September 20th picked up right where the 19th had left off. A34 calls came through Strider intermittently overnight, sharing the early hours with humpbacks on Flower Island. By mid-morning, the A34s had been joined once again by the Gs, with both groups calling across the Strait, including a few particularly funky calls that sounded a bit different from the usual repertoire.
By 11am, the whales were travelling west along the Vancouver Island side, gradually spreading farther offshore as they approached the Reserve. Their calls grew louder across several stations, shifting between Strider and Main Rubbing Beach as the groups moved closer to the rubbing beaches. Between their trending direction and heavy echolocation, it was a promising sign that the rubbing beaches might soon be put to use.
Sure enough, just after noon, the first whales slipped into Main Rubbing Beach for a quick rub before the activity shifted over to Strider. The A62s were amongst those there – identified through their “buzzy” calls – along with some of the Gs, and over the next half hour, there were plenty of chuffs, bubbles, echolocation and short calls. At one point, things settled into an underwater “cuddle puddle”, while a crowd of Pacific White-sided Dolphins joined them on the Strider camera. They then moved offshore and started trending west, until…surprise! Another group came in from the east for their turn at the beaches.
From there, the whales spread west through Johnstone Strait, some foraging while others continued travelling. A34 and G calls carried between Strider and Critical Pint, and Pacific White-sided Dolphins seemed determined to stay amongst the action. A Minke whale even surfaced briefly on the Cracroft Point camera, adding another species to an already busy afternoon.
The A62s, however, weren’t quite satisfied with their first rub it seems. Around 2:45pm, they returned for another rub, once again accompanied by Pacific White-sided Dolphins. A91 apparently had enough of their company and attempted to chase them away, but to no avail. The A62s returned for several more short rounds. Between rubs, they rested at the surface, before finally leaving Strider and heading west around 3:20pm.
The Residents remained widely spread through the late afternoon. While the A62s had doubled back east for their additional visit to Strider Rubbing Beach, the rest of the A34s (-62s) and Gs continued west through Johnstone Strait, with a report of at least 7 orcas travelling quickly past Blinkhorn around 3:20pm. They continued into Blackfish Sound, where their calls reached Flower Island shortly after 4pm.
By early evening, the groups were still spread across the area. The 62s had followed west, but were still in the Strait with their calls echoing on Strider, while a lovely mix of A34 and G calls carried through on Flower Island. Around 7:30pm, the A34s (-62s) and Gs began grouping up and heading towards Weynton Passage to take back into the Strait. The Gs remained especially vocal as they approached, and shortly after 8pm, at least 15 orcas took Weynton. Simultaneously, A34 calls continued faintly on SRB – the A62s – suggesting they were waiting for the others at the west end of the Strait. Before long, excited A and G calls were once again filling the Strider then Critical Point hydrophone seemingly heading east down the Strait.
Even by 10pm, distant calls were still carrying through Critical Point. Apparently after all that travelling and time spent at the rubbing beaches, there was still a little more to say.
Written by Emily Vierling
