The A34 calls of the previous evening carried into the morning hours of September 20, growing loud and excited on the Kaizumi Rubbing Beach system by 12:18am. About an hour later, the calls grew more distant as they shifted toward Strider Rubbing Beach, where they were heard faintly until 4:51am as the A34s, represented by two of the A34 groups, moved eastward past the Ecological Reserve. The A34s, are travelling as three groups: A34 (or Simoom), her two sons, A55, A80, her daughter A96 and offspring A132; the A67s (A67 or Eclipse, is A34’s second oldest daughter who has her own three offspring); the A62s (A62 (or Misty), is A34’s oldest daughter and she has four offspring).
By 7:40am, excited A34 calls were once again detected on Critical Point, with the remote camera showing the A62s very spread out heading east. The previous evening the A62s had gone north in Blackney Pass and they had come back and travelled east well back from the other two A34 groups who were, at this moment, still east of the Reserve.
Around 9am, echolocation was heard on Strider Rubbing Beach as whales made advancement toward the beach. About an hour later, the A67s, now coming west, went for a twelve-minute rub starting at 9:54am. The choppy ocean because of the stormy weather made it difficult to pick out fins in the waves.
Ten minutes later, the A67s regrouped with A34 with her sons, A55, A80 and daughter A96 and her baby, and went for a brief two minute rub which was perhaps cut short by the dolphins leaping and darting around them. Shifting west afterwards, the whales stayed close together, moving slightly offshore with plenty of surface activity such as breaches and spyhops.
The I16s, who had been with the groups who had gone east of the Reserve earlier, appeared offshore on the Critical Point remote camera by 11:12am. In the stormy seas they moved west slowly in a family cluster, keeping silent for the next two hours.
The Lab was somewhat surprised by another rubbing session at Strider Rubbing Beach at 11:23am. This time with members from all three groups of the A34s who had slipped in quietly for a seven-minute rub. When finished, they followed the I16s west.
With everyone now continuing west and spread out across the Strait, their calls were picked up on multiple hydrophones. But with the sea rough and noisy it proved difficult to follow exact movements. By 3:20pm, the groups had advanced to the western end of Johnstone Strait, their collective calls fading as most approached Weynton Passage.
By 4:50pm, with at least one group of A34s still in Johnstone Strait, the others, including the I16s, moved toward Blackfish Sound. BY 5:31pm all the A34s and I16s were crossing the top end of Blackfish. Alex, at 7:45pm, reported that they were very spread out, with some already clearing Bold Head and going into Queen Charlotte Strait. The last of the faint calls ended at this time.
From 8:12pm onward, the evening was filled with the trumpeting and vocalizations of a humpback whale in Blackfish Sound. Unfortunately, heavy boat noise almost drowned out his voice – though impressively, the whale’s powerful sounds still carried through.
The A25s and A42s, who had found each other after travelling independently into Georgia Strait, were off Bowen Island, travelling northeast around noon. Bowen Island is not far from Vancouver. These two groups had ventured this far south before but their choice to do so was notable.
With the first September storms approaching, we beached Sonic, our boat, for the first time this fall. It’s incredible how different Blackney Pass can look with the changing seasons and weather. Today it showed us one of those different sides.maller group to carry on.
Words by Freddy
