December 4 - 14 2024 Northern Residents: A23s, A25s, G17s BiggÕs orcas: T060s, T019s Humpbacks: present and heard When we left off the A23s were engaged with families from the G01pod after they made a very late Fall visit to the Johnstone Strait area. ItÕs not entirely unheard of for G clan members to visit late in the year as they often come to take advantage of the Chum salmon migration. Chum, essential to the diet of Resident orcas, are the last of the salmon to make their run to their natal rivers. In the past these runs were plentiful but in recent times depleted which caused the Gs to look elsewhere so visits became sparse. The 2024 Chum run was more bountiful and Resident orcas along the coast enjoyed this taste of the past. What was rather interesting about this December G clan encounter in the Johnstone Strait was not just its brevity but also its complexity. First to be reported on December 2 were orcas from G12 pod, the G27s and G53s. These whales never fully made it to Johnstone Strait. Instead they retreated as it was realised that families from G01 pod had successfully entered Johnstone Strait instead. But these G01s also did not linger and within short order seemingly followed the G12s back to Queen Charlotte Strait. After a dayÕs pause, on December 4 G clan whales were back in Johnstone Strait. But this time the group identified acoustically were the G17s, another family group of the G01 pod. The encounter began just after 6am. By 6:40am it was realised that the A23s and A25s were there too. Just before 9am at least the A23s and A25s were all on their way north through Blackfish Sound as observed by Alex from afar. The rest of December 4th was rounded off by beautiful humpback singing. The next ten days were to hold other events but no repeat of the G clan visit. Humpback whales continued to remind us that not all had left for their migration as they were heard nearly each day (December 5, 6, 8, 9). The December 8 recording included what sounded like Òbubble net feeding.Ó BiggÕs orcas were not to be outdone and in the afternoon of December 8th the T060s showed up in Blackney Pass, then the T019s were seen in Blackney heading north the next day. December 9th was rather special. Starting at 8:33pm a humpback whale was detected acoustically in Johnstone Strait. Twenty minutes later BiggÕs orcas were also heard and twenty minutes after that Resident orcas. Through the next several hours their contributions continued. The Residents started off on the Parson Island system but then progressed eastward further into Johnstone Strait. By 9pm the BiggÕs orcas were becoming fainter as they shifted to the west and the Resident ÒAÓ calls became more frequent. Eventually, the humpback and the Resident calls became more distant. Just less than an hour after the last BiggÕs calls in Johnstone Strait (9:33pm) BiggÕs (the same group) were heard in Blackfish Sound (10:23pm). They became louder for a while but by 10:51pm no further calls were heard. The Residents ceased at 10:18pm while closer to the entrance of Blackney Pass, near the same area they had begun. This is also where the humpback was last heard at 10:40pm. This was not the first time these diverse whales were heard concurrently in the same location but however sparse they never fail to surprise. On December 12 BiggÕs orcas were heard yet again just past midnight. Bruce McMorran near Echo Bay saw and reported a group headed toward Tribune Channel around 2pm. Then Troy at Bere Point saw a group of 6 orcas that included a large male at 4:30pm. No identification was possible. Though winter approaches we are fortunate to be not bereft of the company of whales. Residents have not entirely disappeared, on December 11th and 14th ÒAsÓ were heard again in Johnstone Strait, and on December 15th it looked like the A23s passed by to the north in Blackney just before dark. A humpback was vocal that very morning around 9:40am. OrcaLab 16 Dec 2024 20:02:34 PST November 19 - December 2 2024 Northern Residents: A23s, [G27s, G53s Queen Charlotte Strait], G1s heard BiggÕs orcas: T023s, unidentified others Humpbacks: Conger, Cygnus, Vulture, Moonstar, Freckles, Sponge Bob Looking back over the last two weeks a lingering impression endures that, though the season for the humpbacks has been winding down for a while now, with fewer and fewer individuals (you may recognise a few of the names listed) remaining in the area, not all are in a hurry to leave. Not a day has gone by without their voices reminding us of their presence despite a sparsity of sightings. On most of these days there were, not just one, but several vocal sessions ranging from close occasionally to distant most frequently. They continued to occupy a wide area from Blackfish Sound to Johnstone Strait. November 19 was marked by close calls off the entrance to Blackney Pass starting at 6:21pm, November 20th was notable for close calls in Blackfish at 4:19pm and November 21 for close calls in Johnstone Strait near Kaizumi at 7:11am. Even though vocal sessions were often extended they have lacked the intensity of effort from just a short while ago. The outstanding question is when will the last humpback leave and will someone stay? The story of the Resident orcas was likewise happening during this time with the A23s maintaining a presence. Starting at 6:45am on November 21 their calls were heard in Johnstone Strait as they headed west toward Kaizumi Beach and later to the entrance to Blackney Pass. By 8:37am, Cam and Mat were following their progress north through Blackney. A couple of days went by before they were heard again at 3:38am in Johnstone Strait, probably west of Blackney Pass close to Vancouver Island. By 9:55am they had moved further east but within the next hour they approached Blackney and were seen headed north by 10:55am. The A23s were never really away for long. On November 26 they were heard clearly in Blackfish Sound from 7:29am to 7:41am. Again, two days later,on November 28 starting at 10:12am they travelled east in Blackfish Sound and into Blackney Pass by 10:56am where they proceeded south to Johnstone Strait. The Lab, using the remote camera at Cracroft Point, followed their eastward progress from 11:18am while recording calls at 12:18pm and again at 6:56pm. The next day the A23s went north in Blackney at 1:10pm. We believe they returned on December 2. Around 5pm they were in Johnstone Strait with some G1s as company! Troy Bright at Bere Point had watched at 3pm as 12-15 Northern Resident orcas participated in a rub and then carried on eastward. From his pictures he identified members of the G12 pod, the G27s and G53s. The G and A5 calls heard in Johnstone Strait happened just two hours later, exciting some discussion as to what had unfolded. The distance and short length of time between the two events did not make it likely that the whales Troy saw were the ones in the Strait. The recording helped. It was G1s in the Strait, a separate group from the G12s Troy saw. Regardless, the groups in the Strait did not long linger there but turned around and by 7:12pm were back crossing Blackfish Sound toward Queen Charlotte Strait. We had word of the A34s (minus the A62s) after they were seen off Prince Rupert on November 28. They had last been in Blackfish Sound eleven days earlier on November 17. BiggÕs orcas too kept the Lab busy. On November 21 a fairly large group of BiggÕs (9) travelled south at 8:58am shortly after the A23s had gone north. They took their time and did not go out of sight until 10am. On November 25, a day where there were no Resident sightings, BiggÕs were heard off in the distance in Johnstone Strait at 10:16pm. Then the next day just after 7pm BiggÕs vocals were picked up on the Double Bay hydrophone in Blackfish Sound. The next day after that, November 27, offered a sighting of the T023s as they travelled north then back south in Blackney Pass from 11:41am. By 12:30pm they were on the remote Cracroft Point camera. Once more on December 2 a group of 5 BiggÕs were spotted at 10:23am just before they left the LabÕs view and headed to Johnstone Strait where they were heard briefly before 11am. For the record, the sea lion daily count has averaged about 100. Suffice to say this has been a very good Autumn for encounters with orcas, humpbacks and other marine life making life at the Lab all the better despite the short days, changeable weather and dropping temperatures! OrcaLab 04 Dec 2024 14:31:26 PST November 16th - 18th 2024 Northern Residents: A5s (heard), A34s (minus A62s) Humpbacks: Freckles, Moonstar, Insomnia, Vulture, Commander Pacific White-Sided dolphins It is mid November and not a day goes by without Northern Residents! On November 16th, members of the A5 pod were in Johnstone Strait at 10:31am. We followed them acoustically as they travelled east, until their calls faded out of our range at 12:02pm. They were back briefly in the same locale between 6:42pm and 7:11pm. We wondered if they were the A23s, seen the day before on our remote Critical Point camera or the A25s who were last reported in Discovery Passage less than 10 days ago. Later that day, an incredible humpback practiced a song on our Parson Island hydrophone. Twenty minutes of beautiful and clear calls. The rest of the night was filled with more or less distant humpback vocals as well as a few BiggÕs calls just before 2am. At 6:35am on November 17th, both Cam and Claire woke up to Northern Resident calls and ran to the Lab to locate them. The A34s were in Johnstone Strait as well as members of the A5 pod! They shared the space for a while and were most likely spread out as their calls were simultaneously close and distant echoing between the Kaizumi and the Critical Point hydrophones. It was a lovely morning filled with a diversity of calls and even a humpback who joined in on the Kaizumi hydrophone for about 15 minutes! The A5s then became silent after 10:38am, while the A34s continued to vocalize. By this time, they were close to the Kaizumi Rubbing Beach but did not come for a rub. We heard a few crunches and hoped they were finding enough fish to feed the whole family. They continued west and were reported at Blinkhorn by Jackie at 12:53pm with Pacific White-Sided Dolphins. They travelled through Weynton Passage and arrived in Blackfish Sound at 1:53pm. Some poked their noses into Blackney Pass at 3:27pm, including Echo, Simoom, Rainy and her baby as well as Eclipse. They turned back into Blackfish Sound at 4pm and were last heard just after 5pm headed back the way they came in a couple of days ago. Moments later, humpbacks took over the acoustic space! On November 18th, we heard echolocation in Johnstone Strait between 8:57am and 9:43am. These whales briefly emitted N3 calls but we didnÕt get any further clues as to who they were. We stand by to see what the next days will bring! OrcaLab 19 Nov 2024 10:10:31 PST November 13th - 15th Northern Residents: A23s, A34s (minus A62s) BiggÕs orcas Humpbacks: Moonstar, Freckles, Cygnus, Argonaut, Ace, Squall, Vulture Pacific White-Sided dolphins On November 13th, our day started with very clear and beautiful humpback calls, located in the southern part of Blackney Pass. Although their numbers have significantly reduced since the beginning of the week, a few humpbacks still regularly visit the Pass, such as Moonstar, Freckles, Argonaut and Cygnus as well as Ace who was spotted close to a group of unidentified BiggÕs orcas at 3:26pm. The next morning around 8:30am, the A23s were heard in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. The remote Critical Point camera offers an amazing view point of the western part of the Reserve where we spotted A95 and A60 traveling east. They quickly turned back west and we heard them echolocating 2 hours later on the Kaizumi hydrophone. While some of the A23s were close to the Vancouver Island shore with Pacific White-Sided Dolphins, A60 was on his own off Cracroft Point. They were last seen around 1pm headed west in Johnstone Strait. The rest of that afternoon was busy with preparing for winter and welcoming back Cam and Mat who will look after the lab for the next few months. Their arrival coincided with Paul and HelenaÕs departure the next day. As their silhouettes on board our boat Sonic disappeared behind Burnt Point, Cam and Claire heard A1 calls on the live stream! Cam ran to the lab as Claire finished securing a good log that Paul spotted just before leaving! Hilarious situation! The A34 calls were soon identified by those listening from the lab and from afar. Their last visit in the area (minus the A62s) was on August 24th. Alex spotted them in Blackfish Sound foraging and millang along the Swanson Island shore. She brought up potentially successful hunting, as there are quite a few winter chinook in the area. At 12:17pm, their calls sounded excited and closer to the Flower Island hydrophone. We spotted a first group at 12:36pm, on the far side of Blackney Pass, composed of A34, A96 and her baby. A80 suddenly appeared close to the lab, travelling at full speed to the south. A few minutes later, the A67s were following his tracks and were porpoising in the same direction. It all happened very quickly and they cleared our view shortly, soon to appear on the Cracroft Point camera headed east favouring the Cracroft Island shore. It was a beautiful sight with the low sunlight backlighting their blows, as they crossed the path of 2 humpbacks trap feeding surrounded by a flock of birds! We could not account for A55 in Blackney Pass but one large male was seen from the Cracroft Point camera, also headed east. Finally, they slowed down the pace and started to spread out and forage off the entrance of Blackney Pass for a bit. At least 3 of them crossed to the Vancouver Island shore and slightly rubbed the pebbles at Kaizumi at 3:15pm. Their calls continued towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve and faded after 5:29pm. Just before dark, our attention at the Lab was drawn to the humpbacks Moonstar and Vulture travelling very close to the shore with sea lions! The clouds shifted just in time for us to watch the beautiful full moon rising above Harbledown Island. Moments later, one male orca was seen travelling north just in front of the lab! The light was getting so dark but 2 other BiggÕs looking orcas were seen at Burnt Point. What a day! OrcaLab 16 Nov 2024 09:23:43 PST November 8th - 12th Northern Residents: A23s [A25s in Salish Sea] BiggÕs orcas: T065A5+ Humpbacks:Freckles, Ojos Blancos, Cygnus, Squall, Crochet, Clover, ?Ripple Pacific White Sided dolphins There were two orca events, three if you count the A25s sighted in Discovery Passage on November 8, during this period. On November 9 the A23s came out from the east in Johnstone Strait in the morning around 8:30. They were first heard simultaneously in the house and guest house. In the Lab they were located on the Strider Beach remote camera. A single whale was seen approaching Strider Beach. In short order this whale went in for a solo rub then as she moved offshore was tentatively identified as Ripple, A43. Her brother Fife (A60) was soon identified mid strait and heading likewise steadily west. All calls had dropped by this time. Even the crowd of dolphins to the right (north) of A60 were quiet though energetic. As A60 was followed by the remote camera a few other members of his family were in the distance further west, too far for any identification. The family continued west. A60 angled slightly to the Vancouver Island shore as did the others. They swam parallel to this side reaching the Kaikash Creek area by 11am. From there they attempted to cross over to the rip tide flowing past Cracroft Point. A60 broke with the others and for a while went back toward the east following the Cracroft Island shore. Another mid strait did the same. The dolphins gave us a clue about eventual intentions when they were seen darting westward at 12pm not long after A60Õs turn. In the confusion all the A23s eventually turned and resumed their westward trek. Jared Towers was keeping track and at 1:54pm reported that they were eastbound off Bauza just east of Telegraph Cove. By 2:11pm they were opposite Blinkhorn Peninsula. Sadly, this is where their trail became cold. They had maintained their silence and had become impossible to track from this point on. With that report of the A25s, and then this A23 sighting the impression was that the A5s are still very much involved in this area of the coast. There have been no fresh reports of the A42s, the third A5 matriline, who had been present in the Salish Sea since July. There are two camps, those who think they must still be there and those who think that the lack of reports means that they have snuck past and gone back to the north. The timing of the A23s off Strider Beach was very special as this was to be the last day that the remote camera was operational. We took advantage of the weather and a visit from Suzie, Megan and Quin to dismantle this and the Main Beach site in anticipation of the upcoming winter storms which in the past have caused so much damage when these sites were left intact. Erring on the side of caution seemed like a much safer strategy. No regrets, we had already accumulated so many amazing images and information about the use of the rubbing beaches throughout the Summer and early Fall. So as the A23s went west and were well beyond the Ecological Reserve, the gang (including JŽrŽmie and Claire) worked efficiently to secure the solar panels, turn off power and retrieve the surface camera. The underwater camera had already been removed. It was a beautiful day to conclude this chapter of the season. The next day, November 10 had a different feel. The weather closed in becoming November gloomy once again. A good day to stay inside and talk!. But again in the morning (about the same time the A23s were seen the day previously) a small group of BiggÕs orcas turned up in Blackney Pass. They were on the very far shore from the Lab and quite hard to see in the waves. Claire braved the outside and took pictures. The whales were a bit erratic, stopping, going, shifting at first, mostly by the Parson Island Light at 8:48am. Then within ten minutes they were off Swanson Island and about to clear quickly into Blackfish Sound. Alex found them at 9:17am still travelling at speed on a trajectory for the northshore of Malcolm Island. One of the group of three was later identified from our submitted photos to Finwave (https://finwave.io/) as T065A5. The other days not mentioned were full with the presence of humpback whales, either visually in Blackney Pass and/or acoustically elsewhere. Hard to describe the experience of always being aware of these huge beings. More than ÒwallpaperÓ they occupy the ocean spaces so well. It will soon be time for them to move on and the ocean will feel much emptier. In the meantime, their incredible presence and their amazing voices keep us company day and night. More work was done on the systems by Quin and JŽrŽmie during the next weather break and Megan and Nicolette did a local dive to retrieve the second half of the ÒStethorcaÓ hydrophone array assisted by Claire, Suzie and JŽrŽmie. Nicolette stayed on for lunch and it was good for this group to catch up and enjoy each otherÕs company. The weather on the 12th really kicked in with dramatically high winds reminding everyone of just why it is good to prepare for winter! OrcaLab 13 Nov 2024 14:23:54 PST November 4th - 7th 2024 Northern Residents: A5s heard Humpbacks: Moonstar, Meteorite, Cygnus, Hunter, Bumpy, Trinity, Argonaut, Inukshuk, Parentheses, Insomnia, Sponge Bob, Freckles, Vulture, Corporal, Geometry, Cutter, Ridge, Stitch, Kailash, Ace, Conger, Nebula The main narrative for these days really revolves around the many Humpback Whales still occupying the entire area from Queen Charlotte Strait to Johnstone Strait. Though some may have moved on and begun their epic migration to warmer climes it feels like the majority are still here. On November 4th Claire counted and identified as many as eighteen individuals in Blackney Pass alone. Those were the ones most readily visible. There may have been more and certainly others were unseen in Blackfish Sound and Johnstone Strait. Many have become very familiar regulars, some having been around for many months. Clouds of sea birds are often a first clue as to where to expect a surfacing whale. Daring to lightly touch the surface for the chance of food, then rising and scattering quickly to avoid being caught in the whaleÕs huge emerging, gaping mouth. Some miscalculate and become unwitting bycatch. These days the humpbacks often form temporary small groups so it is not unusual to see several individuals working the same locations. Nothing is more thrilling than when this happens close to the Lab as it did on November 4th, 6th, and 7th. On the 7th Ace and Conger joined forces, swirled about, lunged and dove. The moment was not long and when over Conger went off to the south and Ace, joined by Nebula, went north around Burnt Point. Not only the physical power of these huge beings was on full display but they were wonderfully vocal at the same time. The remote cameras, like the one at Cracroft Point, still help keep track of those whales beyond Blackney Pass. On one such occasion, Inukshuk in the afternoon of November 4th took time away from the more populated Blackney Pass and moved into Johnstone Strait and was clearly visible on the remote camera. Although often vocal during the day these days, the evenings and nighttime are definitely filled with their sounds, ranging from just a few vocals to sustained songs lasting sometimes as much as three hours and consisting of a complex mixture of calls and phrases. In Blackfish, Blackney and or Johnstone Strait different individuals sometimes chime in at the same time. Such was the case November 6th and 7th. November 5th had its share of humpback sightings and sounds but also a very brief revisit from the A5s, most likely the A23s. Their calls happened in Blackfish Sound briefly from 4:47pm until 5:03pm. They were not heard again until they had negotiated Weynton Pass and entered Johnstone Strait by at least 8:14pm. That was it until the next day just before 12pm when Alex Morton heard a few more calls. These were never sourced and so it is unclear if they were leaving the area to the west or east. November 7th offered no further clues. The weather has been quite unsettled, lots of rain, some sun, even a rainbow and lots of wind. As a result the Lab has continued to prepare for winter when conditions are known to get even more extreme. Prof. HervŽ GlotinÕs ÒStethorcaÓ hydrophone array has already partially been dismantled. Over the next while some of the remote sites will also be taken down and stored for the winter safely until brought out and reinstalled next Spring. Enough of the hydrophone and camera networks will remain in place to ensure continuous listening and watching. OrcaLab 08 Nov 2024 16:11:04 PST November 2nd - 3rd 2024 Northern Residents: A23s BiggÕs orcas: T002Cs, T068Cs, T075Bs Humpbacks: Freckles, Argonaut, Ridge, Moonstar, Cutter, Ace, Insomnia, Corporal, Sponge Bob, Cygnus, Vulture, Parentheses, Inukshuk, Trinity, Ridge, Commander What an incredible season 2024 has been! (And weÕre hoping itÕs not over.) It all started with the A23s and the A42s on July 3rd. And as of November 3rd, with a visit of the A23s to the rubbing beaches, we can now say that we have recorded 4 months of nearly continuous Northern Resident presence this year! But letÕs rewind a little to November 2nd. At 5:30pm, we observed a group of BiggÕs orcas come in from Blackfish Sound. Six whales with small fins were travelling close together, followed by a large male and then another group of 3 whales with small fins. None of them had distinct markings which didnÕt help us with identification, but thanks to Finwave, weÕve had confirmation that they were members of the T075Bs, T002Cs and T068Cs. They travelled to the Parson Island shoreline, close to a popular sea lion haul out. Through the rain and dark light, we managed to see them hunting actively. They soon started calling on the Parson Island hydrophone as well as breaching, spy hopping and tail slapping! The feast was being shared. We