The day began with the A34s (minus 62s) making themselves well-known with calls ringing out on Strider Rubbing Beach just after midnight. They seemed fairly spread out at first, but by around 2:45am, things had become considerably more animated: lots of buzzy calls and echolocation, followed by a particularly excited bout of chatter as they shifted east towards Main Rubbing Beach. Their calls continued sporadically until around 5am, after which we presumed they carried on east down the Strait.
Things were quiet for a few hours, save for a mysterious little burst of calls on Flower Island at 8:22am and a report from Scotty that there were orcas westing at Naka Creek – could these perhaps be the A34s we had earlier in the morning? Then, suddenly, at 9:36am on Strider Rubbing Beach – chuffs! A rub! The A34s took their sweet time, spending around 40 minutes at the beach with lots of chuffing and rubbing and very little conversation. On camera, there was plenty going on though: rolling, tail slapping and playful behaviour before the rub ended at 10:18am and the 34s continued west.
By late morning, the attention had shifted to the area surrounding the entrance to Blackney Pass. A80 was confirmed off the Sophia’s at 12:03pm and over the next while, more of the A34 (minus 62s) family trickled into view. The area was absolutely alive: orcas, Pacific white-sided dolphins, humpbacks, sea lions, Dall’s porpoises! The 34s appeared to be foraging around the rip, occasionally joining in with the dolphins, while Guardian and her calf continued the energetic mood with some impressive aerial antics.
After a nice lunch, the A34s eventually began edging south, almost as though they were waiting for someone, and apparently they were! Out of the lingering fog, the A34s met up with the A67s and turned north towards Blackney Pass, but not before making a quick pass beneath the Cracroft Point platform, much to Emily and Momoko’s delight! They then settled into a resting line and entered Blackney Pass at 1:42pm. The 34s and 67s travelled quietly together through the Pass, clearing into Blackfish Sound by 2:35pm before calls and echolocation were picked up on Flower Island.
The late afternoon brought more orcas into the Strait, with A5 calls heard on Main rubbing beach at 3:26pm and the A23s and A25s moving through Johnstone Strait. There was even another rub – albeit quick this time – at Strider around 4:32pm. The 23s remained spread along the Vancouver Island shore into the evening, while the 25s continued west through the strait.
And, in the end, the A34s weren’t quite finished with us. Excited calls returned to Flower Island around 7:16pm and continued on and off into the evening. By 8:08pm, they were reportedly spread across Blackfish Sound, with the 67s and A80 subsequently slipping back into Johnstone Strait through Weynton Passage. By 9:25pm, however, the orcas had gone quiet, leaving Flower Island to the humpbacks and bringing another very busy day to a close.
Photos taken from Cracroft Point platform by Momoko Kobayashi and Emily Vierling.
