Another day of magnificent beauty with A & G-Clan Orcas and Humpback Whales!
Our sightings: Northern Resident Orcas, Humpback Whales, Dall's Porpoises, Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Steller Sea Lions, a California Sea Lion, Harbour Seals, River Otters, Rhinoceros and Cassin's Auklets, Red-Necked Phalaropes, Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots and Gulls.
It was an incredible day of viewing on both of our tours and despite the late clearing fog this morning, our sightings of Cetaceans and seabirds was wonderful. The morning tour began with a family of River Otters who were on the dock in Alder Bay and ended with a gorgeous blue sky and blue waters and swirling drifts of fog!
The fog added its own greatness, revealing magnificent beauty including orcas in our surroundings and listening to A & G-Clan vocals via our hydrophone while the fog hung low and heavy was surreal! As the fog lifted further we observed that they were all spread out and some foraging behaviour was seen. A Humpback Whale was also seen who we identified as Ridge.
On the afternoon tour we found the orcas all spread out across Johnstone Strait and heard again their beautiful A & G-Clan vocals. The Orcas we identified were I16s, I65s, I4s (I15s), G2s and the A30s were also likely in the large spreading mix! They were foraging, tail slaps were seen and some resting lines that were mesmerizing to watch.
A small group of dolphins were observed feeding in amongst the resident orcas and chasing after them in their typical harassing play. At one point the orcas surprised us turning back and towards us, and they along with the dolphins surfaced close by as we sat drifting in the current. There were six Humpback Whales, Ridge and Inukshuk among them, with Ridge breaching! Of added interest was a lone California Sea Lion on the rock along with the Steller Sea Lions!
Photo credits: Muriel Halle. All photos have been cropped and taken with a telephoto lens.