In the summary for August 25 it was hinted that the C10s and the I15s engaged in an extraordinary acoustic session while in the proximity of the rubbing beaches in the Ecological Reserve. Some of these whales, who returned from the east by 1:53am, never ventured far from the rubbing beaches as their calls echoed back and forth between Strider and Main beaches, sometimes louder on Strider, sometimes on Main. It was likely the C10s and I4s were mostly involved as they had been keeping each other close company the previous day. The I16s may have been there as well but it was suspected that the I65s, who have seemed more independent recently, may have settled further west thus accounting for calls extending to Robson Bight. The A34s (minus the A62s) had returned close to the time the others came “up” from the east but stayed further west, perhaps midstrait and always removed from the intense scene near the beaches from 2am on.
With the A34s staying further west, the I15s and C10s started a short rub on Strider Rubbing Beach at 3:22am, continuing their beautiful soundscape of calls, luckily uninterrupted by any boat noise. Around 4am, these groups remained around Main Rubbing Beach, while the A34s shifted closer to the entrance of Blackney Pass. The A34s stayed in this area until at least 6am, allowing us to glimpse them briefly on our remote camera at Cracroft Point, before all groups in the Strait began their westbound movement shortly after.
Around 8am, the Achiever research boat reported the A34s heading from Johnstone Strait into Weynton Passage, and about an hour later Seasmoke observed them moving from Weynton Passage into Blackfish Sound – announcing their presence through echolocation.
A little while later in Johnstone Strait, Jared Tower reported the I16s, with I98 and I128 in the lead, entering the Reserve from the east and stopping at Strider Rubbing Beach by 11:38 am before continuing their westbound movement. While the I16s and I65s looped into Robson Bight before resuming westward along the Vancouver Island shoreline, the I4s and C10s were reported by Eagle Eye heading west along Cracroft Island. Meanwhile, the A34s were reported by PWWA heading west into Queen Charlotte Strait.
Around 2pm, Straitwatch reported the I4s and C10s passing Licka Point in Blackney Pass very slowly. They never committed to Blackney but stayed Strait-side and continued west before heading into Weynton Passage northbound about an hour later. With everyone in the Passage, we didn’t pick up any calls for a while. At 6:30pm, Scotty spotted the I27s foraging at the “top” of Weynton, while the Archiver research boat was still with the I16s and I65s at the “bottom” of Weynton Passage, and the C10s and I4s were resting together near the Stephenson Islets. It seemed like everyone needed a little break after the previous exciting days!
Half an hour past 7pm, we surprisingly picked up A34 and A50 calls in Blackfish Sound, apparently freshly returned from Queen Charlotte Strait. At 8pm, Alex reported seeing them cross Blackfish Sound toward Swanson Island, and observed a group of approximately 15 orcas coming from Weynton, passing close by while porpoising and breaching. Resting time was clearly over! As the C10s and I15s rounded Donegal Head and headed west, Alex heard blows approaching from mid-Blackfish Sound, most likely the A34s. Everyone was now moving west and out of range.
After the last crazily busy days, this day was much more straightforward – giving not only the whales, but also the Lab, a bit of a rest. With everyone now in Queen Charlotte Strait, we are already excited for their return to our hydrophone network.
