The new day broke after another quiet night. It had been decided the previous evening for a crew to return to Strider Beach early to retrieve the underwater camera which had failed the day before. The possible source of the problem had been determined to be a small conjunction box whose seal had been breached. An examination of the camera was warranted and to do that it needed to come out of the water. The morning low tide made this possible. The trip was successful and the boat returned in time to have breakfast with Justus’ family before they departed.
While at breakfast there word came at 9:15am that orcas were seen just past Lizard Point in Queen Charlotte Strait. By 9:43am, a follow-up report from Scotty declared that it was the A34s and that they were now spread out between Lizard Point and the Egeria Shoals.
How about those kelp horns??!!
Scotty further informed that A55 and A80 specifically were opposite Lizard Point. Gradually, the scattered foraging group edged east between Donegal Head and the White Cliff Islets. This gradual movement brought them toward the western tip of Swanson Island. This bode well for a path “down” to Blackney Pass where we waited with great anticipation.
They were still only at Bold Head at 1:45pm when the Lab heard the first calls. Dylan and Tomoko, both wearing headphones, jumped simultaneously and Tomoko excitedly started recording. The calls were distant but clear amongst fairly loud boat noise. A lot of recreational boats, whale watchers included, were out on the water for this long weekend. But they were not the only culprits. A large cruise ship was headed to Blackney Pass. This coincided with when we located the orcas east of Bold Head using the remote camera. The cruise ship was very big and very noisy.
This was not the only drama being played out. A small group of Bigg’s orcas had also been sighted in Queen Charlotte Strait chasing Dalls porpoise just before 1pm. These orcas would eventually cut through Weynton Pass and head east in Johnstone Strait by 1:21pm. They had already been identified as the T137s and by 2pm they were between Blinkhorn and Little Kaikash. Katelyn and Jordan at CP, who were keeping track of their progress from the reports, eventually saw them and at 2:13pm noted their approach to Kaikash Creek.
This was the same time that the A34s made it into Blackney Pass. They were all together and travelling south fast on the still flooding tide. In less than 10 minutes they were about to clear our view and five minutes after that they made it through to the entrance to Blackney Pass where they dispersed and slowed down their hurry.
Like the Bigg’s, they went east. The T137s had followed the Vancouver Island shore and by 4pm had passed the Critical Point headland of Robson Bight on their way to the eastern boundary of the Ecological Reserve.
Meanwhile, some of the A34s had shifted over closer to Vancouver Island while others continued mid strait. Just before 4pm A55 was mid strait opposite the Cliff. In whale terms the Bigg’s and the Northern Residents, who both had begun their journeys in Queen Charlotte Strait around the same time, were not too far away from each other. There was no obvious response to each other and the groups seemingly continued with their own agendas.
In the next hour the A34s drew near Critical Point where they could be heard successfully pursuing salmon. The Bigg’s orcas, if they kept going, were probably well past the rubbing beaches when the A34s made a brief rub and turn at Strider beach.
Hard to say why the Residents suddenly decided to go back to the west. As they did they travelled back in small groups mid strait and closer to the Cracroft Island side.
At CP, Claire and Dylan, who had exchanged places with Katelyn and Jordan, watched the A34s progress past the Sophia Islands at 6:24pm. Four were closer to CP by 6:46pm while another group was still off the Sophia’s. The Prince of Whale’s zodiac identified A80 opposite Izumi Rock. A few minutes afterward CP identified the A67s as the first group past them. By 7:08pm, Eclipse’s A67 group was off the entrance to Blackney Pass showing no indication that they were going to head into the Pass. They continued across to the Hanson Island side. They had been followed by A96 and her baby, A132. A34, herself, passed CP mid strait at 7:17pm with dolphins not far away.
The western movement took another twist as the A34s collectively made a wide swing around to the east. Had they been buying time, letting the Bigg’s orcas get further away? Whatever their real reason for these “short” turns in the Strait the A34s continued eastward for the rest of the evening between 7:30 and 11:22pm, when we last heard their distant calls.
This day also brought Mark Worthing here for a visit and as we gathered for the evening meal Mark entertained us with stories from the time he was at CP some ten years ago.
Soon we will hopefully have a chance to redeploy the repaired underwater camera. Fingers crossed in time for the next rub!
