Northern resident Orca doing their long
runs down to Nodales and back every couple of days it seems. With
late and seemingly sparser salmon runs, it's all about the food.
Transient (Bigg's) Killer Whales are hunting up a storm, while the
Pacific White Sided Dolphins are trying to avoid them with everything
they have. But a few Porpoise haven't been as lucky. A bow riding
Minke Whale! Humpback Whales are busy trying to fatten up for their
Autumn trip back to the warm waters of Hawaii and Mexico. I've
noticed a shortage of krill and smaller bait balls of small fish.
Again, maybe they're just running a bit late?
Susan MacKay, Whales
and Dolphins BC
Northern
Resident Orca
A30 and A38
August 14, 2012
Garry Henkel,
Aboriginal Journeys
August 16:
1:30 pm Resident Orca did go
East and are in Nodales Channel.
Bill Mackay, Mackay Whale Watching
August 16:
1:45 pm The Resident Orca are
entering Nodales Channel (by Howe Island from Nick
Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures)
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale
Watching
August 16:
5 pm Last I heard was that the
Residents were still in Nodales Channel.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 15:
9 am A23's, A25's and A30's were
headed West out of the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve.
10:35 am Orcas now Easting by
Kaikash Creek.
Following a pattern they've had for
a while now, they would go towards Cracroft Point and Blackney Pass
then, all spread across Johnstone Strait, they'd head back into the
Bight and tease everyone that they were about to go East out of the
Bight. They did this a couple of times during the day.- SM
5:45 pm They were again Easting by
Kaikash Creek headed back towards the Reserve.
August 14:
7:15 am 10 to 15 Orca Westbound
at Hall Point, Nodales Channel.
Harley via Jack Springer, Campbell
River Whale Watching
August 14:
7:48 am Report of 12 or so Orca in
Nodales Channel. I'm on my way to see.
11:15 am It's the Residents! They're
Westbound by Ripple Point.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 14:
3 pm We left the Residents Westing
at Camp Point.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 14:
7 pm Resident Pods were slowly
working their way back to the West by Havannah Channel.
Cruise Ship Volendam
Transient
(Bigg's) Killer Whales
Transients on Porpoise
Kill
August 2012
Nick Templeman, Eagle
Eye Adventures
August 16:
7:44 am 6-7 Orca spotted in
Whale Passage, by Cortez Island – no real direction. (from
a sports fisherman)
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale
Watching
August 16:
8:49 am Found the Transients!
(it's his birthday and looking forward to some days off, so he's
forgiven for not telling me where he found them, or anything else –
Happy Birthday! - SM)
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 16:
10:12 am Transients between Raza and
Rendezvous Islands. They are the T101/102's and T90's for a
total of 7 or 8 between the two gangs. Had a flurry of action as
we seemed to get a Harbour Seal kill at Kelsey Point on Stuart
Island. Many breaches and rolls after. Very cool.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
August 16:
12:42 pm T102 and gang by Kelsey
Point, Stuart Island – Looks like 7 Orca.
2 pm Transients Southbound in Calm
Channel.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 16:
6 pm I left the Transients mid
channel in Hole in the Wall heading towards Okisollo Channel.
Joss Krijnen, Eagle Eye Adventures
August 15:
11:23 am Sounds like T02C's at Jesse
Island, Blenkinsop Bay.
2:30 pm We left the 150 PWS Dolphins
by Vansittart Point, Race Passage still moving quickly after
the Transient (Bigg's) T02C's tried for a kill in Blinkensop Bay,
Sunderland Channel. When the Transients tried, the Dolphins scattered
in a panic. We left the T02C's in Sunderland Channel.
(repeated in PWS Dolphins)
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 15:
5:45 pm T02C's just turned at
Forward Bay, Wellbore Channel. Headed West with the ebb.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
August 14:
2:18 pm T02C's Southbound in
Chancellor Channel.
Aaron Webber, Campbell River Whale
Watching
August 14:
3:21 pm Heard rumours of Transients
in Chancellor Channel headed South.
Caught the T02C's at the mouth of
Loughborough Inlet. They gave us an awesome show. They were
chasing Porpoise teaching the calf. They made a kill then around
7 pm wandered back into Loghborough Inlet.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 14:
5 pm We left the T02C's at the mouth
of Loughborough Inlet milling. They got a Harbour Porpoise.
They were Jumping and Spyhopping, rollovers and backstrokes. They
were happy after their dinner. Saw the momma feed the little one
nose to nose. Little one was breaching after.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 14:
6:57 pm Just left the T02C's at Lyle
Island, mouth of Loughborough Inlet. No direction – milling.
