Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale, Chainsaw Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Many pods of Transient Orca were observed during the past week. Individual Orca can be identified by the shape of their dorsal fin, and the patterns of their eyepatch as well as their saddlepatch (located on the back posterior…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whales travelling together Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Pod sizes vary from one species to another. Transient Biggs Orca tend to travel in pods that number between 4 to 8 individuals. Occasionally, larger pods of Transients form that might include up to 30 individuals. Resident Orca…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale near Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Different behaviours were displayed by Cetaceans. Many Humpback whales were observed breaching, lunge feeding, and doing pectoral slaps. Some Humpbacks were milling with a few of them observed swimming in circles. Humpbacks were also seen resting; when they rest, the whales will be…
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Cover Image: Humpbacks diving together! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Whale watchers get excited when they see the tails (also called flukes) of whales and dolphins. If you see a Humpback whale raise its tail out of the water, the whale will be taking a long dive which could last between…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Many different behaviours were displayed by Humpback whales. Many Humpbacks were seen breaching and some other whales were seen lunge feeding as well as doing pectoral slaps. One Humpback was reported sounding off as it dove while another whale with a calf…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale BCX1852 Raza injured by vessel strike Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours The number of whales and their calves in our inside BC waters has been increasing every year. This provides all of us, whether on the water or from shore, with some spectacular shows and viewing opportunities.…
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Cover Image: Northern Resident Killer Whale Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Members of the Northern Resident Orca have remained extensively in the upper Georgia Strait and other inland waterways. There are a few clues that you can use to help you identify the type of Orca (Resident or Transient) that you…
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Cover Image: Humpbacks taking a deep dive! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past week, many Humpback whales were observed in many areas. Humpback whales were reported from the Texada Island & Powell River area, all the way north to Johnstone Strait, and in many waterways in-between those areas. You…
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Cover Image: Northern Resident Killer Whale Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past week, some of the Northern Resident Orca appeared at the top end of Georgia Strait and in the surrounding waterways like Sutil Channel as well as Malaspina Strait. The Orca were identified as the A42s and were…
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Cover Image: Humpback breaching off Oyster Bay, Georgia Strait Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past week, over 75% of the reported sightings were of Humpback whales. The Humpbacks were observed in upper Georgia Strait, Sutil Channel, Malaspina Strait, the eastern end of Johnstone Strait, and many other inland waterways.…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale Breaching Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Sometimes, individuals may be lucky observing a Cetacean breach. Humpback whales are one of the types of Cetaceans that do breach and a whale can breach many times in a short period of time. Each breach will require a whale to…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale blowing mid channel Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours One obvious sign that there are Cetaceans close by are their blows (or spouts) which can be seen and heard. Blows of whales and dolphins vary in shape and sizes. For example, the blows of an Orca…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past week, a number of Transient Biggs Orca were observed and reported. One pod of Transient Orca was observed hunting off the south end of Quadra Island (Cape Mudge) and catching a Harbour porpoise. A number of Humpback…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale leaping at sunset! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC During the past two weeks, over half of the sighting reports we received were of Transient Orca. Some of these Orca were observed breaching, milling, and spy-hopping. One specific pod, the T090s, was seen on three different days in upper Georgia…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale in Malaspina Strait Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC During the past few weeks, many Transient Orca were observed and reported to us in upper Georgia Strait and in many inland waterways. Transient Orca were also appearing quite regularly in other areas of the province, such as in Howe Sound…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins and Eagles foraging for Herring! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours When you see Cetaceans out in the sea, how could you tell if those whales or dolphins are foraging? There are a few signs of foraging that you can look for – perhaps you can…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whales Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours The majority of reports received over the past two weeks were of Transient Biggs Orca. Orca were observed as far north as Johnstone Strait and as far south as Juan de Fuca Strait. Some of the Orca were observed milling,…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins travelling together Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Foraging for food is a primary concern for all wildlife. Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoise) have huge ranges of ocean to cover looking for their food if they don’t follow the flow of fish, who frequently follow krill. With the majority of…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whales travelling at dusk Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC During the past few weeks, Orca have been sighted off Sechelt, Hornby Island, Comox, Powell River, Campbell River, and the eastern end of Johnstone Strait. Most of these sightings were Transient Biggs Killer whales. There was a small pod of Northern…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins near Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC World Whale Day is celebrated this year on Sunday, February 19th. It a day to appreciate all Cetaceans -meaning whales, dolphins, and porpoises- and their importance in their environments. We can also reflect on ways to conserve and protect these wonderful,…
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Cover Image: A mother orca and mother dolphin travelling together Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Dependent on the location and time of year, one may be able to see Resident Orca travelling with Pacific White-Sided dolphins. The Pacific White-Sided dolphins know how to distinguish between the Resident “fish-eating” Orca and the…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins near Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Large pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins appeared off Powell River on December 17th and again on December 28th. Each pod was estimated to include around two hundred dolphins and they were visible from shore. Our cover image shows two dolphins travelling…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale near Powell River Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC There appears to be many Humpback whales in waterways and inland channels. Humpback whales were observed in Johnstone Strait, Discovery Passage, Georgia Strait, Malaspina Strait, and off Nanaimo as well as the Sunshine Coast. Eventhough they may be well offshore (e.g. a few…
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Cover Image: Orca travelling together! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are often in groups or pods. Orca tend to stay together as families with the oldest female being the leader of the pod. Transient Orca tend to be in groups of 4 to 6 individuals while Resident…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours The presence of many sea birds (e.g. seagulls) may indicate that are either whales or dolphins in the area too. The sea birds may be looking for opportunities to snatch fish near the surface of the water as the whales…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Orca blowing a rainbow! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past reporting period, many Transient Orca were observed and a few of the Orca pods were seen hunting their prey. On October 11, Southern Resident Orca (J-pod) appeared off of Powell River mid-day and they appeared…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions Occasionally, one may be fortunate to see the tails (flukes) of whales. It may be when whales are diving, breaching, playing on the surface, or even when they do tail lobs. When chasing and hunting their prey, Transient Orca may exit…
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Cover Image: Humpback – KC – with krill on their back! Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society In the previous publication, the feeding methods of Humpback whales was discussed. What do Humpbacks eat? Humpbacks may feed on krill, which are small crustaceans no bigger than a few centimeters and they look very similar to shrimp.…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Whales and dolphins use various strategies to capture their prey and to feed. Humpback whales are known for a few methods, such as bubble-net feeding. Humpbacks will swim in a circle below their prey (schooling fish) and while doing so, they would…
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Cover Image: Humpback breaching! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Understanding that an average size Humpback Whale is approximately the size of a bus, 40 ft. (just over 12M) and can weigh in the neighbourhood of 66,000 lbs (30,000 kg) can help put perspective into seeing this large animal coming totally out…
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