Cover Image: Transient Biggs Orca – Rocky T002C1 – travelling by Campbell River Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions Orca were observed in various waterways during the past two weeks. Orca were seen in Malaspina Strait off of Texada Island and up through Sutil Channel, Lewis Channel, and Discovery Passage. These were Transient…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale Breaching Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Many Humpback whales have been observed in upper Georgia Strait around Campbell River and the south end of Quadra Island. Over half of the sightings received in this period were of Humpback whales. Some of the Humpbacks remained at the surface displaying various behaviours; a…
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Cover Image: Tasu – T002C – spy hopping! Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions There have been many sightings of Transient Bigg’s Orca in a number of areas around British Columbia. Some of the Orca were seen hunting, with one occasion Dall’s porpoises were the confirmed prey. On another occasion, Orca were seen…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale, Lucy (T002C3) Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions The number of sightings of Cetaceans has increased over the past two-week period. The nice sunny weather has lead many to be outdoors; increased activities by a shoreline or by boaters has increased the frequency of sightings. Calmer waters…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins escorting the Texada ferry Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins were observed in a few areas but notably, some of these dolphins were off Powell River for consecutive days at the end of March. The pods were of various sizes. Orca are the largest type…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolpins in front of Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Over the past reporting period, a number of pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins were observed on different days near Powell River. The pods ranged in size; a few pods were estimated to include 50 dolphins and at least one…
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Cover Image: Orca hugging the shore! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Over the past two weeks, only sightings of Orca were received. Of those sightings, most of them were of Transient Orca and there was one confirmed sighting of Northern Resident Orca. These Orca were mainly observed around Powell River, Campbell…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale near Gabriola Island AP, Gabriola Island, BC World Whale Day is on February 21 this year! It is a day for individuals to really appreciate the intelligence, magnificence, and beauty of these marine mammals from the smallest porpoises to the largest whales. In the waters around British Columbia, over…
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Cover Image: Large pod of dolphins close to shore! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Many people think whale-watching means getting onto a boat and going out to sea to observe dolphins, porpoises, and whales. However, another way to see these wonderful animals is from land! Cetaceans can be seen from land from many locations here…
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Cover Image: Pod of Pacific White Sided Dolphins near Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC When winter weather rolls in, it can be challenging to see the whales that still transit and feed in our waters. Baleen whale blows, such as Humpback, are generally quite a tall plume with a bit of a circle…
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Cover Image: Humpbacks singing at sunset Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society Another year is finished and we are happy to let 2020 go into the sunset. We look forward to a better year in 2021 and from all of us in our organization, we wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year!Many…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whales – T002Cs – spyhopping! Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions A behaviour observed in Cetaceans is spyhopping. Spyhopping is when a Cetacean is able to rise to the surface vertically and raise its head out of the water, such as the Orca in our cover image. This…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Autumn brings many visible changes around us on land and in the sea. Some species of Cetaceans may be moving as their prey moves to different locations with the onset of Fall. Other species may be migrating to warmer waters…
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Cover Image: Humpback calf breaching! Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures Many Humpback whales are still travelling around inland waterways and many of them can be seen easily from shore. Of the 116 sightings received, 89 of them were of Humpback whales. Many of the Humpback sightings reported the whales were breaching, some multiple times. A…
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Cover Image: Young Pacific White Sided Dolphin Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions When we look at our ocean ecosystem as a whole, it may be easy to forget about the little guys. We don’t. All whales, dolphins and porpoise that are within our oceans play a huge part in the balance, as…
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Cover Image: Constellation the humpback breaching! Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions Identifying individual animals is something of a learning curve and even those of us who are used to doing IDs over many years can have difficulty at times. Photographic evidence is extremely important to confirm an ID. With Humpback Whales, the…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale with Pink Krill Blow Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Humpback Whales are baleen whales. Baleen, instead of teeth, is formed in fine strands from keratin. Keratin is the same substance your body uses to create fingernails, hair and even some of your skin. Like fingernails, baleen becomes flexible when wet allowing…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whales near Walkem Islands, Johnstone Strait Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours There is no typo in our title. Yes, Orca are big, such as the adult males which can reach lengths of 8-9 meters. However, “Bigg’s Orca” is a name that refers to the Transient Orca…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale near Vivian Island Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC The number of sightings continue to remain relatively high with many Cetaceans staying notably in upper Georgia Strait, Sutil Channel, and Discovery Passage. The majority of sightings are of Humpback whales, with some of them breaching and a few slapping their pectoral fins.…
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Cover Image: Humpback playing with Stellar Sea Lions! Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures Here in our Province of British Columbia, there is an abundance of wildlife in the sea. There are over 20 different species of Cetaceans that inhabit these waters, and many of you will get opportunities to see whales, dolphins, or porpoises from…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale, T101B Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions Orca (or Killer whales) are the largest dolphins in the world. Adult male Orca maybe over 8-meters long and may have a mass close to 10000-kg. Full grown female Orca are about 7-meters long and have a mass over 7000-kg.…
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Cover Image: Northern Resident Killer Whales – C6s & D11s – passing Deepwater Bay, Discovery Passage Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions On the morning of August 30th, Northern Resident Orca (fish-eating)travelled southward starting from the north end of Discovery Passage and they arrived in Menzies Bay around noon where they remained for…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whales in front of Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC We have many whales in our inside waters. Humpbacks are still in large numbers with over fifty meandering and foraging in our channels and Georgia Strait. Boat operators, in particular faster moving boats, need to use some caution and attention. Humpbacks…
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Cover Image: Spirit Orca (Tl’uk) passing south of Campbell River Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Transient Orca usually are on the move and they rarely stay in one area for extensive periods of time. They may be found in one waterway and in a few hours, the Orca would be in…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale on a Sunny Evening Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures The tail of a Humpback whale is used to identify individuals in conjuction with the shape with its dorsal fin. The contour on the trailing edge of the tail combined with the colouration pattern on the underside of the tail are specific…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale by Mitlenatch Island, Georgia Strait Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Pictures (and videos) can tell us a lot about Cetaceans. For decades, whale biologists have been using pictures to identify whales, examine their behaviours, and to determine their health. Biologists can identify a specific individual…
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Cover Image: Northern Resident Killer Whale and a Humpback Whale Stan Novotny, Eagle Eye Adventures On August 9th, some Northern Resident Killer Whales (i.e. fish-eating Orca) made their way into the southern end of Sutil Channel appearing between Quadra Island and Read Island. Their group may have included up to 30 members and they remained…
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Cover Image: Northern Resident Killer Whales with Pacific White Sided Dolphin near Eve River, Vancouver Island Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are very social, which may explain why many of them remain in groups and they form strong bonds with members of their group. One example is Orca…
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Cover Image: Biggs Orca at Sunset Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Whales, dolphins, and porpoises can appear at any time of the day. As magnificent as a sunset by itself can be, how about combining that view with the ocean and Orca surfacing close by? Cetaceans often appear when you least…
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