Northern Resident Killer Whales, Humpbacks, Pacific White Sided Dolphins and Harbour Porpoise

Nice to see the Northern Resident Orca back in our monitoring area. The Transient Bigg’s are conspicuous by their absence, but were reported in Queen Charlotte Strait, so not totally gone from the lower coast. The other main reports are of Pacific White Sided Dolphins and some Harbour Porpoise in large numbers. The surprise is that there are few Humpback reports with sightings only during one day. Apologies for the few reports that were missed from the last posting; they’re included here.

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8:36 am report through Coast Guard cutter Bartlett that the A36’s were Westbound by Chatham Point around 6 am.

9:55 am A36 NRKW brothers reported at Kelsey Bay. Actually 5 miles west of Kelsey Bay, almost at Port Neville doing 8 knots.

8:30 am 4 – 5 Orca (NRKWs) with 2 big males Southbound at Ripple Point close to the Vancouver Island side.

9:30 am Orca at Rock Point inbound.

10:20 am A36’s (2 brother NRKWs) are by Chatham Point; 1 close to the light, and the other closer to Thurlow Island inbound to Nodales Channel. There’s a group of PWS Dolphins coming to harass them. 10:24 am In Nodales now from Kurt.

1:48 pm Left one of the A36 brothers foraging by Davis Point, Nodales Channel. Think he was having some good Chinook feeding.

2:30 pm Left the A36 Orca brothers Westbound by Harding Island with Jos.

6 pm The Orca (A36’s) must’ve turned twice since we found them Westbound again by Harding Island.

7 pm They turned again heading back into Nodales Channel. Left the A36 brothers Easting into Nodales being harassed by 12 pesky Whitesided Dolphins.

2:02 pm Northern Resident Orca A36 brothers foraging with Leif and Kurt in Blackfish Sound.

3 pm A30’s in Robson Bight, Johnstone Strait. They headed past Cracroft Point Westbound.

8:24 am Humpback at Rock Bay Southbound.

9:53 am Humpbacks, possibly a Mom and calf?, mid-channel Discovery Passage between Okisollo Channel and Elk Bay. They’re travelling with a pod of Dolphins as well. Jen

10:42 am Jen and Leif departing Humpback and calf plus 12 Dolphins playing mid strait between Granite point and Bodega point.

1:32 pm 2 Humpbacks Southbound now in Seymour Narrows.

3:21 pm The Humpbacks are off the Cape Mudge lighthouse, Southbound.

4:18 pm They are both pretty large, so unless these are different ones, not Mom and calf. We’re South-West of Mitlenatch aiming for Sentry Shoal now.

2:30 pm 2 Humpback Whales by Cracroft Point, top of Johnstone Strait.

9:53 am 50 PWS Dolphins socializing and cavorting between Horn Bay and Little Dent Island (Yuculta Rapids area).

11:05 am PWS Dolphins by Sonora Point, Nodales Channel.

11:09 am About 80 PWS Dolphins at Thurlow Point (across from Sonora Point) in Nodales Channel foraging. There’s also another group with a number of babies at Horn Point, farther up the channel.

11:57 am 60 PWS Dolphins Westbound at Chatham Point doing 10 knots.

4:11 pm 100 PWS Dolphins Southbound at No Name Creek; few minutes later they’re Northbound now! Foraging.

4:23 pm 12 PWS Dolphins Southbound off Dolphins Resort, just North of the Campbell River Estuary.

7:30 pm Left the big group just South of Bodega Point.

9:30 am PWS Dolphins spread out….somewhere?

10:50 am 30 to 40 PWS Dolphins coming out from Nodales Channel to harass the 2 Orca (A36’s).

11:30 am 20 PWS Dolphins Northbound at Ripple Point at 10 knots.

5:20 pm 20 PWS Dolphins in Okisollo Channel by Lower Rapids back and forth foraging.

7 pm Left the A36 brothers Easting into Nodales being harassed by 12 pesky Whitesided Dolphins.

9:20 am Group of PWS Dolphins at Horn Point, top of Nodales Channel, heading towards Dent Island, by Yuculta Rapids.

9:39 am 6-12 PWS Dolphins in Seymour Narrows.

9:23 am 40+ PWS Dolphins at Horn Point, Nodales Channel foraging towards Dent Island.

9:40 am Dozen PWS Dolphins Northbound at Seymour Narrows.

10:26 am Lots of Dolphins by Horn Point, Nodales Channel, foraging, jumping and having fun.

1:28 pm 10+ PWS Dolphins in front of Sonora Lodge foraging and milling around. One has a really long dorsal fin, looks almost a foot high and ragged.

2:16 pm 20 PWS Dolphins at Kanish Bay, Discovery Passage, Northbound and milling.

3:09 pm 40 PWS Dolphins back and forth at Horn Point, Nodales Channel.

7:50 pm 12 PWS Dolphins between Brown’s Bay and Seymour Narrows foraging.

8:50 am 20 or so PWS Dolphins in or by entrance to Okisollo Channel.

9:53 am A pod of PWS Dolphins are around a Mom and calf Humpback between Okisollo Channel and Elk Bay, Discovery Passage. From Jen.

3:20 pm 2 groups of PWS Dolphins; about 20 Northbound by Walcan, Discovery Passage and another group of around 12 by Quathiaski Cove.

4:49 pm While watching the Humpback Whales, I stopped to count Harbour Porpoise foraging in the rip off the red can buoy, South of Cape Mudge. I started to see a few, then more….and i have lost count! I would say there are well over 30+ or more Harbour Porpoise out here. I swear, between 30-40 or maybe more! Once you stopped and looked around, there were times I would see 5-7 surface at once in a small area. They were surging all over, sometimes coming right out of the water…hard to photograph.

4:55 pm 3 Harbour Porpoise in Bute Inlet by Aran Rapids.

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