lost track of them after 6:13pm as the light faded. The night went on with uninterrupted humpback songs close to our hydrophones in both Blackney Pass and Blackfish Sound. In the early morning of November 3rd, we spotted the humpbacks Argonaut, Inukshuk, Vulture, Trinity and Cutter super close to the lab, slowly travelling south together along the shore. These individuals have been in Blackney Pass continuously for days now and it only took a quick look at their dorsal fins to know who they were! What a beautiful morning to watch their blows float still in the air as they moved on away from our view. At 9:25am, we heard faint BiggÕs calls in Johnstone Strait and wondered if they were the ones we saw the day before. Nothing else happened after that in the acoustic ocean world until 4:59pm when we heard the unquestionable sound of orcas rubbing against the pebbles! ÔChuffsÕ! These chuffs were loud and clear on the Strider Rubbing Beach hydrophone. We quickly turned on the remote camera and almost immediately saw A95 as well as A60 rubbing with the rest of their family, the A23s! They didnÕt produce any calls and we were so grateful for this camera that allowed us to identify them visually! They continued to the west in the young night and it didnÕt take long for the humpbacks to start singing! OrcaLab 05 Nov 2024 11:01:58 PST November 1st 2024 Northern residents: A23s Humpbacks: Cutter, Vulture, Trinity, Argonaut, Moonstar, Sponge Bob and others Below the surface, the acoustic world was once again vibrating with humpback songs for most of the night. Multiple individuals sang in all locations surrounding Hanson Island until the first light of day. Just as Claire was listening to these songs while finishing to review the night recordings, she heard ÔchuffsÕ on the lab speakers! A surprise rub! It started at 9:57am at Kaizumi and lasted for 22 minutes. The whales only emitted N3 calls, used by all A Clan orcas, but we needed to hear more to know who they were! An hour after the first ÔchuffÕ, part of the mystery was uncovered as the whales started to vocalize more! We immediately identified their distinct A5 calls! They slowly continued east towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, while echolocating sporadically along the way. Meanwhile, at 12:02pm, Jeremie spotted 4 orcas in Blackney Pass in front of the sea lion rocks just south of the lab. They looked like BiggÕs and seemed to be foraging in a bait ball with at least 3 humpbacks. Were they ÒpretendingÓ to be Resident orca-like so that the 75 sea lions hauled out on the rocks wouldnÕt be suspicious? Were they using the humpbacks as cover? This went on for about 30 minutes until the sea lions realized that there was a trick, they suddenly panicked and most of them jumped into the water! On multiple occasions, the BiggÕs separated in 2 groups, 2 were near the sea lion rocks and 2 others were a bit further away. Was this another hunting technique? This was the moment the A5 pod orcas decided to start rubbing at Strider Rubbing Beach! With one hand writing notes and the other hand controlling both Sea Lion Rock camera and Strider Rubbing Beach camera, Claire was covering all fronts in the Lab while Jeremie was on deck taking pictures of the BiggÕs orcas in Blackney Pass. Their dorsal fins all had nicks and he soon identified them as the T137s. In the meantime, the rubbing whales spent some quality time at Strider Rubbing Beach from 12:33pm until 12:51pm, then on to the Main Rubbing Beach from 12:55pm antill 13:04pm. One male had a tall wobbly fin that looked like A95 and the others looked like members of the A23s. There was no sign of A60 but he usually does his own thing and is not often seen rubbing. As the Resident whales ended their rub, the T137s were passing close to the Lab and headed north into Blackfish Sound. After all these events, the following silence on the hydrophones was a bit unsettling for Claire and Jeremie manning the lab! Just before 3pm, the A23s were vocal again in Johnstone Strait, east of the Reserve. They remained distant for most of the afternoon and ignored the rubbing beaches as the tide was pretty low. At 7:04pm, they were making their way back west close to Vancouver Island and we heard their clear and beautiful calls on the Kaizumi Rubbing Beach, identified as the A23s by Tomoko and Dylan listening from afar. Their calls faded after 7:43pm. A humpback took over very close to the Parson Island hydrophone at 7:57pm, and then another one on the Flower Island hydrophone at 9:19pm, almost with no boat noise covering their melodies. A lovely way to end the day! OrcaLab 02 Nov 2024 11:04:31 PST October 28th - 31st 2024 Northern residents: A62s Humpbacks: Bumpy, Trinity, Cygnus, Ojos Blancos, Vulture, Sponge Bob, Argonaut, Cutter, Claw, Auger, Yahtzee, Inukshuk, Insomnia, Freckles, Ripple, Parentheses, Stitch, Chum, Moonstar, Meteorite Oh humpback whales! LetÕs talk about them first. Their numbers have been incredibly rising in Blackney Pass for the past few weeks. On October 28th, we even identified 16 individuals just out front the lab! Their blows were popping up every few seconds, which was quite overwhelming at times as weÕd have loved to account for every humpback out there but probably missed a few! These whales have been very busy getting their bellies full with small fish, most likely herring. Some of them use a trap-feeding technique where they remain stationary at the surface with their mouth open waiting for fish to come in. You can learn more about this strategy on the MERS website: https://mersociety.wordpress.com/2018/11/03/trap-feeding-a-new-humpback-feeding-strategy/ When ships come through, we often worry about these whales who are really quite busy living their lives and not necessarily aware of fast vessels. The marine traffic is not as dense at this time of year but there are still several ships passing every day at full speed. We noticed a ferry slightly diverting its course when a whale was in its path but it did not slow down. Meanwhile, the A62s have maintained a steady presence. On October 28th, they were only vocal in Johnstone Strait from 12:45pm until 1:51pm. But the next day, they were travelling east in Johnstone Strait as early as 1:45am and then rubbed at all 3 rubbing beaches on their way back west! Just before 9am, they spent 14 minutes rubbing between Main Rubbing Beach and Strider Rubbing Beach in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, then they had an 11 minute rub at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach around 1pm. Their calls faded in the Strait after 3pm and we thought they continued west. To our surprise, they had decided to silently take the Blackney route! At 4:18pm, we spotted them from the lab, travelling north all together. They interacted with Trinity, one of the many humpbacks present in Blackney Pass, before clearing our view at 4:41pm. After that, their calls were loud and clear in Blackfish Sound and a humpback was also singing in the same area. The A62s left our hydrophone range after 6:44pm while several humpbacks continued to sing as the night took over this beautiful windy day. On October 30th, our recorder was on all day long again, as the A62s were in Blackfish Sound from 7:50am untill 7pm. As of today though, October 31st, we have not heard them again and are seriously wondering: have they left for good? OrcaLab 31 Oct 2024 21:33:14 PST October 26th - 27th 2024 Northern residents: A62s Humpbacks: Cutter, Corporal, Yahtzee, Cygnus, Trinity, Ripple, Claw, Auger, possibly Vulture and others The visit of the A23s was sweet but short, as they did not return on October 26th. As for the A62s, they were back in Johnstone Strait, as early as 5:48am. They spent the whole day moving back and forth in the Strait, spending time foraging in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve around 8am, ignoring the rubbing beaches once more, before slowly heading west, favoring the Vancouver Island shore. Their calls faded just after 5pm. On the humpback front, October 26th was a very eventful day. First, it was still dark when we heard clear bubble net feeding calls at 7:16am on the Parson Island hydrophone! Then, as soon as the sun came up, there were humpback blows everywhere we looked! The whole day, these giants were feeding in a frenzy. At 9:03am, we observed 3 humpbacks lunge feeding close to the Cracroft Point remote camera. Later at 3:20pm, the humpback Corporal was trap feeding close to the Hanson Island shore, surrounded by hundreds of birds. As soon as the light faded, some of them started singing again, several individuals simultaneously in both Blackfish Sound and Blackney Pass. On October 27th, the A62s decided to spend the day in Blackfish Sound. They were vocal from 7:16am until just before midnight! At 3:30pm, they made an appearance in the northern part of Blackney Pass. They were travelling slowly, fighting the ebb current and finally turned back into Blackfish Sound at 3:55pm. As October comes to an end soon, weÕre reflecting on this incredible season with almost 4 months of Northern Resident presence! OrcaLab 28 Oct 2024 13:27:28 PST October 25th 2024 Northern residents: A62s, A23s Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Bumpy, Ridge, Cygnus and others Interestingly, October 25 started exactly the same way as the day before, with the A62s vocalizing in the southern entrance of Blackney Pass at 6:24am. Unfortunately, there was a lot of boat noise and it wasnÕt a pleasant recording to monitor. Humpbacks were also vocal in the same area, still awake after a busy night filled with incredible singing in what sounded like a much ÔquieterÕ ocean without the boat noise. The rest of the day would remain quite noisy on the hydrophones as the easterly winds picked up stronger and stronger, shaping the underwater sound of waves. By 7:22am, while the A62s were making their way east in Johnstone Strait, a report from Troy came in of 5 to 6 orcas with one big male rubbing at Bere Point! They headed east when they left the beach. This meant that a new group was arriving! Just before 9am, the A62s were in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. They foraged in the Tsitika Estuary for two hours or so. At 10:53am, their calls sounded excited and we were wondering if the new group was nearby. We were expecting this new group to acoustically Ôshow upÕ anytime now! Unbearable suspense! Drum roll! At 11:41am, Claire heard faint A5 calls in Johnstone Strait! Listening from afar, Dylan identified them as the A23s, which would match TroyÕs report of 6 orcas. They likely came in via Weynton Passage and were travelling east in the Strait. The A62s had left the Bight and were now on their way west again as their calls approached the Kaizumi Rubbing Beach at 11:54am. A few excited and frequent calls followed suggesting that both groups had met acoustically, then both the A1 (A62s) and the A5 (A23) calls faded at 12:44pm off the southern entrance of Blackney Pass. No further calls were heard after that except for a few ÒquacksÓ at 1:55pm accompanied by whistles, echolocation and brief sounds of rubbing at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach. One hour later, there was echolocation on the Parson Island hydrophone. We took a quick look at the remote Cracroft Point camera and immediately spotted orcas headed for Blackney Pass! They were traveling north with the fast ebb currents. After weeks without seeing Northern Resident orcas in Blackney Pass, we were beyond excited and looking forward to visually confirming the identity of the new group! At 3:05pm, a first male was spotted in Blackney Pass, soon joined by others. The distinctive dorsal fin of A83, of the A62s, was soon identified. Five minutes later, as he was passing Parson Light, A60, of the A23s, surfaced next to him! The last time the A23 matriline was in the area was September 13th! It was heartwarming to watch them together with the A62s from the cold and windy deck! They did a few tail slaps and interacted with a humpback before clearing our view silently into Blackfish Sound at 3:24pm, only emitting a few whistles and echolocation as they continued north. The rest of the day and night was open for humpback songs and left us wondering if the A23s had snatched the A62s. OrcaLab 26 Oct 2024 15:35:32 PST October 22nd - 24th 2024 Northern residents: A62s Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Argonaut, Kailash, Ojos Blancos, Ridge, Bumpy, Freckles, Yahtzee, Moonstar, Cygnus, Quartz, Graffiti, Claw and Auger DallÕs Porpoises In the morning of October 22, there was echolocation in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. The A62s were foraging next to Critical Point, the eastern headland of Robson Bight. It was lovely to get a glimpse of their silhouettes as they slowly travelled west close to the Vancouver Island shoreline. Following the trend of the past few weeks, they later spent time in the rip off Cracroft Point. After 12:29pm, keeping to the Strait, they journeyed west. At 5pm, Scotty reported them easting off Telegraph Cove. We faintly heard them a short while later but it wasnÕt until the next morning at 9:11am that they were heard again, this time in Blackfish Sound. To get there, at some point during the interval, they had likely travelled out of Johnstone Strait via Weynton Passage. They were vocal for about 2 hours in Blackfish Sound before choosing to move into Weynton Passage again. They reached the Strait by 12:34pm and we spotted them near Kaikash on our Cracroft Point remote camera as they turned back west again! They remained in the Strait until just after 8pm. The next day on October 24, they were still in Johnstone Strait. By 6:29am they were off the southern entrance to Blackney Pass. We were left wondering what they had been up to during the night as they surely didnÕt travel very far away! They moved closer to the Vancouver Island side around 7:41am and traveled east for a while towards the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve before turning back to the west again, ignoring the rubbing beaches. They were off the entrance to Blackney Pass at 11:28am westing mid Strait.Their calls faded after 1:35pm. With their calls echoing to the Main Rubbing Beach system between 3:30pm and 4:11pm they may have been moving east once more. As much as weÕd love to see them in Blackney Pass, they seem to enjoy the Strait, Weynton Passage and Blackfish Sound a lot. It has been speculated that a specific distribution of their favoured types of salmon has played into their choices of travel and focus. All the while, there has been constant humpback feeding activity in Blackney Pass along with incredible songs each night. The evening of October 24 was particularly spectacular with a very close song on the Parson Island hydrophone which mesmerized Claire and JŽrŽmie at the Lab and all those who were listening remotely. The songs of these giants are truly something special. OrcaLab 25 Oct 2024 10:03:27 PST October 21st 2024 Northern residents: A62s Humpbacks: Bumpy, Kailash, Stripe, Ripple, Inukshuk, Cygnus, Ridge, Quartz, Ojos Blancos, Ace Pacific White-Sided Dolphins Just before 1am, there was echolocation and N3 calls in Blackfish Sound, accompanied by a few Pacific White-sided dolphins vocalizations. At 2:36am, it became clear that these were the A62s as their distinctive vocals got clearer and more diverse, even though still quite distant, on the Flower Island hydrophone. They were soon louder on our Parson Island hydrophone at 2:48am, suggesting that the whales were travelling south in Blackney Pass! This would be the first time they had taken this route in a long time as they have been choosing to take Weynton Passage ever since they came back to the area on October 9th! Their calls sounded excited, even through the loud boat noise. They eventually paused for 5 minutes as the boat passed and were then vocal further east in Johnstone Strait, getting closer to the Kaizumi hydrophone located on Vancouver Island. Their calls were then mixed with humpback vocalizations and resonated throughout our hydrophone range in the Strait. It sounded like they were quite spread out and remained more or less vocal until 7:57am. Around midday, Jared reported the A62s resting westbound at Blinkhorn. Half an hour later, we heard them very briefly as they moved back within range of our hydrophone network. But it wasnÕt until 2:52pm that we pressed record again when they vocalized more clearly in the Strait when now travelling eastbound. Meanwhile, a lot of humpbacks in Blackney Pass were keeping Claire busy on this beautiful sunny day! There was a lot of feeding going on in Parson Bay by familiar individuals such as Ripple, Ridge and Quartz. We also observed a few more, listed at the top of this summary! By 4:34pm, Claire spotted blows approaching Kaizumi from the Cracroft Point remote camera. The A62s got louder and louder on the Kaizumi Beach hydrophone and people tuned in from afar to listen to their lovely clear calls. The familiar sound of ÔchuffsÕ swept in at 5:18pm! At least three orcas rubbed, undisturbed, for 11 minutes. After the rub, they continued west towards Kaikash and were vocal in this area for the next 2 hours, hopefully getting their bellies full while the snowy mountains turned pink as the sun set. At 7:29pm, a humpback Òwarmed upÓ in the Strait but did not follow through into song. The A62s continued to call sporadically in the Strait until 8:53pm. OrcaLab 22 Oct 2024 09:19:50 PST October 18th - 20th 2024 Northern residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T019s Humpbacks: Ojos Blancos, Cygnus, Hunter, Argonaut, Inushuk, Quartz, Freckles, Claw and Auger, Ripple; at CP: Everdeen Pacific White-Sided Dolphins The A62s were last heard in Johnstone Strait in the early hours of October 18th. This day turned out to be a very stormy one on Hanson Island and only the sound of waves and occasional humpback vocals could be heard on the hydrophones. The next day at 3:58pm, after 36 hours of ÒsilenceÓ on our systems, the distinctive calls of the A34 matriline were back again. They were vocal in Blackfish Sound until 6:40pm. Since October 9th, the only Northern Residents, the A62s, have been present in the area. A62, Misty, born in 1994, is A34, SimoomÓs daughter and recently she has been traveling separately with her four boys. On October 20th, JŽrŽmie and Jianna went to Strider Rubbing Beach to remove the underwater camera in order to keep it safe from the winter storms. This camera has been such a great success this season and we look forward to reinstalling it next year! At 12pm, three orcas were reported travelling west in Johnstone Strait off Cracroft Island. By 1:51pm they were located on the remote Cracroft Point camera. At about the same time, there was echolocation and A34 calls in Blackfish Sound! Twenty minutes later, the three BiggÕs orcas came in from Johnstone Strait appeared in Blackney Pass. We soon recognized the dorsal fin of T019B. He was travelling with his brother T019C and their mum T019. Last we saw the T019s was on October 11th, very close to the lab. On both occasions, there was no sign of T018. They cleared into Blackfish Sound at 2:46pm. Meanwhile, the A34 calls were still registering in the same area until 6:20pm. The passage of the T019s happened just before Jianna, Nora and Tjasa departed the Lab and was welcomed as a farewell sign. We are immensely grateful for their help and will miss them dearly. OrcaLab 21 Oct 2024 15:00:30 PST October 15th - 17th 2024 Northern residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T023s Humpbacks: Cutter, Hunter, Sponge Bob, Kailash, Ripple, Crochet, Cygnus and others Pacific White-Sided Dolphins For the past week, the A62s have been spending a lot of time foraging either in Blackfish Sound or Johnstone Strait. On October 15th, they chose to be in Blackfish Sound where we heard them from 9:16am until just before 7pm. During the afternoon, JŽrŽmie reinstalled the Sea Lion Rock camera using a custom made structure mounted on a tree with the help of Jianna and Nora. Soon after, back at the Lab, we were able to watch Blackfish Sound again using this remote camera and Jianna spotted whales coming towards Blackney Pass! We thought the A62s were finally coming! At 5:42pm, two orcas were seen on the far side including one male, two other orcas were traveling close to Burnt Point. They were not the A62s! They were BiggÕs orcas, identified later as T023D and T023D5 by Finwave. Their progress was very slow as they continued south while fighting the strong, opposing ebb currents. Those on the far side vanished while two other small fins joined the pair closest to us. As the light faded, these four orcas were headed for Johnstone Strait by 6:55pm. The calls of the A62s then also faded in Blackfish Sound. Just past midnight, we heard BiggÕs calls in Johnstone Strait and wondered if they were the T023s we saw in Blackney Pass earlier. While reviewing the early morning recording of October 16, Nora was surprised to hear the characteristic sounds of a rub at 1:47am! Dolphin chatter preceded the amazing orca calls and for once no boat noise disturbed the moment. After this 18 minute rub at Kaizumi the A62s moved west along the Vancouver Island side toward the area opposite the entrance of Blackney Pass as evidenced by the faint calls on the Parson Island hydrophone at 2:28am. Their calls were sporadic and distant for the rest of the night in Johnstone Strait until 8:52am. At 9:12am, Jared, from his house in Alert Bay, reported seeing three orcas headed North toward Weynton Passage. Sure enough at 10:24am, the A62s were back in Blackfish Sound. Initially, they sounded closer to the Flower Island hydrophone but then became more distant and sporadic until their calls ceased altogether by 6:25pm. A few minutes after this a humpback whale began to vocalise in Blackfish Sound. He was joined by another singer after 10pm and then another one at the southern entrance of Blackney Pass. Their incredible sounds continued throughout the night until just before sunrise. Following the trend of the past few days, the A62s were back in range of the Blackfish Sound hydrophone at 8:15am on October 17. It was lovely to wake up with Residents calls and see the fresh snow on the Vancouver Island mountains. Five hours later, their distant calls stopped once again in Blackfish Sound as they travelled south through Weynton Passage. By 1:42pm they were in Johnstone Strait where they traveled eastward favoring the Vancouver Island side. Tjasa spotted them near Kaizumi on the Cracroft Point remote camera. They soon turned back to the west towards Kaikash and were vocal on the Parson Island hydrophone system from 4:27pm until 6:27pm. An hour later, we heard faint N3 calls on the Strider Rubbing Beach and Main Rubbing Beach hydrophones up until 8:30pm, which suggested that the whales had turned east again towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. At 10:11pm, the A62s had made their way west once more and were vocal on the Parson Island hydrophone. At 2am, we heard a rhythmic sound of crashing waves on pebbles, but there were two distinct rub-like ÔchuffÕ sounds and we suspect that one whale rubbed briefly at Kaizumi, without emitting any calls. From 3:12am until 3:27am, the A62s were faintly vocal in the Strait. After that, the songs of humpbacks kept going until the early hours of October 18. OrcaLab 18 Oct 2024 15:37:58 PST October 12th - 14th 2024 Northern residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T109A2s, T055s, T090s, T101s Humpbacks: Argonaut, Cygnus, Hunter, Moonstar, Kailash, Sponge Bob, Cutter, Bumpy, Ridge, Claw and Auger, possibly Ripple, and others Pacific White-Sided Dolphins DallÕs porpoises On October 12th, after a night filled with humpback presongs, we started to hear the A62s again in Johnstone Strait at 5:48am. They remained present but distant for most of the day. Meanwhile, at 10:45am, one orca was spotted on the far side of Blackney Pass, never to be seen again. Twenty-five minutes later, four orcas appeared pointed north on the far side as well. The wind was picking up in Blackney Pass and tracking was difficult. They were too far to get a single good picture. Later