Killed a Porpoise before we got on scene. We witnessed 2 Harbour
seals get flushed out of the Thurlow Island shore. Chased one
extremely close to us.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
RE: Photo Above:
Enclosed is a picture from the other
day off of Cape Mudge with the T018/19 Gang & T20/21. They spread
out off of Cape and In true transient fashion took off after the
first Harbour Porpoise that came along! They hunted right through
about 20 sportfishing boats off of the Hump as well! It was amazing
to see them all work together to coral the porpoise as well.....big
T20 Tail Slapping the surface. The hunt only lasted a couple of
minutes.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Humpback
Whales
Humpback 'Claw' Lunge
Feeding
Baleen very visible
August 14, 2012
Susan MacKay, SG Images
August 16:
Throughout the day: First in the fog it
was just “we heard a blow” and then once the fog cleared the
sightings were from Blackney Pass, Flower Island, Bold Head, Stubbs
Island and Pearse Reefs. The sightings included: 'Argonaught',
'Chunky and her new calf', 'Conger', and 6 others for a total of
10 Humpback Whales in the area.
August 15:
5 – 6 pm 4 Humpback Whales
worked their way up Blackfish Sound and were working back and
forth between Double Bay, Hanson Island and Bold Head across the
strait, even coming in between small boats trolling. Two of the
whales headed for a narrow passage through the the Plumper
Islands and Hanson Island known as the Blow Hole. Right at
that time, a number of small boats, completely unaware that the
whales were in their path, went flying in both directions through the
Blow Hole and another narrow pass known as the Romantical Pass.
Myself and a tour vessel the Island Odyssey waited for the whales to
surface after these small boats cleared. Finally one large animal
surfaced with a huge blow and retreated quickly back towards the less
confined space of Blackfish Sound. This whale already has a nick
in it's dorsal fin which looks suspiciously like prop damage. A few
deep breaths and a bit of trumpeting when he met up with the other
two still in Blackfish. Then I noticed a couple of large Humpback
blows from behind some rocks. Good, all accounted for. This last
whale either took the Romantical Pass or went around the shoals
back towards Blackfish also. It had managed to avoid the boats by
hiding close in the kelp bed and by rocks.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
August 14:
11:40 am Just got a report (radio) of a
Humpback Whale Northbound at Quadra lighthouse (Cape
Mudge).
3:21 pm Just left the whale bucking the
tide still by the lighthouse (afternoon run).
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 14:
12:17 pm Spotted a Humpback just
South of Cape Mudge. It stayed feeding in the same area for a
couple of hours. I really enjoyed watching it.
Tara Bladon, Campbell River
August 14:
11:30 till 2 pm 3 Humpbacks with a
possible fourth stopping by briefly, were lunge feeding on
small herring around the Pearse Reefs. Of the three, there was
'Argonaught' and 'Claw' and uncertain at this time who the third and
possible fourth was. Total Humpback count for the day was again
between 8 to 10 whales.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
August 14:
6 pm Humpback Whale was at Duncan
Bay Westing.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 14:
8 pm Humpback Whale breaching by
Kanish Bay. May be 'Stripe'.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
Minke
Whales
August 16:
10:20 am Minke Whale just off the
Pearse Islands was actually Bow Riding then wake riding with the
Naiad Explorer!
Bill Mackay, Mackay Whale Watching
Pacific
White Sided Dolphins
August 15:
10 am (approx) Lots of PWS Dolphins
by Hickey Point – no direction or actual numbers.
August 15:
2:30 pm We left the 150 PWS Dolphins
by Vansittart Point, Race Passage still moving quickly after
the Transient (Bigg's) T02C's tried for a kill in Blinkensop Bay,
Sunderland Channel. When the Transients tried, the Dolphins
scattered in a panic. We left the T02C's in Sunderland Channel.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 15:
6 pm 150+ PWS Dolphins doing zig
zag pattern between Turn Island, Howe Island and Chatham Point.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
August 14:
11 am 100 or so PWS Dolphins at
Chatham Point foraging.
Afternoon tour: Dolphins were at
Kanish Bay, across from Chatham Point foraging around. And on the
way back around 7 pm the close to 200 PWS Dolphins were still zig
zagging all over Discovery Pass close to Chatham Point.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
Dall's
and Harbour Porpoise
August 16:
8:40 pm 2 Harbour Porpoise, maybe 3
by Cape Mudge Lighthouse.
Tara Bladon, Campbell River
August 16:
Again during the day there were smaller
groups of Dall's Porpoise, some just foraging in tide rips and
other being playful and bow riding.
August 14:
9:20 am One lonesome Harbour
Porpoise foraging near Simm's Creek, Campbell River.
Tara Bladon, Campbell River
August 14:
Throughout the day, there were groups
of Dall's Porpoise foraging around Weynton Pass.