The A34s are maintaining a presence albeit a rather quiet one, offering only hints about their intentions. The early morning hours were such a case. Humpbacks kept up through the night, not very close, a bit vague but a constant. Dolphins interjected from time to time and then there were the almost inaudible orca-like calls buried in either boat noise or humpback mumbles. Given the definite but still distant calls just past 11am the few thought to be possible calls earlier seemed to take on more serious consideration. At 3;37am a series of calls didn’t fit with either humpback or dolphin leading to the assumption that the A34s had circled back to Johnstone Strait. One further single call at 5:17am added some weight to the assumption.
Then, as said, at 11:06am the more definite calls placed the A34s in the Strait for certain. Here was firmer ground and the wait was on to see what might develop. However, the calls only lasted until 11:59am and then nothing. The calls never were very loud with the whales at some distance to the source. The guess was they went east past the Ecological Reserve.
During the long interval that was to ensue afterwards attention was drawn upward to the sky where several migrating Canada Geese, Snowbirds and Sandhill Cranes flew overhead in succession. The storm had shaken loose the cedar “leaves” and the ground was strewn with orange, brown, yellow and green. Autumn was happening!
Close calls in Blackfish Sound were a signal to refocus on the ocean and as Lydia looked up she saw a dorsal fin nearing West Pass. Just in time A102 was identified going north. The rest of his family must have already passed as his grandmother, Simoom (A34) soon came along mid channel with her son, Hope (A80), daughter Rainy (A96) and her young one,Maple (A132). Echo (A55) tagged along following their path. Everyone cleared into Blackfish Sound by 3:06pm along with a group of dolphins.
Half an hour later, Troy reported that Simoom’s oldest daughter Misty (A62) and her group were on their way eastward after passing Bere Point in Queen Charlotte Strait.
But there was no rush from any of these whales. A report at 4:17pm mentioned a group of six were off Donegal Head moving into Queen Charlotte Strait. At 4:37pm another report had a group at the north end of Weynton Pass. Just before 6pm, Alex reported that one group went around the “corner” to the north with very active dolphins. Calls were heard at 5:31 and 6:06pm from whichever group was still in range of the Blackfish Sound hydrophone. Alex offered one last observation at 6:49pm that the group which had disappeared to the north had turned and was visible once more coming back from the northside of Malcolm Island.
Hopefully, the three A34 groups managed to get together at last. As of 10:30pm there have been no further clues. Only the humpbacks have been breaking the first part of the night.
For the last few days there have not been any fresh reports on the whereabouts of the A42s and A25s last seen off Vancouver deep in the Salish Sea.
