Transient Killer Whales Take the Spotlight

From one day with no reports, to many Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Transient Orca / Killer Whales, a Humpback Whale and some Dall’s Porpoise. These are the Transient Orca, I’m starting to call our ‘Resident – Transients’ since they have spent all winter in and around this area with very few forays away. With few people around to report their sightings, they have been known to seemingly disappear up various channels and inlets above Desolation Sound. Great photo of Mom and Calf breaching together!

News about the young Humpback Whale that died on the shores of White Rock is that after the necropsy is done, the whale bones will be reconstructed and put on display at the Telegraph Cove Whale Interpretation Center and Museum.

Wow! What an afternoon with the large gang of T’s! We punched our way down to 3 miles north of Little River Ferry Terminal on our afternoon tour to catch up to the gang of what i believed to be 18-20 Transients. They were very social and were performing breaches, double breaches, upside down tail lobs, tail stands, spyhops, tailflaps, everything you could think of! From what i can see so far we had the T-002C’s, T050’s, T101/102 gangs, T046’s and others that I haven’t been able to ID yet.

Thought i would get this double breach pic to you for the blog quickly though. I believe it to be T002C and her calf that was born last year, T002C3. I didn’t actually notice the calf in the breach until i looked at the image after taking it. It is one of my favorite transient pics ever!! Cheers!

6 am Orca reported by fisherman friend (received 9 am) Northbound by Cape Mudge, Campbell River.

9:20 am Report of 10 to 12 Orcanow by Brown’s Bay, just north of Campbell River.

10:45 am Picked up the 18 to 20 Transient Orca including T02C’s and T101’s Southbound in Seymour Narrows.

9:23 am 10 to 12 Orca Brown’s Bay– Scotty with them now.

11:39 am The Orca were spread outa bit with the lead whales by Whiskey Point and the trailing group close to Steep Island. They were travelling about 8 knots so it didn’t take them long to get to Cape Mudge.

1 pm There may have been a split since there appears to be 12 Transients slowly heading South between Salmon Point and Mitlenatch Island. This group included T02C, the one with scoliosis and T19B.

2:30 pm The Transient Orca are just South of Sentry Shoal.

3:40 till 5 pm Transient Killer Whales still on a slow roll Southbound about half way between Little River, Comox and Savary Island.

7 am 2 Orca were reported by fisherman (received at 10:30 am) Northbound by Brown’s Bay, Discovery Passage. By noon they were Westbound at Bear Point.

We picked up on these 2 Transientsat Lewis Pt. (1/8mile west of Ripple Pt) in Johnstone Strait today. The time was approx 1125. We had gone on a search based on a report from a fisherman @ Browns Bay that had told us 2 Killer Whales had gone past there fishing boat @ approx 0730hrs. These 2 were tucked pretty close to the Vancouver island shoreline for the most part, staying in the back eddy out of the main flood current. We stayed with them for approx 1.5 hrs and in this time witnessed no hunting behaviours, just swimming. We left them and handed them over to another whale watching company at approx 1300 hrs. As a side note these 2 were in front of Cowichan Bay Westbound a day and a half ago….from Simon of Ocean Eco Adventures.

A bit after 1 pm. Got to the 2 Orca just past Camp Point in Johnstone Strait. Stayed with these two till around 3 pm by Petersen Island, just below Kelsey Bay. While watching the Orca, we also spotted a lone Humpback Whale heading South-East also by Petersen Island. It was doing long dives.

2:40 pm While watching the Orca, we also spotted a lone Humpback Whale heading South-East also by Petersen Island (Johnstone Strait). It was doing long dives.

8:10 am A group of about 25 Dolphinsas I’m crossing on the ferry from Quadra to Campbell Riverright now.

Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys

9 am 20 to 30 PWS Dolphinsfeeding on small fish by Yellow Island, close to Campbell River.

10:20 am Another 10 Dolphins by Denham Island, Okisollo Channel. Then:

11 am There were about 100 – 150 PWS Dolphins Northbound in the very shallow and narrow channel of Whiterock Passage, just by Beazley Passage. Once through the passage into Calm Channel, there were another 20 to 40 Dolphins by Deer Point. Dolphins Everywhere!

3:10 pm 10 to 12 PWS Dolphinsmilling about by the Settlers Group of Islands by Beazley Passage.

4:45 pm Had 4 Dall’s Porpoise near Duncan Bay feeding on herring.