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
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.