The night was largely quiet, with just a few calls from the A54s after midnight in Blackfish Sound, and a humpback grunting near the lab at 3am. The Resident orca groups must have reentered Johnstone Strait overnight (their path unknown) as — with no warning — just before 7am, we heard the unmistakeable ‘chuffs’ as a few individuals came in to rub at Strider! The A54s and I4s were together, and they did not stay long at the beach before continuing to the west. Breakfast was served in Robson Bight around 7:20am, and we heard faint calls of the A5 groups in tow around 7:39am.
By 9:50am, another beautiful day had truly begun, and the glassy waters of Johnstone Strait were punctured by dorsals and blows. The leading A54s and I4s headed past the entrance to Blackney Pass, and continued west in the Strait favoring the Hanson shore. The A23s followed suit, passing the Baron Reefs en route to Cracroft Point at 10:10am, with the A25s in their wake not long after. These A5 groups foraged briefly around the “rip” off the point until 11am, before heading west after the rest. They all made their way, in succession, through Weynton Passage and into Blackfish Sound. Around noon, the A54s were foraging off Egeria Shoals, while the A5s favored Hanson Island. All groups would stay in this area for the majority of the afternoon, occasionally vocal in our range but out of sight.
At 7:43pm, louder A5 calls began in Blackfish Sound, and at 8pm they were joined by the strikingly different tones of the I4 whales. Finally, in the fading sunset around 8:30pm, we saw tiny, grainy fins on the far shores of Blackney Pass, as the A5, I4 and A54 groups attempted to buck the strong current pushing against them. We continued to hear their blows once the light faded but, eventually, they seceded and fell back into Blackfish Sound, the last blow heard at 9:34pm. They were not vocal for the rest of the evening, choosing instead to welcome the darkness in silence.
A much ‘simpler’ day than previous weeks, often the case as September draws in and we prepare for the inevitable departure of the daily Northern Resident activities.
