Contributed by Phinn Onens
Picture this; there is an eerie morning fog which envelopes the calm and quiet waters of Blackney Pass when suddenly a group of Orca emerge in unison. The sound of their blows, like canons firing, carry far across the water. As we watched from our station on Hanson Island, you would struggle to think of anything more perfect. The small group of A11’s accompanied by the two A36 boys were riding the currents as they rested. There were reports that they were headed our way, but they remained silent until they reached the Parson’s Island hydrophone. Shortly afterwards, they could also be heard on the CP hydrophone (Cracroft Point). As I sit and write this blog, I am relishing in their vocalisations, which are still being heard, two hours later, at Critical Point. Different calls can currently be heard including N4’s, N5’s, and N9’s.
Not only were we blessed with the presence of Orca this morning, we also have had a number of humpbacks and other marine wildlife milling outside of the Labs. This was perfectly timed because we have had some guests at OrcaLab today. It is not often that we get to see Humpbacks, Steller sea lions, and Orcas at such close-range in the space of the same half an hour. This is just a reminder of how fortunate we all are to be living in such a spectacular and unique setting. This morning’s activity has kept the assistants on our toes, and we are all excited to see what the afternoon has in store. What a good day at the office so far!
