There appear to be multiple pods of
Killer Whales in the area. The differences in the reports coming in
are difficult to sort out as to who is who and where. More Orca
reports, both Transient (Bigg's) and Northern Resident sightings,
even with some Dolphins. Spectacular photos taken in Lambert Channel,
off Chrome Island Lightstation, of the New Year's Transients (Bigg's)
punting a very large, heavy Steller sea lion. They weight around
2,000 pounds! Since we have a few groups of whales with calves, and
sightings have varied in numbers and big male dorsals seen, the
report below is blended with notations as to which are confirmed
Resident vs. Transient (Bigg's).
Orca Calf Birth Notes: Northern
Residents (NRKW) A8's: A42's calf was confirmed spotted on Dec. 25th
off Grief Point, Powell River. On Dec. 20th the calf
first spotted off Albion Point (Black Pt.) by Bill Taylor
looked like it didn't have much of a dorsal fin at all. This would be
typical for a newborn whose dorsal fin would be soft and bent over at
birth.
Susan MacKay, Whales
and Dolphins BC
Transient (Bigg's)
Killer Whale Punts Large Steller Sea Lion
January 1, 2013 by
Denman / Hornby Island
Anne Baker, Powell
River
Killer
Whales – Orcinius Orca
January 4:
3:30 pm Call came in that someone
posted a note on Facebook (I couldn't locate it nor see the whales
– SM) that 2 Orca a female and calf were just passing Emmonds
Beach by Atrevida Reef heading Northward towards Lund.
via Steve Grover, Powell River
January 3:
3:40 pm Friend at Donkersly Road, just
past Albion (Black) Point saw 2 male Orca. (Timing-wise, this
report would continue from below and there is only one big male in
the A8's. Was this another pod? No confirmation – SM)
Michael Stewart, Powell River
January 3:
3 pm The 5 Northern Residents A8's with
the new calf stopped to forage and continue very slowly Southward
passing Albion Point (Black Pt.)
Bill Taylor, Powell River
January 3:
2 pm 2 large Orca, 2 appear to be
juveniles following behind beside Myrtle Rocks heading towards
Saltrey Bay. (These would be the 5 NRKWs A8's - SM)
Michael
and Diane Dunn, Powell River
January 3:
Today at 1:50 pm we had a good sighting
in calm waters off Myrtle Rocks in the Malaspina Strait. One very
large orca with a tall, thin, pointed dorsal fin heading south, along
with one small calf and another one, presumably it’s mother. Then
some short way behind , another medium sized one. All taking long
leisurely dives. As always, too far out from shore for any photos.
(These would be the 5 NRKWs A8's - SM)
Holly Roy, Powell River
January 3:
12:29 pm 4 – 5 Orca off Westview just
passing in front of Texada ferry. Saw a small calf with orange on it.
(The 5 NRKWs A8's – SM)
George Belyer, Marine Traders store,
Powell River
January 3:
12:20 pm Spotted Orca just off
Willingdon Beach Southbound passing viewpoint, and Grief Point then
Beach Gardens Marina. Confirmed all 5 of the NRKWs known as A8's.
Watched from shore till around 1:35 pm joined by a few people.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
January 3:
9:30 am 3 – 4 Orca Southbound from
Atrevida Reef towards Powell River. One big male and a small calf for
sure. (These would be the NRKWs A8's - SM)
Grant Rainsley, Powell River
Transient (Bigg's)
Killer Whale Acrobatic Attack on Large Steller Sea Lion
January 1, 2013 by
Denman / Hornby Island
Anne Baker, Powell
River
January 2:
3 pm 5 Orca close to Coho Point, NW tip
of Texada, heading between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island.
Ron & Anne Baker, Powell River
January 2 Notes:
I had left the A8's at 2:15 pm headed
towards Coho Point, so the above whales assumed to be them. From
photos received for ID's from Anne Baker, A66 is confirmed in the
photo, but there appears to be another Orca in the photo that doesn't
fit the A8's – will update when I confirm who. Could just be a
weird angle.
Speaking with John Treen, who had
given us the heads up on the A8's off Savary, he thought there were
possibly 2 other Orca that headed towards Vivian while seeing us with
the A8's..... curious.
Someone had said they had seen some
Pacific White Sided Dolphins with Orca just off Savary Island – my
apologies, but I cannot locate any specifics on the report other than
it was stated.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins
January 1:
I just GOTTA share this....... (photo
above) We just got back from 3 days boating (about 40 miles south
west of Powell River.......... and we are still in massive AWE.......
we happened to be in the perfect place at the right time...... We
spied some major splashing about a kilometre away so we raced over to
investigate........to find a pod of about 8 -10 (Transient
(Bigg's) meat eating) Orcas that had segregated a large sealion
and were in the process of overwhelming, confusing, exhausting,
disorienting, pummelling, punting and finally drowning to have for
dinner........we watched this for about an hour! in our boat (no one
else around!) IT WAS AMAZING!! Sad of course for the sealion but that
is nature in it's rawest - OMGawd! Words just don't do it
justice..... we learned/witnessed how the sealion's safest place and
hardest for the whales to get him was on the surface, and it could
get it's breath easier there too (even tho we think of them as being
good swimmers etc.). The strategy of the orcas by the time we got
there was to pummel it and then leave it and swim away for a a couple
of minutes and then come back at it again. Multiple times the orcas
jumped fully out of the water, were totally circling the sea lion and
causing surprisingly large waves........ We were surprised the
process took as long and are unsure how long it was to the stage at
which we arrived. The Big Daddy huge dorsal fin stayed out of the
'hunt' until the very end. The punt at the end made the sealion look
featherweight but typically they are 1000 - 1500 lbs we believe. Then
the water finally was eerily calm and the seagulls arrived to
scavenge morsels on the surface (we couldn't see anything of uneaten
pieces from our position - surprisingly clean/not obvious). Then
after only about 2 minutes the orcas appeared again on the surface
and then headed elsewhere........! We wonder how often in a day or ?
this happens to feed that many orcas. They were totally unbothered by
us. IT WAS SOOOO INCREDIBLE! We keep shaking our heads and reliving
the video in our minds - WOW WOW WOW! There was also several small
rock islands about a 1/2 mile behind us with about 200 sealions on it
at the time of this event all yelling at the tops of their lungs! Not
the usual sealion bark but all of them crying/ angry/complaining and
hoping 'their family member' could survive the ordeal....
What an incredible gift - better than
any New Year's Eve fireworks or t.v. show!!
Ron and Anne Baker, Powell River
Transient (Bigg's)
Killer Whale and Last Sight of Large Steller Sea Lion
January 1, 2013 by
Denman / Hornby Island
Anne Baker, Powell
River
I am frequently asked why
only three photos in a post. The RSS feed for emails is restricted to
size and has, a few times previously, bumped the post due to it being
too large. If the report is kept to three photos, it goes without
problems. SM
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