The morning of the 14th was calm and clear, with a few humpback whales milling in Blackney Passage. No Orca calls were heard overnight, so we were eager for any reports on where the A34s and A50s had gone.
The first report of the day of Northern Residents came from Seasmoke Whale Watching, when they reported finding the A50s at Penfold Island in Queen Charlotte Strait around 10:13am.
By noon, much-needed rain had set in. The mist that followed obscured our view of the eastern side of Blackney Passage. This made identifying and tracking humpback whale movements more difficult.
At 12:07am, Kate & Troy reported orcas, later identified as the A34s (minus the A62s), travelling west past Bere Point on Malcolm Island. They reported that the group turned with the current around 1:17pm off Malcolm Point and began heading east. By 1:48pm, the A34s were again passing Bere Point. They were easting slowly and resting, per Troy and Kate.
At 1:36 pm, Bigg’s orcas were reported in Weynton Passage near the Hanson Island shore, heading north. By 4:10 pm, a follow-up report informed us that they had turned south through Weynton and were now traveling east in Johnstone Strait. This group consisted of four Bigg’s orcas, but no IDs were given. While we never saw or heard these whales, but it is always nice to know they are around.
By around 3:30pm, smoke, likely from wildfires on Vancouver Island, began mixing with the rain and mist, obscuring our view of the water even further. Around 4:30pm, 7 Northern Residents were reported traveling south-west near White Cliff Islets.
Around 6:46pm, faint echolocation was heard on our remote hydrophone in Blackfish Sound. This was followed at 6:48pm by faint calls, identified as belonging to the A34s. The A34s continued calling as they traveled east in Blackfish Sound towards Blackney Pass, with bouts of seemingly excited calls. Through the mist and smoke, the A34s, we believe without the A62s or A67s, were spotted from the Lab at 8:40pm as they slowly made their way south with a group of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins. We last saw them turned back north. By 9:15pm it had become too dark to make out dorsal fins, so we turned to listening to identify their movements. We believe they cleared Blackney Pass back to the north around 9:25pm. They did not call as they made their way into Blackfish Sound.
The day concluded with a report passed to us by Scotty, originally from Andrew Jones, that about 40 Northern Residents were near Pine Island, Queen Charlotte Strait. Jared Towers confirmed seeing the A23s, A64s with A78, A52s, the G22s, with G32, R22s and possibly other Rs as well. G1s were mentioned at one point as well. This is the first 3 clan meeting in this area this year! Now we wait.
Words by Katelyn
