Transient Orca and Pacific White Sided Dolphins reports. The Transients from the evening of April 1st(see photos below) were identified with the help of and thanks to Jared Towers of the DFO as T040, T100 and possibly the T071’s. Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC Transient Orca – Killer Whales Transient T040 Menzies Bay, Campbell…
Read more
Orca, Dolphins, Grey Whales and Humpbacks. After my computer failure, I’m back on line with the sightings reports over the past week. This new system is not quite set up for the photo editing required to post, but I have managed to include a few smaller ones that have been submitted. The Cetaceans are coming…
Read more
Sightings of Whales moving in from their winter feeding grounds and a few Transient Orca around. Pacific White Sided Dolphins seem to have been wintering in the Howe Sound area in numbers…..wondered where they were. More Grey Whales showing up in the Puget Sound area. Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC Transient Orca – Killer…
Read more
After the huge windstorms we’ve had where it was impossible to spot a whale, the weather is greatly improved. Some of the worst wind gusts logged at Merry Island Lightstation, between Sechelt and close to Pender Harbour, reached hurricane force at 110 knots (204 km/hr or 127 mph!). There’s a calming in the air. All…
Read more
It’s the first time in a over a year that I’ve seen a lone Orca. They are social animals, so there are generally other whales around at the same time. Transient Orca T14, born in 1969 was known for frequently travelling alone, but there have been no confirmed sightings of him for around one year.…
Read more
Orca again by Cape Mudge, off Campbell River. Other Sightings are few and far between. There have been a couple of Grey Whales appearing in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. The shrimp draggers are still back and forth in front of Powell River. There are cetaceans out there, but it’s a big ocean…
Read more
Large number of Orca are passing through on the inside waters again, but no word on the Pacific White Sided Dolphins. Sightings reports are few, but at least there are sightings. Some more information from NOAA below on the satellite tagging of Southern Resident Orca. Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC Orca – Killer Whales…
Read more
Orca Report including a link to the Satellite tagged Southern Resident J26‘s travels. Pacific White Sided Dolphins are back in the sightings reports. Considering they are considered a pelagic, open ocean, cetacean we are very lucky to see them in our inside waters. There were only minimal sightings of them till around 18 years ago…
Read more
The high WNW winds must have given a push to the Orca that had been spotted in front of Lundthe other day. It’s a good likelihood that the sightings reports below are the same whales. It sounds like they may have turned back in our direction. See report below and keep those eyes open. The…
Read more
Orca by Lund late this afternoon! After scanning the clam waters and not seeing any Whales, Dolphins or Porpoises for days, I was beginning to wonder if there are even any Sea Lions around. This evening I was told about one lone Sea Lion just resting on the surface, south of Powell River. That was…
Read more
More Humpback Whale reports from Mexico this time, another favourite wintering spot for them. We have identified a few that spend their winters in either Mexico or Hawaii and summers in the Johnstone Strait area. Also in the news is the necropsy of the 3 year old Southern Resident Orca Whale L112 found dead near…
Read more
It was a lovely Valentine’s gift to see Orca back in the inside waters and along the Sunshine Coast. Although I spent a short time out with them, there’s nothing like sitting there and hearing their blows even when it got too dark to see them. They decided to arrive in the neighbourhood almost too…
Read more
I got all excited when in the very flat calm waters I saw something dark surface….it was disappointingly a log bobbing around in the tide line. Then I noticed something that looked like a dorsal….it was sea lion doing a sideways porpoise showing it’s flipper and looking like an Orca. I fully expected to get…
Read more
Sightings have been few and far between over the past bit, but finally, from out of the fog, there are a couple of reports. The drifting banks of thick fog has definitely made it difficult for any sightings along the Sunshine Coast. Fog banks were a bit lighter from Campbell River and up into Johnstone…
Read more
Whales are almost impossible to spot when there’s a storm, but in a few places the seas weren’t quite as bad as out in front here. The indication was that the Orca were headed towards Powell River, but no-one managed to spot any from Saltrey Bay to Powell River and across towards Campbell River. Seas…
Read more
