More than four hours passed before anything was revealed about the Residents whereabouts. Last heard in Johnstone Strait, the A54s and A62s, were still there at 2:35am and who continued to call until about 3am. When calls came up on the Flower Island system in Blackfish Sound at 5:53am it was difficult at first to surmise what movement had happened during the early hours of the morning. The fog further made everything difficult. Both the Lab and the folks up Donegal Head were shrouded in fog. A few faint blows at the north end of Blackney Pass led to the conclusion that the A62s had gone around Hanson Island earlier and north through Weynton, accounting for the faint nondescript calls heard in Johnstone Strait and the blows belonged to the A54s catching up with the A62s already in Blackfish Sound via Blackney Pass. The result was that both groups ended up in Blackfish Sound where they found and connected with A34’s group (A67s, A96s, A80 and A55) who were not yet readily identified by any observers. The A54s and A62s, however, were accounted for by the Achiever crew just before 10am while in Blackfish Sound.
Bigg’s orcas, the T049s had, meanwhile, gone through Blackney Pass sometime in the morning They abandoned Baronet Passage and went through to Johnstone Strait and past Cracroft Point. It was now 11:41am. The Residents having gone south through Weynton Pass were at this same time entering Johnstone Strait further west. Both the Bigg’s and Residents went east from their respective entry points.
The fog was still hampering observation efforts. By 1:36pm, there was enough visibility to see the Residents aiming for Cracroft Point and the entrance to Blackney Pass. This is when A34 and her group were first confirmed. They joined with the others and then proceeded to Blackney Pass.
They were very slow. The Lab watched as individuals, sometimes whole groups attempted passage north only to see them turn and disappear back in the direction they came from. Finally they became properly committed and began their journey toward Blackfish Sound completing the circle from pass to pass. Through Blackney Pass, the A54s were in the lead, A34 and her group following, and the A62s took the Hanson Island side.
From 4pm onward, the Donegal Head observers watched as the whales slowly moved west closer to the Swanson Island shore. The groups spread out as they generally carried on to the west. Fog came back in for a while and when it lifted the Residents were still spread across Blackfish Sound. Still moving slowly, they shifted toward Weynton Pass around 8:30pm. It took another half hour before all groups were either entering Johnston Strait or just finding their way through Weynton Pass.
The Johnstone Strait hydrophones did their work and sure enough faint and distant calls announced their presence.. They would continue calling until midnight.
Nice to have A34 back but the concern for A55 and his obvious struggles overshadowed the day. The other whales seem deliberately slow perhaps in deference to Echo’s condition.
Tonight we welcomed Anna and Jamie into our company.
