No calls but orcas nearby A group of 4 Bigg's orcas is heading south in Blackney Pass, towards Johnstone Strait. 2 adult females 1 juvenile 1 baby, No calls. Helena 12 Mar 2019 12:05:43 PDT Distant calls audible. Bigg's orca calls in Blackfish Sound, getting quite distant now with increasing boat noise. Helena 11 Mar 2019 00:36:47 PDT No calls but orcas nearby Today was a nice calm day, a little bit warmer than it has been of late, and a day when Alex Morton saw Bigg's orcas in Weynton Passage at 12:32 and alerted Jared Towers who identified the T49As and T68 and T68A. Later, in Johnstone Strait they headed east from Blinkhorn and were off the Western Boundary of the Ecological Reserve by 3:15pm. We found T49A1 on the Robson Bight camera (Jared ID) at 4:12pm. The rest were further east with Jared off the Main Beach still heading east. We found them briefly on the camera. They were not vocal. Yesterday, T10 with T10C were also heading east in Johnstone Strait around 7pm. Today we said good-bye to Lisa Larsson, her winter at OrcaLab over. Thank you, Lisa for all your hard work, passion for the whales and ocean, safe trip home. Helena 10 Mar 2019 18:57:07 PDT Bigg Bonanza day! We were just heading out to do some camera maintenance when we first met with T019s, T055s, T087 and T124A2s travelling together heading east down Johnstone Strait. Then a couple of hours later the T60s passed by us while at CP heading north into Blackney Pass. Thanks to Jared Towers for the ID's Orcalab 17 Feb 2019 22:31:22 PST Orcas near mics. Nice close Biggs Orca on Critical Point hydrophone right now Lisa 15 Feb 2019 04:24:48 PST Distant calls audible. Nice distant Biggs Orca calling and whistling on Critical Point hydrophone just now Lisa 31 Jan 2019 03:36:06 PST Superb sounds!! Some G clan residents just passed by OrcaLab to the north quickly, and are now on Flower Island hydrophone Lisa 27 Jan 2019 12:25:26 PST Distant calls audible. Distant Biggs Orca on Parson Island hydrophone just now Lisa 25 Jan 2019 20:33:42 PST No calls but orcas nearby At least three Orcas went south past OrcaLab silently just a moment ago, and at 13:00 one group of Orcas were seen by Blinkhorn heading east, while Gary and Tasli ID’ed the T060’s in Johnstone Strait heading towards Pearse Passage. Lisa 25 Jan 2019 16:14:17 PST Superb sounds!! Bigg's orcas in Blackfish Sound! OrcaLab 19 Jan 2019 10:51:56 PST Superb sounds!! Bigg's orcas very vocal off Cracroft Point. OrcaLab 14 Jan 2019 20:47:41 PST No orcas present. We promised we would get back to the story of the "G" clan whales on January 6th. Lisa began the recording at 10:46am after hearing calls in Johnstone Strait. The day before the I15s had been vocal in Blackfish Sound but as all the Johnstone Strait hydrophones were temporarily down we were unable to follow the whales acoustically who came in via Weynton Passage. Gary and Tasli made an effort to find the whales and Lisa hurried over to CP to swap batteries. No one saw the whales. The the next day (January 6) Lisa heard G clan calls in the Strait on the CP hydrophone and because of the day before thought they must be the I15s heading west on the far shore. She quickly notified everyone. At 11:40 the whales were opposite Blackney Pass. Gary and Tasli watched from Alert Bay as the whales approached Blinkhorn around 12:40pm and decided to head out. The weather was gorgeous. Lisa continued to record. They found the whales spread out off Telegraph Cove and went to work taking identification photos. By this time we suspected that we were actually listening to at least the I31s. It turned out to be the I33s (of the I31s) and delightfully, some of the G12s who are less frequent visitors. Gary and Tasli continued to follow the whales, the Lab continued to record. Surprisingly the CP hydrophone seemed to have a really good range hearing all the way to the western side of Weynton Passage shy of the Pearse Islands. We continue to hear them to 2pm. Gary notified everyone that the whales were taking the less used route towards Alert Bay. This was a treat and Janie, Paul and Helena watched their now resting line from the comfort of homes on the hill as they passed the Alert Bay corner. Gary and Tasli left them around 2:34. But the whales passed closely enough for Robin to take several wonderful pictures and for others to watch from the Government dock. The whales continued west toward Port McNeill. