With the herring spawn started, it was
only a matter of time before we started to see some Cetaceans close
by. Great 'spawn' report below. Lots of chatter on the radio about it
too. The Orca, some unidentified, finally did make their presence
known. Also a couple of links in the news.
10
days left to enter the Draw
Draw to be held in Powell
River March 16, 2013
All contributions till midnight March
15, 2013 are being entered in the draw.
The winner of the cruise for two can
transfer their winning to another party, should they wish.
Good luck
to all!
Although Beazley the cat would love to
draw the name, it was decided that he'd probably either pull more
than one name, or not pull a name at all. So, we have a young,
non-contributor from out of town coming to pull the name. There will
be photos and, barring technical difficulties, a video clip of the
draw.
Society, budgets, and official charity
status are all being worked on. It's time consuming work to produce
all official and legal documents. This has caused the delay in
reports being posted and responses to emails. There have also been
glitches with Facebook postings. Please bear with me and continue to
pass on sightings; they are all important. The web site and domain
name has just been renewed for three more years. Thank you!
Susan MacKay, Whales
and Dolphins BC
Transient Bigg's Killer
Whales
April Point –
Campbell River
March 5, 2013
Garry Henkel,
Aboriginal Journeys
Transient
Bigg's Killer Whales
March 5:
4:50 pm T18/T19/T19B and the rest of
the gang are by Walcan, Campbell River still Northbound. left them at Brown's Bay still Northbound at 5:30 pm. They did a cool, over 10 minute dive, at slack tide on Ripple Rock. Never seen that before....
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale
and Bear Watching
March 5:
4:25 pm 4 Orca Northbound by April
point across from Campbell River. Nick found them and said they're
T18/T19's. These are the best photos I got today. They were far away.
Thank god for my zoom lol
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys
Transient Bigg's Killer
Whales
April Point –
Campbell River
March 5, 2013
Garry Henkel,
Aboriginal Journeys
Unidentified
Orca
March 4:
8:33 am Hi Susan ... there are some
Orcas reported off of Harmac (Nanaimo) right now ..I'm at work there
and I have a camera so I'll see if I can get a shot of them.
Derek Crook
February 25 (Rec'd Feb 28)
I got a note yesterday from one of my
friends at the Bay. (Brown's Bay, just NW of Campbell River) She woke
up to a Pod of Orca some morning this week in the Bay...So they are
not all in the strait... Think it was Monday.
Jacquie Nevinger, via Florida
Herring
Spawn
March 5:
In the meantime, a Denman "sighting",
if you will. Not whales sadly, but the herring spawn began this week
on March 3. A sure sign of spring around these parts. Here are a few
photos. Feel free to share one or all or none wherever you wish. Hope
to get some more wildlife instead of just fishing fleet shots before
the spawn is over. The sea lions, seals, eagles, and sea birds come
in droves for this event. Unfortunately they weren't in the immediate
vicinity of the fleet when I was out with my camera. I honestly
wonder why the herring spawn doesn't bring in the Biggs. It is a sea
mammal buffet.
Graham Blake, Denman Island
Herring Fisheries off
Denman Island
March 3, 2013
Graham Blake, Denman
Island
Additional information heard through
radio chatter is that there have been huge schools of herring in
Comox harbour, Qualicum, and mostly over on the Vancouver Island side
of Georgia Strait.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Links
in the News
Marine Protected Areas and Protecting
our oceans: On February 5, 2013, the federal government’s
environmental watchdog released a report suggesting that Canada has a
long way to go to protect our coastal ecosystems and oceans. Canada
has only protected one per cent of our oceans, while Australia and
the United States are well on their way to meeting ocean conservation
goals (at 40 and eight per cent respectively). Video clip and more on
the David Suzuki Foundation website at:
http://action2.davidsuzuki.org/spend-a-little-save-a-lot
The longest of the video clips of Orca,
sea lions and surfers in close to shore off the West Coast of
Vancouver Island. There were reports on the news that these Orca were
hunting the sea lions, but I have yet to see sea lions swimming
towards and with Transient Bigg's Killer Whales..... They usually get
as far away and as high up onto rocks as they can when T's are in the
neighbourhood and on the hunt. They all, except for the surfers,
appear to be chasing herring close in to shore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOtntDW0KnM
The Countdown is on:
Whales and Dolphins BC needs your
support through sightings information, volunteering, and financial
contributions to ensure continued growth and web presence. To assist
with fund raising, there will be a Random Draw for a 4 day, 3
night Cruise for Two! Every $5
worth of Donation enters your name for the draw. Support and
you could win this cruise! Draw
date: March 16, 2013
For
those not wanting to use PayPal secure credit card services, please
contact
me to
make other arrangements – thank you. Some other questions you might
have may be answered on the FAQ's
– Donate Q & A page.
Thanks
to those who have contributed already – Good Luck!