Cover Image: Humpbacks – Wilkinson BCY0267 and Spock BCY1134 – in a synchronized dive Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society What makes each Cetacean species unique? Here are some of the reasons for each of the main species seen here in B.C. Orca are unique for their intelligence and for their social structures – families…
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Cover Image: Humpback feeding! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Humpback whales are classified in a group called Baleen whales. Other Baleen whales include Blue whales, Grey whales, Minke whales, and Fin whales. These whales do not have teeth. Instead, they have baleen which are protein plates hanging down from the upper…
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Cover Image: Humpbuck breaching! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Over the past week, close to half of the sightings we received were of Humpback whales. Some of the Humpbacks were mother-calf pairs. Many Humpback whales were breaching and a few were observed lunge feeding and doing tail slaps. Northern Resident Orca…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whales Breaching! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Whales are amazing to watch whether from land or by boat. Often, individuals are lucky to see whales breach, meaning when the whales propel their bodies vertically out of the water as in our cover image. Humpback whales and Orca are…
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Cover Image: Killer Whales Travelling Mid-Channel Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Summer is officially here and with it, sea life is abounding. Transient Orca have been reported in many inland waterways and channels. Just over half of the sightings reported are of Humpback whales obsrved from central Georgia Strait to upper Georgia Strait and adjacent…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whales surfacing near shore! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past 2 weeks, Orca have been observed near Victoria and Nanaimo, as well as in Howe Sound, upper Georgia Strait, and its adjacent waterways. Most of the Orca reported were Transient Biggs Orca, which feed…
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Cover Image: “Potumas” the humpback surfacing Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours More than half of the reported sightings during the past two weeks were of Humpback Whales. A majority of the Humpback whales were observed in upper Georgia Strait and its adjacent waterways; a few have appeared off Vancouver (the Lower…
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Cover Image: Orca breaching and tail slapping Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Not quite a Super Pod of Transient Biggs Orca joined together in front of Powell River on their way farther south. A super pod of Orca is generally a gathering of 50 or more whales. Orca travel in family pods so to avoid…
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Cover Image: Orca blowing together Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC A major portion of the sighting reports of Cetaceans received during the past few weeks were of Orca. Most of the Orca were the Transient Biggs Orca, ones which eat other marine mammals like seals, sea lions, and porpoises. Many of the Transient Orca were…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins surfacing Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours It is Spring time and with this time of year, there is renewal of life as there is more sunshine warming the land and the sea. The abundance of organisms increases all around us, and with careful observation and…
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Cover Image: Killer whale swimming with calf Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Baby Orca are born with a colour different from adult Orca, as seen in our cover image. Instead of white patches, baby Orca have patches of light brown and as they get older, the patches become white. Baby Orca will be between 2.0-meters…
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Cover Image: North Resident Killer Whales surfacing in Malaspina Strait Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC World Whale Day will be celebrated on February 18. It is a day to appreciate the beauty, size, and intelligence of all whales, dolphins, and porpoises (Cetaceans). Cetaceans are extremely important in the ocean ecosystems. Since they are at the…
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Cover Image: North Resident Killer Whales surfacing in Malaspina Strait Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Members of the Northern Resident Orca have remained in upper Georgia Strait during the past two weeks, notably around Powell River. Resident Orca eat fish and tend to travel in larger pods, compared to the Transient Orca which eat marine…
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Cover Image: Northern Resident Killer Whales travelling Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Members of the Northern Resident Orca appeared near Powell River and upper Georgia Strait on December 5th and December 8th. The Northern Resident Orca appear in upper Georgia Strait a few times a year but they are not usually seen there at this…
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Cover Image: Killer Whale Blowing! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Some of the Southern Resident Orca were seen in Georgia Strait on November 11. Members of K-pod appeared off the north end of Texada Island in the morning but it is unknown where they went in the following days. Humpback whales were seen in many…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping through the air Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Pacific White-Sided dolphins are very common along the coast and in waterways of British Columbia. They can be in small pods with 10 individuals or they can be seen in large pods that include a few hundred individuals. These dolphins…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Killer Whale Hunting Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions Transient Orca prey on marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions, otters, porpoises, dolphins, and possibly calves of larger whales. Transient Orca can be stealthy when approaching their prey and will work together to catch their prey. On some hunts,…
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Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping through the air! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC A number of pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins were observed during the past couple of weeks. Two of the pods were quite large, numbering around 100 individuals per pod. Pacific White-Sided dolphins can be exciting to watch as they can…
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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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