Happy
Canadian Thanksgiving to everyone! Our Cetacean sightings report is a
bit smaller. There are fewer people on the water, but the whales are
still out there. Our work and reports continue all year round. We
realize it's a big ocean which is why we need your reports please,
and thank those who do report. Every report is valuable to track
where these wonderful animals are going and what they're doing. From
the small porpoise to the larger whales, their activity and locations
give us a greater understanding and insight into their movements,
welfare, and even the health of areas they travel. All of the whale,
dolphin and porpoise movements on our coast are inter-related. The
area we cover is so expansive that we can't piece it together without
your input. We look forward to hearing from you!
Susan
MacKay & Lynne Cracknell, Whales and Dolphins BC
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every
sighting report is valuable!
TRANSIENT
BIGG'S KILLER WHALES
Transient
Bigg's Orca
October
9, 2014 – 2 photos
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions
Oct
10:
12:40
pm: Orca reported in Plumper Bay southbound, mid channel. Maybe 3-4
animals and one big fin. Nice!
1:25
pm: “Benito” reports that the Orca are in Seymour Narrows now –
two males so far.
2:10
pm: The water taxi driver is reporting Orca at Race Point now.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
Oct
9:
10:00
am: Passing on report from Ed Sharky of 3 Orca – mid size, female
and calf- northbound on the Vancouver Island shoreline halfway
between Brown's Bay and Eagles Cove.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
Oct
9:
12:29
pm: 8 Orca 4 miles north of Cape Lazo, on the Vancouver Island
shoreline across from Hornby Island, foraging.
Neil,
SV “Island Odyssey.”
October
9:
12:45
pm Updated position on the above Orca: 49° 46.531 N 124° 48.380 W
put them exactly mid strait along the Comox – Powell River Ferry
line. They don't appear to be moving anywhere quickly. There was one
big male in the group.
Bill
Coltart, Pacific Pro Dive, Courtenay.
Oct
9:
1:49
pm: Orca at Duncan Bay, near Campbell River, possibly northbound.
1:55
pm: 4 Orca just north of Steep Island, off shore of Quadra Island,
southbound now. One very orange (newborns have an orange tinge to
their white patches - SM) calf in there.
3:00
pm: Orca offshore of Cape Mudge Village on Quadra Island, southbound
at 5 knots.
Fabien
Minfray, Eagle Eye Adventures.
Oct
9:
5:15
pm: These are the Transient Bigg's Killer Whales T049A's, - there are
4 animals, male T049A1, a female, a juvenile, and a calf. They are
now on a westbound track to Cape Mudge, travelling at 4-5 knots.
6:00
pm: Leaving the scene now. Transient Bigg's Orca T049A1 is along the
Quadra Island shoreline. The others are mid channel travelling north
west up Discovery Passage abeam the Cape Mudge Lighthouse.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
Oct
8:
11:00
am: 6-7 Orca southbound through the Yuculta Rapids, by Sonora Island.
(from
radio)
Oct
8:
3:49
pm: Three Orca out front of Texada Street in Powell River.
Joanne
Brough, Powell River.
October
8:
4
– 4:30 pm 3 Orca were by Texada Island and headed North towards
Lund on the mainland side. We first saw them from Jean & Ted's
then I watched them with binocs for a while longer.
Judy
Brant, Powell River
Oct
7:
1:00
pm: Orca northbound at Whiskey Point, Quadra Island.
Aaron
Webber, Campbell River Whale Watching.
Oct
7:
2:39
pm: Transient Bigg's Orca the T065B's and T049B's bucking the flood
tide at Whiskey Point, Quadra Island. There were six of them, all
small fins. Originally identified one group as the T049A's, but have
a solid ID photo of T065B.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
Transient
Bigg's Orca
October
7, 2014 – 3 photos
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
HUMPBACK
WHALES
Oct
9:
1:05
pm: Humpback whale off Vivian Island, one mile west of the south end
of Harwood Island, Strait of Georgia.
Bill
Coltart, Pacific Pro Dive, Courtenay.
Oct
8:
12:00
pm: Humpback whale in the fog in Malaspina Strait half way down the
Texada shore.
