The early morning hours of August 29 were fairly quiet, interrupted only by a burst of dolphin chatter and whistling around 5am in Blackfish Sound. It almost felt as though this activity had drawn in some Bigg’s orcas, and sure enough, by 7am the familiar sound of an “orca shout” woke everyone in camp. As is typical for transients, they surfaced only briefly, leaving us uncertain about who had just passed through Blackney Pass. Luckily, the film crew still staying with us managed to capture incredible footage of the two whales, which allowed us to identify them as T019B and T019C. In the meantime, we were treated to one of the most spectacular sunrises of the summer.
The day unfolded slowly from there. At 9:36am, we received a report from Troy of orcas approaching Lizard Point heading east; according to Scotty, these were most likely the A50s with the A34s behind. Meanwhile, nine other orcas were sighted at Chatham Point – most likely the A23s and A25s, who had disappeared to the east the day before. That was confirmed by Megan at 12:30pm, who reported the A23s eastbound at Dent Rapids, about 3 km ahead of the A25s. By 1:30pm the groups had rejoined and were seen right outside Sonora Island Lodge, continuing southeast.
By mid-afternoon, the A34s surprised us by slipping quietly into Blackney Pass around 3:30pm, travelling south. Spread out across the water, they made it as far as the northern edge of Parson Island before turning back, the last fin heading north again by 4pm. Now vocal, they lingered in Blackfish Sound throughout the afternoon without a clear direction of travel. Around 4:30pm, CETUS reported them at the top of Blackfish Sound heading southeast, and we prepared for another pass by the Lab. But instead, on our remote camera at Sea Lion Rock, which is able to view the furthest vantage point into Blackfish Sound, we watched them turn back west once more. Their infrequent calls continued until nearly 11pm, before they finally slipped out of range.
The day ended with a humpback near Flower Island, vocalizing loudly. After a few quiet days without humpback sightings, it was a treat to see and hear them back in the area.
Although the day felt slow and peaceful overall, the sunshine finally returned, lifting spirits. Some of us even braved an icy dip in the ocean, while others spent the afternoon repainting the long-loved “Welcome Home Springer” sign, which had been in desperate need of care. Now freshly restored, with the addition of Springer’s third baby, ready to shine again on the Lab again soon.
