Many reports with the Northern Resident
Orca still spread out, Transient (Bigg's) Killer Whales popping up,
large number of Humpback Whales in the upper Johnstone Strait with a
few farther South, Pacific White Sided Dolphins in large numbers in
various places, Minke Whales not showing themselves easily, and
Dall's and Harbour Porpoises being spotted, and reported, a bit more
frequently.
Susan MacKay, Whales
and Dolphins BC
Northern
Resident Orca
(Fish
eating) Killer Whales
NRKWs - A25's
August 24, 2012
Garry Henkel,
Aboriginal Journeys
August 26:
8:30 am Some Orca were spotted
heading West past Ledge Point off Port McNeill. 1 pm The I15's
were at Pulteney Point.
August 26:
8:50 am A30's were picked up by
Eve River / Naka Creek heading East down Johnstone Strait.
Around 12 pm A30's turned and
were Westbound by Naka Creek. This was also around the time the
Transients T02C's were Westbound on the other side of Johnstone
Strait.
August 26:
9:45 am 6+ Orca Westbound by
Lizard Point, Malcolm Island. These turned out to be the A34's
while another group was reportedly inbound from the Port Hardy
area.
August 26:
8:57 am Orca by Frederick Arm
from a fisherman - turned out the be the A8's.
1:48 pm the A8's were Westbound
by Ripple Point. They were moving at around 8 knots by Camp
Point, but stopped to forage at Ripple Shoal. They timed it just
right to get a push from the tide.
August 26:
11:43 am A8's Westing in Nodales.
2 pm Residents rounding Ripple Point.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 26:
12:00 pm A8's Westbound by
Chatham Point.
3:01 pm A8's still Westing by Palmer
Bay, between Camp Point and Ripple Point.
Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures
August 26:
4:30 pm A8's still Westbound
with the tide by Paterson Island, just below Kelsey Bay. Had
them this morning at Frederick Arm.
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale
Watching
August 25:
7:30 am Orca in Blackfish Sound –
someone said they were Eastbound, someone else reported Westbound.
Sounds like foraging to me!
9 am Orca spread out from Blinkhorn
across to Hanson Island Eastbound.
1:50 pm Small groups of Orca were
spread out foraging from Robson Bight to Cracroft Point.
One salmon, no ID on the salmon, jumped
right in front of the A30's as they passed the Sophia Islands
heading East towards Swaine Point. They quickly caught and shared it.
A few spy hops from the calf followed.
Around 2:30 pm the I15's with
some on the Vancouver Island shore and some by the Sophia Islands
headed West up Johnstone Strait to around the Turn Point area and by
5 pm were back in the Bight.
August 24:
8 am I15's were Easting out of
Robson Bight. And by 10 am were passing Naka Creek, but they
didn't go much farther.
12 – 1:10 pm they only travelled
across the Strait to the Broken Islands by Port Harvey and appeared
to be waiting for the A's that had gone to Nodales Channel and
were working their way back up the Strait.
4:50 pm the I15's were back by Boat Bay
heading West – there was no word on the A's at that point.
August 24:
11:08 am 20 Orca in Nodales –
no idea who, I'm not there yet.
12:09 pm A23's, A25's and A30's
total of 20 of them, Westing by Walkem Islands doing 8 knots.
12:30 pm They're Westing hard; already past Ripple Point.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 24:
11:30 am 20 Orca in Nodales Channel
Westing, A30's and A25's I think.
2 pm They flew by Vansitaart Light
doing 9 knots Westbound.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
Transient
(Bigg's) Killer Whales
(Meat
eating) Orca
Transient Breach!
August 24, 2012
Garry Henkel,
Aboriginal Journeys
August 26:
8:01 am Orca Northbound by the
fishing hump off Cape Mudge.
They were right in front of Campbell
River when they made a sudden U-turn and headed South again.
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale
Watching
August 26:
8:30 am 4 or 5 Orca, haven't
seen a big fin yet off Cape Mudge.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 26:
8:30 am 4 – 5 Orca on the Mudge
side. Doesn't appear to be a male in the group, but will try to get a
better look.
Lee via Tara Bladon, Campbell River
August 26:
11:35 am 5 or 6 Transient Orca by
Escape Reef, Forward Bay slowly heading West. Unfortunately it
was a bit too lumpy for me to stay to get proper ID's, but it looked
like T02C and thought I possibly saw T20 as well. I spoke with
Tenacious 3 around noon and they said that they heard there
were some Orca by Stimpson's Reef at 10:30 am. At 2:10 pm I heard
that T02C's were just past Boat Bay – so confirmed! The
Resident A30's were reported by Naka Creek at noon, which would have
put them Westbound on the other side of Johnstone Strait around the
same time.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
August 25:
8:26 am 3 Orca reportedly by
Millie Island, Port Neville, perhaps Eastbound.
