixture needs to be substantially thicker than in the summer months when they have lots of other food around. Winter mixture: In a cup measure I put 3/4 cup of sugar and fill with water to the one cup measure. I boil it up in the microwave, stirring every so often. Let it cool entirely. To avoid freezing, my feeder is under the eves close to the sliding door. Others have told me that they keep two feeders at the ready and if one starts to freeze, they put the second one out.

As for Whales, Dolphins or Porpoises, there were no sightings today, but it was also difficult to see much of the water in the snow this morning.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

Male Anna's Hummingbird in the snow - Powell River, BC

January 18, 2012

Photo by Susan MacKay, SG Images

 

Female Anna's Hummingbird in the snow - Powell River, BC

January 18, 2012

Photo by Susan MacKay, SG Images

Male Anna's Hummingbird in the snow - Powell River, BC

January 18, 2012

Photo by Susan MacKay, SG Images

2012 Charter Cruises

Enjoy a personalized week long Charter Cruise in the pristine wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest. Information can be found on the 2012 Charter Cruises pages of Whales and Dolphins BC.

More Orca by Powell River

Surprise sighting of some Orca by Powell River and a very late report of a December sighting when we thought there were none. Reports follow. Also below are a couple of interesting links from Lisa Spaven of the Marine Mammal Response Network.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

Unidentified Orca – Killer Whales

January 17:

9:42 am While talking on the phone, I was surprised to notice a blow a short distance off the Westview ferry teminal in Powell River. Quickly looking through binoculars, a few Orca appeared briefly. Doing long dives and surfacing very briefly, there were only a few chances to really look at them. There were approximately 7 Orca counted, but there may have been more. They including at least one large male and one, possibly two juveniles. After a couple of quick breaths they disappeared for quite a while and popped up again quite a distance off before the next breath. By 9:50 am they were Southbound well past the viewpoint and almost to Grief Point and out of sight.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

December 9, 2011:

Very late report, but interesting in that there were no other sightings of Orca at or around that time. There was a distant photo taken, so yes, it was Orca.

3 Orca surfaced quite close to the Texada Ferry just out from Blubber Bay and headed Northward towards Atrevida Reef and Lund.

Sean

Southern Resident Orca J27 off Willingdon Beach,

Powell River, BC January 11, 2012

photo taken off video clip by Susan MacKay, SG Images

Of Interest

Go where few have dared...inside a sperm whale! Think of this as an opportunity to experience the awe and gore of a large whale necropsy but without the mess and the everlasting smell (trust me, sperm whale stink is in a class of it's own!). It's just too bad that the necropsy wasn't filmed here.

Inside Nature's Giants - The Sperm Whale Necropsy

Wed, Jan 18, 10pm on KCTS-PBS

PREVIEW: http://video.pbs.org/video/2185065525/(amazing how a voice over and suspense-full music can make a necropsy seems action packed!)

Also, if you've ever wondered how BCMMRN fits into the national marine mammal response picture, here's the link to the national Marine Mammal Response Program website. http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mammals-mammiferes/index-eng.htm

Lisa Spaven, BCMMRN

Hummingbird Update:

Still have two male and two female hummingbirds battling over the feeder in the cold and snowy conditions. This afternoon, when the winds picked up and the feeder swung back and forth, one of the males was blown off his perch but made a safe landing onto an alternate perch. With the forecast snows, I hope to get a few photos of the birds in the snow.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

2012 Charter Cruises

Enjoy a personalized week long Charter Cruise in the pristine wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest. Information can be found on the 2012 Charter Cruises pages of Whales and Dolphins BC.

More Orca by Powell River and Ribbon Seal

Some unidentified Orca today in front of Powell River – possibly the same J and L-pod Southern Residents that were around here the other day, but may be Transient Orca. See reports below. Of the Powell River Orca photos posted yesterday, the male Orcas were confirmed to be J27, born in 1991, near Powell River, BC. Mother is J11 (deceased), siblings are J25 (deceased), J31 & J39 and L87, born in 1992. Mother is L32 (deceased), siblings, L44, L56, L63 (all deceased). Probable sibling to L22. Now associated with J8. The female was J31, a female born in 1995 near Powell River, BC. Mother is J11 (deceased), siblings are J25 (deceased), J27 & J39. There has also been an unusual (and very cool) sighting of a Ribbon Seal – see information and photo below.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

Orca – Killer Whales

January 14:

3:50 pm A call came in of at least 3 Orca back and forth between the Blubber Bay, Texada Island shoal marker light and the Texada shore. Thanks to the keen eyes and call from Ted Douglas

4 pm till 4:40 pm I watched, from my home in Powell River, what I counted as 7 to 9 Orca in two groups mid strait between Texada and Powell River slowly working their way Southward towards Grief Point. There was one large male, one possibly sprouter (juvenile male) and one or two juveniles with the rest being females. It was difficult to establish whether they were Transients or the Southern Residents of January 11^th working their way back down the coast. With the bird activity above together with lots of tail slaps and a few spy hops and half-hearted breaches, I do believe that these were probably Transient Orca on a seal or sea lion kill. I also called a couple of regular contributors to help get a count. Steve Grover estimated between 8 or 9 Orca and John Treen also figured either 8 or 9 Orca. Both could only confirm one male and a couple of juveniles. John lost sight of them around 5 pm after they picked up the pace rounding Grief Point heading South.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

