Cetacean Sightings Update to November 14, 2014
Few reports have come in since our last report. This leaves huge gaps in knowing where the whales, dolphins and porpoise are. Or where they went to. It is a big ocean out there and we rely mostly on your land based reports. We track and monitor all year round and land based sightings reports during the cooler, non-boating months is ever more crucial to establishing where these animals go. They are out there, so keep your eyes open and remember to call or email your sightings in. The information we’d like is: date, time, number, species, location, direction of travel, and any other bit of information about what they were doing. But even if you don’t have all the information, we’d love to hear about it, as quite often we can piece together bits of information, if we hear about it. Photos too can be helpful in identification, but if you’re on a boat, please use caution and follow the whale watching guidelines.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Have you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every sighting report is valuable!
TRANSIENT BIGG’S KILLER WHALES
November 13:
1:18 pm One Orca (presumed Transient Bigg’s) popped up, or should I say it was just diving in the Brown’s Bay, Discovery Passage, fishing pier web camera when I did a quick scan. Once again, (see also November 10 report below) a lucky view.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Although tough to see clearly in the saved web cam photo grab,
the white spot farthest to the left is the saddle patch of the Orca
Zoomed in cropped version
November 11:
9:57 am A number of Orca (presumed Transient Bigg’s) off the red can buoy by Cape Mudge.
10:30 am There’s between 10-12 Orca. It looks like they’re headed in the direction of Marina Island now. Can see their blows really well.
12:30 pm Guess the Orca changed their minds. The 12 or so Orca are now headed to Shelter Point, below Campbell River.
Elvis, Eagle Eye Adventures
November 10:
1:28 pm 4 Transient Bigg’s Killer Whales by Kelsey Bay were throwing around a seal then played with it for about 45 minutes, but did not eat it. There was one very large one and a couple of calves. Perhaps they were showing the little ones how to hunt. After asking for some more details, we were told they did continue South; see next report below.
Gordon Briggs, Sayward.
November 10:
4 pm An Orca was just surfacing in the Brown’s Bay fishing pier web camera as I wondered where the Orca above had gone. It was pure luck that by chance I looked at the photo style web camera right at that time. See the link below to access the camera which has been posted by North Island Communication.
Susan MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
November 8:
10:18 am 2 Orca northbound Malaspina Strait, 1/4 mi off Anderson Bay, breached 4 times on way by tug then disappeared.
Bruce Simonar, Powell River
Orca surfacing center frame,
Brown’s Bay saved web cam photo grab
Zoomed in cropped version
HUMPBACK WHALES
November 10:
1 pm A large Humpback whale was also feeding, about 2 km in the rear of the pod of 500 plus Dophins (suspect white sided). Was a spectacular sight never seen this before from the air in 30 plus years on the coast.
Murray J Welte, Ladysmith BC
November 11:
There’s been a Humpback Whale back and forth in the Lund area over the past couple of days.
Raphael & Nancy Merkosky, Lund
PACIFIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
November 10:
1 pm Flying past the southern tip of Texada today around 1300 hrs saw a group of 500 plus Dophins (suspect white sided ) feeding and transiting. In the rear of the pod by about 2 km a large Humpback whale also feeding. Was a spectacular sight never seen this before from the air in 30 plus years on the coast.
Murray J Welte, Ladysmith BC
DALL’S PORPOISE
November 8:
Number of Dall’s Porpoise in Blind Channel for the past few days. (no times, numbers or direction given)
Fabien Minfray, Eagle Eye Adventures
LINKS
Norwegian men record close encounter with group of Humpback Whales:
A group of Norwegian men were trolling the fjords near Troms county, Norway, trying to spot feeding humpback whales when they got a much closer look than they had bargained for!
Web cameras set up at Brown’s Bay, Discovery Passage by North Island Communications:
These two cameras show photos that automatically update every few minutes:
Caught on video; a Beluga whale birth:
Have you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every sighting report is valuable!
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