As of 9pm today, we will not have heard the Northern Residents for 24 hours.
Our day was not uneventful though and it started early with Georgia recording a humpback vocalizing in Blackfish Sound at 4:35am and again at 5:27am.
The clouds were pink and vibrant just before the sunrise but the sunshine was soon covered by thick dark clouds as the wind started to blow, stronger and stronger. The rain spattered the Lab deck and all our equipment was safely kept indoors. We watched from inside the ever moving waves and the white caps forming on their crests. From our remote cameras, we witnessed the power of the winds in Johnstone Strait, even the underwater camera was kind of hypnotizing as whirlwinds of bubbles, seaweed and nudibranchs kept swirling by. Alex noted: “I can see how much oxygen storms put into the water!”.
The rescued sea lion was seen again from our remote camera and seemed fine, resting on its back undisturbed by the cold winds. From the Lab deck, Julia later saw a huge sea lion catching a salmon right on the rocks just a few meters away!
At 3:31pm, while looking at a lovely rainbow rising above the north side of Blackney Pass, Jianna suddenly spotted 4 orcas traveling South close to Burnt Point! They were silent. One quick photo of the male was enough for Claire to identify T060C. They took a long dive and were seen again mid channel pointed North. We spotted a few humpback blows too but their dorsals were barely visible hidden by the waves. At 5:13pm, we heard the Bigg’s orcas calling in Blackfish Sound with some echolocation sounds, until 5:40pm. The recording ended shortly after and it was time to have a warm dinner and get comfy by the wood stove.
At 8:24pm, Nora heard Pacific-White sided dolphins near Strider Rubbing Beach. They were vocal for a while, while a humpback made a few grunts at the entrance of Blackney Pass. Then, it was back to the loud sound of a restless ocean.
