The 14th began early with Humpback bubble-net feeding calls and other vocalizations in Blackfish Sound around 5:00 AM, which continued irregularly for about half an hour. Around 8:20 AM, one of our more commonly seen Humpback whales, Quartz, appeared in Blackney Passage repeatedly tail-slapping for 10 to 20 minutes. Throughout the morning we often had three to five humpback whales in our line of sight, keeping us busy identifying and tracking each individual. Around 8:35 AM bubble net feeding calls were again heard in Blackfish Sound though this was a single event with no other accompanying vocalizations.
Strong northwest winds and an ebbing current made for choppy conditions in Blackney Passage throughout the morning and early afternoon. Despite no nearby reports of Bigg’s or Northern Residents, we received a report around noon of eight Northern Residents, likely the A42s plus A94 traveling northwest off Lund and Savary Island in the Salish Sea.
In celebration of World Orca Day, we marked the occasion with a cold plunge, a loaf of orca-themed bread baked by one of our wonderful assistants, Freddy, and an orca-themed film to end the day.
Unlike the wind of the 14th, the morning of the 15th was calm and foggy making it difficult to see and ID Humpbacks. In the late morning Nicolette from Double Bay came to dive with Suzie to position and secure the “Stethorca” hydrophone arrays (Professor Hervé Glotin’s hydrophone project), as well as our Local Center hydrophone to monitor Blackney Passage.
Around 4:15 PM we received a report from CETUS that five Bigg’s Orcas were traveling quickly west in Johnstone Strait close to the Sophia Islands. Straitwatch North left the group of orcas, later identified by Scotty as the T049A’s without T049A1 and T049A2, at the entrance to Blackney Passage around 4:50 PM. While we were hopeful they would enter Blackney Passage, they never made an appearance out front of the lab and were later seen around 7:20 PM off Alert Bay traveling west.
Around 5:20 PM we received reports of Northern Residents in the Salish Sea around Qualicum Beach traveling south (likely the A42s plus A94 once again). We also received a report from Dylan, a friend of the lab and former assistant, that the G2s, G16s, and at least G76 were south of Swiftsure Bank on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
