To date we have not discussed fully what has been happening with the humpbacks recently. No better place to start than what occured in the early hours of September 16.
Not long after 12:26am when the Bigg’s orcas began to talk, a humpback contributed his voice to the soundscape. The humpback was, at first, close to Blackney Pass but on the Johnstone Strait side and the Bigg’s were further east near Strider. They were well within earshot of each other. The humpback shifted away from the Blackney Pass area momentarily but returned by 5am an hour after the Bigg’s had finally ceased calling. Acoustically, the humpback sounds were very robust and delivered with some variation. The Bigg’s likewise used their full repertoire, including whistles. It was unusual for Bigg’s orca to sustain calling for this long, over four hours. As it was night we do not know what could have caused them to do this but it is known that they will become vocal after a successful hunt but not usually for so long. This recording was also remarkable for the reason that the Resident orcas – the I15s – became vocal in the Strait at 3:07am. This was a first, Bigg’s, humpbacks and Residents all in the same space, all calling at once.
As you may know, humpbacks don’t vocalise much when they come back in the Spring. They stay quite muted throughout the summer issuing the occasional whup or grunt. They do make specific sounds when engaged in bubble feeding and there have been known to be brief exchanges from a mother to her baby. Then in the Fall a change comes over the male humpbacks and their short grunts, growls and whups start to turn into something more. Vocal bouts become longer and more and more complicated. A series of individual calls become phrases, phrases and patterns turn into songs. The advent of song brings with it more social behaviours between the humpbacks as they prepare for their annual migration to the breeding grounds in Hawaii or Mexico.
As night turned to day, the I4s and I65s, moved north into Blackney Pass just before 8am. The Bigg’s had left off calling around 4am. The humpback had become silent around 5am. Johnstone Strait became quiet but not yet empty of whales. A group of whales were seen by AJ heading west from the south end of Hanson Island toward Blinkhorn. These whales would later be identified as the I16s.
This sighting made us circle back to the day before when Troy saw a group eastbound off Black Bluff in the early evening. The pieces to this puzzle were coming together. The I16s most likely dropped “down” from Queen Charlotte Strait, through Weynton Pass and into Johnstone Strait later that same evening. Their arrival was probably confused with the other I15s already in the Strait.
So on the morning of the 16th they must have travellled to Blackney Pass with the others but chose their own path to the west as the I4s and I65s travelled through to Blackfish Sound. They would all later meet up again after the I4s and I65s returned to the Strait via Weynton Pass.
This all came to pass just before 11am. By 11:38am according to Jared the I16s were already eastbound off Kaikash Creek with the I4s following. Three of the I15s, perhaps some of the I65s, were already further ahead and went for a rub west of Robson Bight some ten minutes later.
By Noon the rest of the I15s were off Robson Bight and moving slowly toward Strider beach. Their bright calls were heard well in advance of their arrival.
We were beginning to anticipate what might happen next.
We were right! Rubs started at 1:03pm. The three participating orcas unceremoniously and quietly moved offshore and to the east a mere five minutes later. We guessed that they were the I65s minus I122.
Others arrived in succession. I4s came next. They too, when finished, moved off. They came back with the I65 trio. I122 appeared. Then in a full rush into the beach with a dolphin escort came the I16s. The activity was incredible right to its conclusion at 4:27pm. Back and forth over the pebbles. The pebbles sounding like “rain sticks” or short “chuffs”. Whales criss-crossed each other, group after group, taking turns. Dolphins darted, splashed and sped around the whales. Orca after orca passed the underwater camera in a beautiful ballet. Dolphins flashed by too.
Once the orcas left off and moved offshore with the dolphins still charging around. It looked as if they might leave but it was a ruse to shake off the dolphins. They turned and came back to rub some more. The dolphins quickly caught on and came back too. Finally, it was really time to go and orca and dolphin alike went west.
The I65s, who had begun the rubbing just after 1pm must have slipped off to the east. They were seen off Naka Creek at 2:52pm. They were still going east.
As the rest of the I15s moved westward in Johnstone Strait, the A54s and the A62s were reported resting north of Donegal Head at 3:39pm. We would not hear them until 4:24pm. By then the I4s and I16s had been circulating the area from the western boundary all the way to the Sophias and back to the Vancouver Island side since leaving Strider. They regrouped opposite the Sophia Islands at 4:50pm and headed slowly toward Cracroft Point, spreading out and milling on the way. They were off the entrance to Blackney between 5:20 and 5:57pm.
In Blackfish the last A62 calls at 4:59pm were very faint. Later, at 6:18pm a large group of Northern Residents were then seen in Queen Charlotte Strait leaving us to imagine that either the A54s and or the A62s had retreated.
With that reversal in Blackfish and the return of the I65s to Strider at 5:29pm, the I4s and I16s most likely paused any intention of heading into Blackney. The I65s rubbed for three minutes and with the inevitable dolphins alongside went west toward the other members of their extended family.
A humpback in Blackfish Sound began calling at 9:21pm. Not long afterwards the A54s returned to Blackfish. The A62s were heard again at 11:42pm by which time they were in Johnstone Strait!
The I15s were not going anywhere for the moment. Up to midnight they were still in Johnstone Strait. Some of their members were off Critical Point at 9:15pm, some had a night rub between 10:24pm and 10:29pm, all were still heard till 11:55pm.
We will give the last word to the humpbacks. At 11:09pm a very active, growly, groaning, honking, clicking humpback on the Parson Island hydrophone kept things lively, between orca and dolphin happenings, until 11:47pm.
The night was young and there was more to soon follow.