around midday, Nicolette and Tjasa, when on their way to pick up a kayaker at Boat Bay reported two orcas at Swaine Point traveling east on the Cracroft Island side. There was no ready identification. We enjoyed this surprisingly warm day, not atypical for October, and welcomed Robyn and Scott from Pacific Pro Dive to offer a Dry Suit Diver Course to JŽrŽmie, Claire and Jianna as well as Gonzalo from Double Bay. They were all amazed by the diversity of creatures living just a few feet below the Lab such as, flabellina nudibranchs, brooding anemones, giant plumose anemones, sunstars, brittle stars, as well as, a giant Pacific octopus tucked inside his den and a curious sea lion! This dry suit certification will certainly be useful for Claire and JŽrŽmie who, along with Megan and Suzie, are involved in the installation and maintenance of the underwater systems. When the day ended, the A62s were still distantly vocal in Johnstone Strait. But at 11:53pm, there were suddenly ÒchuffsÓ at Strider Rubbing Beach! There were no close calls and the midnight rub only lasted for 2 minutes. But shortly afterwards, the Resident orcas started to call excitedly. BiggÕs orcas were then heard on the Parson Island hydrophone just after midnight. During the early hours of October 13th the A62s were still vocal in Johnstone Strait until 3:11am. Three hours later they were then heard faintly in Blackfish Sound which suggested they had gone west in Johnstone Strait after their rub and had taken Weynton Passage. They remained vocal into the afternoon. At 1:24pm more than ten BiggÕs orcas were spotted surfing the white capped waves quite close to the Lab! The group included three males and a baby. We identified the T109A2s and T055s amongst them and with help from the Finwave platform, the other individuals were identified as T090B, T090C, T101A and T101B. As they cleared to the north, we heard them calling in Blackfish Sound with the A62s still vocal in the distance. By 9:48pm, the Residents had made their way back to Johnstone Strait and were vocal until 10:12pm. By then a humpback had already started to Òwarm upÓ at the entrance of Blackney Pass. Another started in Blackfish Sound at 3:23am, making the ocean a vibrant acoustic space throughout the night! It was now October 14th and the A62s came into range again in Johnstone Strait at 4:06am and were soon off the entrance of Blackney Pass before they moved along. It had been a beautiful night shift without boat noise, The A62s called intermittently all morning in Johnstone Strait. At 11am, Nicolette reported orcas off Cracroft Point. They spent four hours foraging in the rip current before moving on to the west at 3:12pm. By 5:19pm, they were back in Blackfish Sound via Weynton Pass. Their calls got louder after 6pm on the Flower Island hydrophone and we were all hoping they would come through Blackney Pass as we watched the colors of the sky changing from blue to pink to purple. They did not. Their calls faded after 11:37pm. ItÕs interesting to note that the A62s have not travelled through Blackney Pass once since they got back to the area on October 9th. They have engaged in only a few short rubs too. Instead it seems they are busy feasting on all the Chum salmon in Blackfish Sound and off Cracroft Point! Although the A62s have not chosen Blackney Pass lately, humpbacks have been observed frequently feeding on bait balls. The day ended with exceptional humpback vocalizations off the entrance to Blackney Pass, with incredible echoes and eerie sounds. We always wonder who is making these calls at night, surely someone we saw during the day! OrcaLab 16 Oct 2024 00:32:54 PST October 11 2024 Northern residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T101s?, T019s, T069As, T100s, T037As, T099B and others Humpbacks : Cutter, Freckles, Quartz, Ridge, Moonstar, Cygnus, Crochet, Claw and Auger Listening to the nightÕs recordings, we realized how spectacular nights continued to be. Around 1am there were faint BiggÕs calls in Blackfish Sound who called for about 20 minutes before fading out. Additionally, several humpbacks shared their social calls and song practices with us. How wonderful to review these recordings in the morning! Around 8:30am, the Northern Residents chimed in for a few minutes with faint calls on the Strider Rubbing Beach hydrophone. This hydrophone has an incredibly long range reaching from the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve all the way to the entrance of Weynton Passage. The calls were faint and it was difficult to tell exactly where the whales might be in Johnstone Strait. Julia identified the calls as A1 calls and we could hear some of the A62sÕ distinctive calls. After a long pause, they were vocal again at 11:30am in Johnstone Strait and while emitting both echolocation and some excited calls getting closer to the Vancouver Island shore near Kaizumi Rubbing Beach hydrophone by 12:38pm. They did not come for a rub this time and after 1:35pm their calls faded while boat noise intensified. About an hour later, two groups of BiggÕs orcas entered Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound. The first group included about 7 individuals and were spotted in Parson Bay. There were three big males in this group and we thought they could be the T101s (reported by the Maple Leaf on October 9th in Johnstone Strait). They traveled very close to the sea lion haulout at Parson Island Light before going on a dive after which we lost track of them. The second group composed of three orcas who cruised slowly much closer to the lab. Their dorsal fins were familiar, we had seen them earlier this summer! We identified them as the T019s. This time, T018 wasnÕt traveling with them and we wondered if she was on the far side with the other group. It was quite special to see them spending a lot of time at the surface, in no rush whatsoever, allowing us to take perfect ID shots! They cleared our view to the south at 3:36pm. They never made a single call. Six minutes later, another group of BiggÕs arrived from Blackfish Sound. There were 5 whales including a baby and a male. They were on an angle when we photographed them and we could not easily identify them but thanks to the identification platform Finwave, we were later informed that they were the T069As! To our surprise, they were followed by another group! This last group was comprised of eight orcas, who surfaced in perfect synchronicity. We identified them as the T100s and T037As (also reported by the Maple Leaf on October 9th in Johnstone Strait). They continued south out of sight at 4:05pm. What an incredible day! At least 23 BiggÕs orcas had passed the lab! But the day wasnÕt over yet! At 6:07pm, we spotted another group of BiggÕs in Blackney Pass! One male and four smaller whales. This time, they were traveling North. They were mid channel to the farside and one member looked like T099B, later confirmed by Finwave! New total count: 28 whales! It was a lovely sunset moment watching the whales from the deck with others from Double Bay. Once the orcas were in Blackfish Sound, half an hour after clearing our view, they called briefly. A humpback started to warm up around 8pm in Blackney Pass and sang for a little while. Humpbacks vocals would continue throughout the night throughout our acoustic range! These past few days have really been filled with wonderful moments and appreciation for Mother Nature. We are also very grateful for our assistants and the positive energy gravitating around the lab. We had to say goodbye to Georgia and Julia, and wish them all the best for their future projects, hoping that they will come again next year! Orcalab 15 Oct 2024 16:50:49 PST October 10 2024 Northern residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: unknown Humpbacks : Freckles, Quartz, Meteorite, Cutter, Crochet and others Pacific White-Sided Dolphins The A62s were vocal in Johnstone Strait during the night near the entrance of Blackney Pass up until 2:16am. They seemed to have continued west in the Strait as Tjasa went outside to listen but didnÕt hear any orca blows in Blackney. A humpback took over the acoustic scene in Blackfish Sound, practicing a song for a little while. Dolphin chatter was heard in the Strait, but no orcas for the rest of the night. A report of four BiggÕs orcas in Weynton Pass came up at 8:58am but they did not travel in our direction. At 10:30am, the A62s were back in our hydrophone range in Johnstone Strait. Their calls remained distant for most of the morning, they were moving slowly, taking their time like they did yesterday. At 1:50pm we heard them briefly on our Cracroft Point hydrophone before they headed towards Kaizumi Rubbing Beach. They had a 5 minute rub at 3:15pm and continued east along the shore accompanied by pacific white-sided dolphins. Jared was nearby and confirmed they were the A62s. Less than an hour later, their calls and echolocation sounds were getting closer to Strider Rubbing Beach. They became silent for an hour between 5pm and 6pm. And then all of a sudden we heard chuffs! They engaged in a short 5 minute relaxed rub at Strider before continuing on as we watched them from our remote camera swimming east in the warm sunset colors. Just after 9pm, a humpback started to vocalize in Blackfish Sound. His calls were close and clear. They brought something really special to the already very special spectacle of Northern Lights we were watching together from the deck! OrcaLab 11 Oct 2024 21:46:55 PST October 9 2024 Northern residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T060s, T065As, [T100s, T101s, T037As east JS] Humpbacks : Meteorite, Hunter, Quartz, Squiggle, Freckles and others Pacific White-Sided Dolphins The sound of dolphins chatter and distant humpback songs lulled our dreams during the early hours. Suddenly, clear A1 calls took Claire out of her reverie at 4:29am. Northern Residents were back! Five minutes later, Claire was in the Lab locating the calls in Blackfish Sound. Tomoko, listening from Japan, identified the calls as the A34s. We werenÕt immediately sure if these were all the A34s or part of them. The A62s were last heard from on September 30th, the rest of the A34s on August 26th. At 6am, the whales after taking Weynton Pass were vocal in Johnstone Strait. While they remained distant, a humpback started a lovely song in Blackfish Sound up until loud boat noise covered his melody. Around 7am, echolocation from the A34s on the Kaizumi hydrophone suggested they were travelling east close to the Vancouver Island side of the Strait. Meanwhile, we received a report from AJ about orcas passing Double Bay headed our way. At 9:22am, we spotted them in Blackney Pass. We soon identified the distinctive dorsal fin of T060C, who was traveling with his family (minus T060D and T060E who are known to travel separately). They foraged for a while in Blackney Pass and turned back north at 10:32am. They did not come close to the sea lion haul out on Hanson Island just south of the Lab. As many of you know, there is a remote camera at this location and today we noticed that the log supporting the camera for five years had unfortunately cracked sending the camera tumbling! Had the weight of a huge male sea lion proved too much? Jeremie, Julia and Claire made the trip to the rock to safely retrieve the camera. Fortunately, it didnÕt suffer too much damage when it fell down and Jeremie will create a temporary new structure to reinstall the camera back as soon as possible! Observing with the Cracroft Point remote camera, the Resident whales were slowly traveling east in the Strait pointed towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve by 11:53am. An hour later, Jackie informed us of orcas ÒbarrellingÓ down Blackfish Sound. Just before 2pm, these BiggÕs orcas were in Blackney Pass. At about the same time, the Resident whales were approaching Strider Rubbing Beach and started to rub at 2:09pm! With whales in Blackney Pass and other whales rubbing in the Ecological Reserve the Lab was very busy! This was quite the welcome for returning volunteer Tjasa who first came to the lab 5 years ago! The remote cameras, both underwater and surface, at Strider Rubbing Beach were helpful identifying the five rubbing whales as the A62s. All were involved in the rub and it was magical to see them on our underwater camera once again. They rubbed for nine minutes before heading east. At 2:25pm, a large group of Pacific White-sided dolphins travelled from the east. They were close enough to be seen on the underwater camera! A few minutes later, A91 came back for a rub, accompanied by A62. They slowly made their way back to the west after floating offshore. As the family passed Robson Bight mid strait the dolphins swirled separately around Critical Point. Meanwhile, the BiggÕs orcas, now identified as T065A, T065A2, T065A4 and T065A6, stayed in Blackney for about an hour and a half during which they made a kill around 2:40pm.The Parson Island hydrophone registered the accompanying loud bangs and slapping sounds while a nearby humpback became vocal too. Five minutes later, the T065As started calling, announcing their successful hunt. A breach and tail slaps followed. The A62s had been simultaneously vocal in the Strait this whole time. At 3:56pm, the T065As cleared our view to the south. Scotty and Jared informed us that T065A3, who was not with the rest of the family in Blackney, had been seen in Ketchikan, some 900km away, on October 7th. Meanwhile, the Maple Leaf reported to Scotty that the T100s, T101s and T037As were westing in Johnstone Strait west of Seymour. What a day! The A62s, still observed on the remote cameras while near the Reserve at 5:19pm, were vocal for the rest of the evening as they slowly moved west. They were closer to the entrance of Blackney Pass by 10:43pm but chose to stay in Johnstone Strait and continued calling throughout the night. OrcaLab 11 Oct 2024 06:45:38 PST October 2nd-8th 2024 BiggÕs orcas: T055A, T055B, T055B1 Northern Residents: A42s in Salish Sea Humpbacks: Claw and Auger, Ripple and Baby, Hunter, Meteorite, Freckles, Quartz, Umi, Squiggle, Conger, Moonstar, possibly Graffiti and others Pacific White-Sided Dolphins DallÕs Porpoises Sea otter The past week has been incredibly rainy and cold. But not silent! Most nights, humpbacks have been practicing their songs in Blackfish Sound and gracing us with their ever diverse and complex vocalizations. We even heard some bubble net feeding activity too! During the day, we have observed increasing humpback feeding activity in Blackney Pass. On October 8th, Nora was on deck and blown away by the events. Here is her recollection: ÒI came back from a laundry run with JŽrŽmie, just in time for my shift, when I was already talking to Jianna about all the humpbacks she saw today. Jianna, a volunteer and good friend by now, has been watching the whales for the last four hours before it was time for me to take over. So I stood on deck, already prepared to be kept busy by all the humpbacks out in Blackney Pass today, when this did not happen. You read it right - the first hour was pretty quiet, a few blows now and then, a few pictures and IDs - I was just enjoying this beautiful, sunny and calm day. Then - all of a sudden and just in time for my scan - the whole vibe started to shift. The humpbacks that had just seemed to be swimming around before were now getting active, feeding quite far away in line with Parson Bay. I asked for help, and Georgia - you have heard from her already - arrived in an instant. She monitored the camera so I could focus on putting all the humpbacks into the scan - what timing! By now - only a few minutes had passed - we had five humpbacks trap and lunge feeding, pec slapping and breaching, all over Blackney Pass. Even though they were all quite far away, it was amazing to watch and to witness. With the information we had from Jianna, and by recognizing a few familiar fins, we could ID Freckles, Claw and her baby Auger and Ripple and her baby. Taking a look at all the pictures we took I possibly IDÕd Graffiti in there too - so there must have been six! I was amazed by everything that was happening, seeing all these humpbacks, so close to one another, the mother and baby pairs, in this beautiful light right in front of us - I can assure you, my difficulties to find words for this are not caused by a lack of vocabulary! They were keeping us busy, changing places, stopping in their feast, then coming up again, swimming around. It was hard to keep track! Eventually, the scan was over, I took over the camera but since we already got a lot of pictures, I gave myself time to just witness. I wanted to take in this moment - listen to their blows, the gulls calling, water splashing, watching their massive mouths open wide, taking in all the details of every little bump, all the baleens and the pink inbetween. ItÕs jaw-dropping to think about how big these animals are under the surface when you can only see a part of them. And itÕs beautiful to feel a window open up for you to take a look into their world. A look into a world that is so unknown, so mysterious and full of so many speculations, that we still donÕt know why certain behaviours are shown. After about an hour, the humpbacks calmed down, Ripple and her baby left north, Claw and Auger were still around but seemed to be resting after all this excitement, Freckles must have left a while ago and the only one around was the possible Graffiti. It was time for my dinner now too, so I tidied up the deck and joined the rest of the group in the main house. The humpbacks seemed to have calmed down acoustically too, there were only a few grunts now and then. Maybe expressing their satisfaction? Just when I was getting ready to go back to the lab someone started singing in Johnstone Strait. I was kept company by their calls, grunts, whistles and sounds for the whole evening - and even water splashes were heard on our hydrophones. I wondered, did they move the party elsewhere? This will be a question to answer tomorrow - when I will be reviewing our nighttime recording, listening to their sounds, wondering what they are talking about.Ó As for orcas, the only reports of Northern Residents we heard of lately were about the A42s, north Quadra Island on October 2nd and close to Cortes Island October 3rd. Later, on October 7th, we had an incredible visit from a group of BiggÕs. This is GeorgiaÕs telling of this event: ÒItÕs my last couple of days here on Hanson Island, and I had come to terms with the fact I may not see any more orcas before leaving, and I was okay with that. I was loving the amount of Humpback activity there was and putting the puzzle pieces together of trying to ID a new Humpback. But to my happy surprise we had one of the most exciting passes of my time here. BiggÕs are known to be sneaky and very quiet; popping up half way through Blackney Pass before we even spot them. Nora spotted them first on the far side of the channel heading South. As I ran onto the deck, hoping to see them, I was told they had gone on a dive, and from my experience watching BiggÕs, it was entirely possible that they would surface as they exited Blackney Pass into Johnstone Strait, but not today. They took their time during this passage, we were able to see 1 male, 1 female, and 1 baby, and from photos could ID them as T055A, T055B & T055B1 who were last reported by Orcalab on September 17th. They spent their time milling about near Parson Island, swimming slowly along before diving again, and this time I was sure they would clear our view before they surfaced. But again, the T055Õs proved me wrong. At 11:19am, 25 minutes into their passing, I spotted T055A & T055B traveling towards Hanson Island, directly towards the rocks covered in 70 sea lions that had hauled out this morning. We had seen something like this before, BiggÕs looking like theyÕre traveling towards the sea lions, possibly for a meal, but we had not seen any predation yet this summer. Once the sea lions realized what the BiggÕs had in mind, they started frantically jumping into the water, which to all of us seemed like not the safest option for them, but maybe it is more about safety in numbers. T055A & T055B circled close to the rocks a couple of times, getting right up close to some of the groups of sea lions in the water, before they realized the two of them probably couldnÕt take on 70 sea lions. The next thing we know, all three orcas surfaced right in front of the Lab! Barely 20m from our deck. They were so close you could feel the power behind their blows, and IÕm sure if we tried hard enough, we could smell them. All of us stood there silently as we took in every detail of their dorsals, saddle patches, eye patches, and skin. I had never seen an orca this close, I felt like a kid again watching Free Willy and wanting nothing more than to see these incredibly smart animals in the wild. Even though I had been watching orcas all summer, this seemed different. They werenÕt just passing through, they came here for a reason, and I allowed myself to muse that they knew my time here was running out and wanted to show me once more why I decided to choose this path for my life.Ó OrcaLab 09 Oct 2024 22:37:42 PST October 1 2024 Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Meniscus, Twister, Scrimmage, Quartz, Yahtzee, and possibly Cutter It was a shockingly quiet and typically rainy morning on Hanson Island. Not a sound other than ambient noise filled the hydrophone network. Once the sun finally peaked over the trees and lit up Blackney Pass, focus went to the 140 sea lions hauled out on the Sea Lion Rock and a small harbor seal that frequents the coves adjacent to the Lab. The quiet day slowly lingered on. With no resident calls, there was an emptiness hanging in the air until 5:24pm when, what was thought to be the humpback Inukshuk, social calls could be heard on the Parson Island hydrophone. This is GeorgiaÕs recollection of the observation: ÒAlone, I stood on the deck, listening to the roar of the sea lions and the blows of Inukshuk who was very near shore at our sea lion rocks. He was resting just below the surface, not having to move in order to take a breath. He eventually swam nearer to Parson Island when I went inside the lab to listen to his daytime calls. As he continued, I spotted two other humpbacks entering from the North, however the glare on the water made it impossible to identify them. I went back to admiring Inukshuk just as he dove, allowing me to capture a beautiful full photo of his fluke. A little while later, Claire tapped on the Lab window letting me know that another humpback was at our sea lion rocks very close to shore. I spun around and sure enough there he was, so close to shore. From this angle I could see the sheer size of this gigantic mammal. It was something that I had not really imagined before. I knew humpbacks were large, but seeing one so close from land was simply eye opening and jaw dropping. It didnÕt seem real. Soon after, this humpback was joined by Inukshuk and another. I was able to ID them as Meniscus and Twister from their photos later on. The three of them continued to surface slowly near the shore for a while before moving towards the Lab. Still sticking close to the shore, the three of them started becoming more active, their trumpeting blocking the sounds of the excited sea lions. Meniscus started pec slapping, throwing his fluke in the air, laying on his side with both his pec and fluke in the air while the other two swam very close by. Their movements were smooth and with purpose. The only way I can describe it is angelic. I was awestruck, unable to form sentences or even words. I just stood in admiration desperately trying to capture photos that would do these whales justice. They started swimming North with even more purpose. Making big commotions in the water with lots of splashing. All three of them were side by side, traveling so close together I wondered if they were rubbing up against each other underwater. One of the three stuck just the tip of his closed mouth out of the water allowing me to see the bumps and grooves that sit on the chins. We saw them dive just as they cleared into Blackfish Sound. However, shortly after, we spotted blows all the way across Blackney Pass. We now counted 4 blows, so another whale must have joined them. And sure enough, looking back on photos, I was able to identify Yahtzee. Yahtzee has not been identified as male or female yet, but if a male then this would have been an all male group traveling and socialising together. During this whole event, Claire, inside the Lab, heard all sorts of social calls from our Local Centre hydrophone allowing us to know that they were communicating with each other. Being able to witness this associating behaviour will stay in my memory forever.