Residents Looking for Salmon, Transients on a Tear

Northern resident Orca doing their long runs down to Nodales and back every couple of days it seems. With late and seemingly sparser salmon runs, it’s all about the food. Transient (Bigg’s) Killer Whales are hunting up a storm, while the Pacific White Sided Dolphins are trying to avoid them with everything they have. But a few Porpoise haven’t been as lucky. A bow riding Minke Whale! Humpback Whales are busy trying to fatten up for their Autumn trip back to the warm waters of Hawaii and Mexico. I’ve noticed a shortage of krill and smaller bait balls of small fish. Again, maybe they’re just running a bit late?

1:30 pm Resident Orca did go East and are in Nodales Channel.

1:45 pm The Resident Orca are entering Nodales Channel (by Howe Island from Nick Templeman, Eagle Eye Adventures)

5 pm Last I heard was that the Residents were still in Nodales Channel.

9 am A23’s, A25’s and A30’s were headed West out of the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve.

10:35 am Orcas now Easting by Kaikash Creek.

5:45 pm They were again Easting by Kaikash Creek headed back towards the Reserve.

7:15 am 10 to 15 Orca Westbound at Hall Point, Nodales Channel.

7:48 am Report of 12 or so Orca in Nodales Channel. I’m on my way to see.

11:15 am It’s the Residents! They’re Westbound by Ripple Point.

3 pm We left the Residents Westing at Camp Point.

7 pm Resident Pods were slowly working their way back to the West by Havannah Channel.

7:44 am 6-7 Orca spotted in Whale Passage, by Cortez Island – no real direction. (from a sports fisherman)

8:49 am Found the Transients!(it’s his birthday and looking forward to some days off, so he’s forgiven for not telling me where he found them, or anything else – Happy Birthday! – SM)

10:12 am Transients between Raza and Rendezvous Islands. They are the T101/102’s and T90’s for a total of 7 or 8 between the two gangs. Had a flurry of action as we seemed to get a Harbour Seal kill at Kelsey Point on Stuart Island. Many breaches and rolls after. Very cool.

12:42 pm T102 and gang by Kelsey Point, Stuart Island – Looks like 7 Orca.

2 pm Transients Southbound in Calm Channel.

6 pm I left the Transients mid channel in Hole in the Wall heading towards Okisollo Channel.

11:23 am Sounds like T02C’s at Jesse Island, Blenkinsop Bay.

2:30 pm We left the 150 PWS Dolphins by Vansittart Point, Race Passage still moving quickly after the Transient (Bigg’s) T02C’s tried for a kill in Blinkensop Bay, Sunderland Channel. When the Transients tried, the Dolphins scattered in a panic. We left the T02C’s in Sunderland Channel. (repeated in PWS Dolphins)

5:45 pm T02C’s just turned at Forward Bay, Wellbore Channel. Headed West with the ebb.

2:18 pm T02C’s Southbound in Chancellor Channel.

3:21 pm Heard rumours of Transients in Chancellor Channel headed South.

Caught the T02C’s at the mouth of Loughborough Inlet. They gave us an awesome show. They were chasing Porpoise teaching the calf. They made a kill then around 7 pm wandered back into Loghborough Inlet.

5 pm We left the T02C’s at the mouth of Loughborough Inlet milling. They got a Harbour Porpoise. They were Jumping and Spyhopping, rollovers and backstrokes. They were happy after their dinner. Saw the momma feed the little one nose to nose. Little one was breaching after.

6:57 pm Just left the T02C’s at Lyle Island, mouth of Loughborough Inlet. No direction – milling. Killed a Porpoise before we got on scene. We witnessed 2 Harbour seals get flushed out of the Thurlow Island shore. Chased one extremely close to us.

Enclosed is a picture from the other day off of Cape Mudge with the T018/19 Gang & T20/21. They spread out off of Cape and In true transient fashion took off after the first Harbour Porpoise that came along! They hunted right through about 20 sportfishing boats off of the Hump as well! It was amazing to see them all work together to coral the porpoise as well…..big T20 Tail Slapping the surface. The hunt only lasted a couple of minutes.

Throughout the day: First in the fog it was just "we heard a blow" and then once the fog cleared the sightings were from Blackney Pass, Flower Island, Bold Head, Stubbs Island and Pearse Reefs. The sightings included: ‘Argonaught’, ‘Chunky and her new calf’, ‘Conger’, and 6 others for a total of 10 Humpback Whales in the area.

5 – 6 pm 4 Humpback Whalesworked their way up Blackfish Sound and were working back and forth between Double Bay, Hanson Island and Bold Head across the strait, even coming in between small boats trolling. Two of the whales headed for a narrow passage through the the Plumper Islands and Hanson Island known as the Blow Hole. Right at that time, a number of small boats, completely unaware that the whales were in their path, went flying in both directions through the Blow Hole and another narrow pass known as the Romantical Pass. Myself and a tour vessel the Island Odyssey waited for the whales to surface after these small boats cleared. Finally one large animal surfaced with a huge blow and retreated quickly back towards the less confined space of Blackfish Sound. This whale already has a nick in it’s dorsal fin which looks suspiciously like prop damage. A few deep breaths and a bit of trumpeting when he met up with the other two still in Blackfish. Then I noticed a couple of large Humpback blows from behind some rocks. Good, all accounted for. This last whale either took the Romantical Pass or went around the shoals back towards Blackfish also. It had managed to avoid the boats by hiding close in the kelp bed and by rocks.

11:40 am Just got a report (radio) of a Humpback Whale Northbound at Quadra lighthouse (Cape Mudge).

3:21 pm Just left the whale bucking the tide still by the lighthouse (afternoon run).

12:17 pm Spotted a Humpback just South of Cape Mudge. It stayed feeding in the same area for a couple of hours. I really enjoyed watching it.

11:30 till 2 pm 3 Humpbacks with a possible fourth stopping by briefly, were lunge feeding on small herring around the Pearse Reefs. Of the three, there was ‘Argonaught’ and ‘Claw’ and uncertain at this time who the third and possible fourth was. Total Humpback count for the day was again between 8 to 10 whales.

6 pm Humpback Whale was at Duncan Bay Westing.

8 pm Humpback Whale breaching by Kanish Bay. May be ‘Stripe’.

10:20 am Minke Whale just off the Pearse Islands was actually Bow Riding then wake riding with the Naiad Explorer!

10 am (approx) Lots of PWS Dolphins by Hickey Point – no direction or actual numbers.

2:30 pm We left the 150 PWS Dolphins by Vansittart Point, Race Passage still moving quickly after the Transient (Bigg’s) T02C’s tried for a kill in Blinkensop Bay, Sunderland Channel. When the Transients tried, the Dolphins scattered in a panic. We left the T02C’s in Sunderland Channel.

6 pm 150+ PWS Dolphins doing zig zag pattern between Turn Island, Howe Island and Chatham Point.

11 am 100 or so PWS Dolphins at Chatham Point foraging.

Afternoon tour: Dolphins were at Kanish Bay, across from Chatham Point foraging around. And on the way back around 7 pm the close to 200 PWS Dolphins were still zig zagging all over Discovery Pass close to Chatham Point.

8:40 pm 2 Harbour Porpoise, maybe 3 by Cape Mudge Lighthouse.

Again during the day there were smaller groups of Dall’s Porpoise, some just foraging in tide rips and other being playful and bow riding.

9:20 am One lonesome Harbour Porpoise foraging near Simm’s Creek, Campbell River.

Throughout the day, there were groups of Dall’s Porpoise foraging around Weynton Pass.