The
Northern Resident (fish eating) Killer Whales known as the A42's may have headed
down towards Sechelt as they we last seen in Malaspina Strait. The
Orca noted under the Unidentified Killer Whales heading may very well
be Transient Bigg's, but it's difficult to be sure as we do not have
photos or known specific pod movements to confirm identities. We do
know that the Transient Bigg's (meat eating) known as T087 was
wandering about on his own. The information on the satellite tagged
Southern Resident (fish eating) Orca J27 is infrequent, but it is
known that J-Pod had gone out to the Carmanah area of the West
coast of Vancouver Island and were last know to be heading back
towards Victoria. Pacific White Sided Dolphins are still in Georgia
Strait and Dall's Porpoise were seen above Johnstone Strait.
Our
governing body Wild Ocean Whale Society held its Annual General
Meeting and there many exciting things happening in the background.
We will be bringing you updates as soon as we can.
Susan
MacKay & Lynne Cracknell, Whales
and Dolphins BC
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every
sighting report is valuable!
Transient
Bigg's Orca T087 by Davis Bay
January
18, 2015
Becky
Wayte, Sechelt
UNIDENTIFIED
KILLER WHALES
Most
likely Transient Bigg's Killer Whales
January
25:
12:15
pm: Spotted 5-7 Orca Stuart Channel. First spotted south of Round
Island. Then came slowly with lots of tale flapping and full body
splashes on the west side of Round Island. They were headed for Dodds
Narrows and I am sure gave the Sunday hikers on Cable Bay a Show.
Always a thrill!
Janette Dyck
Janette Dyck
January
24;
1:55
pm 7-8 Orca are Westbound towards Porlier Pass. No large male dorsals
spotted. Seeing them from the ferry.
Bill
Kennedy
Jan
20:
2:30
pm: Between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm watched 5 Orca off Mace Point, Savary
Island, heading towards Hertado Point, Lund, then south towards
Dinner Rock. There were 2 very large dorsals, two smaller ones, and
one quite tiny calf. (with the 2 big dorsals, doesn't fit with the
NRKWs known as the A42's who were in the area earlier - SM)
Garry
Primrose, Savary Island.
Jan
17:
12:23
pm: About one hundred, yes, ONE HUNDRED Orca near Camp Point spread
across Johnstone Strait. From
a Fisherman friend Steve.
Elvis,
Eagle Eye Adventures.
Jan
16:
2:20
pm: Report from a ferry worker of 6 Orca southbound past Quathiaski
Cove on Quadra Island.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
Jan
16:
3:00
pm: About a dozen Orca including two big dorsals leaping and looking
like Transient Bigg's Killer Whales on the hunt by the Anchor Inn, in
Campbell River. No final direction, just back and forth.
3:22
pm: The Orca are now center channel northbound passing Tyee Spit at
Campbell River.
Elvis,
Eagle Eye Adventures.
NORTHERN
RESIDENT KILLER WHALES
Jan
20:
11:15
am: Just saw 4 Orca out in the middle of Malaspina Strait angling
towards Beach Gardens, Powell River. Looked more like they were
headed almost north-east. (Later identified as 4 out of the 5
Northern Resident Killer Whales known as the A42's. S.M)
Clyde
Burton, Powell River.
Jan
20:
1:00
pm: Spotted the Northern Resident Killer Whales known as the A42's
off Vananda, on Texada Island, moving slowly south.
Geord,
Roger and John, Discovery Marine Safaris/Stubbs Island Whale
Watching.
TRANSIENT
BIGG'S KILLER WHALES
Jan
18:
3:30
pm: Spotted a lone large looking Orca off Davis Bay, Sechelt
yesterday afternoon at around 3:30 pm heading south towards Gibsons,
on the Sunshine Coast. Here's a photo I managed to grab before he
disappeared. (Identified as Transient Bigg's Killer Whale T087.
S.M.)
Becky
Wayte. Sechelt
Combination
Report from Port Renfrew
Grey
Whale Bones
in
Port Renfrew – 2 Photos
Lynne
Cracknell, Sayward
January
20:
First
thing that caught my eye was the skull and jaws of Grey Whale leaning
against the motel we're staying at. I saw two Grey Whale (?)
blows only off China Beach, but some Albertans staying closer to
Jordan River told me they saw 5 Orca Jan 20th and 8 Orca
January 19th. (No other information provided)
Lynne
Cracknell, Whales and Dolphins BC
PACIFIC
WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Jan
21:
2:00
pm: Perhaps someone else has already reported the large pod of
Pacific White Sided Dolphins we saw near Secret Cove on Wednesday
January 21 between 2:00 – 2:30 pm. A group of us were one a boat
heading from Jedediah Island to Secret Cove Marina in the Strait of
Georgia when we saw them in the distance and then caught up to them.
What a thrill! There was a large pod of them spread out over a large
area. Sorry but I don't know enough about the area or the animals to
give much more detail but you can check out my amateur video at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOVW6PIPC_I&feature+youtu.be
Laurette
Hamoline.
DALL'S
PORPOISE
Jan
16:
4:11
pm: Herd of 8-10 Dall's Porpoise at Lewis Rocks, at the entrance to
Well's Passage in Queen Charlotte Strait.
Nick
Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
LINKS:
Ex
Dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry is pleased to see that his long term
efforts to end the keeping of dolphins in captivity are starting to
bear fruit:
The
US navy has applied for permission to detonate explosives and use
harmful sonar in an area known to be home to Grey whales, Fin whales,
the highly endangered Southern Resident Killer whales, porpoises and
dolphins.
Some
disturbing news reports that a Humpback whale was illegally hunted
and killed off the coast of Haiti.
Three
men in a boat experience a visit from curious Orca. One man describes
the encounter as “possibly the best moment of my life.”
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every
sighting report is valuable!
We
are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society