Ó OrcaLab 02 Oct 2024 12:49:37 PST September 30 2024 Resident Orcas: A62s BiggÕs Orcas Humpbacks: Hunter, possibly Quartz, possibly Black Pearl Pacific White-sided Dolphins As we say goodbye to a lovely September, and our lovely friend and volunteer Laura, we reflect on the incredible events we were able to witness, and are grateful for how late in the season it is to still be hearing and seeing the Northern Residents. The A62s seem to be the only Resident group still around, but their calls show us they are constantly moving, coming in and out of our hydrophone range both into Queen Charlotte Strait and down Johnstone Strait. We ended yesterday hearing distant A62 calls westing in Johnstone Strait with calls stopping by 10:08pm. It was not until 4:35am today that we heard their distant calls again in Blackfish Sound. We hoped they would continue to grow louder, traveling closer to Blackney Pass, but they faded out once more shortly after. We neither heard nor saw any signs of the A62s until 1:06pm when we got a report of 4 orcas traveling southeast through Weynton toward the Strait. By 1:22pm the A62s were back in the Strait! Their calls remained distant, but were easily identified. However, their calls once again faded out by 2:30pm and we did not hear from them for the rest of the day. At 2:56pm, we got a report of 5 BiggÕs orcas mid strait between Big Bay and Telegraph Cove heading east. With the stormy weather and choppy water,could it be possible that Residents be mistaken for BiggÕs? We were not entirely sure. Even with some sleuthing on our CP camera, we tried to find the orcas, however, the crashing waves and whitecaps in the Strait made it near impossible. No helpful calls. Although the Resident season might be coming to a slow end, the humpback season is ramping up. All throughout this night there were splashes and gurgles, clicks, groans and moans heard on both our Parson Island and Flower Island Hydrophones. Here at the Lab we will be sad to see the Residents leave, and we will miss their calls, however, the humpbacks are making up for that. Their social calls and songs, often accompanied by Pacific White-sided dolphin chatter, keep us occupied most nights. Sightings during the day keep us on our toe . On this day with how choppy the water was, it was very difficult to identify individuals. Our photos often came out blurry or unfocused due to the whitecaps that were often mistook for dorsals. Although they were often hard to see, Jianna spotted a humpback, likely Black Pearl, close to the lab at 5:40pm as it headed South through Blackney Pass. As for the sea lions, today we counted 120 individuals hauled out on the Hanson Island rocks near the lab. They never cease to remind us of their presence with their boisterous barks and roars, often waking some of us up in the night. We never complain though, itÕs so special to just be in their presence and listen to their active conversations as we drift into a stormy October. OrcaLab 01 Oct 2024 10:05:04 PST September 29 2024 Northern Residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T023s, T109A2s Humpbacks: Quartz, Hunter Sea otter ÔThe world belongs to those who get up early!Õ It was just bright enough in Blackney Pass this morning for Jianna to spot orcas near the Sea Lion Rocks at 7:04am. We soon identified them as BiggÕs orcas. The presence of the T023s in Johnstone Strait yesterday was a good clue as to who these whales could be and we were able to note the distinct dorsal fin of T023. We counted at least 7 whales in her group as they moved to mid channel and spent some time milling, slowly pointed South. As they cleared our view half an hour later, we heard them vocalize in the southern entrance of Blackney Pass. Their calls had an interesting tone and we enjoyed this great opportunity to match these calls with the T023s matriline. Other BiggÕs orcas were calling further down in the Strait until 7:56am, were they answering to the ones closer to Blackney Pass? Just before midday, Alex and Jared reported the T023s westbound between Malcolm Island and Haddington Island. This day turned out to be a very calm and sunny one and Jeremie took the opportunity to go to the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve to install the Critical Point camera which had been under repair for the past few weeks. Hopefully, Northern Resident families will visit again soon! This trip was also the opportunity for our assistants Georgia, Nora and Laura to see the Reserve and where the whales had been rubbing during this busy September month while they had been watching remotely from the lab with excitement. At 5:37pm, AJ reported a group of orcas in Weynton Bay and followed them to Double Bay where they continued east towards Blackney Pass. According to Scotty, they looked like the T109A2s. They were not in sight yet when we started hearing a humpback in the same area in Blackfish Sound at 6:47pm. AJ, who was now posted off Dong Chong, identified the singing whale as Inukshuk! Meanwhile, everyone at the lab was watching a sea otter cracking up a seashell close to the deck, what a lovely sight! The sea otter moved away towards Burnt Point just as the T109A2s showed up, close to Hanson Island shore, pointed South. The light was fading as the dusk whales traveled in a tight group close to the Lab. They investigated the sea lion rocks and all the hauled out sea lions jumped in the water in big splashes. We lost track of the whales as they traveled further away from the Hanson side towards Parson Bay. This wasnÕt the end of our day just yet. As we were gathered around a bonfire for LauraÕs last night on Hanson Island, we heard A1 calls in Johnstone Strait at 8:32pm! The calls were distinctive of the A62s and we knew they were coming back from the East. For about an hour, their calls were close and frequent on the Strider Rubbing Beach hydrophone but they chose not to come for a rub. We could hear them slowly moving west as their calls became more sporadic and distant, last heard in the Strait just before midnight. OrcaLab 30 Sep 2024 11:41:51 PDT September 28 2024 Northern Residents: A62s BiggÕs orcas: T023s? Humpbacks: Hunter, Moonstar, Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins After the storm on September 26th, we thought the Northern Resident had left Òfor goodÓ. But today told a different story! Our morning started very early with a humpback vocalizing in Blackfish Sound during JuliaÕs night shift. Then nothing - until Alex relayed a radio report at 12:19pm that the A62s were in Johnstone Strait! We jumped out of excitement and started scanning the Strait with our remote cameras. A few blows were spotted westbound along the Cracroft Island shore. Our hopes for the return of Northern Residents were dashed when a later report indicated that these whales were actually BiggÕs orcas. Georgia was able to watch the BiggÕs actively foraging in the rip for about an hour from our Cracroft Point camera until 2:21pm when they came close to the entrance of Blackney Pass. They made very faint calls as they continued their journey west in the Strait. The group was identified as likely the T023s. Encouraged by the presence of orcas, albeit BiggÕs, we still had high hopes that some Northern Residents were not too far away and decided to play the kelp horns to call them in! A playful concerto took place on the lab deck. Less than four hours later, Jared reported the A62s at Donegal Head heading for Weynton at 4:45pm! Waw! Magical kelp horns! At 6:21pm, we started hearing them in Johnstone Strait. It felt so good. After almost 3 days without hearing Northern Residents calls, we were all very relieved to hear their distinctive calls once again. Nora described their calls as excited. We listened as their calls changed as they travelled east in Johnstone Strait. After the initial excited calls on entry their calls became fainter and sporadic until 7pm as they came into range of the Kaizumi hydrophone, by 7:45pm, their calls were louder and more excited on our Strider rubbing beach hydrophone as they began their approach to the Ecological Reserve, at 8pm their calls stopped only to resume at 9:29pm. By 10:47pm, we definitely knew that they were in the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve. The A62s continued their calls sporadically until 11:25pm and were heard solely on the Strider hydrophone. About ten minutes later, Georgia heard what sounded to be ÒchuffsÓ along Strider rubbing beach, but as there had not been any consistent calls for about an hour, only hearing a faint call here and there, it was uncertain at first if this was an actual rub by the A62s or just the wake of a boat passing by. With ClaireÕs help, it was determined that it was indeed a rub which lasted from 11:35pm to 11:38pm. Some echolocation on our Main rubbing beach hydrophone at midnight convinced us that the A62s continued east after their rub. Hopefully, this will not be the last we hear from them! The humpbacks had already started calling as night descended and before the A62s were well on their way east in the Strait. From 10:07pm, loud humpback social calls and even some short presongs on Parson Island continued well into the night. These calls and songs increasingly keep us company during the solitude of night shifts. Side note: we counted 120 sea lions hauled out on the sea lion rocks just south of the lab! OrcaLab 29 Sep 2024 08:57:59 PDT September 27 2024 Humpbacks: Freckles, Lucky, possibly Zostera or Drogon or Twister Pacific White-sided dolphins OrcaLab 28 Sep 2024 10:32:36 PDT September 26 2024 BiggÕs orcas: T060s Humpbacks: unknown ID Pacific White-sided Dolphins As of 9pm today, we will not have heard the Northern Residents for 24 hours. Our day was not uneventful though and it started early with Georgia recording a humpback vocalizing in Blackfish Sound at 4:35am and again at 5:27am. The clouds were pink and vibrant just before the sunrise but the sunshine was soon covered by thick dark clouds as the wind started to blow, stronger and stronger. The rain spattered the Lab deck and all our equipment was safely kept indoors. We watched from inside the ever moving waves and the white caps forming on their crests. From our remote cameras, we witnessed the power of the winds in Johnstone Strait, even the underwater camera was kind of hypnotizing as whirlwinds of bubbles, seaweed and nudibranchs kept swirling by. Alex noted: ÒI can see how much oxygen storms put into the water!Ó. The rescued sea lion was seen again from our remote camera and seemed fine, resting on its back undisturbed by the cold winds. From the Lab deck, Julia later saw a huge sea lion catching a salmon right on the rocks just a few meters away! At 3:31pm, while looking at a lovely rainbow rising above the north side of Blackney Pass, Jianna suddenly spotted 4 orcas traveling South close to Burnt Point! They were silent. One quick photo of the male was enough for Claire to identify T060C. They took a long dive and were seen again mid channel pointed North. We spotted a few humpback blows too but their dorsals were barely visible hidden by the waves. At 5:13pm, we heard the BiggÕs orcas calling in Blackfish Sound with some echolocation sounds, until 5:40pm. The recording ended shortly after and it was time to have a warm dinner and get comfy by the wood stove. At 8:24pm, Nora heard Pacific-White sided dolphins near Strider Rubbing Beach. They were vocal for a while, while a humpback made a few grunts at the entrance of Blackney Pass. Then, it was back to the loud sound of a restless ocean. OrcaLab 27 Sep 2024 12:20:21 PDT September 25 2024 Northern Residents: A62s, I04s, I65s Humpbacks: Freckles, Kailash, Argonaut, Umi and others Pacific White-sided Dolphins Today, calls started as early as 3:39am on our Critical Point hydrophone, located in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. They were identified as I15s by Tomoko who was listening from Japan. Jianna, listening carefully from the lab, noted a lot of N25 calls, over and over, as well as a humpback vocalizing in Blackfish Sound. This was her first time hearing what almost turned into a humpback song! At 5:26am the I15 calls had moved to our Parson Island hydrophone covering the entrance of Blackney Pass. The whales werenÕt very vocal but the movement to the entrance of Blackney Pass suggested a westerly trend. At 6:51am, the A62s were vocal in Johnstone Strait. Whale watchers were already on the water by 7:30am and reported whales in the Strait headed for Weynton Passage. Nearly two hours later at 9:24am, we started hearing the A62s in Blackfish Sound. Faint I15 calls started half an hour later in Blackfish Sound as well, coinciding with a report from Alex at 9:56am of orcas entering Blackfish Sound from Queen Charlotte Strait. We wondered if these whales were the I15s we heard in Johnstone Strait this morning between 3am and 5am. Now, with the arrival of the A62s from Johnstone Strait and the arrivals from the west, orcas converged off the western end of Blackfish Sound. I15 calls got louder while the A62s remained distant but still present in Blackfish Sound. Meanwhile, after yesterdayÕs concern for an entangled sea lion noticed on the Hanson Island sea lion haulout, we were moved by the sight of a mother nursing her tiny pup. This will become a common sight as more females arrive with their young babies after travelling from the summer rookeries further north. As for the entangled sea lion observed yesterday, we spotted him again on the rocks today and saw a tag on his flipper. After reporting it to Jackie, we were now certain that this was the sea lion rescued on September 17th! The scars remain from his ordeal but his situation has improved considerably. Reports about the orcas in Blackfish Sound continued from 10:30am onwards. AlexÕs report of whales spread out across the eastern side of Blackfish Sound preceded the one at 10:47am of a group of 5 whales traveling east off Double Bay. We believe this group was the A62s as we last heard them at 10:19am in Blackfish Sound while they likely moved away from our Flower Island hydrophone range, favoring the Hanson Island northern shore. We were still hearing I15s calls, more or less closer to the hydrophone, with some echolocation sounds at 11:08am. They were last heard in Blackfish Sound at 11:33am. At 12:52, Michael Reppy reported whales going east in Weynton. Twenty minutes later, AJ reported that 2 or 3 groups had taken Weynton Pass and were now in Johnstone Strait crossing the Strait to the Vancouver Island side with another group at the southern end of Weynton Pass ready to enter the Strait. During that time, a military vessel in Parson Bay hung around for about 3 hours. What was notable about this appearance was what Nora described as some type of ÒsonarÓ picked up on our local center hydrophone at 2:19pm. Just after this the vessel sped off very quickly heading south. By 2pm, the orcas who had entered the Strait were now mid strait according to AJ and opposite Blinkhorn while continuing east. No calls were heard but at 2:34pm we were seeing whales on our Cracroft Point remote camera, about six or seven of them, including at least two males, all tight together resting at the surface at the entrance of Blackney Pass. The military boat was leaving the Pass at the same time, pointed at the whales, and slightly diverted its course at the last moment. We heard ÒsonarÓ sounds again as the vessel headed west in Johnstone Strait at 2:48pm. A few minutes later, the resting whales were seen slowly moving west too. They didnÕt make a sound. Scanning the area for the rest of the orcas from our Cracroft Point camera, potentially four blows were noted on the far side near Kaikash Creek at 2:51pm. They were pretty quiet up until 3:13pm when echolocation and the first ÒchuffÓ was heard on Kaizumi Rubbing Beach. The rub lasted for 5 minutes with what looked like at least five whales present, including two males, seen from our remote fixed camera at Kaizumi. Great to see that there were no humans on the beach and the whales had the place to themselves. They were barely vocal but emitted a few short calls followed by a few N3 calls by members of the A62s. From our Cracroft Point camera, we could now see their blows easting along the Vancouver Island shore past Kaizumi at 3:26pm. At 3:52pm a group of five orcas were reported heading east off Cracroft Point mid strait. From the distribution of the whales in the Strait we tried to account for 3 different groups without the benefit of many calls or visual identification of individuals. Tricky but the situation slowly improved. Shortly after the rub ended at Kaizumi, we began to hear I15 calls and echolocation in the Robson Bight at 3:40pm. Twenty minutes later, whales were seen approaching from the west via our remote camera at Strider Rubbing Beach. At 4:04pm the rub began and at last we finally got some positive IDs! Julia spotted I122 and Tomoko recognized I65Õs distinct markings from the Strider underwater camera livestream. By 4:10pm the rub ended after many excited ÒtrillsÓ, ÒsquawksÓ, and echolocation. We noted four orcas heading east towards Main Rubbing Beach. The ticking of their echolocation and calls became faint as they headed further east. This was becoming a trend for the I65s. Then we started to hear calls once more on the Strider Rubbing Beach hydrophone at 4:40pm and at 5:27pm the I4s went in for a 30 minute rub. The youngest member, I172 was identified underwater by his distinctive dorsal nick. I4 was also identified underwater and I76 from our surface camera. It was wonderful to watch the underwater stream as the whales rubbed their perfect bodies over and over in the clear blue waters. They didnÕt go very far east after that rub and came back to have another 5 minute rub at 6:31pm. Their calls faded soon after only to be heard again in the Strait briefly between 8:51pm and 8:56pm accompanied by dolphin chatter. Going west? Before then, looking for the other groups, we scanned the Strait once more. Five orcas, including two males and a baby, could be seen across from Cracroft Point around 5pm heading west. The A62s were then identified acoustically at 5:53pm on the Cracroft Point hydrophone. They remained vocal in Johnstone Strait untill 8:36pm. We now knew a little bit better who we were listening to and watching through the day. So far we could account for the I65s, I4s and A62s. The rest of the day consisted of securing all outdoor spaces and our boat Sonic for the coming storm. These first strong southeaster winds of the season will certainly not be the last! OrcaLab 26 Sep 2024 17:20:48 PDT September 24 2024 Northern Residents: A62s, I04s, I65s, I16s, I27s? Humpbacks: Jaguar, Quartz, Graffiti, Argonaut, Yahtzee, Hunter, Squiggle, possibly Cygnus, possibly Ridge, possibly Constellation #2 Pacific White-sided Dolphins The I15s were vocal in Johnstone Strait during the early hours but faded before 1am only to be heard again at 6:20am in Blackfish Sound. Distinctive calls likely made by the A62s preceded the I15s as we started to hear them at 5:30am in the same locale. They all sounded closer to the Flower Island hydrophone at 6:40am and were echolocating frequently. Alex reported them milling slowly off Flower Island, hoping they were feeding on chum salmon. Three others were milling off Donegal Head, possibly the I4s? The sunrise was lovely and it was soon warm and bright in the Lab as we watched the sea lions sunbathing in the golden light. Past 8am, the calls became more sporadic as the whales moved away and, sadly for us, did not come into our view. They preferred to stay in Blackfish Sound. At 10:35am I15s were heard on the Parson Island hydrophone. We spotted a male and female orca milling in the rip current on the Cracroft Point remote surface camera at 10:49am. We could also see about six orcas on the farside of Johnstone Strait in line with Kaikash Creek headed east. Scotty later reported that I98 and others had been rubbing at Kaizumi. This required us to look back at footage from the beachÕs camera system. Indeed, from 11:26am to 11:34am three orcas, including two males, could be seen having a rub. Twelve minutes later, two other orcas came for a second rub that lasted only four minutes. This happened while we were all waving goodbye to Paul and Helena from the rocks outside the lab! Weirdly though, this rub did not show up on our audio recording, there were no chuffs or calls, but only very loud boat noise. Concern, just before 1pm, turned to the sea lions hauled out on the Hanson Island shore. Scotty notified us after seeing one individual with a deep constriction around his neck. We scanned using the remote camera but could not immediately see this individual. We continued to survey the scene and eventually just before 6pm Laura found him amongst the crowd of sea lions. Hopefully, this individual will continue to remain in the area long enough for help to be rendered by Marine Mammal Rescue. There sadly has been at least two other entanglements reported recently in the area. One of them was successfully rescued on September 17th. See video here: https://www.facebook.com/mersocietybc/posts/pfbid02hAmppQ8gBQKcJvvQcgGhUr9m1GxqJZ4vKCDNmD5Es63bS2fa9bB1zwSdzAmLhRYcl To the west, a group of orcas in Queen Charlotte Strait were keeping Alex busy. She reported at 1:20pm, seeing six, then four more ÒincomingÓ orcas. They were floating from the direction of Lizard Point. The group of four, including a male also, were headed into mid Blackfish Sound. Alex tentatively identified A83 from the A62s in the first group. As they were in range of the Flower Island hydrophone Alex remarked on how silent they were. From her vantage point the orcas looked to be off Flower Island. She witnessed three breaches as they picked up speed at 2:16pm following the tide line. While this was unfolding, at 1:43pm, we heard a ÒchuffÓ at Strider Rubbing beach. We quickly identified I122. Along with him were the rest of his I65 family. The Strider Beach rub lasted about ten minutes and consisted of echolocation and many excited characteristic I15 ÒtrillsÓ and Òsquawks.