Looking back over the last two weeks a lingering impression endures that, though the season for the humpbacks has been winding down for a while now, with fewer and fewer individuals (you may recognise a few of the names listed) remaining in the area, not all are in a hurry to leave. Not a day has gone by without their voices reminding us of their presence despite a sparsity of sightings. On most of these days there were, not just one, but several vocal sessions ranging from close occasionally to distant most frequently. They continued to occupy a wide area from Blackfish Sound to Johnstone Strait. November 19 was marked by close calls off the entrance to Blackney Pass starting at 6:21pm, November 20th was notable for close calls in Blackfish at 4:19pm and November 21 for close calls in Johnstone Strait near Kaizumi at 7:11am. Even though vocal sessions were often extended they have lacked the intensity of effort from just a short while ago. The outstanding question is when will the last humpback leave and will someone stay?
The story of the Resident orcas was likewise happening during this time with the A23s maintaining a presence. Starting at 6:45am on November 21 their calls were heard in Johnstone Strait as they headed west toward Kaizumi Beach and later to the entrance to Blackney Pass. By 8:37am, Cam and Mat were following their progress north through Blackney. A couple of days went by before they were heard again at 3:38am in Johnstone Strait, probably west of Blackney Pass close to Vancouver Island. By 9:55am they had moved further east but within the next hour they approached Blackney and were seen headed north by 10:55am.
The A23s were never really away for long. On November 26 they were heard clearly in Blackfish Sound from 7:29am to 7:41am. Again, two days later,on November 28 starting at 10:12am they travelled east in Blackfish Sound and into Blackney Pass by 10:56am where they proceeded south to Johnstone Strait. The Lab, using the remote camera at Cracroft Point, followed their eastward progress from 11:18am while recording calls at 12:18pm and again at 6:56pm. The next day the A23s went north in Blackney at 1:10pm.
We believe they returned on December 2. Around 5pm they were in Johnstone Strait with some G1s as company! Troy Bright at Bere Point had watched at 3pm as 12-15 Northern Resident orcas participated in a rub and then carried on eastward. From his pictures he identified members of the G12 pod, the G27s and G53s. The G and A5 calls heard in Johnstone Strait happened just two hours later, exciting some discussion as to what had unfolded. The distance and short length of time between the two events did not make it likely that the whales Troy saw were the ones in the Strait. The recording helped. It was G1s in the Strait, a separate group from the G12s Troy saw. Regardless, the groups in the Strait did not long linger there but turned around and by 7:12pm were back crossing Blackfish Sound toward Queen Charlotte Strait.
We had word of the A34s (minus the A62s) after they were seen off Prince Rupert on November 28. They had last been in Blackfish Sound eleven days earlier on November 17.
Bigg’s orcas too kept the Lab busy. On November 21 a fairly large group of Bigg’s (9) travelled south at 8:58am shortly after the A23s had gone north. They took their time and did not go out of sight until 10am. On November 25, a day where there were no Resident sightings, Bigg’s were heard off in the distance in Johnstone Strait at 10:16pm. Then the next day just after 7pm Bigg’s vocals were picked up on the Double Bay hydrophone in Blackfish Sound. The next day after that, November 27, offered a sighting of the T023s as they travelled north then back south in Blackney Pass from 11:41am. By 12:30pm they were on the remote Cracroft Point camera. Once more on December 2 a group of 5 Bigg’s were spotted at 10:23am just before they left the Lab’s view and headed to Johnstone Strait where they were heard briefly before 11am.
For the record, the sea lion daily count has averaged about 100.
Suffice to say this has been a very good Autumn for encounters with orcas, humpbacks and other marine life making life at the Lab all the better despite the short days, changeable weather and dropping temperatures!