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this story, especially; to Gary and Tasli who made the effort to get the IDs and then go back home and share some of their fantastic photos after determining the individuals involved; and to Lisa who managed the recording and the day before made the effort to get the CP hydrophone working again! One last note: Gary happily reported that there was a new baby. It certainly was the best post script ever. OrcaLab 09 Jan 2019 10:20:04 PST No calls but orcas nearby This morning around 8am some G clan calls were heard on Flower Island, and Helena could identify them to be the I15’s! Pings were then last heard to the east around 2pm Lisa 05 Jan 2019 15:18:12 PST Superb sounds!! Close Bigg's calls on Flower Island! OL crew 02 Jan 2019 18:28:12 PST Orcas near mics. Biggs Orcas calling on Flower Island hydrophone right now Lisa 02 Jan 2019 18:26:14 PST Today at noon to greet this new 2019, some of the A5’s were heard as they swam past CP eastwards to Robson Bight. They were last heard echolocating around 2pm. Also, yesterday three unidentified Orcas passed by OrcaLab heading into Johnstone Strait without making any calls, two males and one female. Lisa 01 Jan 2019 23:17:22 PST We are hearing clear, but distant A34 Orca calls on CP Janie 06 Dec 2018 18:07:52 PST Distant calls audible. A34s in the Strait still. OrcaLab 04 Dec 2018 13:14:13 PST Distant calls audible. The A34s are still in Johnstone Strait. Lisa heard them at 11:30am and then just a short while ago (around 5pm). OrcaLab 03 Dec 2018 17:40:49 PST No calls but orcas nearby Quite amazing, the A34s are still in the neighbourhood.Around 7:20pm they were off the entrance to Blackney Pass in the Strait. And Lisa saw a humpback this afternoon as well in Blackney Pass. OrcaLab 02 Dec 2018 21:10:19 PST No orcas present. Hi everyone, we are back! Both audio and video. Thanks for your patience! OL crew 01 Dec 2018 10:41:26 PST Performing maintenance Hi everyone, we will be off line for a while longer, which we make some changes at CP. Will let you know when we're back. Paul 28 Nov 2018 14:09:36 PST No calls but orcas nearby We had a nice surprise a short while ago - the A34s headed south in Blackney Pass and then east in Johnstone Strat. So nice now that then humpback activity is beginning to wound down. Helena 28 Nov 2018 14:09:00 PST Performing maintenance Hi everyone, we have lost our internet connection at the Lab, so are unable to stream live video or audio at the moment. We hope to be back soon, perhaps by mid next week and will let you know. Meanwhile, we hope everything is going well with you all... take good care, please! Paul & Helena 25 Nov 2018 14:33:53 PST No calls but orcas nearby Bigg's orca hunting in Blackney Pass: https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base and on the sea lion camera: https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-steller-sea-lion-haulout High winds causing the sea lion camera to move. OrcaLab 22 Nov 2018 14:19:48 PST Distant calls audible. The A34s and the A5s have not deserted us. Right now we can hear their calls in Johnstone Strait. Lisa is trying to figure out what happened to the two small fins she saw heading south in Blackney Pass just a short while ago. . Are they part of the A34s/A5s or perhaps as happened the other day, Bigg's. The A34s were vocal yesterday in the Strait for 12 hours. Lisa last heard them at 9:30pm. And of course, the humpbacks continue to contribute (always worth listening) OrcaLab 21 Nov 2018 11:48:45 PST No calls but orcas nearby A postscript: It turned out to be the T121As and probably the T28Bs again who were the group which went north between 11am. and 12pm. They had been around on the 16th as well. We are also listening to distant As again in Johnstone Strait. OrcaLab 19 Nov 2018 19:26:28 PST Distant calls audible. Here is a rundown on how it has been around the Lab since the Northern Residents turned up yesterday and after the A34s