Sneaky
Transient Bigg's Orca were popping up all over the place then
disappeared, as did most of the animals during the windy Friday the
13th, but they all made a sudden reappearance today. Lone
Humpback Whales were spotted as were a huge group of Harbour Porpoise
and Pacific White Sided Dolphins. The Porpoise are of great interest
since they don't usually show up in these numbers together. Possibly
a sign of gene pool mixing. There were no Dall's Porpoise in the mix,
so no chance of more hybrid porpoise from that lot. These two are the
only ones we know of that cross breed on occasion.
Susan
MacKay & Lynne Cracknell, Whalesand Dolphins BC
Fundraising
2014:
Our main web site is updated and tickets for our Two Huge Raffles are
available for sale on line. Please check out the details link:
http://whalesanddolphinsbc.com/win-at-sea-fair-2014/
Tickets
will also be available at the Powell River Town Centre Mall on
Thursdays and Fridays for the rest of June and we are working on
having them available in Campbell River soon.
2
GREAT RAFFLES FOR A TOTAL OF 6 TOURS TO BE DRAWN!
RAFFLE
#1:
- Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours – Whale Watching for Two
- Discovery Marine Safaris – Whale Watching for Two
- Stubbs Island Whale Watching – Whale Watching for Two
RAFFLE
#2:
- Adventure Quest Tours (Kayak Tour for Two)
- Eagle Eye Adventures (Whale Watching for Two)
- Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions (Whale Watching for Two)
Tickets
are 5 for $10 – Please make sure you specify what Raffle you'd like
in the notes.
Both
raffles will be drawn at 5 pm on July 27, 2014 at Powell River Sea
Fair
Thank
you all for your ongoing enthusiasm and support!
From
all of us at Wild Ocean Whale Society (WOWs)
Every
sighting report is valuable!
Have
you seen a whale,
TRANSIENT
BIGG'S KILLER WHALES
Orca
Family T124's
June
14, 2014
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
14:
1:54
pm: Orca southbound at Francisco Point, (Quadra Island)
(from
Radio.)
June
14:
2:12
pm: With the Orca. It looks like three animals. They are westing
between the red and green can buoys. (Off Quadra Island.)
Leif
Nordman,Campbell River Whale Watching.
June
14:
4:04
pm: Orca close to Vancouver Island side, across from Sentry Shoal
around Salmon Point area, about 2.2 nautical miles off Salmon Point.
They cruised past some Harbour Porpoise.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
June
14:
5:20
pm: Leaving the 3 Transient Bigg's almost directly eastbound down the
Vancouver Island shoreline, course bearing 100 degrees, speed 3-4
knots. Lots of surface swimming, some zigzagging but kept speed up
mostly the whole time. They were about 1.5 miles offshore 3 miles
northwest from the Comox Ferry Terminal. On scene at 16:30 pm and
left at 17:15 pm. I.D's to follow:
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
14:
6:30
pm Report of Orca Northbound between Hornby and Denman Islands. The
report came from a friend who saw about 10 Orca for about 10 minutes.
Brad,
Painter's Lodge
June
12:
8:45
am: Two Orca, a mom and calf, spotted between Rebecca Rocks and
Texada Island. This is from the Comox ferry.
Liz
Kennedy, Powell River
June
12:
9:00
am: There are some reports coming in from Laura of Orca blows by Wei
Wai Kai village.(Quadra Island) She saw one fin, sounds like it is
northbound. She can see some more whales mid channel.
9:49
am: At Race Point with one group of Orca.
10:20
am: The T101's and T102 are all I've seen, they are still northbound
and almost at Brown's Bay.
(There
were other Orca reportedly spread out, reports below are a bit
confusing, but there were two or three groups of them – SM) My
father in law had called me earlier and said that 6 or 7 Orca went by
which makes more sense with other sightings.
1:39
pm: Sounds like the Orca have turned now – the ones by Chatham
Point.
4:20
pm Orca T101's and T102 are at April Point, southbound.
5:00
pm: Left the 4 Orca southbound at Cape Mudge , going 10 knots.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
Transient
Bigg's Orca T124's
June
14, 2014
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
June
12:
9:05
am: Killer whales northbound off Discovery Pier in Campbell River.
They are moving quickly northbound with the ebb.
Geord,
Discovery Marine Safaris.
June
12:
10:50
am:There are two Orca in the Kanish Bay area, following around 50
Pacific White Sided Dolphins.
Jen
Furst, Campbell River Whale Watching.
June
12:
1:25
pm: Tenacious 3, a Discovery Marine Safaris boat, has more Orca – a
male and two females, near the Sonora shoreline between Thurston Bay
and Sonora Point, in Nodales Channel, easting.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
12:
1:40
pm: 4 Orca southbound by Chatham Point, closer to the Vancouver
Island side, almost to Greensea Bay, just above Campbell River. These
are another group than the 3 Orca that were with Tenacious 3.
