There are still plenty of Humpback Whales in the upper Georgia Strait with a few larger groups of Pacific White Sided Dolphins either harassing them or cooperatively feeding.
A few Orca, mostly the meat eating Transient Bigg’s transitted but suprisingly not chasing the large regrouping of Harbour Porpoise by their favourite area by Whytcliffe park in West Vancouver.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
A sequence of a Transient Bigg’s Killer Whale breaching
Society News & Events
Charity Donation Receipts:
WOWS is please to announce that we have been granted CRA Registered Charity status for the purposes of the Income Tax Act of Canada, allowing us to issue official tax deductible donation receipts starting with cash donations you have so kindly contributed to our efforts throughout 2017. Your Donations allow us to continue, and are greatly appreciated helping us cover costs.
To date, we have volunteers only, with 40 volunteers during 2017 giving time and huge efforts to assist us at various levels, times and events. With good financial management and fantastic volunteers, we have come a long ways with less funding than most. We are now in need of funding sufficient to hire for volunteer and programs coordination as well as cover IT support costs. We can’t do this without your support and hope that you might consider donating with this ability to receive an official tax deductible receipt.
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Real Time Monitoring Station Live Update:
Our live camera feed is at YouTube Channel Live Link. We continue to work on a resolution for the transmission problems causing the intermittent bouncy images from the Beach Gardens Marina camera. Our second (backup) live stream mounted in Powell River appears when the Beach Gardens camera is down. We appreciate your patience.
Thank You to all our hardworking volunteers and contributors! Our newest volunteers are finishing their training and are doing great.
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ISSUE SIGHTINGS MAP 2017-043
TRANSIENT BIGGS KILLER WHALES
Sun Nov 19 2017
09:00 • 4 Biggs Orca inbound at Quatsino Sound. One is a calf.
Angie and Paul Hibbert, Sayward, BC
Wed Nov 08 2017
15:26 • 6 Biggs Orca heading north spread out from Blubber Bay to Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait. In addition to the 3 seen by Barry. ▫ Observed from Shore
15:15 • 3 Biggs Orca heading north below Powell River Viewpoint, Powell River, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
UNIDENTIFIED KILLER WHALES
Fri Nov 17 2017
13:42 • Orca heading towards Cape Lazo, Comox, Georgia Strait. Lots of splashing. ▫ Observed from Shore
Sat Nov 25 2017
09:38 • 2 Humpback Whales heading south on the Powell River side of Blubber Bay, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Fri Nov 24 2017
09:05 • est. 3 Humpback Whales between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Thu Nov 23 2017
12:52 • 2 Humpback Whales moving quickly, heading south off Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Mon Nov 20 2017
16:17 • 4-5 Humpback Whales out from Blubber Bay, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
16:17 • 3-4 Humpback Whales between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. There are Dolphins with them.
16:16 • est. 5 Humpback Whales between the ferries, out from Blubber Bay, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait. Blowing.
Janet Southcott, Powell River, BC
14:41 • 2-3 Humpback Whales just north of Coho / Kiddie Point, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
08:59 • 2 Humpback Whales heading south just out from the dock at Van Anda, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
Candi Little, Texada Island, BC
Sun Nov 19 2017
16:58 • Humpback Whales out from the wharf at Van Anda, Texada Island. Several blows.
Candi Little, Texada Island, BC
Fri Nov 17 2017
13:18 • 2 Humpback Whales just west of Rebecca Rocks, Georgia Strait.
11:21 • 2 Humpback Whales tail slapping and pectoral slapping, between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait.
08:37 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north by Powell River Ferry terminal, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales not too far out from Powell River Ferry terminal
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 – 10 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales not too far out from Powell River Ferry terminal
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 – 10 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Thu Nov 16 2017
17:20 • Humpback Whales spread out, from Powell River to Cape Lazo, Malaspina Strait. Breaching by Cyril rock and out front by Rebecca Rocks. There are too many to count!.
Eric Green, Powell River CCG
14:22 • 1 Humpback Whales heading south by quarry south of Van Anda on Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
Jim Southern, Powell River, BC
13:05 • 2 Humpback Whales doing circles and feeding, in Crescent Bay, Texada Island, Georgia Strait.
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales out from Crescent Bay, Texada
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 – 1 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales out from Crescent Bay, Texada
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 – 1 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
13:05 • 2 Humpback Whales between Rebecca Rocks and Texada Island, Georgia Strait.
13:05 • 3 Humpback Whales between Harwood Island and Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait.
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
12:59 • 3 Humpback Whales close to the shore of Powell River, Malaspina Strait.
