Special Update and Short Sightings Report: Killer Whales, Humpback Whales and Dall’s Porpoise
This is a Special Update with a short Sightings Report Update below. There has been so much happening!
Society Workings Updates:
Our Web Site – We have made a huge update to our web site. We are now completely ‘mobile friendly’! Google informed us that we were not mobile friendly and we had to make changes for them to continue to index us. We rely on their support and did a bit of hopping to fix issues which meant a total rework and update of the site itself. There are a few new and moved pages. Please drop us an email to let us know what you think.
Our Burger and Beer Night held March 10th at Savoury Bight Restaurant and Pub, Powell River – This was a huge success with incredible support from you and our incredible Sponsors (there is a new Sponsors Link on our web site) who donated to help us achieve the $1359.00, after our only cost, the cost of food, towards the purchase and installation of our live feed web camera and hydrophone system off Grief Point, Powell River. Based on the quote we received, would you be interested in joining us for another, buffet style this time? See next item below.
Web Camera and Hydrophone system – There is much communication and work behind the scenes to make every dollar we get from you count. Unfortunately, the first quote we received for the web camera alone was extremely excessive in our way of thinking. The quote came in on an Axis Q6044E MKII, camera only, at $6,043.60! We are continuing to work on finding a good fit in both quality and price. If anyone out there has an ideas or possible solutions, we welcome the input!
Mapping – We are working on getting some data ready to publish mapped information on the whereabouts of the whales, dolphins and porpoise sightings that are reported to us. This will be very visual using a satellite or graphic style map which you will be able to toggle.
2015 Fundraising Raffle – This is a Huge one, Bigger and Better, with a total of seven wildlife tours, Pacific Coastal flight, BC Ferries passes, Accommodation and a framed Award winning photo up for grabs. Details are available on line at: https://whalesanddolphinsbc.com/events-and-raffles-2/2015-raffle/
We will also be posting on Facebook as well as these Updates, the locations of ticket availability as soon as we have confirmation of dates, times and locations. We are working on locations in Campbell River, Sechelt and Powell River. Otherwise, ticket orders can be submitted on line. We use Paypal which allows for any credit card payments. You do not need a Paypal account.
Whales and Dolphins – Yes, there are a few Killer Whale sightings reports coming in, but mostly they have been elusive. Most sightings are distant without photos to help us establish if the whales are from Transient Bigg’s (meat eaters) or Resident (fish eaters) pods. There is a report of a larger group of Dall’s Porpoise in the back channels. We should also start seeing a Humpback Whales starting to back into the inside waters. There have been a few that have stayed just close to the bottom of Vancouver Island all winter, but none this year in the inside waters of the Georgia Strait.
Susan MacKay & Lynne Cracknell, Whales and Dolphins BC
For our DONATE page click here.
Have you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
We are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society
Call 1-877-323-9776or Email your report.
KILLER WHALES
Orca by Dryad Point Lighthouse
March 20, 2015
Mike Clarke, CCG, Victoria
Mar 24:
3:00 pm: 3 Orca westing past Camp Point, all females, one calf. Correction, there are four Orca, maybe one big fin.
Leif Nordman, Campbell River Whale Watching.
Mar 23:
6:00 pm: There are Orca traveling in front of Scuttle Bay just south of Atrevida Reef and moving northwards towards Lund on the Sunshine Coast. Just saw one jump high. Looks like there are three at most. They seemed to stop and eat in front of Scuttle Bay, the one closest to Lund keeps jumping, so cool
Wendy Galligos, Powell River.
March 23:
8:00 pm: Orca in front of Campbell River. Five small fins northbound in front of Campbell River. One of our employees posted this.
Aaron Webber, Campbell River Whale Watching.
Mar 22:
12:53 pm: Pod of Orca in front of Dryad Point Lighthouse.Dryad Point is on the northeast end of Campbell Island, just north of Bella Bella on the B.C. Mainland.(These are possibly Northern Resident Killer Whales, but the clarity of the clip makes it too difficult to be sure. A42’s had been seen a while ago in the area. – SM)
Mike Clarke, CCG, Victoria
Mar 22:
12:00 pm: We were out diving on Snake Island off Nanaimo when we spotted a small pod of about 4 or so Orca heading from the Protection Island area towards Gabriola Island and around the northern point of the Island.
Brian Timmer. VIU Dive Club.
Mar 19:
Today a friend of mine posted a photo of whales off shore at Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island. There were three of them, in one of the photos you can see them blowing. So exciting. Perhaps I will go on a short road trip tomorrow.
Linda, Parksville
Mar 18:
2:00 pm: I saw these around 2:00 pm on March 18 off the north end of Qualicum Beach public area on Vancouver Island. It looked like a mom, her "teenager," and if you look by her fin you can see the baby’s face.They seemed to be heading a bit towards the mainland…fairly east, but they did swim south a bit before I lost sight of them.
Linda Vermeulen, Fanny Bay.
Orca off Qualicum Beach
March 18, 2015
Linda Vermeulen, Fanny Bay
March 18:
12:15 pm Third hand report of Orca by Black Point, Powell River. They’re Northbound.
Around 12:40 pm I drove down to Grief Point and spotted one big male dorsal, a female and possibly a calf just off Myrtle Rocks. The sea lions were right in by the shore feeding on the herring spawn. I think the Orca were already on a kill and turned back or went across to Texada. After seeing them four to six times, I never saw them again although I watched for them to pass. There was a very cold, strong wind blowing creating waves.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Mar 17:
Just saw Orca in Parksville Bay, just off my street, Dogwood Bay. Exciting. That was late this morning.They were still there when I went back after lunch, seemed like they were moving north, not sure. There were four of them.
Linda K. Derksen. Parksville.
Mar 16:
Late report from a ferry worker that there were Orca northbound past Campbell River at 9:30 am.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
March 16:
12:00 pm: It’s always exciting to see an Orca pod but this one was especially exciting because it had a baby! There were three of us who saw the pod. They were in Discovery Passage, off Campbell River, and they were traveling south.
Heather Bojsza.
HUMPBACK WHALES
March 18:
Thanks to Randy Hodge for sending in this video of a Humpback Whale sighted in Puget Sound, off Carkeek Park. Filmed by Alisa Lemire Brooks. We aren’t certain if these are Humpbacks that stayed in the area over winter, or are ones returning to our waters.
DALL’S PORPOISE
Mar 16:
2:34 pm: Bunch of Dall’s Porpoise around Kanish Bay area, Quadra Island, there are four bow riding and more behind.
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale Watching.
LINKS
Three lovely videos of Humpback Whales seen earlier this year in Maui. It’s great to have people submit videos of interest to us and you!
Have you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
1-877-323-9776or Emailyour report.
Every sighting report is valuable!
We are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society
For our DONATE page click here.
One Response
March 29
Wow! Sunday saw at least 5 or 6 Orca feeding on herring in Nanoose Bay! At least two were babies. They followed two herring fishing boats for about 1 hour in a rather shallow area of Naoose Bay, between Nanoose Bay spit and Lanzville beach.
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