Company’s coming!
In the early morning, before 5am, it was realised that the A24s, I4s and I65s were moving through Blackney Pass to the south. They cleared our view and the CP camp at Cracroft Point saw them after they had moved west toward Big Bay. It was a fluid situation, they had no intention of continuing west but instead curled back through the entrance to Blackney Pass. Back in view by 6:41am, the I4s and I65s altogether, headed north past the humpbacks, Inukshuk and the sleeping Merge, toward Blackfish Sound. The A64s with A78 followed.
Then came the reports:
Between 7:30am and 8am, the A24s, I4s and I65s were now spread over Blackfish Sound with one group (probably the A24s) off Bold Head (western end of Swanson Island) and another group (the I4s and I65s) seen headed to Weynton Passage.
They were in position to welcome the incoming orcas who came east from Donegal Head (Malcolm Island) around 9:30am. Scotty recognised the new arrivals as the A34s (at least some of the A34s). He later added the A52s, who like the A24s, belong to the A4 pod.
It was especially exciting to have the A34s back. The A34s are members of the A1 pod. Historically, the A1s were the most steady presence throughout the season. Lately, they have relinquished that role and have visited the area less frequently.
This year the A24s seem to have taken up the mantle and at 10:34am they began to lead the new arrivals toward Blackney Pass and Johnstone Strait beyond. But first the orcas had to sort themselves and took a while longer in Blackfish Sound to do so.
By 11:26am Scotty reported that the I4s and I65s were foraging near Bold Head while another group was off the Egeria Shoals moving in a southeast direction, others had moved closer to Flower Island. There was a lot of shifting around. We waited patiently.
With so many whales the details were somewhat lost. In the end we surmised that the I4s and I65s, sticking together, shifted over to the Plumper Islands and then the Blow-hole where they stalled as the A34s and A52s followed the A24s closer to Blackney Pass on the Swanson side.
Finally, by 2:47pm the first orcas came into view of the Lab. It was the A64s and A78 (the A24s). They were now very efficient and were through by 3:05pm. As they cleared, the day held one more surprise. Tomoko and Momoko, listening from Japan. heard distinctive G clan calls. Someone from either the G12s, I11s or I31s was there. Possibly, it was only a few individuals who somehow were lost in the crowd of dorsal fins.
Meanwhile, the A34s followed and cleared our view by 3:32pm.
The situation was still pretty fluid. The groups who had reached Johnstone Strait carried on eastward. By 3:39pm, they were opposite the east end of Kaikash Creek.
While they were carrying on, perhaps in anticipation of activity about to happen at Strider beach, Paul checked out the underwater camera and saw a large Pacific Octopus brush pass the camera as it elegantly disappeared past some watchful copper rockfish.
We then had to account for the surprise report of 30 orcas just behind Burnt Point at 3:42pm. So we trained the remote base camera on Burnt Point (to the left of the Lab) and waited and waited. Nothing materialised.
Then around 4pm whales were seen heading northwest in Blackfish Sound. As the I4s and I65s had never come through to Blackney with the others we had the thought that this might be them heading out after perhaps first dropping “down” to Burnt Point for a final hesitation.
On the Strait side, by 4:37pm, there were A4 calls on the Critical Point system in Robson Bight so we understood that at least the A4s were still advancing. Just before 5pm Tomoko watching the live stream saw a group pass Strider. Even though on the underwater camera they never touched ”down” and continued on their journey east.
From here events were blurry. At some point, at least the A34s may have turned around and headed west, eventually moving back out through Weynton Pass to Blackfish Sound by 9pm. We heard their calls there until 11:30pm. Were they leaving after such a short visit? And what happened to the A52s? Did they join their A24 pod mates or slip out as well. And what happened to the mystery G clan group? Too many question at the end of the day but perhaps a new day will bring answers.