12:59 • 2 Humpback Whales near Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Two flukes were observed.
12:21 • 3 Humpback Whales heading south by the Powell River Viewpoint in the middle of Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales heading south from Powell River in Malaspina Strait
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 – 6 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales heading south from Powell River in Malaspina Strait
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 – 6 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
12:17 • est. 2 Humpback Whales heading south towards Crescent Bay, Texada Island, Georgia Strait.
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
10:51 • 2-3 Humpback Whales off Harwood Island Spit, Malaspina Strait.
08:24 • Humpback Whales near Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Many blows were observed.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Wed Nov 15 2017
15:09 • Humpback Whales south of Rebecca Rocks, Georgia Strait. One whale breached.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
12:28 • 2 Humpback Whales off Coho / Kiddie Point, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
12:25 • 2 Humpback Whales off Vivian Island, Georgia Strait. Observed from Crescent Bay, Texada Island.
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
Sun Oct 29 2017
14:10 • 4-5 Humpback Whales feeding, heading south closer to Hornby Island, Georgia Strait. Possibly resting. Viewed from Texada Island. ▫ Observed from Shore
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
Tue Sep 26 2017
13:56 • 2 Humpback Whales ◦BCY0291 KC◦ off Limekiln Bay, Texada Island, Georgia Strait.
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales including KC BCY0291 off Limekiln Bay, Texada
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 – 8 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales including KC BCY0291 off Limekiln Bay, Texada
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 – 8 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
Fri Sep 15 2017
18:28 • 2 Humpback Whales moving slowly, off Harwood Island and turned towards Willingdon Beach, Malaspina Strait. Two Humpbacks were seen near Harwood going north, then turned and went close to shore in front of Willingdon beach heading south.
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales travelling close to shore in front of Willingdon Beach
Fri, 15 Sep 2017 – 6 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales travelling close to shore in front of Willingdon Beach
Fri, 15 Sep 2017 – 6 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
PACIFIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Mon Nov 20 2017
16:33 • 8-10 PWS Dolphins spread out between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. Together with Humpbacks.
Fri Nov 17 2017
16:16 • est. 100 PWS Dolphins leaping, in front of Powell River, Malaspina Strait.
13:15 • est. 150-200 PWS Dolphins foraging, heading north about 1-km offshore between the Powell River Viewpoint and Grief Point, Malaspina Strait. Animals in compact group with lots of leaping sometimes up to 5 animals in the air at one time. ▫ Observed from Shore
Steve & Susan Grover, Powell River, BC
09:03 • PWS Dolphins heading south passing the Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait.
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
08:58 • est. 200 PWS Dolphins heading south off Powell River, Malaspina Strait.
Eric Green, Powell River CCG
SIGHTING MEDIA
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins heading south off of Powell River
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 – 3 items
Eric Green, Powell River CCG
SIGHTING MEDIA
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins heading south off of Powell River
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 – 3 items
Eric Green, Powell River CCG
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping like crazy in front of Powell River
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 – 6 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping like crazy in front of Powell River
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 – 6 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins playing with their food
Mon, 27 Nov 2017 – 1 items
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins playing with their food
Mon, 27 Nov 2017 – 1 items
Thu Nov 23 2017
15:50 • est. 20-30 Harbour Porpoise milling, west of Whytecliff Park, Queen Charlotte Channel. The porpoise were in the area for over 30 minutes. They were spread out and surfacing at different times, so I could not get an accurate count of them. Some porpoise were surfacing as pairs, possibly 4-5 mother-calf pairs. ▫ Observed from Shore
Ivan Ng, North Vancouver, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Harbour Porpoise
About 20 to 30 Harbour Porpoise west off Whytecliff Park
Thu, 23 Nov 2017 – 1 items
Ivan Ng, North Vancouver, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Harbour Porpoise
About 20 to 30 Harbour Porpoise west off Whytecliff Park
Thu, 23 Nov 2017 – 1 items
Ivan Ng, North Vancouver, BC
Fri Nov 10 2017
–:– • 3-5 Harbour Porpoise in front of Roberts Creek, Georgia Strait. Three days out of four while on my stand up paddle board, I came across the Harbour Porpoise each time. Between November 6th and 10th. ▫ On Scene
Geordie Harrower, Sechelt, BC
NEW! WOWs Sightings Archive Explorer
Recommended for desktop browsers and newer mobile devices
Dive into over 5,000 Cetacean Sightings, images, videos and audio recordings reported in our Sightings Updates with the WOWS Sightings Archive Explorer
Archive Explorer takes readers into the Cetacean world of the BC Coast. Easily view all Cetacean sighting reports together with all sighting photos and videos:
• View species such as Humpback, Grey Whale or Dalls Porpoise
• Follow the endangered Southern Residents Orca in the Salish Sea
• Search for encounters with T002C2 Tumbo
• Goto Port Alberni to watch a close-up video of Orca in the harbour
• Track the T010s Transients as they hunt and travel the inside passage
• Check-Out “KC”, the ever popular Humphack and track his whereabouts this past August
• Goto one of 12,000 named locations on the BC and WA State coast
• Print custom sighting reports and maps (Coming Soon)
Explore this powerfull new research tool with the Archive Explorer Help page
Note: The Cetacean Sightings Archive is also available in database format together with sighting photo and video links for viewing, query and download here
Send your Comments and Questions to: Archive Explorer Feedback
Vancouver Sun
Christie McMillan, executive director of the Marine Education and Research Society, said a juvenile humpback was first observed employing trap feeding in 2011. Since then, the method spread to at least 16 whales by the end of 2015 in the waters near Telegraph Cove.
