Sightings and Photos Transients, Residents, Humpbacks

Sightings August 12, 2011: Transient Orca by Savary and Cortez Islands, Northern Resident Orca spread out from the top of Vancouver Island to near the bottom of Johnstone Strait, Humpback Whales include a Mom and a new calf, lots of Dall’s Porpoise, a few Pacific White Sided Dolphins and a Minke Whale.

8:30 am Three Transients heading South by Race Point, close to Campbell River.

9:40 am Four Transients in Baker Pass, between Hernando and Cortez Islands.

Garry, Aboriginal Journeys

12 pm Three Transients including ‘Can Opener’ two miles South of Campbell River heading South.

Garry, Aboriginal Journeys

9 am (call came in around 12 pm) A number of Transient Orca had been splashing and sprinting behind what may have been Porpoises or Dolphins. There was a flurry of activity just on the South-West side of Savary Island. They later headed towards Mitlenatch Island.

12 pm till around 3 pm Four Transient Orca were hunting around the Cortez Bay, Cortez Island area and working their way Eastward.

5 pm the four had gone right into Teakerne Arm, Lewis Channel, just above Desolation Sound, in hunting mode.

Garry, Aboriginal Journeys

 

Photo: Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys

Around 4 pm to 6:30 pm (Call came in on the 12^th) Approximately 20+ Transient Orca (including the T18’s and T19B – Nick) were between the Breton Isalnds and Rebecca Spit, between Quadra, Cortez and Read Islands. They took a number of seals off the rocks.

Garry, Aboriginal Journeys

Starting at 8:40 am Resident Orca worked their way up Johnstone Strait to Weynton Pass then back down towards the Bight. This is a regular routine, it seems and they have been foraging like this for the past number of days. There are also other Residents in Blackfish Sound as well as others (A30’s) Westing by Black Bluff, top of Malcolm Island. As the days progress, a few other pods are coming into the Strait including the I16’s and 27’s.

9:40 am & 12 pm reports of 2 Resident Pods of Orca totalling around 14 animals (possibly the A23’s and A8’s who didn’t make an appearance in the upper Johnstone Strait – SM) went into Nodales Channel, just above Discovery Passage.

Garry, Aboriginal Journeys

8:15 am A number of Orca reported above Lizard Pt., Malcolm Island foraging a bit then heading West.

9:30 am Some of the Orca Pods were in Robson Bight Ecological Reserve at the rubbing beaches.

10:30 am the A30’s came out of the Bight with some others following heading West up Johnstone Strait.

12 pm The A24’s and A12 & A36 boys plus some other Orca had gone as far down Johnstone Strait as Escape Reef where they turned and headed back up to join the whales that came out of Robson Bight.

Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures

5 pm The Orca had spread out across Johnstone Strait from Robson Bight all the way to Beaver Cove. A12, A24’s, A11’s were breaching, tail slapping and foraging. They headed towards Weynton Pass and some even went through a narrow passage we call the ‘Romantical Pass’ with the tide in between the Plumper Islands into Blackfish Sound. A couple turned and went back down Johnstone Strait along the Hanson Island shore, while some went down Blackfish Sound, all probably meeting up again in the Ecological Reserve. Until a couple of cruise ships came by, they had been vocalizing. I left them at 7:30 pm

Lots of Humpback activity between 8:40 am till 8 pm in the upper reaches of Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Sound again today, with ‘Ripple’ and her new calf, ‘Freckles’ and ‘Twister’, who was heading towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, being the few specific ones mentioned on the radio today.

7:30 am A Humpback was seen in between a number of Orca (Resident) dorsal fins close to Lizard Point, Malcolm Island.

10 am Three Humpback Whales including a Mom and Calf were by Bold Head, Swanson Island.

Throughout the day, there were a number of reports of Humpback Whales in the Blackfish Sound area with the last report at:

7:20 pm of a Humpback breaching a number of times in Blackfish Sound.

Wayne on Lukwa, Stubbs Island Whale Watching

12 pm I had a Minke Whale between Pearse Reefs and Cormorant Island feeding with the birds.

5:45 pm A Minke Whale passed through Weynton Passage with it’s nose aimed at the Pearse Reefs.

Dall’s Porpoises are continuing to forage throughout the day in Weynton Pass and out in Blackfish Sound over towards Bold Head, where there were some Pacific White Sided Dolphins also.