Ó The whales continued east. At 2:25pm, we heard echolocation in Robson Bight. Thirty minutes later, a silent male and a smaller whale were spotted very close to shore on the Strider surface camera, likely the I4s trailing the I65s. At 3:40pm, the latter were spotted by Olivia at Naka Creek, still going east and close to shore, with a lot of Pacific White-sided dolphins. Back to the whales in Blackfish Sound. A whale watch report at 2:34pm had suggested that a total of fifteen whales were headed southeast. They became vocal at 2:55pm. First, we heard I15s calls and a lot of echolocation. By elimination, we now understood that we must be hearing the I16s and or the I27s. At 4:09pm, orcas entered Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound on the far side. This entrance was accompanied by loud A1 calls of the A62s. As we saw eight whales in total, spread out including three males, and two young ones we knew that some of the I15s mentioned had accompanied them. Just like the last couple of days, they turned back North at 4:46pm, not getting close enough into Blackney Pass for us to identify them with certainty. Their collective calls continued for a long time on our Flower Island hydrophone. They faded around 7:30pm. Before sunset, the humpback Yahtzee was lunge feeding at Burnt Point and we saw quite a few other humpbacks during the evening including Hunter, Argonaut, Squiggle and possibly Cygnus. At 7:50pm, we heard I15 calls in Johnstone Strait, possibly the I65s or I4s returning from the East? At 8:16pm we heard a single I15 call in Blackfish Sound, followed by echolocation at 8:35pm. With this last acoustic event of the day, the Residents seemed to be holding the same positions as during the day with some of the I15s in Johnstone Strait and others to the west in Blackfish Sound. OrcaLab 25 Sep 2024 09:47:42 PDT September 23 2024 Northern Residents: A62s, I04s, I65s, I16s, I27s Humpbacks: Kailash, Freckles, Argonaut, Claw & calf Auger, Squiggle, possibly Grafitti Pacific White-sided Dolphins It was a quiet night for the most part. No calls or signs from the Residents on where they were, not even any Humpback songs to keep us entertained. That was until 3:30am when the chirping of a humpback in Blackfish made the speakers come alive. The sounds quickly moved on from chirping to blowing some raspberries, shrieks, whistles, and upsweeps. These are all social calls that one may use to communicate with others nearby and often mistaken for other sounds. By 3:50am, the humpback had made his way into Blackney Pass and then along further to Parson Island. At 4:20 the humpback decided to start singing, very close to our hydrophone which caused a bit of static, but his vocals were lovely nonetheless. It was again quiet until the sun started to rise at 7am. Troy at Bere Point reported a group he took to be the I16s passed by to the east after a rub at 7:36am. At 7:06am, we started hearing faint I15 and A1 (?A62s) calls in Johnstone Strait until 9am when they became louder on our Kaizumi hydrophone. At that point we spotted orcas using our Cracroft Point remote camera heading east near Kaikash. About 45 minutes later, another group of 4 were spotted on the remote CP camera heading east in the middle of the Strait. As these groups moved east, their calls were heard on our Strider hydrophone an hour later and soon enough were spotted on the Strider camera. Their calls became loud and frequent and excited as they approached Strider rubbing beach. They were so excited, one individual breached. By 11:36am the first rub of the day followed. These I15s enthusiastically blew bubbles and rubbed along their favourite beach. They seemed to favour the area surrounding our underwater camera today so we were able to see some lovely orcas underwater. We are pretty confident that I76 was here, preceded by I4 and 2 other small fins. We were left wondering if these 2 small fins were members of the I65s. By 12pm, they decided they had a long enough rub, pulled away and were seen heading east. With the I4s and most likely the I65s heading down the Strait, we were left to identify the other calls we were hearing in Blackfish Sound. We had reports of orcas headed south in Blackfish Sound while others were in Weynton as well. Alex reported 2 males, 2 females and a juvenile heading for Weynton. We now wondered if it was the I16s and I27s in Blackfish Sound who were pointing towards Blackney Pass at 1:37pm? Olivia, who had spent 2 months at OrcaLab, was camping at Naka Creek and reported a group of 4 including one male traveling east at 1:20pm. Fifteen minutes later, she saw one male mid channel going east, followed 20 minutes later by 2 small fins and a baby. This was the perfect count for the I4s and I65s. At this point we were hearing a lot of echolocation on our Flower Island hydrophone with some more distant I15 and over time they seemed to be coming closer to the northern entrance of Blackney Pass. At 1:36pm, 2 males were in sight. They looked like either the I27s brothers or 2 males from the I16s matriline. Two smaller orcas were spotted ahead of them, possibly members of the I16s, but they didnÕt make it further than White Beach Pass and after a bit of foraging, they all turned back towards Blackfish Sound, clearing our view at 2:10pm. Fifteen minutes later, a report of 7 Northern Residents in Blackfish Sound would account for all of the I16s. At 3:21pm, Scotty reported the I16s spread out in Blackfish Sound heading towards Blackney Pass. We were still hearing their infrequent calls in Blackfish Sound. As we were waiting for them to show up, the humpback Claw and her calf Auger popped up quite close to Burnt Point! The little one made an amazing series of breaches all the way to the southern part of Blackney Pass. Laura captured great shots of this moment. In the background, the presumed I16s, slowly making their way South into Blackney Pass, decided to turn North again while making some interesting calls, and cleared our view at 4:26pm. With the whales sticking to the far side, preventing us from identifying them visually with confidence, our attention in the lab turned to a lovely sight on our Sea Lion Rock camera - a sparrow was foraging a few meters away from the sleepy sea lions. The I15 calls continued in Blackfish Sound and at 5:12pm, we started to hear faint A1 calls too. The A62s must have traveled North via Weynton Pass. At 5:50pm, Alex reported 1 male zigzagging at Flower Island. Shortly after, our systems were down because of a power issue. Everything was quickly fixed and we were listening again to distant I15 and A1 calls in Blackfish Sound, including distinctive calls likely made by the A62s. Their calls faded slowly and were last heard at 7:43pm. Olivia, still at Naka Creek, reported 4 orcas westing including one male, 2 small and a young one at 7:10pm. About 40 minutes later, we started hearing I15 calls and echolocation in Johnstone Strait east of the Reserve. Their sporadic calls lasted for about 45 minutes. Olivia was hoping to see the second group she had seen easting earlier but the light was fading and hopes of spotting whales faded too. At 9:45pm though we started hearing distant I15 calls again on the Strider hydrophone. Without warning, a loud ÒchuffÓ occurred at 9:57pm. We didnÕt hear a single close call during this short rub but faint I15 calls continued in the Strait until the late hours. Orcalab 24 Sep 2024 08:55:20 PDT September 22 2024 Northern Residents: A62s, I04s, I65s BiggÕs orcas: T060s Humpbacks: Kailash, Yahtzee, possibly Ojos Blancos, possibly Magician Pacific White-sided Dolphins Yesterday ended with a short rub at 8:22pm in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve with the I15s and A62s in Johnstone Strait. They were silent for a while until we heard I15 calls in Blackfish Sound at 12:18am. Had they come via Blackney Pass or via Weynton Passage? ÒRaspberryÓ and ÒchirpÓ humpback vocals were heard in Blackfish Sound too, as well as Pacific White-sided Dolphin chatter. As today was the Fall equinox, we could expect nothing less than a Humpback practicing his songs in preparation for finding a mate. Songs and grunts could be heard in both the Strait and entrance to Blackney Pass in the early morning and as the sky began to lighten, the songs stopped and breaches began. As the sun rose masked by thick clouds of rain, we began to hear I15 calls once again in Blackfish Sound, however they quickly became distant once more. A few faint A1 calls (most likely, the A62s) were heard in the Strait at 7:53am, but nothing became of it until 9:04am when suddenly fins were seen heading North through Blackney Pass. It was all hands on deck as no one had expected this passing. The first fin to pop up was I122. As he continued North with another smaller fin, I4 & I76 showed up along with a stream of Pacific White-sided dolphins behind them. Almost ten minutes after we thought they had cleared, all the I4s were back in Blackney Pass resting. We continued to scan Blackney Pass in its entirety in case we missed someone. Sure enough another male was spotted with more dolphins entering the Pass. Just a short moment later, more fins joined him. The rain made it hard to see, and since we had no calls on our Local Centre hydrophone, it was our best guess as to who was passing. Since we had I122 earlier, it would make sense that the rest of the I65s would come through as well. However, we had more than 5 fins in this last group. These were the A62s. By 9:53 all groups had cleared and all calls stopped by 11:00am. Not much happened during the next 5 hours except for a report of the T060s going east in Knight Inlet at 2:05pm. Michael and Nicolette from Double Bay came for a lovely catch up visit. We counted more than 60 sea lions hauled out on the rocks just South of the Lab and very much enjoyed watching them sleep and growl with our remote camera. At 4:03pm, we started hearing Northern Resident calls again on our system. The I15s were at the entrance of Blackney Pass. It took them 7 hours to complete a full loop around Hanson Island! They came into our view at 4:18pm. The I4s were in the lead mid channel, followed by the I65s who were favoring the Parson Island side. A lot of Pacific White-sided dolphins were vocal on the Parson Island hydrophone and traveled North at full speed in Blackney Pass, some were with the orcas, others favoring the Hanson Island side. A third group of orcas came into our view at 4:53pm. It was again the A62s trailing the others. Silently, they traveled on the far side and were in no hurry. Our Local Centre hydrophone had technical issues during their passing and we couldnÕt tell if they were calling or not. As they approached the range of our Flower Island hydrophone at 5:55pm, we heard their brief but clear A1 calls. They cleared our view at 6:06pm after spending more than an hour in Blackney Pass. Their sporadic calls continued for a little while in Blackfish Sound along with continuous dolphin chatter. At 7:59pm, BiggÕs calls were heard in front of the lab and left us wondering if these were the T060s reported earlier today. They moved on to Blackfish Sound where we last heard them at 8:32pm. A few minutes later, a humpback took over and vocalized sporadically for about 40 minutes. Another sign of Autumn, the tall cedar trees are letting go their now brown and gold ÒleavesÓ. Blown off by the first slight southeaster - a hint as to what will come. OrcaLab 23 Sep 2024 12:51:20 PDT September 21 2024 Northern Residents: A62s, I16s, I65s, I04s?, I27s? Humpbacks: Freckles, Ojos Blancos, possibly Hunter In the early hours of this last day of summer, the I15s and A62s were calling in Johnstone Strait. We could hear echolocation getting closer to the Strider rubbing beach and at 1:55am the A62s engaged in a 20 minute rub! Their calls were loud and clear. Jianna was on shift that night and her words best describe this moment: ÒAt 1:46am, I15 and A34s calls on Strider Rubbing Beach increased with excitement. There were calls, whistles, buzzes, and echolocation creating chaotic symphony, stirring the night. Then, at 1:51am, the calls paused. Minutes felt like hours, was the excitement over? Then, the silence was abruptly interrupted by the loud ticking of echolocation and the sloshing of water. Then, at 1:55am Ñ Chuff! The loud buzz at the forefront of the calls was a sign that this was the A34s N9i call. With TomokoÕs sharp ear picking up on finer details, she was able to identify that the calls belonged to the A62s. These vocalizations were rich with enthusiasm and their intensity elicited both laughter and awe. The resonant buzzes were enough to quite literally take oneÕs breath away. At 2:07am, a trill sounded, a sign that the I15s were still at Strider as well. By 2:15am, the rub had ended. The calls dissipated but could still be heard distancing in the strait.Ó After the rub, the A62s remained close to the beach for the next hour and a half, before moving west around 4:05am. The I15s did not take part in the early rub but we started to hear them again in the Strait at 5:52am, faint at first then mid range, along with the A62s, before they all became silent at 6:02am. Shortly after, we started hearing echolocation and clear A62 N4s at the entrance of Blackney Pass. The following calls on our Local Centre hydrophone at 6:31am were faint which indicated that the whales were traveling on the far side. It was still dark outside and the loud sound of waves stopped Julia, who was on shift, from hearing blows. The ebb currents were strong and the whales surely made a quick pass as we started to hear echolocation at 6:48am at the north end of Blackney Pass where it meets Blackfish Sound. The A62s were not alone though and members of the I15s must have silently been traveling with them as we started to hear their calls in Blackfish Sound at 6:50am. It was just light enough for Laura to see 3 to 4 orcas on our base camera headed in that direction and clearing our view at 6:56am. This group of I15s was vocal until 7:28am, accompanied by Pacific White-sided Dolphin chatter. Later, a few reports indicated that 10 Northern Residents had headed to Lizard Point on Malcolm Island at 10:49am then turned back towards Blackfish Sound at 11:30am. We heard distant A62 and I15 calls at 12:48pm, as the whales passed Donegal Head. Alex reported 2 groups spread out possibly including the I16s. At 2:05pm a report came of 12 Northern Residents traveling South in Weynton which would account for the I16s (7 whales) and A62s (5 whales) . We started hearing them in Johnstone Strait at 2:12pm, I15 calls first then A62s. They traveled east down to the rip off Cracroft Point where they started to do a bit of foraging. Meanwhile, one group of I15s was on the Vancouver Island side and rubbed at Kaizumi for 3 minutes at 3:57pm. Only 2 whales could be observed on the camera and we wondered if these were members of the I16s or another matriline of the I15s (I65s, I4s, I27s)? Thanks to our remote camera at Cracroft Point, we were able to identify the silent whales foraging in the rip as the A62s. At 5:17pm, they started to move east, favoring the Cracroft Island side. Other members of the I15s must have been around too as we heard them calling at the entrance of Blackney Pass at 5:23pm! At 6:09pm, clear I15 calls and echolocation were heard in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. A rub started at Strider rubbing beach at 6:46pm and we identified them as the I65s. Were they the ones who rubbed at Kaizumi 3 hours earlier? They moved east after the Strider rub, except for I122 who was still foraging offshore. They all returned for another rub at 7:22pm before heading west at 7:34pm. Their calls were loud on our Critical Point hydrophone at 7:40pm. We also heard A clan N3s at the same time, indicating that the A62s had possibly reached the Reserve as well. Another short rub happened at 8:19pm and that was it for the day. We had no visual reports of the I4s or I27s today but we hope they were around too. OrcaLab 22 Sep 2024 12:17:04 PDT September 20 2024 Northern Residents: A62s, I16s, I04s, I65s, I27s (? I31s heard) BiggÕs: T109A2s Humpbacks: possibly Moonstar and Quartz Even though all the Resident orcas, the A54s, A62s, I4s, I65s, I16s and I27s, left for Queen Charlotte Strait late afternoon on the 19th, some of the I15s and later the A62s, returned to the Strait by the early hours of the 20th. The I15 group, or groups, came in first and by 2:30am were already west of Robson Bight travelling east along the Vancouver Island shore. In the next hour they approached Strider Beach and within ten minutes after that their calls were close and within fifteen minutes of that they hit the beach in dramatically loud fashion. The rub lasted from 3:55am until 4am. From Strider they continued east and could be heard on Main beach hydrophone as well. At 4:19am, the I15s were upstaged by a humpback in Blackney Pass who began ÒpecÓ slapping the water. Georgia likened the sound to gunshots. It was that loud. Then the humpback breached from the sea lion rock to the south of the Lab to Burnt Point north of the Lab. Shortly afterwards at 4:33am the A62s let their presence be known. They happened to be not far from the I15s. Up to this point they had been silent travelling partners. Their calls were on both Main and Strider systems. They too went for a rub from 4:41 until 4:48am. The rub was followed by loud, excited, almost frantic calls. From 5:12am their calls grew a bit more distant and in short order more of their calls were heard faintly on the Critical Point system to the west. The A62s had decided to return to Robson Bight. The humpback off the Lab added a few more breaches. By 5:18am the A62s were clearly off Critical Point, the eastern headland of Robson Bight. The I15s however lingered near the area adjacent to Strider and at 5:52am their calls were close and an hour later frequent and excited. At the Lab it was now time to change shifts. Julia replaced Georgia who on her way to get some rest, was still probably thinking about those breaching, pec slapping humpbacks just off the Lab under the clear and starry night. As Julia welcomed the dawn, the I15s and A62s were still calling and at 7:21am a mother and baby from the I15s made a few passes over Strider beach on their way to the west. The required twenty minute interval had orcas coming up to Critical Point with a strong stream of echolocation as they ÒroundedÓ the corner into the Bight. The westward trek was determined. It wasnÕt long before the orcas passed Kaizumi beach. It was not yet quite 8am. Using the remote Cracroft Point surface camera we witnessed six orcas approaching from the east at 8:29am. This sighting was followed-up by close calls and orcas passing at 8:44am. They were headed directly to the entrance of Blackney Pass. Finally, we were able to get a sense of which I15 groups had been in the Strait. It turned out to be all four family groups. By 8:53am the I4s were already half way through Blackney. Then came the A62s and the I27s. They were all moving fast with the strong ebb current. The I16s were next. After these groups left our view and entered Blackfish Sound by 9:10am we heard more I15 type calls on Parson Island. Our gaze turned south. Sure enough the I65s, the last of the I15s, came into view. Like the others they travelled north reaching Blackfish by 9:38am. There had been one anomaly during what looked to be a normal south - north passing. At 8:52am, before the orcas were seen in Blackney Pass, the Lab detected a call and echolocation on the Flower Island system. The call was clear enough to suggest the presence of the I31s. Later, at 12:54 the same call was intriguingly repeated twice more. We were left wondering. The A62s and the I15s continued to call in Blackfish Sound as they slowly staged their entrance into Weynton Pass. By 1:11pm calls stopped. When they resumed at 2:09pm the Residents were back in Johnstone Strait. There was no sign of the A54s who left during that late afternoon trek to Queen Charlotte Strait on the 19th. It was left up to the A62s and I15s therefore to occupy Johnstone Strait. After their entry they advanced eastward. In due course most found themselves off the entrance to Blackney Pass. They continued calling for several hours. Most of the calls waxed and waned in strength as the groups moved around the Strait. The I65s were an exception, they made their way to Strider where at 6:53pm they rubbed for seven minutes. Afterwards, they could be seen resting between Strider and Main beach. At 7:28pm they came in for a repeated rub but this time they left to the west and were heard with a group of dolphins at 7:49pm. Meanwhile, Scotty had found and identified the T109A2s near Stubbs Island inWeynton Pass at 7:23pm. The Strait became uncharacteristically silent for a couple of hours after this. A humpback in Blackfish, with his grumbles, clicks and creaks, caught our attention from 10:12pm until 10:40pm. Perhaps the same humpback or perhaps another started up again in Blackfish at 11:14pm. In Johnstone Strait, after 11pm, the I15s let out a few calls and did some echolocation but by 11:30pm they were quiet. They were not gone. The orca chorus would pick up once more after midnight. OrcaLab 22 Sep 2024 11:38:35 PDT September 19 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, I104,I65s, I27s, I16s [we have not had any reports of the A42s and A94 for a while] BiggÕs orcas: T109A2s Humpbacks: Domino. Possibly Ridge, possibly Cutter Pacific White-sided dolphins The early morning hours of September 19th revealed that all the familiar groups were still in Johnstone Strait. We sensed that they had shifted from the riptide off of Blackney Pass closer to Robson Bight and the Ecological Reserve by late evening on the 18th. After a few hours of quiet, finally, at 2:25am they began to vocalise again and we got a better impression as to where they were. The A62s had apparently taken the A54s place close to Critical Point in Robson Bight. A companion I15 group was not far away. The A54s, paired with another of the I15s, were still in the general vicinity only now nudging their way back west. Within an hour, at 4:28am the A54 and I15 pair had returned to the entrance of Blackney Pass and were preparing to enter. They soon did travel north and when heard on Local Centre at 4:31am Tomoko, listening in Japan to the live audio feed, confirmed the A54s and I15s. More I15 calls were heard back on the Parson Island hydrophone adjacent to the entrance to Blackney, more whales were coming. In the end everybody streamed through and ended up in Blackfish Sound. The whales seemed excited to have made it and created energetic calls from 5:18am until 5:45am. They made the decision to head to Queen Charlotte Strait where at 9:16am four were seen after having reversed their direction between Lizard Point and Donegal Head. Fifteen more followed at 9:40am. Alex reported that all, organised as three groups, were taking Weynton Pass. The choice of Weynton Pass has been the pattern of late probably due to the big tides and the heavy currents posing a better choice for the whales to re-enter Johnstone Strait. At 11:35am we began to hear the whales in Johnstone Strait after their journey through Weynton. Again the pattern of travelling east after re-entry was repeated. By 12:17pm the groups on the Vancouver Island side were between Blinkhorn and Kaikash Creek. As they drew nearer to the area opposite the entrance to Blackney Pass their calls came up on the Parson Island system. Scotty, at 12:34pm was able to offer a description of how the groups were distributed. The A54s and the I4s were along the Hanson Island shore. The I65s and I27s were on the Vancouver island side near Blinkhorn, the A62s and the I16s were following them behind. If these sets of groups happened to be the same as to what was going on during the night we might better understand who had been with whom. The groups landed in the rip west of Cracroft at 12:40pm where they had Dalls Porpoise, Dolphins, whale watch boats and even a cruise ship to contend with. They stayed pretty focused regardless. To make a long story short, the whales remained in the rip foraging until after 4pm repeating this pattern from the last two days. At 4:21pm, they began to file through Blackney Pass in the following order, the A54s and I4s, the A62s and I16s and finally the I27s and i65s. By 5:23pm the last entered Blackfish Sound. Other than the fact they must have passed the BiggÕs orcas off Double Bay at 5:43pm we were not aware of the Residents after their last calls at 6:01pm. The BiggÕs orcas were identified by Scotty at 7:23pm as the T109A2s when off Stubbs Island mid Weynton Pass. The T109A2s have been frequently seen of late. The day at the Lab had consisted of the usual regular scans, recording and observations. We also took on the task of cleaning our boat, the Sonic. After much use throughout the summer she needed a little attention and after barnacles and algae were removed she looked much better. Cleaning her deck was scheduled for the next day. The garden, likewise, got some needed attention too. With Fall about to happen we have begun to take seriously the need for winter firewood so the chainsaws have been fired up and the splitter put into action. The wood shed is, thankfully, starting to fill up again. The squirrels have been of the same mind set for some time now, stripping seeds from the pinecones they knock to the ground and stashing them everywhere. As night fell the last summer full moon, though now waning, still cast its bright light over Blackney making this night friendly and inviting. Orcalab 20 Sep 2024 20:52:38 PDT September 18 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, I04s, I65s, I27s, [I16s east JS] Humpbacks: Quartz, Ridge, possibly