"As far as we know, this behaviour has not been seen for humpbacks in places other than B.C.," she said at a University of B.C. marine mammal conference over the weekend. The closest similar feeding behaviour involves Bryde’s whales in the Gulf of Thailand.
The way trap feeding works is the whale floats with its mouth open at the surface, while using its pectoral fins to slowly draw water towards it – along with juvenile herring…. read on
Hakai Magazine
Everyone enjoys a good scratch. For a bowhead whale stretching up to 20 meters long and weighing as much as 75 tonnes in Canada’s Arctic, the question is what to do about it. The unexpected solution lies within the shallow and relatively warm waters of Cumberland Sound, off southeastern Baffin Island in Nunavut……
read onABC News. AU
Researchers have examined coastal dolphins off the State’s north coast and found something rarely seen in mammals – males gifting females large sea sponges ripped from the ocean floor.
They’ve also been seen tossing them about, possibly to show affection and strength.
“It could be gift-giving in the sense that humans do it – diamond rings [and] roses and the like – in order to impress a female or to suggest that he is somebody that would be a really wise idea to mate with,” he said.
“It appears the females tend to be ignoring the male and then it kind of ramps up to the point where he’s a bit frustrated and he tosses the sponge in the direction of the female.”…
read onCosmos Magazine
There are many enduring mysteries surrounding dolphins and porpoises. Are they really as happy as they seem? Are they laughing with us, or at us? But one of the more serious – and better researched – questions is, how does their natural sonar actually work?
We know in general terms how cetaceans echolocate – they generate high frequency noises which echo off an object, thereby building up a sound-picture in the brain which allows them to work out their surroundings, any possible threats and the presence of prey. Other animals do it too, most obviously bats, and humans have built machines that do the same thing.
The question, however, is this: how do they do it so well? The accuracy and directionality of the biological sonar of porpoises wildly outperforms anything humans can design, and there’s no obvious reason for it……. read on
BBC Scotland
Archaeologists based in Orkney are investigating a number of 19th century whale skeletons recovered during a dig at a neolithic site.
The bones were buried in pits cut into the site at Cata Sand, in Sanday.
There are description in the historical records ……
read onNational Geographic
Saving one 40-ton sperm whale is a huge feat-so when 10 live sperm whales washed ashore off the coast of Aceh in northeastern Indonesia, it required a small army of wildlife volunteers.
In an emailed statement from WWF Indonesia, representative Aryo Tjiptohandono said the WWF team, environmental officials from the Indonesian government, and the Indonesian Navy were dispatched to Ujung Kareng Beach on Monday morning. Posting live updates on their Facebook page, the local conservation group Whale Stranding Indonesia commented that rescue groups were working around the clock to save the whales…. read on
Express, UK
Despite strict European rules aimed at saving the intelligent marine mammals, thousands are still suffering lingering deaths around our coastline after become entangled.
A new report today shows how only the UK among 15 EU nations is doing its best to stop cetaceans enduring terrible wounds and suffocating as "by catch".
According to a Whale and Dolphin Conservation report, the Spanish government "persistently ignores" the EU regulations aimed at preventing these tragedies……
read onNewsweek
A massive “drawing” of a killer whale has been found in the legendary Nazca Lines of Peru. It could be the oldest image ever recorded at the site.
In 2013, scientists found what they believed to be an enormous depiction of a sea creature roughly 250 miles south of Lima. Researchers from the Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK) of the German Archaeological Institute collaborated on the project with other partners, including members from the Instituto Andino de Estudios Arqueológicos (INDEA). After years of analysis, restoration work, and debate, they’ve confirmed it’s an orca…… read on
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