At the end of yesterday the A25s and A23s were still in the Strait where they had been for the majority of the day. Morning revealed that they were close to Vancouver Island, west of Robson Bight. Had they had time to slip east? Seventeen minutes after we heard them, at 5:54am and way on the “other side” in Blackfish Sound, the A30s were returning. They had company! The I15s were back. We had not heard or seen them since July 25th. In the month that passed there had been a few reports of their wanderings further north on the coast. Most interesting and sad too was that Sointula (I27) was missing, leaving her two sons on their own. Their matriline will unfortunately come to an end as Sointula had no daughter to continue her legacy into the next generation.
It was not long before these groups came into view. At 6:23am the I4s and I65s filed through and cleared our view at 6:37am. The A50s followed at 6:45am. In the Strait, the I15 groups, at first pointed east, then turned back towards the rip where they began to merge, rest on the surface and spy hop. Claire found the scene magical in the soft morning light. There were no boats to disturb the peace. The humpback Freckles and her baby were there too. By 6:53am the whales were in front of CP as the A50s were about to come into view of CP. All the orca groups that were there, including the A5s, became vocal.
Then the I15s and the A50s went on a long dive at 7:07am.
The A23s and A25s who were still pretty much in the same location west of the Bight were now mid strait and pointed east. At 7:20am a large recreational boat came too close and did not stop. The orcas turned, Surge (A61) breached and then oriented toward the rip while favouring the Cracroft Island side.
The others resurfaced into view before the Sophia Islands at 7:28am.
Alex, at 7:24am had already observed the playful A34s, who had come from Queen Charlotte Strait, going in the direction of Weynton Pass.
With the I15s and A50s continuing east and the A23s and A25s in the rip, the scene off the entrance to Blackney Pass became quite crowded with boats. Three whale watching boats came speeding out of Blackney Pass. The last of the three did not respect the 200 meter regulation. The A23s slowly prepared to go into Blackney Pass along the Hanson Island side at 7:42am. Five minutes later the noisy Alaska Ferry followed and the A25s after it.
Just before 8am the A5s began to head north through Blackney Pass. They would make Donegal Head by 10:09am.
A radio report at 8:27am, informed that two Bigg’s orcas were off Haddington Island and going west.
There were a lot of whales, everywhere: The A50s and I15s in the Strait, Bigg’s moving toward Port McNeill, the A34s in Weynton Pass, the A23s and A25s nearing Queen Charlotte Strait and of course, the A42s still far to the east.
The A42s, according to Megan’s report at 11:29am, were at Kelsey Point foraging.
To add a little colour to an already eventful day a bear was seen on the beach at Kaikash.
By 9am, the Cliff Researchers were seeing fifteen whales arranged in two groups (including the I4s) in front of them opposite Robson Bight and a group of more than five (possibly the A50s), who arrived there about thirty minutes before, actually in the Bight. There was lots of tail slapping and spy hopping, playful, just like the ones Alex had seen in Weynton Pass. This mood seemed to have spread!
The A50s and I15s took this upbeat mood all the way to Strider rubbing beach. The first of a series of rubs began at 9:58am and ended at 10:05am. A84 and a young member of his family were involved. Another rub was started at 10:11am with I76 as the featured player. His rub ended at 10:16am. The A50s began the third rub at 10:35 and the I15s moved on to Main beach. This last rub at Strider ended at 11:09am and concluded the sometimes rambunctious (whales actually bumped into each other) activity at the beach. The whales turned west and would begin to trek up the Strait.
Their progress went like this. At 11:55am they were yet to reach the western boundary. At 12:04 they were approaching Izumi Rock. By the time the first four reached Kaizumi the I15s and A50s had spread out. 12:42pm, and whales were off Kaiaksh and at 1:05pm, they were getting organised to move toward Blackney Pass.
The move into Blackney started around 1:15pm and was completed by 1:35pm. The Lab saw the first of the whales at 1:31pm and now identified the I27s as being present along with the other I15 groups, the I4s and I65s. We felt that all of the A30s, the A50s and A54s were there too. They all managed Blackfish Sound by 2pm.
But what of the others elsewhere? The A23s and A25s had indeed gone into Queen Charlotte Strait. At noon they were seen off Lizard Point. At 12:25pm the Achiever noticed the A25s west of Lizard and the A23s still at Lizard but now pointing east. Half an hour later they were back off Donegal Head.
Their entry back into the closer scene seemed to encourage the A50s and I15s to turn back towards and into Blackney Pass. With them came the A34s. For an hour starting at 2:41pm the whales travelled Blackney and through to Johnstone Strait in the following order, the A50s, I4s and I65s, then the A25s, and lastly the A23s and A34s who unlike the others went off west. Crossing over to Vancouver Island some of the A50s landed at Kaizumi and began a rub at 4:23pm ending within seven minutes. Another ten minute rub occurred from 5:23pm until 5:32pm.
It was that kind of day. Another rub, this time at Strider, began at 6pm. Both the I15s and A30s were there. It spilled over into Main at 6:16pm with the I15s there and the A30s still at Strider. By 6:28pm it was a mixed group again at Strider as the rub continued with both I76 and A99 clearly identified.
While the rub continued at Strider and Main reports were coming in about the A34s and A23s who around 6:40 were off the western end of Hanson Island. By 7:13pm these whales were outside of Telegraph Cove. A60 was leading them west.
Meanwhile, A50, A84 and A99 were together during the continuing rub. Then I76 again and now I77. The A5 calls back at Critical Point reminded us that the A25s had yet to join the party at the beaches. They would be a bit late. The long rub ended with all the whales involved heading east at 7:46pm. Lots of calls and one final very quick rub at 8:17pm as the A25s rushed to catch up. Whales were still moving east at 8:30pm. As they often do after an event like a rub, the whales spread out. The Boat Bay camp, settling in for the night after a long day at the Cliff, could hear blows at 9:30pm. As if in sinc, albeit distantly, whales off of Telegraph Cove at the western end of the Strait were noted as going east as well.
This is where the day left them, all in the Strait, some east of the Ecological Reserve, others west of it. It would be up to the next day for the next changes to happen.