January 13:

I just was notified by my father in law that 7 to 9 Orcas were northbound past the Quadra Island ferry this morning (January 13th) . The ferry workers told him. (It was around 9 am the Campbell River to Quadra Island Ferry)

Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys

Ribbon Seal – Puget Sound

January 11

Matthew Cleland with APHIS submitted the photo below of a ribbon seal to NOAA Fisheries, photo taken by LDA. It was sighted on a dock in the Duwamish river January 11th. NOAA Fisheries NW Region Marine Mammal Stranding Specialist Kristin Wilkinson asks that any sightings of this seal be reported to her at kristin.wilkinson@noaa.gov or 206-526-4747.
Ribbon seals inhabit the North Pacific Ocean, specifically the Bering and Okhotsk Seas, and parts of the Arctic Ocean, including the Chukchi, eastern Siberian, and western Beaufort Seas. NOAA lists them as a "Species of Concern" - more can be learned about their life history, habitat, distribution,threats, conservation efforts and regulatory review HERE.

Submitted by; Susan Berta & Howard Garrett, Orca Network, Whidbey Island, WA

Photo by LDA, January 11, 2012.

Southern Resident Orca in Powell River

The following are photos of some of the Southern Resident Orca in front of Powell River, BC. It's interesting that these whales take a trip up this way at least once per year in the winter months. Last year, J-Pod showed up just before Christmas, in the sunshine and gave some wonderful breaches. It's not often they come up this far so it will be interesting to see what happens. Keep your eyes open everyone – there are whales and dolphins out there!

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

J27 in front of Powell River, BC

January 11, 2012

photo taken off video clip by Susan MacKay, SG Images

Southern Resident Female Orca (ID ?) in front of Powell River, BC

January 11, 2012

photo taken off video clip by Susan MacKay, SG Images

J26 or is it L79 ? in front of Powell River, BC

January 11, 2012

photo taken off video clip by Susan MacKay, SG Images

The Marine Mammal Response Network sent me a link to a video regarding Sea Lion entanglements that is very interesting and worth watching.  

Entanglement of Steller Sea Lions in Marine Debris: Identifying Causes and Finding Solutions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dy2kepJvOM&feature=youtu.be 

Please help prevent entanglements. A reminder that if you spot a marine mammal or sea turtle (we've had a few in BC recently) in distress, injured or dead, please call the hotline at: 1-800-465-4336 immediately.

Sunshine - Calm Seas – Orca !

After over a month of no whale, dolphin or porpoise sightings out in front of Powell River, we finally had some Orca – see report below. Other reports from the past few days have indicated there were Northern Resident Orca at the top of Johnstone Strait as well as Southern Residents in Puget Sound.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

January 11:

12:30 pm just after discussing the lack of sightings with a regular contributor to Whales and Dolphins BC Sightings Blog in a store, I received a call from Bill Taylor that there were around 7 Orca just south of Powell River headed in my direction.

1:15 pm By the time I got down to the skiff, I spotted blows by VanAnda, Texada Island. There were a couple of breaches as the Orca slowly made their way towards Powell River. They were quite spread out with some closer to Grief Point and others hugging the Texada shore when a couple of them popped up in the middle of the strait. The two big males in the lead disappeared pretty quickly, but there was at least one other male and two juveniles. With the spread, it was very difficult to get a definitive count, but there were between 11 to 14 whales total. I dropped the hydrophone and through the boat noise, I did hear a few calls as well as some echolocation. They sounded more like Resident Orca, than Transients, but with all the boat noise, it was not enough to be sure of who. Once the video clip (my still camera is in the shop) is reviewed, I'll be able to pull a photo for the blog and get a proper identification. The majority of the Orca headed out between Texada and Rebecca Rocks towards Vancouver Island while the last two went out closer to Harwood around 3 pm. Once home, I spotted a few of their blows heading North-West towards Sentry Shoal.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC

January 10:

Around 12 pm A call came in that there was just one blow spotted behind one of the shrimp draggers working out in front of Powell River. There were no dorsals or additional blows seen.

Steve Grover

January Orca Reports

Wishing everyone a great New Year!

Locally it started with some strong winds and rain over the past few days. With all the white caps on the ocean, local sightings around the Sunshine Coast and Powell River areas have been non-existent. If any cetaceans have been out there, they've been able to stay relatively hidden. In other areas though, some Northern Resident Orca made an appearance in the Blackfish Sound area just above Johnstone Strait today, January 5, 2012. There were also Transient Orca rumoured in the upper Johnstone Strait area. Meanwhile, Southern Resident Orca were seen around the Whidbey Island area of Washington State as were a few Transient Orca. My apologies for not having more details at this time.

For those of you following my winter Hummingbird count: The winds were hard on these tiny birds, but they managed to sneak a bit from the swinging feeder a few times. Watching them time their access was interesting. Today, things settled down and lo and behold, I now have another male Anna's Hummingbird for a total of two males and two females.

Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC