The morning of the 8th started with another close visit from Insomnia at 8:17 AM, who continued to come in and out of view, solo bubble net feeding and fluking until about 10:15 AM. The morning was full of rain and fog, making it difficult to identify other individuals further out in Blackney Passage. We were very lucky that Insomnia was feeding close enough to the Lab to be clearly identified. When Insomnia again made a brief appearance at 2:58 PM, we began to wonder what change is driving this behaviour because we have never witnessed so many events like this just in front of the Lab.
The bubble net feeding behaviour continued the morning of the 9th. A humpback was heard on the Flower Island hydrophone at 6:57 AM, bubble net feeding along with repeated sounds of probable surface activity. In contrast to yesterday, the morning was bright with the sun’s glare on the water, making photo identification difficult in a new way for humpback identification on the far side of Blackney Passage. At 11:26 AM, a humpback was once again spotted lunging and solo bubble net feeding just in front of the Lab. Based on the events of the past few days, we initially believed that Insomnia had returned. However, a review of the photos revealed that it was, in fact, Squall making a first-time appearance for many of the Lab assistants. This close visit from another individual practicing bubble net feeding so close to shore (roughly 30m away) has further led us to wonder what factors might be motivating the humpbacks to feed in this location.
At 5:57 PM, a group of Bigg’s orcas were spotted in front of Parsons Light on the far side of the channel. We excitedly watched as the three orcas, two small fins and one calf, travelled north until they all cleared into Blackfish Sound by 6:09 PM. Squall returned to Blackney Passage to repeatedly tail slap on the far channel at 7:40 PM. This was excellent timing for us, as we were hosting CETUS’s wardens, who monitor the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve. Shortly afterwards, at 8:35 PM, Insomnia returned for the third consecutive day to bubble net feed in front of the lab for over an hour. It is difficult to put into words how incredible it is to witness bubble net feeding so close to us standing on the Lab deck – first hearing these humpbacks blowing bubbles on the local center hydrophone, then spotting the bubbles appear in a circle on the water, and finally watching them lunge up from the water. We cannot help but be in awe of these large, beautiful individuals and gasp every time they emerge to take a breath.
