Mesmerizing humpback whale watching and so much more....

It was an amazing day with the viewing of many species, all of whom were converging to feed in the flooding current and while the day was mostly enshrouded in fog, this did not detract at all from our viewing

opportunities; instead it heightened our awareness of our surroundings and the exquisite beauty that was revealed to us glimpse by glorious glimpse. While there were several humpback whale sightings

reported today, they were well spread out in the area and because of fog in the earlier part of the tour, it was not possible to see them all. A mother and calf were reported being off Lizard Point and another single

whale off Lewis Point at the same time that we were viewing our first humpback whale of the day. Initially we sighted it near Weynton Island and observed it making its way east in Johnstone Strait before turning

back to the west. The dives were timed at 7-8 minutes with 8-9 breaths between and while the fog swirled in and around us, it was the blows that we listened for intently and while observing the pattern of its dive sequence

everyone could fully appreciate the sheer size and grace of the whale. While cruising among the Plumper Islands enjoying the quiet narrow waterways we observed some precious moments of young fledged

belted kingfishers in pursuit of their parents, shrill like, their cries carried far and we watched as they landed and settled close together on branches overhanging the water. Approaching Weynton Passage from the north side, another humpback whale was sighted and numerous bald eagles could be seen swooping low over a herring ball. Gulls and rhinoceros auklets joined in, feeding in a frenzy in the flooding current and it was good to see that both mature and juvenile eagles were successful in catching the small fish in their talons and flying off with them, some mature eagles to attend their nests. In a high nest nearby, two eaglet's were observed with one of the parents arriving back at the nest with herring for them to feast on. Meanwhile the humpback whale surfaced again and we watched in awe as Lefty surfaced and dived with ease, some distance away from the herring ball. The fog was clearing rapidly with Johnstone Strait opening up and across at Beaver Cove two more humpback whales could be seen and another further east off Bauza Islets.  Other species also seen today included: harbour seals and some pups, dall's porpoises, black oyster catches, harlequin ducks, pigeon guillemots, cassins auklets, herring and glaucous-winged gulls.