The A34 calls, heard initially at 10:50pm on July 11th, continued through the early morning of the 12th in Blackfish Sound, on our Flower Island hydrophone. The A34s then likely travelled through Weynton Passage because we heard them again in Johnstone Strait at 12:55am. They continued calling intermittently until around 2:20am. Then, the A34s appeared to turn back around and journey through Weynton once more, as they were heard in Blackfish Sound again at 3:05am. We never heard them on our nearest Parson Island or Local Centre hydrophones, leading us to believe they did not travel through Blackney Passage. Their calls and echolocation were heard until 4:36am, when they moved north into Queen Charlotte Strait. As the orca calls quieted, sounds of humpbacks bubble-net feeding in Blackfish Sound filled our speakers throughout the morning.
At 11:40am, CETUS reported that two orcas were travelling west in Johnstone Strait. The two Bigg’s travelled north through Blackney Passage. T036A1 and T036A1A were first seen at 12:21pm, and they rounded Burnt Point into Blackfish Sound by 12:55pm. Then, at 3:45pm, a report from Scotty alerted us that the T065As would soon be passing Burnt Point as they travelled south. From 3:35pm to 4:25pm, the Lab watched two males, two females, and a young one cruise through Blackney Pass into Johnstone Strait. Humpback bubble net feeding was heard again on Flower Island beginning at 7:22pm, and it continued off-and-on until around 10:00pm.
The 13th was a relatively slow, cloudy day. There was some more bubble-net feeding at 5:02am and then at 6:35am. Scotty reported that the A34s were seen easting from the Masterman Islands at 10:23am. Later on, Barbara, a former Lab assistant and now kayak tour guide, reported that she saw the A34s off Nigei Island foraging before they turned back west.
James Wilson was also fortunate to see the A34s when off Port Hardy.
At the Lab, Mark and Grant finished the Bath-house roof and were able to leave ahead of the forthcoming windy weather. The roof looks incredible – a stunning transformation. Thank you so much. Jackie Hildering came, stayed overnight, and assisted Suzie with a dive on our mooring buoy, with Nicolette from Double Bay helping on the surface. Unfortunately, the currents proved too strong which prevented them from seeing how the line(s) were at the bottom. Jackie graciously said she would be back. Jackie, as always, took some stunning underwater photos in our bay, which she shared. It is very worthwhile looking at her photos posted on her Marine Detective website: https://themarinedetective.com/ A big thank you to Jackie, Suzie and Nicolette.