Today we did get some Orca – reports follow. Still not sure if these are Residents or Transients though. It’s a bit too cold and choppy to get out on the water for ID’s. Their behaviour makes me lean towards Transients rather than Resident Orca. Wonderful to have everyone letting me know so I can…
Read more
Although this really has nothing to do with Whales, Dolphins or Porpoises, these winter Anna’s Hummingbirds are just too amazing to ignore. I managed to get a couple of photos of them at the feeder with the snow falling. The photos had to be taken through the window since they were too skittish to allow…
Read more
Surprise sighting of some Orca by Powell River and a very late report of a December sighting when we thought there were none. Reports follow. Also below are a couple of interesting links from Lisa Spaven of the Marine Mammal Response Network. Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC Unidentified Orca – Killer Whales January 17:…
Read more
Some unidentified Orca today in front of Powell River – possibly the same J and L-pod Southern Residents that were around here the other day, but may be Transient Orca. See reports below. Of the Powell River Orca photos posted yesterday, the male Orcas were confirmed to be J27, born in 1991, near Powell River,…
Read more
The following are photos of some of the Southern Resident Orca in front of Powell River, BC. It’s interesting that these whales take a trip up this way at least once per year in the winter months. Last year, J-Pod showed up just before Christmas, in the sunshine and gave some wonderful breaches. It’s not…
Read more
After over a month of no whale, dolphin or porpoise sightings out in front of Powell River, we finally had some Orca – see report below. Other reports from the past few days have indicated there were Northern Resident Orca at the top of Johnstone Strait as well as Southern Residents in Puget Sound. Susan…
Read more
Wishing everyone a great New Year! Locally it started with some strong winds and rain over the past few days. With all the white caps on the ocean, local sightings around the Sunshine Coast and Powell River areas have been non-existent. If any cetaceans have been out there, they’ve been able to stay relatively hidden.…
Read more
Best Wishes of the Season There’s excitement over a new Southern Resident Orca calf in the San Juans, and Pacific White Sided Dolphins have been spotted in the Howe Sound and Saltery Bay areas. Looks like the Humpbacks that were in the Jervis Inlet / Hotham Sound area have finally decided to head to warmer…
Read more
Sounds like the Humpbacks are still around the Sunshine Coast, Saltery Bay to Black Point area. There were reports of an Elephant Seal, see photo below, in the Powell River area. Lack of whale, dolphin or porpoise sightings has otherwise limited this winter’s postings, but for those interested in my "Winter Hummingbirds", there are three…
Read more
Humpback Whales and Orca, but where are the Dolphins? Few sightings, but the photos contributed by Steven Grover of the Pacific White Sided Dolphins he took when he joined me on my skiff in front of Powell River have certainly taken the tour of the world. I have received the photos back through email from…
Read more
Orca / Killer Whales by Powell River, Lund and Savary Island. It seems like it’s been a very long time since we’ve seen some whales, so it was great to get the calls and photos. In all my scanning the waters looking for them, I only managed to spot one dorsal sinking below the water.…
Read more
Sightings: Pacific White Sided Dolphins and Humpback Whales by Powell River. Stormy seas have made it difficult to spot some of these cetaceans around the upper Georgia Strait. There are reports of Dolphins by Sechelt and some Orca seen south of Nanaimo. For Sechelt whale enthusiasts, Caitlin Birdsall of the Vancouver Aquarium will be speaking…
Read more
Humpback Whales, Dall’s Porpoise and some Pacific White Sided Dolphins round out the minimal sightings by Powell River over the past number of days. The storms made sightings very difficult if any Cetaceans were in the neighbourhood, but even when it was calm, there were very few sightings. Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC Humpback…
Read more
Another Catch-up Sightings Report. Dolphins, Dolphins, and more Dolphins have been the main focus around the Powell River and surrounding areas. The Orca are all elsewhere, or at least no reports have come through from any local source. Humpback Whales should be around as they pass through and down the coast on their way to…
Read more
A few Orca and breaching Humpback Whale (photos below), and lots and lots (1000) of Pacific White Sided Dolphins…they’re back! (photo below) And what a wonderful sight to see. There may still be a problem with the email feed to subscribers. The Sightings Blog updates have not gone out over the past few updates. The…
Read more
