Before the early hours of September 12 the stage was set for some changes to the Resident orcas’ usual patterns. The A62s had previously come in via Weynton just as others went into Blackfish Sound and then backtracked through Blackney only to re-enter the Strait. Their vocalizations provided enough clues for us to understand these broad movements. But it was not going to remain simple. By 4:36am, the A30s (aka the A54s) were back in Blackfish with an A5 group, possibly the A25s. There is no clear path as to how they got there. The A62s were still in the Strait with an I15 group, probably the I65s and most likely the A23s stayed too. This status quo was maintained for about an hour. Then without explanation the A54s were heard on Local Centre located off the Lab. Had they responded to the presence of the A62s and slipped into Blackney hoping for a better connection? Regardless, the shifting A54s ended up once again back in Blackfish Sound for the time being.
Of course, the whales may see this all quite differently. The different spaces, Johnstone Strait, Blackney Pass, Weynton Pass, Blackfish Sound and even Queen Charlotte Strait are all part of their territory. In orca terms, if in any of these locations, they are not really far away from each other. The acoustic windows offered by the two Passes are a great help. Orcas coming to the entrance of Blackney or Weynton can, and do, communicate over many kilometers, hearing perhaps all the way to Queen Charlotte Strait, keeping in touch.
The two A5 groups have recently been on different tracks. The A25s had already shown that they were not always in step with the A23s. One one occasion, they left the others and went very far to the east. Recently, they have been seen in closer proximity with the I4s and the A23s with the recently returned A62s.
The independently minded I65s went for a rub at Strider at 8:23am. Ten minutes later they went east.
Then came yet another unexpected move. At 9:44am, the A75s (of the A54s) were seen off Big Bay on Hanson Island going east! The A54s were back in the Strait after coming through Weynton Pass. Over the next hour there was a mix of A54, A5 and I15 calls as the I4s and the A25s had also left Blackfish Sound with the A54s back to Johnstone Strait.
Claire best describes what happened next.
“We started hearing close A5 calls on our Parson Island hydrophone at 10:38 untill 11:05 indicating that members of the A5 Pod were likely in the lead and possibly on their way north into Blackney Pass. A female and young one came into our view at 11:01 but soon turned back south towards Cracroft Point.
At about the same time, we could hear I15 (11:07-11:57), A30 (11:48) and A5 (11:43) calls moving back and forth between our Parson Island and our Cracroft Point hydrophones. Meanwhile, the I65s had come west far enough to have a rub at Kaizumi for about 15 minutes. We could also hear A5 calls and echolocation further east in Robson Bight at 11:39, this was probably the A23s.
At 12:03, the A54s and I4s slowly left the entrance of Blackney Pass and made a move to the north. They were quite spread out, in small groups of 2 or 3 individuals and traveled on the far side. We could easily identify I76 and I4 as well as A118. As for the other members of the A54s, their small clean fins make them hard to identify from so far away. But their vocals helped us to know who they were!
After the A54s and I4s cleared into Blackfish Sound at 13:03, we could still hear faint A5 calls at 13:19 on Local Centre, our hydrophone right in front of the lab. All eyes on deck were looking for the whales making these calls but they could not locate them. How could we miss a male such as A61?
At 13:28, close A5 calls and echolocation were heard at Kaizumi and we wondered if these were the A23s after leaving the Bight.
Soon after, some of the mystery was revealed. At 13:29, A5 calls moved to Blackfish Sound which meant that there were some A5 whales in Blackney Pass who had gone north even though we couldn’t see them, but then a repetitive A5 call could also be heard on our Parson Island hydrophone, covering the southern entrance of Blackney Pass, at 13:52. This repetitive call seemed to belong to a single whale and that’s when A61 appeared at 13:57! He was traveling fast towards Blackfish Sound where the rest of his family, his niece A85 and her baby, were calling! As soon as their calls were in range of each other, Surge slowed down in Blackney Pass for a bit of foraging before clearing our view at 14:23 into Blackfish Sound, where we hoped he soon reunited with Cordero and Twilight.”
And what happened next? Here is a short rundown.
The I65s returned to Strider for a rub at 3:02pm. It was a short four minute rub and this time its members went west soon after.
A25 and A54 calls were heard once again in Blackfish at 3:07pm. These calls continued through 3:53pm and again from 4:17 to 5pm.
There was another rub at Strider between 3:53pm and 4:03pm.
A34 calls were heard at 5:48pm mid Johnstone Strait.
Rubs at Main rubbing beach and Strider occurred between 6:05pm and 6:16pm.
The westbound orcas called from 6:26pm until 6:50pm.
After that there were close A23 calls off the entrance to Blackney Pass and orcas came into Blackney Pass by 8:04pm and headed north.
At 9:06pm 5+ more blows headed north.
Finally, and once again, the orca families were back on the same page! The last calls at 10:46pm were faint leading us to wonder if another turn into Weynton Pass was in the works!
