Of late, the A34s have certainly established pretty consistent routines : Leaving the Strait in the late afternoon, heading into Blackfish Sound and perhaps Queen Charlotte Strait then returning to Johnstone Strait by the early hours the next morning, going east, having a short rub, returning west, going back out (mostly choosing Weynton Pass) then coming back in (again via Weynton Pass) heading east to the rip off Cracroft Point, foraging then leaving again (via Blackney) only to start the whole thing over.
October 7 was no exception. One of these days they will surprise us and do something quite different. For now it is apparently two times around the “block”!
So Tuesday began with the A34s back in Johnstone Strait before 2:56am. Their calls remained distant but frequent until gradually getting closer to a source as the whales moved east. Their intention (at least for part of the family) was to have a rub. This occurred at Strider Rubbing Beach at 4:22am and lasted a mere 10 minutes. There were no calls during the rub but there were a few after as the whales shifted a bit further east before turning west.
From 5:32am calls were not heard until the A34s eventually ended up in Blackfish by 7:25am. Dolphins and humpbacks in Blackfish and Johnstone Strait respectively had been vocal infrequently during this time
Up until 11am, the A34 calls remained distant. A report, at 11:52am, declared that at least 8 were headed towards the Strait via Weynton Pass. Seven minutes later there were calls in Johnstone Strait. The A34s used the next hour to approach the Cracroft Point/Blackney Pass area from the west where they once again foraged. The dolphins caught up to the whales as they mingled, milled and shifted back and forth in this general area for the next few hours. By 4:13pm they were showing signs that they were thinking of going north into Blackney. It was not until 4:57pm that they made a serious attempt and came into view of the Lab. The current was to their advantage and they took the ebb all the way to Blackfish Sound and beyond. The last note about them came from Double Bay who heard them at 7:30pm off somewhere to the west.
There have been no further reports of the A25s/A42s for a while and no sea lions on the rocks for the past couple of days.