Leigh
Nelson, Adventure Quest Tours.
June
12:
1:45
pm: 3 Orca eastbound 2 cables (a cable is 1/10th of a
nautical mile) off the beach of Sonora Island, between Thurston Bay
and Sonora Point, eastbound.
John
Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris.
June
12:
2:15
pm: There are 4 Orca at Chatham Point southbound. The whale watching
vessel Tenacious 3 reports another 3 Orca between Thurston Bay and
Sonora Point.
Leigh
Nelson, Adventure Quest Tours.
June
12:
2:45
pm: Leaving 4 Orca going south on the Vancouver Island shore, passing
Eagle's Cove, Campbell River.
Leif
Nordman,Campbell River Whale Watching.
June
12:
4:00
pm: The Orca have reversed course and are now coming out of Frederick
Arm. (I believe these are the whales John Lewis, Discovery Marine
Safaris had that were in Nodales Channel. One was photo identified by
Jared Towers, DFO as T100C - SM)
Aaron
Nagler, Sonora Lodge.
HUMPBACK
WHALES
Humpback
Tail Flukes
June
14, 2014
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
14:
12:29
pm: Report of a Humpback southbound at April Point.
(from
radio)
June
14:
6:07
pm: I have a Humpback right off Cape Mudge Lighthouse, Quadra Island.
Has a fair bit of white on the tail flukes and has now managed to
totally disappear in the tide rip (6:30 pm). We had been waiting for
20+ minutes to see it again.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
12:
9:12
am: 'KC' is now up in Blackfish Sound, westbound. ('KC' or 'Kelp
Creature' is BCY0291 born 2002. This is the whale that had been
struck by a boat last year. See other reports with photos - SM)
Roger
McDonell, Stubbs Island Whale Watching.
June
12:
1:
15 pm: One Humpback at Race Point. Just milling.
2:00
pm: Have left the Humpback at Race Point slowly bucking the tide on
the Vancouver
Island
side, northbound. It had white on it's flukes and was a smaller
animal.
Leif
Nordman,Campbell River Whale Watching.
PACIFIC
WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Pacific
White Sided Dolphins
June
14, 2014
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
14:
9:34
am: Pacific White Sided Dolphins above Brown's Bay, Discovery
Passage.
(from
Radio)
June
14:
3:24
pm: 100-150 Pacific White Sided Dolphins in Kanish Bay, Discovery
Passage, southbound.
Leigh
Nelson,Adventure Quest Tours.
June
13:
9:30
am: Pacific White Sided Dolphins above Brown's Bay. Can't tell how
many, too choppy!
Brad,
Painter's Lodge.
June
13:
2:31
pm: A dozen Pacific White Sided Dolphins by the Walcan Seafoods
building, Campbell River, heading south.
John
Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris
June
13:
3:30
pm: 20 – 40 Pacific White Sided Dolphins off Walcan Bay, near
Campbell River.
(from
radio)
June
13:
4:00
pm: 20-30 Pacific White Sided Dolphins foraging in the current mid
channel off Orange Point, Campbell River.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
12:
10:50
am: 50 Pacific White Sided Dolphins being followed by two Orca in
the Kanish Bay, Discovery Passage, area.
Jen
Furst, Campbell River Whale Watching.
June
12:
2:41
pm: About 10 Pacific White Sided Dolphins southbound slowly by Cinque
Islands, by Okisollo Channel, Discovery Passage.
Leigh
Nelson, Adventure Quest Tours.
June
12:
4:00
pm: About 50 Pacific White Sided Dolphins at Sonora Point, milling.
Aaron
Nagler, Sonora Lodge.
HARBOUR
PORPOISE
Harbour
Porpoise
June
14, 2014
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
14:
5:43
pm: Over 50 Harbour Porpoise just south of Cape Mudge, Quadra Island.
Never seen so many of them together. There may even be up to 100
of them....amazing!
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June
14:
4:04
pm: Couple of Harbour Porpoise out by the Orca close to the Vancouver
Island side in line between Sentry Shoal, off Savary Island and
Salmon Point, on Vancouver Island. They're about 2.2 nautical miles
off Salmon Point.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
June
13:
2:
42 pm: Two Harbour Porpoise at Horn Point near Dent Rapids.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
LINKS
Some
interesting news stories to share with you this report! Great to know
that Springer and her calf continue to do well, and that both are
thriving:
In
this story, Whale watchers take part in an ocean rescue and get more
of an adventure than they bargained for:
And
the Vancouver Aquarium responds to critics by saying that the
cetaceans in their captivity create funding for Arctic research:
Vancouver
Aquarium CEO John Nightingale says that if the park board restricts
the keeping of whales, it would destroy research and even become a
‘life-and-death matter’ for the aquarium’s continued existence:
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every
sighting report is valuable!
We
are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society
Gaming
Licence for Raffle #1 is 65278 Raffle #2 is 65280 – Know your
limit, play within it.