Resident and Biggs Orcas, Humpback and Minke Whales ~Superb viewing!
Sightings: Northern Resident Orcas: A5s, Biggs (Transient) Orcas, Humpback Whales, Dall's porpoises, Harbour seals, Steller sea lions, Bald Eagles, Belted Kingfishers, Red-Necked Phalaropes, Pigeon Guillemots, California Gulls, Mew Gulls, Cassin's Auklets, Marbled Murrelets, Black Oystercatchers and Rhinoceros Auklets.
It was another amazing day and on both of our tours we sighted Orcas and Humpback Whales while the sun was shining brightly and yielded forth a bright blue sea and sky!
Our sighting of orcas occurred shortly after leaving the dock in Alder Bay early this morning when Biggs (Transient) Orcas: T069s passed on by. Travelling west they went close into the shallow waters off the Nimpkish River Estuary and we had some fantastic viewing watching from a distance. We sighted a Minke Whale off Leonard Point on Cormorant Island and had some very good viewing of it as it circled around us. A beautiful rainbow appeared in Cormorant Channel and then there were Northern Resident Orcas, the A5's who we encountered in Blackfish Sound along with three Humpback Whales!
Our afternoon tour was equally amazing. We encountered the A5's who had travelled further north out into the Queen Charlotte Strait, passing by the Penfold Islets we watched as they headed back towards Malcolm Island. We enjoyed viewing the A42 Matriline in particular, A66 with his striking tall dorsal fin, his mother A42 and youngest sibling A103, b2013. There were three Humpback Whales that we observed including Guardian who caught our attention as she rolled about in some floating bull kelp in the middle of Blackfish Sound but it was the 10-15 bow surfing Dall's porpoises in Weynton Passage that stole the show! Listening to the birds chatting in the Stephenson Islands as we drifted, watching harbour seals and bald eagles, it was pure magic at the end of a brilliant day of viewing!