Meadow Pacific White-sided dolphins Come the midnight hour there were humpback sounds on the Parson Island system and a bit later I15 calls on Strider along with dolphin chatter. The calls on Strider stopped at 1:25am. Come 3:50am there was some echolocation followed fourteen minutes later by I15 calls with dolphins again. A series of short, soft, gentle rubs began at 4:51am, 5:06am, 5:34am and 5:47am. There were both I15 and A62 calls. Seemed like everyone went east. However, Scotty, going as far as Naka Creek, did not come across anyone. His attention was drawn back to the west where at 10:10am we were hearing the A54s and I15s around the far end of Blackfish Sound. Alex kept us informed about what she could see.. The A54s, Alex remarked, looked like they were Òcoming inÓ from Queen Charlotte Strait while others mid Blackfish were oriented to the west. A bit later, she thought the A54s were generally coming our way, they had foraged in the kelp below her house, the kids were playful, someone was far out in front of the main group. A radio report commented that whales had entered Weynton Pass an hour before. Alex figured these were different from the ones she was watching. The ones in the middle of Blackfish were headed toward the ÒrowdyÓ A54s. By 10:54 the A54s, according to Alex, were travelling on the west side of the Plumpers. Scotty, now on scene, pegged the A54s and I4s going into Johnstone Strait by 11:34am. He then added the I65s and I27s. By Noon all the Residents had entered Johnstone Strait. By ÒallÓ he meant the A54s, I4s, I65s, I27s and the A62s. The I16s were not mentioned and that turned out to be significant. This had us wondering again about the early morning rub at Strider which had both I15 and A1 calls. We took the latter to be the A62s who must have managed to get back west from the Ecological Reserve in time to reconnect with the A54s etc. The description of the next few hours was pretty easy. The orca families in question swam east after entering Johnstone Strait. By 1pm, they arrived at the heavy riptide west of Cracroft Point foraging. This activity would preoccupy them for several hours. The missing I16s, meanwhile, had been spotted around 2pm near Hickey Point, opposite Port Neville in lower Johnstone Strait. Back further west one of the otherI15 groups broke free of the rip and went east to Strider for a brief rub at 5:29pm. The A54s followed and entered Robson Bight around 6pm. Others were still closer to the entrance to Blackney Pass. The presence of the A54s near Robson Bight perhaps encouraged the I15 group who had been at Strider to come back. On their way west they had a minute rub at 6:57pm and joined the A54s in the Bight by 7:31pm. Together these families left the Bight and travelled to Strider where there was another brief rub followed by faint calls. A few calls heard on Main beach suggested that they went east for time being. Horrendous boat noise buried any subsequent distant I15 calls and no further calls would be heard after 10:50pm. It had been a rare day that saw no orcas pass the Lab. Blackney Pass was still lively though. Dolphins passed north to south just after 11pm and a closeby humpback paced back and forth under a beautiful waning full moon bringing conclusion to the events of this day. OrcaLab 20 Sep 2024 04:59:12 PDT September 17 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s. I04s, I56s, I27s BiggÕs orcas: T055s Humpbacks: Domino, Moonstar, Stitch, possibly Ridge, possibly Quartz, BCYuk2024#1 Pacific White-sided dolphins Where we left off yesterday, the A54s and A62s had returned to the western end of Blackfish Sound, the I15s were still in Johnstone Strait and the dolphins were chatting away on the Flower Island system. At 12:45 am we learned that the A62s had taken Weynton Pass. We could hear two separate I15 groups on different stations so they had to be some distance from each other. Nothing changed much for the next hour but at 1:51am there were loud A54 and I15 calls off the entrance to Blackney Pass. Likely the A54s took Blackney as a shortcut to the others who seemed stalled somewhere just east of Cracroft Point. Once the A54s were into Johnstone Strait the A62s and their I15 companions shifted a bit further east. Their calls on Critical Point and Strider were continuous to 4:10am. The A54s were not very committed to staying in the Strait. They and some of the I15s came into Blackney Pass at 5:53am and went north followed by their calls in Blackfish Sound. They headed west. A series of reports later in the morning described first, nine orcas off Donegal Head at 11:52am, then eleven in Weynton Pass at 12:38pm, and finally a recount of fifteen heading into Johnstone Strait. The number counting didnÕt stop there. By 1:30pm, the count of Northern Residents rose to 33 with the arrival of the I16s from Weynton after 12:43pm. So what happened? We suspect that the A62s and their I15 group went west in the Strait soon after the A54s and their companions went north in Blackney. Perhaps it was the I16s who went with the A54s? Perhaps they then went into Queen Charlotte Strait and picked up the missing I27s. This could account for the 9 orcas off Donegal. The A54s perhaps waited closer to Blackfish Sound and they could have been the 11 seen in Weynton Pass. When the A54s neared Johnstone Strait they may have encountered either the I4s or I65s, most likely the I4s. This conveniently made up the 15 who entered the Strait. With the A62s and one of the other I15 groups waiting in the Strait along with the late arriving I16s and I27s the numbers now matched the 33 orcas making their way toward Blinkhorn. Love it! All guesswork, of course, but it does kinda make sense of all the available scrappy pieces of information. By 2pm the orcas were in the rip to the west of Cracroft Point where they began to forage intently. There is mounting evidence that there may be a good Chum salmon run this year. This is so important. The orcas really only target two species of salmon, Chum being one and Springs or Chinook the other. Chum salmon are usually the last of the migrating salmon to come through and for the orcas this can be essential to their preparation for winter. The other morning, after hearing that Chums had been seen jumping elsewhere we noticed, at dawn, movement in the water just below the surface off of the Lab. Fish were moving through! Such a hopeful sign as in recent years the Chum run has been very limited and perhaps the reason why the orcas have departed so early. Perhaps a healthy run will bring other Northern Residents. Like the other day, the groups desiring to come into Blackney after their feeding bout had to buck the current. The first came at 3:13pm, the second at 3:22pm, the third at 3:58pm, the fourth at 3:45pm. Exceptional I15 calls were heard at 3:40pm. With the whales so spaced out we kept an eye on the Cracroft Island remote camera. Whales were still alternatively, foraging or trying to move into Blackney. A lot of dolphins were charging around and seemingly attracted to the last group in particular. As they came into Blackney we had scopes and cameras ready. This is how the groups filed past us: the A54s mid channel, followed and mixed in with the I4s, the A62s closer to the Lab with I107 (of the I27s), I77 (also of the I27s) off on his own on the far side, the I65s mid channel and finally the I16s with dolphins. 33 orcas! They were all gone after I77 disappeared to Blackfish Sound by 4:45pm. No sooner had they gone then the BiggÕs orcas - the T055s - rushed northward past the Lab between 5:26 and 5:35pm. Whew! It had been quite the eventful few hours. In contrast the evening up to midnight was pretty quiet, broken only by the humpback sounds on Flower Island and Parson Island hydrophones at 10:10pm. Orcalab 18 Sep 2024 19:06:51 PDT September 16 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, I04s,I65s, I16s BiggÕs orcas: heard only Humpbacks: Freckles, possible Hunter, Graffiti, possible BCYuk2024#1, Domino Pacific White-sided dolphins To date we have not discussed fully what has been happening with the humpbacks recently. No better place to start than what occured in the early hours of September 16. Not long after 12:26am when the BiggÕs orcas began to talk, a humpback contributed his voice to the soundscape. The humpback was, at first, close to Blackney Pass but on the Johnstone Strait side and the BiggÕs were further east near Strider. They were well within earshot of each other. The humpback shifted away from the Blackney Pass area momentarily but returned by 5am an hour after the BiggÕs had finally ceased calling. Acoustically, the humpback sounds were very robust and delivered with some variation. The BiggÕs likewise used their full repertoire, including whistles. It was unusual for BiggÕs orca to sustain calling for this long, over four hours. As it was night we do not know what could have caused them to do this but it is known that they will become vocal after a successful hunt but not usually for so long. This recording was also remarkable for the reason that the Resident orcas - the I15s - became vocal in the Strait at 3:07am. This was a first, BiggÕs, humpbacks and Residents all in the same space, all calling at once. As you may know, humpbacks donÕt vocalise much when they come back in the Spring. They stay quite muted throughout the summer issuing the occasional whup or grunt. They do make specific sounds when engaged in bubble feeding and there have been known to be brief exchanges from a mother to her baby. Then in the Fall a change comes over the male humpbacks and their short grunts, growls and whups start to turn into something more. Vocal bouts become longer and more and more complicated. A series of individual calls become phrases, phrases and patterns turn into songs. The advent of song brings with it more social behaviours between the humpbacks as they prepare for their annual migration to the breeding grounds in Hawaii or Mexico. As night turned to day, the I4s and I65s, moved north into Blackney Pass just before 8am. The BiggÕs had left off calling around 4am.The humpback had become silent around 5am. Johnstone Strait became quiet but not yet empty of whales. A group of whales were seen by AJ heading west from the south end of Hanson Island toward Blinkhorn. These whales would later be identified as the I16s. This sighting made us circle back to the day before when Troy saw a group eastbound off Black Bluff in the early evening. The pieces to this puzzle were coming together. The I16s most likely dropped ÒdownÓ from Queen Charlotte Strait, through Weynton Pass and into Johnstone Strait later that same evening. Their arrival was probably confused with the other I15s already in the Strait. So on the morning of the 16th they must have travellled to Blackney Pass with the others but chose their own path to the west as the I4s and I65s travelled through to Blackfish Sound. They would all later meet up again after the I4s and I65s returned to the Strait via Weynton Pass. This all came to pass just before 11am. By 11:38am according to Jared the I16s were already eastbound off Kaikash Creek with the I4s following. Three of the I15s, perhaps some of the I65s, were already further ahead and went for a rub west of Robson Bight some ten minutes later. By Noon the rest of the I15s were off Robson Bight and moving slowly toward Strider beach. Their bright calls were heard well in advance of their arrival. We were beginning to anticipate what might happen next. We were right! Rubs started at 1:03pm. The three participating orcas unceremoniously and quietly moved offshore and to the east a mere five minutes later. We guessed that they were the I65s minus I122. Others arrived in succession. I4s came next. They too, when finished, moved off. The came back with the I65 trio. I122 appeared. Then in a full rush into the beach with a dolphin escort came the i16s. The activity was incredible right to its conclusion at 4:27pm. Back and forth over the pebbles. The pebbles sounding like Òrain sticksÓ or short ÒchuffsÓ. Whales criss-crossed each other, group after group, taking turns. Dolphins darted, splashed and sped around the whales. Orca after orca passed the underwater camera in a beautiful ballet. Dolphins flashed by too. Once the orcas left off and moved offshore with the dolphins still charging around. It looked as if they might leave but it was a ruse to shake off the dolphins. They turned and came back to rub some more. The dolphins quickly caught on and came back too. Finally, it was really time to go and orca and dolphin alike went west. The I65s, who had begun the rubbing just after 1pm must have slipped off to the east. They were seen off Naka Creek at 2:52pm. They were still going east. As the rest of the I15s moved westward in Johnstone Strait, the A54s and the A62s were reported resting north of Donegal Head at 3:39pm. We would not hear them until 4:24pm. By then the I4s and I16s had been circulating the area from the western boundary all the way to the Sophias and back to the Vancouver Island side since leaving Strider. They regrouped opposite the Sophia Islands at 4:50pm and headed slowly toward Cracroft Point, spreading out and milling on the way. They were off the entrance to Blackney between 5:20 and 5:57pm. In Blackfish the last A62 calls at 4:59pm were very faint. Later, at 6:18pm a large group of Northern Residents were then seen in Queen Charlotte Strait leaving us to imagine that either the A54s and or the A62s had retreated. With that reversal in Blackfish and the return of the I65s to Strider at 5:29pm, the I4s and I16s most likely paused any intention of heading into Blackney. The I65s rubbed for three minutes and with the inevitable dolphins alongside went west toward the other members of their extended family. A humpback in Blackfish Sound began calling at 9:21pm. Not long afterwards the A54s returned to Blackfish. They would not be heard again until 11:42pm. The I15s were not going anywhere for the moment. Up to midnight they were still in Johnstone Strait. Some of their members were off Critical Point at 9:15pm, some had a night rub between 10:24pm and 10:29pm, all were still heard till 11:55pm. We will give the last word to the humpbacks. At 11:09pm a very active, growly, groaning, honking, clicking humpback on the Parson Island hydrophone kept things lively, between orca and dolphin happenings, until 11:47pm. The night was young and there was more to soon follow. OrcaLab 17 Sep 2024 23:50:16 PDT September 15 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, I04s, I65s, ?I16s BiggÕs orcas: heard only Humpbacks: Graffiti, Freckles (by herself) Pacific White-sided dolphins A singular report from yesterday stood out. Troy at Bere Point reported at 6:56pm seeing a large group of orcas inbound. We were not sure how to originally incorporate this report which seemed, because of the timing, to be unrelated to the A54s and A62s who we had been listening to for most of the day and into the evening further east in Blackfish Sound. TroyÕs report, the location and time of the inbound whales really suggested that another group was in play. We were later certain the A54s passed through Blackney Pass into Johnstone Strait between 8 and 9pm. But the A62s never came through. Had they gone to meet up with the inbound group? Because of events that were to follow we wondered if TroyÕs group might just have been the I16s who are part of the I15 acoustic group like the I4s and I65s. But this is getting ahead of what happened on September 15th. The A54s and I15 groups were in Johnstone Strait come midnight. It is still too hard to tell the four I15 matrilines apart acoustically but we know that at least the I4s and I65s were already in the Strait. One of the groups went for a rub west of Robson Bight between 1:16am and 1:20am. From there it was Critical Point by 2:28am and Strider by 3:07am. Not particularly fast going. Another rub, this time very short, involved both the A54s and some of the I15s who continued east for a while longer before turning around. The A54s reapproached the Strider area from the east between 4am and 4:30am. Within two hours the A54s were nearer Robson Bight once more. Another hour brought them and the I15s closer to Kaizumi. It was closer to 8am when the groups drew nearer Cracroft Point. Within a half hour the A54s along with the I4s and I65s began to traverse Blackney Pass together. This was OliviaÕs last morning at the Lab and as she was to depart soon this seemed fitting. Olivia has been a great help as our trusty boat driver and much, much more. Her lively good humour and kindness will be missed. We were all there on the shore to have a hug and wish her well before the Sonic departed. Olivia was gone long before the A54s and the I15s reached the western end of Blackfish Sound. We listened to their calls grow faint by 10:51am. We had not long to wait before we heard the whales come out from Weynton Pass at 11:18am. The Ambient Light informed us at 11:33am that the orcas were already at Blinkhorn. By 12:40pm, the first of the A54s were already crossing the area adjacent to the entrance to Blackney Pass. The advantage they had found with the flooding tide then worked against their efforts to move into Blackney. They clustered, broke free, turned, tried harder. The first four finally made it by 1:07pm. While some I15 individuals continued with the current making three ÒchuffsÓ on Kaizumi Beach at 3:14pm as they went east, the rest of the A54s still struggled determinedly to get into Blackney Pass. They made beautiful calls and clear echolocation in spite of the strenuous effort. Just before 2pm, more of the A54s arrived in Blackney, followed by more at 2:06pm. Once in, the way seemed a little less arduous but it still took the A54s an hour to get to Blackfish Sound. The I15s had Johnstone Strait to themselves and as the A54s continued to call in Blackfish Sound the I15s went for a rub at Strider at 3:52pm. The underwater footage was stunning, the rub over far too quickly. After 3:58pm the I15s continued to call and echolocate and someone made a quick pass over Strider at 4:23pm. The A54s were still a presence in Blackfish at 5pm, the I15s were so in Johnstone Strait. I76 and I45 were among five who had yet another rub at 6:08pm. This one lasted seven minutes. Developments in Blackfish Sound looked promising when Nicolette reported at 7:13pm that 4 - 6 orcas who were off Bold Head were moving east. But nothing came of this, at least not immediately. From 10pm until 11:45pm there were only faint I15 calls in Johnstone Strait. Everything changed two minutes later when BiggÕs orcas began to vocalise in Johnstone Strait.. We will have to save the details for tomorrowÕs report as what followed was after midnight. Hint, it was amazing! OrcaLab 16 Sep 2024 22:26:33 PDT September 14 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s (heard), I04s (heard), I65s (heard) Humpbacks: Squiggle, Quartz,Freckles and baby, possibly Cloud Pacific White-sided dolphins Following the report from Troy at Bere Point on the Òbackside of Malcolm IslandÓ in Queen Charlotte Strait where Troy observed the I15s in the lead, heard distant A5s and close A1s around 5:15pm. They wer going west and off Malcolm Point just before 6pm where they looked to be coming back east silently. It wasnÕt to be and our night was quiet. There was some justified worry that the Residents might be taking off. In the past the beginning of September has seen departures before. So the quiet night was also uneasy. None of the volunteers were ready for the whales to leave. There was relief, therefore, in the morning when at 9:29am we heard the whale watch report that six Northern Residents were north of Donegal Head, coming in the ÒrightÓ direction. Alex saw them too and observed at 10:17am that the orcas had picked up speed and were porpoising! It was not long before we heard calls on the Flower Island remote hydrophone located in Blackfish Sound. Of course, the calls were still very faint but gradually getting stronger. We could hear both the A30s and the A34s - later identified as the A54s and A62s respectively. Astonishingly we listened to, but did not see, the Residents calling for the rest of the morning, afternoon and part of the evening too. The ones we could hear pretty much seemed to stay off the western end of Blackfish Sound where it meets Weynton Pass and Queen Charlotte Strait. The calls vacillated from distant, to somewhat closer, excited, quieter, loud, frequent, sporadic. Occasionally, there was echolocation as the whales changed positions and moved about. Staying so long in one locale could have meant that they were finding fish or waiting. Troy mentioned that a large group was inbound off Black Bluff at 6:56pm. He was not sure yet of the IDs. Our impression was that there was a lot going on but just not where we were! In Blackney, meanwhile there were humpbacks, Squiggle for example was lunge feeding at 4:53pm and a lone minke whale was in Blackney from 10:36am to 10:47am. These events helped the seemingly endless waiting for the orcas to finally shift our way. At 7:56pm we snuck a look using the zoom on the sea lion remote camera and found them still foraging along the Swanson shore. But then 7 minutes later the first orcas were in sight - well sort of - the evening light was fading fast. The remote camera actually aided our efforts to follow them in the gloom. The calls all belonged to the A54s. The A62s were not a part of this pass. Then at 8:42pm, a humpback, not far from the advancing orcas, let out a growl after close and frequent echolocation on the Parson Island hydrophone. By now, those on deck had given up trying to look through the dark and the blows far away and they came inside to listen to what they could no longer see. The humpback who seemingly responded to the proximity of the orcas could be heard moving around and making grunts and growls. The orcas carried on foraging nearby and we could actually hear crunching after a successful effort. The orcas, though in no hurry, still preoccupied with foraging, did finally push ahead into Johnstone Strait. The first calls in the Strait were at 8:48pm and these became closer to Cracroft Point by 9pm. There was a pause after 8:07pm during which the orcas crossed closer to the Vancouver Island side where they began a rub at 9:39pm. It was a good six minute rub in the dark! We have noticed fewer night rubs this year. From here the A54s continued east. We only became aware at 11:22pm that the I15s were also in Johnstone Strait. Not only were they there but were gaining on Strider ahead of the A54s. There was still no evidence of the A62s who we now concluded must have retreated back into Queen Charlotte Strait. You may have noticed that it has been a while since we have mentioned the A23s or A25s. We cannot say for certain but it is likely they went off to the west yesterday afternoon. Our night was only beginning but after the long day of waiting everyone was happy to get to work once again. OrcaLab 15 Sep 2024 21:04:23 PDT September 13 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, A23s, A25s, I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] BiggÕs orcas: T109A2s Humpbacks: Freckles and Baby, Quartz, Ridge, Squiggle Pacific White-sided dolphins Our guess as to what the orcas would do next the previous evening turned out to be correct. The groups did return to Johnstone Strait. But it took a while. There were still distant calls in Blackfish Sound at 12:12am briefly. An hour went by before we heard anything more when we realised that at least an A5 group had made it back. Not yet enough clear acoustic information to say which group. Another hour was to pass before we realised that they already had some I15 company travelling far enough out in the middle for the Critical Point hydrophone to pick up their calls. Around 3am, the A54s became vocal too. Lots of boat noise compromised our listening abilities. When this partially cleared the whales were west of Robson Bight. They had made some progress but as to where each group was inconclusive. After 6am, that began to change when the orcas finally began to approach Robson Bight. By now Tomoko had identified the A5 calls as belonging to the A25s. The