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale
Watching
August 25:
9:30 am 3 Transients in Sunderland
Channel Easting.
10:05 am It's the T02C's in
Sunderland.
4 pm Found another 5 Transients by
Mitlenatch Island! One large male. Left them at Marina Reef
Northbound.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 25:
12:30 pm I'm in Wellbore Channel
with the Transients T02C's.
2:05 pm They're doing 3 knots and
taking deeper dives down Chancellor Channel heading to Loughborough
Inlet.
3:04 pm I'm leaving Orca by
Loughborough, still Easting into the inlet.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
Humpback
Whales
August 24, 25 and 26:
Humpback Whales were in
abundance! Cormorant Channel alone had 7 whales the morning of 26th,
with another 2 or 3 in Weynton Pass and “lots” reported by Bold
Head. Although I do not have a total count for the 26th or
the 25th, the total count at the top of Johnstone Strait /
Broughton's has been around 13 individual animals.
August 26:
6:30 am Men out fishing and saw 2
Humpbacks at Flower Island.
Cam and Laureen Reid, Sechelt
August 24 or 25?:
While spending some time with the
Humpback show by the Plumpers and Bold Head, a number of
Pacific White Sided Dolphins decided to harass two Humpback
Whales, one of whom was 'Freckles'. The PWS Dolphins were
relentless and the Humpbacks were trying to shake them by surfacing
first off one side then the other of the Gikumi bugling their
displeasure as they surfaced. It was quite the show.
Jim Borrowman, Orcella Expeditions
Minke
Whales
August 26:
8 am 4 Minke Whales were feeding
off the Pearse Reefs.
August 24:
8:40 am 2 Minke Whales between Alert
Bay and Pearse Islands.
Dave Towers, Seasmoke Whale Watching
Pacific
White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided
Dolphin
August 24, 2012
Garry Henkel,
Aboriginal Journeys
August 26:
8:30 am 25+ PWS Dolphins at Bold
Head.
August 26:
(approx) 8:30 am Hi, saw a beautiful
huge pod of porpoises (actually, they were Pacific White Sided
Dolphins – SM) go by our cottage in Selma park just south of
Sechelt. They were heading north.
Peter Vysek, Sechelt
Peter Vysek, Sechelt
August 26:
11:43 am 150 or so PWS Dolphins
milling in Frederick's Arm.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 24, 25 & 26:
All day: A few of the PWS Dolphins
were constantly around the Northern Resident Orca bow riding and
generally being annoying to them. If the Orca weren't close by,
they'd bug the Humpback Whales – see report above for one specific
instance.
August 25:
9:40 am 250 to 300 PWS Dolphins
were spread out around the Plumper Islands foraging, leaping
and putting on a good show.
August 25:
2:30 pm 150 PWS Dolphins in Mayne
Passage.
4:12 pm 40 Dolphins Westing FAST by
Knox Bay, must've heard the Transient Orca.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 24:
9:12 am A large gang of PWS Dolphins
by the Plumper Islands.
10 am 100 or so PWS Dolphins by
Donagal Head
Later in the afternoon, time not noted,
this group seemed to grow to be closer to 200+ Dolphins.
August 24:
11:08 am 150 PWS Dolphins Westing
near Okisollo Channel in Discovery Passage.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
August 24:
11:30 am 200 PWS Dolphins Southbound
at Deepwater Bay, just above Campbell River.
2:30 pm 100 PWS Dolphins foraging in
Nodales Channel.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 24:
2:30 pm 75 PWS Dolphins by Harding
Island in Nodales Channel heading East.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
Dall's
and Harbour Porpoise
August 24, 25 & 26:
Most reports over the radio go
something like “oh yeah, we've seen them here and there.” So
limited reports of specific sightings:
August 26:
10:20 am 6 Dall's Porpoise by Swaine
Point foraging. They came over for a very quick couple of leaps
bow riding then they were gone.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
August 26:
Before 11:43 am Pod of around 12
Dall's Porpoise milling around by Whiskey Point.
Scotty, Painter's Lodge
August 25:
9:30 am 4 Dall's Porpoise
foraging at the entrance to Growler Cove.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
August 24:
2:20 pm 2 Dall's and 4 Harbour
Porpoise were foraging together in Clio Channel by Walden Island.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC