Many Sightings – Orca Spread Out

Many reports with the Northern Resident Orca still spread out, Transient (Bigg’s) Killer Whales popping up, large number of Humpback Whales in the upper Johnstone Strait with a few farther South, Pacific White Sided Dolphins in large numbers in various places, Minke Whales not showing themselves easily, and Dall’s and Harbour Porpoises being spotted, and reported, a bit more frequently.

8:30 am Some Orca were spotted heading West past Ledge Point off Port McNeill. 1 pm The I15’s were at Pulteney Point.

8:50 am A30’s were picked up by Eve River / Naka Creek heading East down Johnstone Strait.

Around 12 pm A30’s turned and were Westbound by Naka Creek. This was also around the time the Transients T02C’s were Westbound on the other side of Johnstone Strait.

9:45 am 6+ Orca Westbound by Lizard Point, Malcolm Island. These turned out to be the A34’s while another group was reportedly inbound from the Port Hardy area.

8:57 am Orca by Frederick Armfrom a fisherman – turned out the be the A8’s.

1:48 pm the A8’s were Westbound by Ripple Point. They were moving at around 8 knots by Camp Point, but stopped to forage at Ripple Shoal. They timed it just right to get a push from the tide.

11:43 am A8’s Westing in Nodales.

2 pm Residents rounding Ripple Point.

12:00 pm A8’s Westbound by Chatham Point.

3:01 pm A8’s still Westing by Palmer Bay, between Camp Point and Ripple Point.

4:30 pm A8’s still Westbound with the tide by Paterson Island, just below Kelsey Bay. Had them this morning at Frederick Arm.

7:30 am Orca in Blackfish Sound – someone said they were Eastbound, someone else reported Westbound. Sounds like foraging to me!

9 am Orca spread out from Blinkhorn across to Hanson Island Eastbound.

1:50 pm Small groups of Orca were spread out foraging from Robson Bight to Cracroft Point.

One salmon, no ID on the salmon, jumped right in front of the A30’s as they passed the Sophia Islands heading East towards Swaine Point. They quickly caught and shared it. A few spy hops from the calf followed.

Around 2:30 pm the I15’s with some on the Vancouver Island shore and some by the Sophia Islands headed West up Johnstone Strait to around the Turn Point area and by 5 pm were back in the Bight.

8 am I15’s were Easting out of Robson Bight. And by 10 am were passing Naka Creek, but they didn’t go much farther.

12 – 1:10 pm they only travelled across the Strait to the Broken Islands by Port Harvey and appeared to be waiting for the A’s that had gone to Nodales Channel and were working their way back up the Strait.

4:50 pm the I15’s were back by Boat Bay heading West – there was no word on the A’s at that point.

11:08 am 20 Orca in Nodales – no idea who, I’m not there yet.

12:09 pm A23’s, A25’s and A30’s total of 20 of them, Westing by Walkem Islands doing 8 knots. 12:30 pm They’re Westing hard; already past Ripple Point.

11:30 am 20 Orca in Nodales Channel Westing, A30’s and A25’s I think.

2 pm They flew by Vansitaart Light doing 9 knots Westbound.

8:01 am Orca Northbound by the fishing hump off Cape Mudge.

They were right in front of Campbell River when they made a sudden U-turn and headed South again.

8:30 am 4 or 5 Orca, haven’t seen a big fin yet off Cape Mudge.

8:30 am 4 – 5 Orca on the Mudgeside. Doesn’t appear to be a male in the group, but will try to get a better look.

11:35 am 5 or 6 Transient Orca by Escape Reef, Forward Bay slowly heading West. Unfortunately it was a bit too lumpy for me to stay to get proper ID’s, but it looked like T02C and thought I possibly saw T20 as well. I spoke with Tenacious 3 around noon and they said that they heard there were some Orca by Stimpson’s Reef at 10:30 am. At 2:10 pm I heard that T02C’s were just past Boat Bay – so confirmed! The Resident A30’s were reported by Naka Creek at noon, which would have put them Westbound on the other side of Johnstone Strait around the same time.

8:26 am 3 Orca reportedly by Millie Island, Port Neville, perhaps Eastbound.

9:30 am 3 Transients in SunderlandChannel Easting.

10:05 am It’s the T02C’s in Sunderland.

4 pm Found another 5 Transients by Mitlenatch Island! One large male. Left them at Marina Reef Northbound.

12:30 pm I’m in Wellbore Channel with the Transients T02C’s.

2:05 pm They’re doing 3 knots and taking deeper dives down Chancellor Channel heading to Loughborough Inlet.

3:04 pm I’m leaving Orca by Loughborough, still Easting into the inlet.

Humpback Whales were in abundance! Cormorant Channel alone had 7 whales the morning of 26^th, with another 2 or 3 in Weynton Pass and "lots" reported by Bold Head. Although I do not have a total count for the 26^th or the 25^th, the total count at the top of Johnstone Strait / Broughton’s has been around 13 individual animals.

6:30 am Men out fishing and saw 2 Humpbacks at Flower Island.

While spending some time with the Humpback show by the Plumpers and Bold Head, a number of Pacific White Sided Dolphins decided to harass two Humpback Whales, one of whom was ‘Freckles’. The PWS Dolphins were relentless and the Humpbacks were trying to shake them by surfacing first off one side then the other of the Gikumi bugling their displeasure as they surfaced. It was quite the show.

8 am 4 Minke Whales were feeding off the Pearse Reefs.

8:40 am 2 Minke Whales between Alert Bay and Pearse Islands.

8:30 am 25+ PWS Dolphins at Bold Head.

(approx) 8:30 am Hi, saw a beautiful huge pod of porpoises (actually, they were Pacific White Sided Dolphins – SM) go by our cottage in Selma park just south of Sechelt. They were heading north.
Peter Vysek, Sechelt

11:43 am 150 or so PWS Dolphins milling in Frederick’s Arm.

All day: A few of the PWS Dolphins were constantly around the Northern Resident Orca bow riding and generally being annoying to them. If the Orca weren’t close by, they’d bug the Humpback Whales – see report above for one specific instance.

9:40 am 250 to 300 PWS Dolphinswere spread out around the Plumper Islands foraging, leaping and putting on a good show.

2:30 pm 150 PWS Dolphins in Mayne Passage.

4:12 pm 40 Dolphins Westing FAST by Knox Bay, must’ve heard the Transient Orca.

9:12 am A large gang of PWS Dolphins by the Plumper Islands.

10 am 100 or so PWS Dolphins by Donagal Head

Later in the afternoon, time not noted, this group seemed to grow to be closer to 200+ Dolphins.

11:08 am 150 PWS Dolphins Westing near Okisollo Channel in Discovery Passage.

11:30 am 200 PWS Dolphins Southbound at Deepwater Bay, just above Campbell River.

2:30 pm 100 PWS Dolphins foraging in Nodales Channel.

2:30 pm 75 PWS Dolphins by Harding Island in Nodales Channel heading East.

Most reports over the radio go something like "oh yeah, we’ve seen them here and there." So limited reports of specific sightings:

10:20 am 6 Dall’s Porpoise by Swaine Point foraging. They came over for a very quick couple of leaps bow riding then they were gone.

Before 11:43 am Pod of around 12 Dall’s Porpoise milling around by Whiskey Point.

9:30 am 4 Dall’s Porpoiseforaging at the entrance to Growler Cove.

2:20 pm 2 Dall’s and 4 Harbour Porpoise were foraging together in Clio Channel by Walden Island.