I15 group had drawncloser to Strider by 6:30 am. None of this Resident activity seemed to distract Tomoko, who is in Japan, from keeping an eye on the remote base camera via explore.org. She noticed a small group of 4 individuals passing the Lab to the north mid channel at 6:49am. The Lab was really surprised. They had not seen these whales and it was not for lack of keeping a watchful eye on the Pass. These whales were silent and their blows so quiet that they passed undetected in the still grey morning light. By 7:04am, the Residents were becoming excited. Through yet more boat noise we could hear them closer to Critical Point off Robson Bight. At 7:14am there was lots of echolocation on Strider but no rub just yet. The I15 group who had been nearest Strider had continued east. About a half hour later the whale watchers reported seven Resident orcas off the eastern boundary and now coming west. Calls of the I15s became loud and excited and a rub occurred from 8:06am until 8:09am. A second surprise for the day. The T109A2s, consisting of four individuals, went north close to the Lab at 8:33am. This time the Lab was Òon itÓ, getting good identification pictures. The question remained were these the same BiggÕs as the ones at 6:49am? The numbers and profile of the group were compelling but their travel in the same direction was confusing. If the same whales, then they must have slipped by again after the first pass. This time they cleared our view by going around Burnt Point at 8:35am. The Residents, meanwhile, were still calling and echolocating vigorously on the Critical Point hydrophone from 8:37am. Calls then stopped at 8:50am and resumed as both faint & distant at 9:31am. But it became clear, the I15 group was now approaching Kaizumi and before their rub started at 10:07am their calls had become loud and clear. The rub ended within three minutes and they continued west. The whale watchers were, at this time, watching the T109A2s nearing the Plumper islands still going west. The Residents were also still westbound and as they did so their calls came onto the Cracroft Island systems around 10:35am and then onto the Parson Island system as the whales crossed the area opposite the entrance to Blackney Pass. They did not come in but carried on to the west and into Weynton Pass. Scotty reported seeing the A62s, A23s, and I4s heading north into Weynton Pass at 11:34am. We still could hear A5s in the Strait at 12:12pm and surmised this to be the A25s following behind. The result of all this movement was that all the groups left the Strait. We soon heard the A54s, A25s and possibly the I65s in Blackfish Sound by 12:50pm. They would continue to be heard distantly until 2:52pm as they moved further into Queen Charlotte Strait. One last BiggÕs report. At 1:21pm the same T109A2s journeyed back to Blackney. They came quickly and close to the Lab and disappeared to the south in a hasty six minutes while taking characteristically long dives. Had their turn around been influenced by hearing the Residents come out of Weynton Pass earlier? Quite possibly. With the departure of the orcas and no humpback vocal efforts, the rest of the day and night was strangely uneventful. We were left hoping this would soon change! OrcaLab 14 Sep 2024 16:23:51 PDT September 12 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, A23s, A25s, I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Ridge, Squiggle, Quartz, Freckles Pacific White-sided dolphins Before the early hours of September 12 the stage was set for some changes to the Resident orcas usual patterns. The A62s had previously come in via Weynton just as others went into Blackfish Sound and then backtracked through Blackney only to re-enter the Strait. Their vocalizations provided enough clues for us to understand these broad movements. But it was not going to remain simple. By 4:36am, the A30s (aka the A54s) were back in Blackfish with an A5 group, possibly the A25s. There is no clear path as to how they got there. The A62s were still in the Strait with an I15 group, probably the I65s and most likely the A23s stayed too. This status quo was maintained for about an hour. Then without explanation the A54s were heard on Local Centre located off the Lab. Had they responded to the presence of the A62s and slipped into Blackney hoping for a better connection? Regardless, the shifting A54s ended up once again back in Blackfish Sound for the time being. Of course, the whales may see this all quite differently. The different spaces, Johnstone Strait, Blackney Pass, Weynton Pass, Blackfish Sound and even Queen Charlotte Strait are all part of their territory. In orca terms, if in any of these locations, they are not really far away from each other. The acoustic windows offered by the two Passes are a great help. Orcas coming to the entrance of Blackney or Weynton can, and do, communicate over many kilometers, hearing perhaps all the way to Queen Charlotte Strait, keeping in touch. The two A5 groups have recently been on different tracks. The A25s had already shown that they were not always in step with the A23s. One one occasion, they left the others and went very far to the east. Recently, they have been seen in closer proximity with the I4s and the A23s with the recently returned A62s. The independently minded I65s went for a rub at Strider at 8:23am. Ten minutes later they went east. Then came yet another unexpected move. At 9:44am, the A75s (of the A54s) were seen off Big Bay on Hanson Island going east! The A54s were back in the Strait after coming through Weynton Pass. Over the next hour there was a mix of A54, A5 and I15 calls as the I4s and the A25s had also left Blackfish Sound with the A54s back to Johnstone Strait. Claire best describes what happened next. ÒWe started hearing close A5 calls on our Parson Island hydrophone at 10:38 untill 11:05 indicating that members of the A5 Pod were likely in the lead and possibly on their way north into Blackney Pass. A female and young one came into our view at 11:01 but soon turned back south towards Cracroft Point. At about the same time, we could hear I15 (11:07-11:57), A30 (11:48) and A5 (11:43) calls moving back and forth between our Parson Island and our Cracroft Point hydrophones. Meanwhile, the I65s had come west far enough to have a rub at Kaizumi for about 15 minutes. We could also hear A5 calls and echolocation further east in Robson Bight at 11:39, this was probably the A23s. At 12:03, the A54s and I4s slowly left the entrance of Blackney Pass and made a move to the north. They were quite spread out, in small groups of 2 or 3 individuals and traveled on the far side. We could easily identify I76 and I4 as well as A118. As for the other members of the A54s, their small clean fins make them hard to identify from so far away. But their vocals helped us to know who they were! After the A54s and I4s cleared into Blackfish Sound at 13:03, we could still hear faint A5 calls at 13:19 on Local Centre, our hydrophone right in front of the lab. All eyes on deck were looking for the whales making these calls but they could not locate them. How could we miss a male such as A61? At 13:28, close A5 calls and echolocation were heard at Kaizumi and we wondered if these were the A23s after leaving the Bight. Soon after, some of the mystery was revealed. At 13:29, A5 calls moved to Blackfish Sound which meant that there were some A5 whales in Blackney Pass who had gone north even though we couldnÕt see them, but then a repetitive A5 call could also be heard on our Parson Island hydrophone, covering the southern entrance of Blackney Pass, at 13:52. This repetitive call seemed to belong to a single whale and thatÕs when A61 appeared at 13:57! He was traveling fast towards Blackfish Sound where the rest of his family, his niece A85 and her baby, were calling! As soon as their calls were in range of each other, Surge slowed down in Blackney Pass for a bit of foraging before clearing our view at 14:23 into Blackfish Sound, where we hoped he soon reunited with Cordero and Twilight.Ó And what happened next? Here is a short rundown. The I65s returned to Strider for a rub at 3:02pm. It was a short four minute rub and this time its members went west soon after. A25 and A54 calls were heard once again in Blackfish at 3:07pm. These calls continued through 3:53pm and again from 4:17 to 5pm. There was another rub at Strider between 3:53pm and 4:03pm. A34 calls were heard at 5:48pm mid Johnstone Strait. Rubs at Main rubbing beach and Strider occurred between 6:05pm and 6:16pm. The westbound orcas called from 6:26pm until 6:50pm. After that there were close A23 calls off the entrance to Blackney Pass and orcas came into Blackney Pass by 8:04pm and headed north. At 9:06pm 5+ more blows headed north. Finally, and once again, the orca families were back on the same page! The last calls at 10:46pm were faint leading us to wonder if another turn into Weynton Pass was in the works! OrcaLab 14 Sep 2024 09:32:31 PDT September 11 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, A23s,A25s,I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Argonaut, Ridge, possible Squall, possible Cutter, Freckle and baby (in Blackfish Sound), Inukshuk Pacific White-sided dolphins This day starts at 12:34am when a humpback in Blackney Pass found his voice for six minutes. The western movement of the Resident groups who had gone east the previous evening was equally, though different, quite dramatic with someone of the I15s very loud and very close to Strider beach. We continued to hear I15 type calls on Strider through 12:55am. By 1:04am there were no further calls, only echolocation. After a gap of twenty or so minutes (the approximate amount of time for orcas to travel between Strider and Robson Bight) calls were heard on the Critical Point system at 1:32am. Without any real rehearsal, the A5s and A54s clearly became more vocal off Critical Point at 3:28am. From there, and for more than an hour, we listened to the mix of calls from the A54s, A5s and I15s in the Strait. The whales seemed to be spread out over a wide area from west of the western boundary back toward the eastern boundary. A three minute rub began at Strider at 5:21am. This was followed by close A5 and I15 calls. From 5:30 to 9am the orcas were constantly calling but distant. This vague waning movement made it difficult to detail how the groups were distributed and what they were doing. A report at 9:15am helped to clarify the situation. They had not advanced particularly far ÒupÓ the Strait.A group of five orcas were seen mid strait between the Reserve on the Vancouver Island side and Cracroft Island. Then at 9:32am echolocation was heard at Strider. Echolocation and A54 and I15 calls were noted at 9:50am. This was followed by their rub that started at 10:04am. It lasted for twenty-two minutes. There was good underwater footage captured during the rub and very clear acoustics. A61 and I76 were seen by the remote surface camera going west. Other members of the I15s were already off Critical Point by the time the Strider rub was concluding. A54s, by 10:45am, were there too. The orcas now seemed to be taking a more definite direction to the west. Sure enough the Cracroft Point camera found them doing just that at 11:21am and by 11:35am the lead whales were positioned off the entrance to Blackney Pass. Not everyone was there just yet. An I15 group and some of the A54s were still east of Cracroft Point. At precisely 12pm orcas had a short rub at Kaizumi. At 1:20pm Alex reported a group of 5 inbound in Blackfish Sound. This would turn out to be the A62s who entered the Strait via Weynton Pass according to Scotty at 2:16pm. Meanwhile, A5 calls became very close on the Parson Island system at 1:35pm. After five minutes the Residents began to file into Blackney Pass in four separate groups. When the first group cleared by 1:57pm the fourth group had yet to appear. They did so at 2:03pm. Calls, as the first orcas to enter Blackfish, were heard at 2:16pm. This was the A54s. Perhaps stimulated by this, the humpback Inukshuk became vocal too. Was Inukshuk our midnight serenader? Finally at 2:21pm, all the groups, including the fourth, had cleared our view into Blackfish. From 2:21 to 5:27pm calls were heard in Blackfish, close at times but then faint as the orcas got further away. For a short while there were no calls. Then, at 5:52pm distant A5 calls were heard in Johnstone Strait. Distant I15s were also there just before 6pm. The calls lasted until 7:14pm ending with A5 calls. At 7:35pm there were mid range A54 calls on the Flower Island station in Blackfish Sound for about ten minutes. Between 7:46 and 7:54pm there were only faint calls until 8:54pm when louder generic N3s happened. This was followed by clear A54 calls on Parson Island at 9:21pm until 9:26pm. Had the A54s backtracked to Johnstone Strait to where the A62s,A5s (?A25s) and I15s were already? There was dolphin chatter in Blackfish at 9:36pm and calls in the Strait to10:29pm. OrcaLab 13 Sep 2024 10:26:55 PDT September 10 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A62s, A23s,A25s,I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] BiggÕs orcas: T109A2s, T060s (minus D & E) Humpbacks: Freckles and baby Pacific White-sided dolphins The I15 group (the I65s) in Johnstone Strait continued calling through the early hours of the night. Calls were always distant and lasted until 2:49am. It was quiet after that and the 3 - 7am shift had nothing to report. Daytime came with a sighting of four BiggÕs orcas making their way east past Alert Bay. This would turn out to be the T109A2s. We had just been discussing this family group the evening before when Claire recounted that on a recent trip to Sooke on the West Coast of Vancouver Island with JŽrŽmieÕs parents that they saw the T109s there. She had this confirmed by sending her photos to FinWave. Any sightings of this family group are of great interest because of the saga of T109A3A earlier this year. The little whale had become isolated in a tidal lagoon near Zeballos in March following the accidental death of her young mother. A huge and successful effort was made by First Nations and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to encourage the little two year old to return to the open ocean. The Ehattesaht First Nation who were essential to the operation gave T109A3A her name,Ó Kʷiisaḥiʔis or ÒBrave Little HunterÒ. For further details about Brave Little Hunter visit: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=bay%20cetology Over dinner we continued to discuss how this family have been sighted on this ÒsideÓ of Vancouver Island before but how the family have been more often seen on the West Coast. Jared has told us that ÒBrave Little HunterÓ has not yet been re-sighted with any of her 5 extended families. She has been only seen once since her rescue and that was near Friendly Cove on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Kʷiisaḥiʔis was not seen with the T109A2s on this day either. The T109A2s carried on east past Alert Bay and into Beaver Cove by 9:40am. Meanwhile, we turned our attention back to Queen Charlotte Strait where Troy at Bere Point reported eastbound Northern Residents at 8:20am. This sighting developed with additional reports. At 9:55am, fourteen to fifteen Northern Residents were counted passing Lizard Point on Malcolm Island. While we contemplated the potential return of Resident orcas, the four BiggÕs orcas in Beaver Cove left to the west passing Hidden Cove at 10:08am. Between 10:45am and 10:50am, other BiggÕs orcas, the T060s, travelled silently north through Blackney Pass. The two brothers,T060D and T060E, were not with the other members of their family. As they most often travel independently. Finally at 12:45pm we heard our first faint Resident calls as they neared Blackfish Sound. Not long after, between 1:30 and 1:37pm, distant then close I15 calls were heard off Strider beach. The I65s were returning from the east where they had spent the night and morning. They began a rub at 1:40pm. It was a short effort and they were soon on their way west. The others had, by this time, dropped ÒdownÓ from Blackfish into Blackney. The A25s came closer to the Lab with the A23s more mid channel. Four of the A54s were also closer but the rest were scattered to the far side. The I4s were identified on the far side. The count was now 24! When in the Strait these groups crossed over toward the Vancouver Island side from 3:38pm on. From there they followed the Vancouver Island shore to west of Robson Bight where they had a rub at Kaizumi from 3:51pm until 4:16pm. Although not everyone rubbed all the groups were heard in the vicinity during this time. At 4:30pm, the A62s (of the A34 matriline) were seen travelling south through Blackney Pass. This was a return visit as they had been absent since August 31. They too were closer to the Hanson Island side. It took them until 4:46pm to manage Blackney Pass. The count was now 29! Others had already proceeded to Robson Bight by 4:48pm. Afterwards, there was a succession of rubs at Strider as the groups kept intentions on travelling east. The first and longest went from 5:16pm until 5:53pm. At least seven individuals, including A61, were involved. Someone merely touched Main beach at 6:14pm. After this there were two more very short rubs, from 6:21 - 6:23pm and 7:28 - 7:29pm. Calls ended at 8:20pm as the groups went past the Ecological Reserve. With the Residents out of earshot the beginning of the night was claimed by a humpback who at 9:32pm began with some Òwarm-upÓ exercises that developed into some great sound. A hint as to what will be, come Autumn - No longer really that far away, less than two weeks now! OrcaLab 12 Sep 2024 11:57:15 PDT September 9 2024 Northern Residents: A54s,A23s,A25s,I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Jaguar, Hunter, Ridge, Pacific White-sided dolphins The Resident orca families had gone eastward past the Ecological Reserve in Johnstone Strait after their previous evening rubs at Strider Beach. They were gone for several hours. One of the families, the A25s, had gone very far east the previous afternoon so perhaps, the other groups hoped to reconnect? Their return was tentative at first with one of the I15 groups coming into range only briefly from 12:19am to 12:33am. Another approach happened from 2:26 to 2:37am. Dolphins, however, were continuously chatting throughout. There is a lovely sense that comes over one when sitting in the Lab at night, with earphones on listening to the hydrophones, anticipating. When the first distant calls are heard, and you understand where, you are transported. This is intimate, just you and the whales you have come to know. The following is Barbara ChauvetÕs experience this particular morning. ÒMy shift had started rather quietly, with the last calls stopping a few minutes before 3 am. For two hours, I listened carefully, wondering if this would be the second quiet night in a row. At 4:51 am, faint calls pulled me out of my reverie. I adjusted the sound mixer excitedly. The A30s could be heard on Strider hydrohone. Soon, I could clearly distinguish different calls, as the A5s and I15s joined the party. They were traveling in Johnstone Strait. The calls got closer, and a few minutes later, I realized that I could hear them on three different hydrophones. I closed my eyes and listened in the dark, focusing on sounds. I imagined them underwater, talking to each other. What a privilege to listen to their conversations. A few minutes before 6 am, I heard echolocation on Critical Point and Strider Hydrophones. And the calls were getting louder. At 6 am, a sound startled me. The beautiful, rhythmic sound of pebbles being brushed under the surface. The whales had started to rub. It was a serene, grounding sound, the orcas brushing the sea bed in a slow, deliberate dance. I rushed to look at the Strider rubbing beach camera. It would still be dark for another hour, but after searching for movement for a minute or two, I could see black fins at the surface. Three orcas, circling around the beach. I watched them and listened to their excited calls as they rubbed for twelve minutes. The rubbing stopped, and I tried to follow their movement, wondering which direction they would take. But a few minutes later they came back for a second rub, and a third one. They stopped a few minutes before the sun rose, and their mesmerizing calls slowly drifted away. Ò The rubs were not quite complete before the calls of whales already further west came up on the Critical Point hydrophone at 7:10am. The mixture of I15, A30 and A5 calls were sometimes loud as the whales rounded the headland into the Bight. The western movement resulted in the orcas finding a path to Blackney Pass. The A23s went first at 9:54am and were gone by 10:29. A60, as typical, was in the lead. Over twenty minutes later, at 10:47am, the I65s along with their A54 rubbing buddies followed on the Hanson Island side of mid channel. A small group of the A54s trailed behind. The I4s and the recently returned A25s travelled the farside together. The groups were travelling Blackfish Sound by noon. During this passage, the glaucus winged gull ÒUniÓ was moving around the OrcaLab bay. Uni has returned each year to OrcaLab for more than two decades. Her behaviour of fishing for small green urchins inspired her name. Uni means urchin in Japanese. Although she was a bit late this year she usually returns around the same time. Her unique repeated patterns help us recognise her. We are excited to welcome her back! Long after the orcas had passed JŽrŽmie was kindly driving Paul and Helena to town. His visiting father Jean Claude was along for the ride, His mother Marilyn, looking at the bouncy waves, declined and stayed at OrcaLab. As the Sonic neared the Plumper Islands the way was blocked by a humpback in the narrow passageway. JŽrŽmie elected to go around the outside of these islands and into Weynton Passage only to soon realise that there were Resident orcas on their way back to Johnstone Strait breaching as they went. They were quite spread out in small groups so finding an appropriate path was challenging, made more so by the humpbacks also present. JŽrŽmie managed beautifully and the Sonic crossed without incident. The Lab was contacted to expect to hear Residents soon. By the time JŽrŽmie returned from town the whales were already approaching Big Bay on Hanson Island. Amazingly many of the Residents curled into Blackney Pass. At 5:18pm it was the A25s leading this time. As they momentarily turned back to the south, the A23s came into view along with the I4s. As the A54s were there too this left only the I65s in Johnstone Strait. What followed was a duet of Resident calls in Blackfish and in Johnstone Strait until 8:32pm. At least the A54s made an attempt to come back into Blackney but decided to return to Blackfish Sound where calls ended around 11:30pm. With mentioning the visit from JŽrŽmieÕs parents we need to add that SuzieÕs parents, Nick and Gilly came for a brief back to back visit too. Nick and Gilly are from the UK, Jean Claude and Marilyn from France. For each it was their first visit to Canada. It was lovely to realize that OrcaLab has become so important to Suzie and JŽrŽmie that they wanted to show their families what they have dedicated their lives to. We wish them all safe journeys back to their homes. OrcaLab 10 Sep 2024 22:09:57 PDT September 9 2024 Northern Residents: A54s,A23s,A25s,I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Jaguar, Hunter, Ridge, Pacific White-sided dolphins There is a lovely sense that comes over one when sitting in the Lab at night, with earphones on listening to the hydrophones, anticipating, and then the first distant calls are heard and you understand where. You are transported and you are ÒseeingÓ, so to speak, through the dark night. This is intimate, just you and the whales you have come to know. So it was early in the morning September 9. The orca families had gone eastward past the Ecological Reserve in Johnstone Strait after their rubs at Strider Beach. They were gone for a few hours. One of the families, the A25s, had gone very far east the previous afternoon. Perhaps, the other groups now hoped