Caller
did not leave his name
Oct
7:
11:00
am: A Humpback whale was slapping it's pectoral fin and rolling
around as we were going from Saltery Bay, on the Sunshine Coast,
towards Nelson Island in a small boat. Sending short video clip to
see if you can ID. (Video clip was, unfortunately, not clear
enough for ID, but based on prior sightings reports, we think it may
be 'KC' continuing South - SM)
Pat
Hendriks, Powell River.
Oct
5:
6:56
pm: Humpback whale offshore of the Thunderbird RV park in Campbell
River, southbound.
Jos
Krijnen, Eagle Eye Adventures.
Pacific
White Sided Dolphin
October,
2014
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
PACIFIC
WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Oct
10:
10:00
am: 300 Pacific White Sided Dolphins at the Cinque islands in
Discovery Passage, northbound, foraging.
Fabien
Minfray, Eagle Eye Adventures.
Oct
10:
4:58
pm: 300 Pacific White Sided Dolphins foraging at Granite Point,
Quadra Island.
Fabien
Minfray, Eagle Eye Adventures.
October
10:
Today:
Just prior to posting this report we heard from a regular reporter,
Wendy Galligos that apparently a friend had seen some Pacific White
Sided Dolphins passing Sliammon. We have no other details other than
she, and we, were sorry to have missed seeing them.
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Oct
9:
10:00
a: Report from the vessel “Smoky Joe” of all (presume the 300 or
so) the Pacific White Sided Dolphins at the mouth of Frederick Arm,
leaping and performing.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
Oct
9:
9:15
am: 4-5 Pacific White Sided Dolphins in Deepwater Bay, Quadra Island.
(from
radio)
Oct
9:
1:24
pm: 12 Pacific White Sided Dolphins northbound at Duncan bay, near
Campbell River.
Fabien
Minfray, Eagle Eye Adventures.
Oct
8:
9:30
am: Six Pacific White Sided Dolphins northbound at Logger's Point in
Deepwater Bay, Quadra Island.
10:20
am: Around 300 Pacific
White Sided Dolphins at Davis Point, in Nodales Channel, westbound
after foraging for about half an hour.
Jack
Springer, Campbell River Whale Watching.
Oct
8:
11:55
am: 300-400 Pacific
White Sided Dolphins just at Chatham Point, at the junction of
Discovery Passage and Johnstone Strait, westing into Johnstone
Strait.
2:34
pm 100 PWS Dolphins just East of Rendezvous Islands Southbound.
Fabien
Minfray, Eagle Eye Adventures.
Oct
8:
12:37
pm: 300 plus Pacific White Sided Dolphins easting at Chatham Light,
Discovery Passage.
John
Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris.
Oct
6:
4:30
pm: A couple of hundred Pacific White Sided Dolphins at Greensea Bay,
near Chatham Point in Discovery Passage.
Elvis,
Campbell River.
Oct
6:
5:41
pm: A gazillion Pacific White Sided Dolphins southbound in Greensea
Bay, across from Chatham Point.
Jack
Springer, Campbell River Whale Watching.
Oct
4: Wanted to pass along a sighting of roughly 300 White Sided
Dolphins Saturday October 4th
in Discovery Passage at the north end of Quadra Island. They were
moving quickly and changing directions rapidly. Also noted were Sea
Lions with them and therefore we assumed it was a good feeding
frenzy!
Don
Laidlaw, Victoria.
Pacific
White Sided Dolphins
October
4, 2014 – 3 photos
Don
Laidlaw, Victoria
DALL'S
PORPOISE
October
8:
2:30
pm 8 Dall's Porpoise by Clipper Point in Bute Inlet.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
Oct
6:
3:45
pm: 4 Dall's Porpoise at Clipper Point in Bute Inlet.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
LINKS
A
couple of interesting good-news stories this week about Blue Whales,
the largest animals on the earth:
A
look at how changing times have led to a huge shift in our perception
towards some animals species:
A
new genetic study has revealed that populations of humpback whales in
the oceans of the North Pacific, North Atlantic and Southern
Hemisphere are much more distinct from each other than previously
thought:
And
more proof, if any were needed, of the extraordinary intelligence and
abilities of both Dolphins and Orca.
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every
sighting report is valuable!
We
are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society