to reconnect? The return was tentative at first with one of the I15 groups coming into range only briefly from 12:19am to 12:33am. Another approach happened from 2:26 to 2:37am. Dolphins, however, were continuously chatting throughout. The pull back to the west began in earnest much closer to 5am. This time, all the families from the A1s (A54s), A5s(A23s/A25s) and I15s (I4s/I65s) were serious about coming west to the Ecological Reserve. Time of the first faint calls was 4:51am, still dark, only listening was possible for the next hour. At 6am, the remote camera only offered grey tones. The first orcas at the beach nevertheless were visible and we could acoustically tell that the A54s shared this rub with some of the I15s. They came and left in several successive sessions; from 6 - 6:12am, from 6:23 - 6:28am, from 6:48 - 6:50am, from 7:19 - 7:20am. The rubs were not quite complete before the calls of whales already further west came up on the Critical Point hydrophone at 7:10am. The mixture of I15, A30 and A5 calls were sometimes loud as the whales rounded the headland into the Bight. The western movement resulted in the orcas finding a path to Blackney Pass. The A23s went first at 9:54am and were gone by 10:29. A60, as typical, was in the lead. Over twenty minutes later, at 10:47am, the I65s along with their A54 rubbing buddies followed on the Hanson Island side of mid channel. A small group of the A54s trailed behind. The I4s and the recently returned A25s travelled the farside together. The groups were travelling Blackfish Sound by noon. During this passage, the glaucus winged gull ÒUniÓ was moving around the OrcaLab bay. Uni has returned each year to OrcaLab for more than two decades. Her behaviour of fishing for small green urchins inspired her name. Uni means urchin in Japanese. Although she was a bit late this year she usually returns around the same time. Her unique repeated patterns help us recognise her. We are excited to welcome her back! Long after the orcas had passed JŽrŽmie was kindly driving Paul and Helena to town. His visiting father Jean Claude was along for the ride, His mother Marilyn, looking at the bouncy waves, declined and stayed at OrcaLab. As the Sonic neared the Plumper Islands the way was blocked by a humpback in the narrow passageway. JŽrŽmie elected to go around the outside of these islands and into Weynton Passage only to soon realise that there were Resident orcas on their way back to Johnstone Strait breaching as they went. They were quite spread out in small groups so finding an appropriate path was challenging, made more so by the humpbacks also present. JŽrŽmie managed beautifully and the Sonic crossed without incident. The Lab was contacted to expect to hear Residents soon. By the time JŽrŽmie returned from town the whales were already approaching Big Bay on Hanson Island. Amazingly many of the Residents curled into Blackney Pass. At 5:18pm it was the A25s leading this time. As they momentarily turned back to the south, the A23s came into view along with the I4s. As the A54s were there too this left only the I65s in Johnstone Strait. What followed was a duet of Resident calls in Blackfish and in Johnstone Strait until 8:32pm. At least the A54s made an attempt to come back into Blackney but decided to return to Blackfish Sound where calls ended around 11:30pm. With mentioning the visit from JŽrŽmieÕs parents we need to add that SuzieÕs parents, Nick and Gilly came for a brief back to back visit too. Nick and Gilly are from the UK, Jean Claude and Marilyn from France. For each it was their first visit to Canada. It was lovely to realize that OrcaLab has become so important to Suzie and JŽrŽmie that they wanted to show their families what they have dedicated their lives to. We wish them all safe journeys back to their homes. OrcaLab 10 Sep 2024 20:27:56 PDT September 8 2024 Northern Residents: A54s,A23s,A25s,I04s, I65s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Cutter, Freckles and baby Pacific White-sided dolphins The LabÕs night shifts experienced a rare uneventful night! Regardless, the Residents found their way back to Johnstone Strait from Blackfish Sound. Nothing was heard from 8:41pm the previous evening until 6:10am when the A25s were heard. They had yet to reach Strider Beach but were headed that way. Calls toggled between the Vancouver Island hydrophones until 7:43am when the A25s drew near Strider and their calls grew louder. A rub seemed imminent but the first morning rub didnÕt didnÕt happen there, rather further west at 7:56am and involved some of the A23s. It was a fairly decent rub ending at 8:20am Meanwhile further east, off Strider, Surge or A61 was busy foraging offshore. His niece, Cordero and grand niece, Twilight were nearby. This little family shrugged off any desire to rub at Strider but halted off Main before continuing eastward leaving off the other Residents in the Strait to move away in the opposite direction. SurgeÕs A25s would not return. They would pass, still going east, the Adam River at 1:26pm. Around 9am while a humpback growled and grunted unseen somewhere off the entrance to Blackney Pass, the other Residents moved west. Most likely hugging the Vancouver Island shore as their calls were only ever faint on our hydrophones. These calls lasted until 11:34am when they journeyed into Weynton Pass. They would soon meet the incoming and returning I65s who had been seen travelling east along Malcolm IslandÕs north shore at 12:21pm. The A23s headed that direction at 1pm. The meeting of the I4s, A54s and A23s with the I65s would happen in Weynton Passage. Alex, watching the whole scene described the spyhopping and quiet floating surface behaviours as these families came together before 2pm. Some time would pass as the groups shuffled themselves off the western end of Blackfish. Even though they gradually revealed an intent to head east in Blacksh Sound they would not make Blackney until 4:25pm. The wait was well worth it. This was a beautiful pass through Blackney. It began modestly with 4 individuals on the farside. Two brief A30 (A54) calls hinted as to who they might be. But these calls were followed by A5 calls diverting attention back towards the north. We were rewarded by A60Õs entrance not far off Burnt Point. He then turned and momentarily disappeared. A large group of over charged dolphins rushed mid channel and would be a presence during the rest of the day. The I65s appeared altogether close to Hanson Island. When they moved opposite the Lab they stopped, floated and waited. It was a spellbinding and quieting moment. A60 then reappeared with his family. The original four individuals, unnoticed by us, had gone back out of view only to reappear in their A54 family group even closer to Hanson Island. The others had by this time advanced further south and were beginning to go out of sight of the Lab. Once in Johnstone Strait, even though spread out, collectively their focus was eastward. Some passed Robson Bight at 6:40pm while others, already ahead, neared Strider around the sametime. Someone from the I65s had a short rub at 7:02pm before continuing east. This made room for A60, although surrounded by dolphins, to move in at 7:10pm. Other members of his family followed between 7:19 and 7:24pm.The A54s were staying offshore. Four minutes after the A23s, the I4s arrived in a very close group. Dolphins, still there had at one point moved offshore only to return in a rush. The rub ended at 7:37pm with the whales going to the east. They made short work of the day when their calls ended at 9:14pm. They would return but only after midnight when another dayÕs story would begin. OrcaLab 09 Sep 2024 23:01:16 PDT September 7 2024 Northern Residents: S54s, A23s, A25s, I04s, [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Pacific White-Sided Dolphins Calls in Johnstone Strait after midnight were almost inevitable. The A54s, A23s, A25s and I4s had stalled in Blackfish for quite a while but as their calls faded they were preparing to make passage through Weynton. When they were barely into Johnstone Strait their calls were, of course, distant from any of our hydrophone and therefore very hard to hear. They stayed that way until nearly 3am. But we sensed they made progress during those hours. The gradual shift into the Critical Point hydrophone range allowed us to place them past Cracroft Point and on their way toward the Ecological Reserve. But it was not until 5:22am that the whales were actually close to Critical Point. Then their calls were loud. This means it took them from midnight to almost 6am to come abreast of Robson Bight. Mighty slow and no particular rush would characterize their movement. By now we knew for certain we were listening to the A54s. As a precursor to the inevitable rub there were loud A5 and A54 calls as the orcas neared Strider Beach. Joined by some of the A54s, the I4s had a six minute rub beginning at 5:59am. Finished at the beach the orcas packed up off to the west. Their calls grew faint quickly but still lasted until 8:41am. Their journey to the west was much more efficient. By 9:07am orcas were reported off Telegraph Cove. For us distant A5 calls registered at 9:21am. As a point of interest, the A42s were at Rebecca Spit (mid Quadra Island) heading east toward Marina Island at 10:53am. Hearing that the I4s were easting along the Vancouver Island shoreline near Kaikash Creek by 11:26am we began to anticipate a possible entry into Blackney Pass. Sure enough, the A23s came in first. It was foggy. Alas, we had spoken too soon of the clearing September skies. The afternoon sun and heat have just been too effective and a morning, lingering fog has been the result. Because of this all our pictures of the whales were shrouded in fog. But still because the A23s chose to travel mid channel we were able to do some identifications regardless. The A25s and I4s followed the A23s into the fog and Blackfish Sound. Once again calls lasted in Blackfish Sound, this time until 1:10pm. And once again the orcas circled around Hanson Island and back into the Strait by 3:58pm. But this time, the whales did not take forever getting to the Ecological Reserve. The A25s were there first by 4:30pm. Specifically young Cordero and Twilight had first try. They were followed by Uncle Surge after a few minutes. He too pulled away to the west when done at 4:44pm. The I4s began their own session at 4:56pm and when the Pacific White-sided dolphins came in they finished up and left to the west too. Now it was the A54s turn. Making funky N12s they rubbed until 5:26pm and then, like the others, left to the west. So all were done and going in the same direction. Back when the groups were in Blackfish Sound in the afternoon and decided to go back to the Strait, the A23s stayed. That changed around 5:50pm when they too went toward the Strait via Blackney Pass. When they reached the Strait after 6pm they angled eastward then changed their attitude to the west. This gave time and room for the A54s, A25s and I4s to approach Blackney Pass by 7:54pm. The A23s then backtracked and entered Blackney too. All for one, the A54s, A25s, I4s and A23s families ended up in Blackfish Sound. Calls were short lived and ended ten minutes after the last whale entered Blackfish. This day ended with these calls at 8:41pm and the whales headed to the setting sun. OrcaLab 08 Sep 2024 19:46:44 PDT September 6th 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Freckles and baby, Quartz Pacific White-Sided Dolphins The silent darkness was punctured at 3:40am, with faint A54 calls in the western end of Johnstone Strait. These orcas had not gone far from the night previous, and had finally made their way through Weynton Passage. They did not give many more hints as to their whereabouts until the day had fully broken, and they were calling loudly in the entrance to Blackney Pass at 8:05am. Meanwhile, our day broke out with a ÔbangÕ Ñ or several Ñ as two humpbacks breached out front of the lab at 6:10am, barely visible through layers of thick fog. At 8:25am, a few orca fins were barely visible through the haze, but we could track them through Blackney Pass into Blackfish Sound by counting their ÔblowsÕ as they passed. A few acoustic clues as they passed told us that all groups Ñ A54s, A23s, A25s and I4s Ñ were present and together again. Their passing was brief, entering the Sound by 8:43am. During this time, a huge group of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins made several close passes to the lab and our neighboring bays Ñ their chatter was audible and it made quite the foreground to an eerie, foggy backdrop! The orcas were largely silent, giving us one last quiet round of calls in Blackfish Sound at 9:44am. The rest of the day Ñ from our perspective Ñ was spent enjoying the dramatic fog banks burning off in the bright sun to reveal brilliant blue skies. We said goodbye to two dear lab assistants, Sullivan and Paolo, who have been incredible help to us this summer and will be sorely missed. Back to the Northern Residents, and it was the A5s to first make themselves known again at 3pm, back in Blackfish Sound. At 3:24pm, calls from the A54s and I4s in Johnstone Strait told us that they had taken Weynton Pass. The A23s and A25s zoomed past the lab at 4pm, with the current in their favor, and also entered the Strait. We sensed a reunion was imminent! Sure enough, All groups rejoined in the ripping current off Cracroft Point, and turned back towards us. This time, they were plenty vocal, and came by the lab in a procession starting at 5:12pm. Part of the A54s came first, favoring the far side of the pass, while the A86s of that matriline came much closer to the lab. Next, the A23s travelled mid-passage in a tight family unit, with the A25s flanking them a little further away. Finally, the I4s, too, made a closer line past the lab, and all were clear to the north by 5:55pm. It was a beautiful passage, with the beginnings of golden light, and a group of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins also sped through the scene, shimmering in the setting sun. As has been their preference these last few days, all groups seemed to linger in Blackfish Sound for the next few hours, calling infrequently and drawing steadily further from our ears to the west. OrcaLab 07 Sep 2024 11:49:59 PDT September 5 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Stitch The night was largely quiet, with just a few calls from the A54s after midnight in Blackfish Sound, and a humpback grunting near the lab at 3am. The Resident orca groups must have reentered Johnstone Strait overnight (their path unknown) as Ñ with no warning Ñ just before 7am, we heard the unmistakeable ÔchuffsÕ as a few individuals came in to rub at Strider! The A54s and I4s were together, and they did not stay long at the beach before continuing to the west. Breakfast was served in Robson Bight around 7:20am, and we heard faint calls of the A5 groups in tow around 7:39am. By 9:50am, another beautiful day had truly begun, and the glassy waters of Johnstone Strait were punctured by dorsals and blows. The leading A54s and I4s headed past the entrance to Blackney Pass, and continued west in the Strait favoring the Hanson shore. The A23s followed suit, passing the Baron Reefs en route to Cracroft Point at 10:10am, with the A25s in their wake not long after. These A5 groups foraged briefly around the ÒripÓ off the point until 11am, before heading west after the rest. They all made their way, in succession, through Weynton Passage and into Blackfish Sound. Around noon, the A54s were foraging off Egeria Shoals, while the A5s favored Hanson Island. All groups would stay in this area for the majority of the afternoon, occasionally vocal in our range but out of sight. At 7:43pm, louder A5 calls began in Blackfish Sound, and at 8pm they were joined by the strikingly different tones of the I4 whales. Finally, in the fading sunset around 8:30pm, we saw tiny, grainy fins on the far shores of Blackney Pass, as the A5, I4 and A54 groups attempted to buck the strong current pushing against them. We continued to hear their blows once the light faded but, eventually, they seceded and fell back into Blackfish Sound, the last blow heard at 9:34pm. They were not vocal for the rest of the evening, choosing instead to welcome the darkness in silence. A much ÔsimplerÕ day than previous weeks, often the case as September draws in and we prepare for the inevitable departure of the daily Northern Resident activities. OrcaLab 07 Sep 2024 11:09:01 PDT September 4 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Stitch, Freckles & baby, Inukshuk(?) Pacific White-Sided Dolphins A rare, quiet night fell over the lab as the Northern Resident groups remained out to the west. The silence was broken shortly after 5am with chatty Pacific White-Sided dolphins, and a beautiful, clear dawn broke shortly after, bathing the lab in silky, orange light. The month of ÔFogustÕ seems to have ended, right on cue. We received a report from Troy at Bere Point of some I15 and A clan calls between 4:43am and 6:45am, but unsure of their direction. We did not need to wait long as, fortunately, we began to hear the A30s first again in Blackfish Sound at 8am. Their calls didnÕt last for long, and we received another report of them at the Egeria Shoals just off the NW tip of Swanson Island, a popular feeding spot for Northern Residents and humpbacks, too. The orcas remained in Queen Charlotte Strait for some time, before finally heading back in our direction in the afternoon. At 1:58pm we heard their calls, and saw our first fins a few minutes later. The I04s, A23s, A25s and some of the A54s made their way into Blackney Pass from the north, and we were able to recognize several of their prominent fins. They made some beautiful vocals. We noted that they must have Òdropped offÓ the I65s and I27 boys the night before (perhaps gone to join the I16s further west?). Once they cleared our view, we continued to monitor them from the Parson Island hydrophone as they foraged and called in the boundary waters of Blackney Pass and Johnstone Strait from 2:30pm. We were ÔdeafÕ in the Strait as technician Quin performed some much needed upgrades to our radio links between Parson Island and Cracroft, but we were still able to ascertain - through our ears and a smattering of reports - that the groups had all gone west. At 5pm, the I4s were off Blinkhorn, and the A23s and A25s were just ahead near Telegraph Cove. The A54s were the last to head west, favouring the Hanson Island side around 5:30pm. No rubs were on the cards today! A brief lull in their presence allowed us to enjoy another of HelenaÕs fantastic dinners, before they made themselves known in Blackfish Sound again at 7:16pm. I15, A30 and A5 calls were all audible, and grew steadily louder over the next couple of hours. We wondered if - in the dwindling light - they might come by once more, but a starry blanket eventually enveloped the sky and their calls ceased shortly before 10pm. OrcaLab 05 Sep 2024 19:37:55 PDT September 3 2024 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s, I27s, I65s, [I16s QCS*], [A42s plus A94 in Salish Sea] Pacific White-sided dolphins From midnight to almost 6am the A54s, the familiar I15 groups (the I4s, I27s and I65s), the A23s and A25s continued on their easterly trek in Johnstone Strait. They took a long time. During this time, around 12:30am, Pacific White-sided dolphins chatted in Blackfish Sound for an hour and the A5 groups became more evident. At 2:53am the orcas passed Robson Bight. At 4:36am, the I15s began an incredible outburst of calls, highly intense, excited and very close to the hydrophone at Strider. Interestingly it was not about rubbing. The A5 groups and A54s were offshore at some distance. A distant humpback made a few ÒwhupÓ sounds. The energy in the calls was overwhelming. People woke up and began texting with the Lab about what they were hearing. Listening to the distant regular calls of the A5s and A30s in the background made Alex wonder if the ÒAsÓ might be having a calming influence on whatever was going on because shortly after the I15s indeed started to quiet down.. There was no end to the speculation as to what caused the I15s such excitement. But later in the day we would get information that led us to believe that maybe the I16s had arrived and were the cause of the fuss. This is speculation, of course and there is no definitive proof. The I16s are the fourth family unit within the I15s. Technically the term ÒI15Ó is not correct anymore as the four groups that had originally formed the I15s are now independent of each other since the death of I15 herself some years past. But the term serves to acoustically identify the groupÕs collectively shared dialect. The I16s had not, to the best of our knowledge, come into the Blackfish/Johnstone area this year. The other three families that comprise the I15s are the I4s, I27s and I65s and they have been most definitely around, daily. After the I15s calmed down all calls became distant and there may have been a change of direction for the whales. At least someone from the I15s had first moved east and after the general shift west happened came back over Strider beach for a single rub. It was now 6:03am. The long night was over and it was time for the whales to move on. They wasted little effort. Getting back to Blackney took a fraction of the time spent in the early hours moving toward the Ecological Reserve. At 7:33am, the orcas were in Blackney Pass going north. The A23s led and the A54s, I4s, I65s,I27s and finally the A25s followed. No I16s and no evidence that they had stayed in the Strait and gone west. So our hindsight theory seemed weak, at least for the time being. Loud A5s calls in Blackfish were followed by distant ones. Calls ceased by 8:44am when the whales moved out of range into Queen Charlotte Strait where they would spend the rest of the morning. In the wide generous area of Queen Charlotte Strait the whales did a sorting. The I15s moved toward the Malcolm Island shore while the A54s and two A5 matrilines headed back to Blackfish Sound. Very faint ÒAsÓ were heard at 1:50pm and these gradually grew louder as the A54s and A25s and A23s directed their attention to Blackney Pass. They would Òcome inÓ at 2:21pm. This was the exact time that the I15s arrived at Bere Point where they had a nice rub. Alex was at Bere Point and her photos showed that the I16s were there and that they and the I4s, I27 and I65s had all arrived from the east! This is the very observation which led us to speculate about whether the I16s had been involved with the orcas in Johnstone Strait in the early hours of morning. If the I16s were new on the scene at bere point one might reasonably expect them to come from the west. But this was not the case here. Obviously pieces of the puzzle were missing. Kate, also at Bere Point, provided some additional information. The I15s, after the rub, went west and arrived off Malcolm Point at 3:10pm. Kate lost track of them for an hour but re-sighted them as they turned to the east at 4:52pm. They came back for a second rub and then left to the east clearing Bere Point at 5:31pm. The ÒAsÓ, meanwhile, cleared Blackney by 2:50pm. We used the remote Cracroft Point camera to track their passage out from Blackney Pass, through the rip west of Cracroft Point, and then east. There were a lot of boats focused on the whales as they went through the rip but later when going east just one carried on with the whales to just west of the Western Boundary sign. A large slow tug was on the same general path as the whales. The noise from the tug was loud. From this point we were surprised that the orcas did not seem to advance all the way to the Ecological Reserve. In fact their calls became faint and stayed that way until they were back in Blackney Pass at 5:27pm. Their passage north was completed at 6:04pm. We then listened to the A5s and A30s in Blackfish Sound until 9:16pm. And the I15s? They were heard at 10:50pm on the Flower Island station in Blackfish Sound encouraging us to believe the ÒAsÓ and the I15s, were together again. One very late faint call at 11:01pm added a final note on which to end the day. OrcaLab 04 Sep 2024 23:26:10 PDT