were last seen heading back to the west off the eastern part of the Reserve around 2pm. At 4:20pm, the A34s were heard again in the Strait. Twenty-four minutes later the orcas were off the area adjacent to the entrance to Blackney Pass. They faded off in the distance (possibly continuing to the west) but resumed at 10:50pm and were vocal until 11:30pm. There travels were not over, nor Lisa’s night, as they became vocal again at 4:10am when back off the entrance to Blackney Pass. Again, they faded off in the distance but perhaps this time as they travelled eastward. They neared Robson Bight, around 10am and again faded away by 11;30am. This is also when, a small group of orcas, probably Bigg’s, slipped into Blackney Pass and travelled north on the far side. We wonder if they had been actually around an hour earlier when we noticed the sea lions on their rocks becoming agitated and eventually jumping in the water. We saw a “light” blow near the very active humpbacks. This small group, 2 females,3 young ones, travelled through with out any calls and took long dives. The A34s were vocal again at 12:50pm for a mere 10 minutes. We think they headed east. The A5s suddenly turned up off the entrance to Blackney Pass around 4:10pm. They became increasingly distant by 5:40pm. OrcaLab 19 Nov 2018 18:12:07 PST Distant calls audible. The A34 calls on in Johnstone Strait and we have a silent group heading north in Blackney Pass. OrcaLab 19 Nov 2018 11:09:51 PST Orcas near mics. There is a group of orcas heading north in Blackney Pass right now : https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base OrcaLab 19 Nov 2018 10:58:42 PST Superb sounds!! Today we had a wonderful surprise! The return the A34s, the A23s and the A25s. The excitement started just after 10am when Lisa heard the first A5 (the A23s and A25s) distant calls on Cracroft Point. Most likely they came in via Weynton Passage and as they came east it became clear they were with the A34s. 40 minutes later the groups were approaching the area off the entrance to Blackney Pass. They were moving quickly. We located them mid strait after they had passed Kaikash and were nearing Izumi Rock. Jared came out, picked up Lisa and Bose, and followed the whales east. After 1pm, Jared reported that they went for a rub, possibly both at Strider and the Main beach, after which the A34s turned and went west around 1:46pm. We were able to follow a few west but they were spread out and mid strait. According to Jared, the A23s/25s were looking like they wanted to go east. We have since recently heard the A34s approach the Cracroft Point area. Meanwhile a humpback is providing some background vocals of his own. OrcaLab 18 Nov 2018 20:09:33 PST Orcas near mics. Resident A1Orcas on CP right now! Lisa 18 Nov 2018 10:43:22 PST Superb sounds!! Nice close humpback on Parson Island hydrophone just now Lisa 16 Nov 2018 22:54:43 PST Superb sounds!! Very close humpback vocalizing right now! Lisa 11 Nov 2018 12:55:26 PST Superb sounds!! Nice Humpback calls on Flower Island HP right now! Lisa 08 Nov 2018 17:20:51 PST Sam is back! Or was yesterday afternoon at least when she was seen with two humpbacks here in Blackney pass. The humpbacks were posturing, lifting their flukes and doing tonal blows, but Sam seemed to just calmly hang around close to them anyway. She was positively ID'ed by Jared Towers who also ID'ed the T055's the day before after they passed by OrcaLab into Blackfish Sound. Lisa 06 Nov 2018 11:54:58 PST Superb sounds!! Nice close humpback song on Parson Island hydrophone right now! Lisa 01 Nov 2018 21:01:47 PST Superb sounds!! Travels with Sam: Yesterday, in the midst of all the humpback activity we noticed T46C2 in Blackney Pass. Otherwise known as Sam, Sam stayed in the Pass the better part of the day even coming close to the Lab. She sure can hold her breath a long time and we are fascinated by the effect her presence has on the humpbacks. Lisa thinks she may have been out there again today. Right now the humpbacks are tuning up, a little hesitant but getting there! Helena,Lisa and Paul 30 Oct 2018 20:39:38 PST Superb sounds!! Lovely humpback calls in Johnstone Strait on a starry night. Lisa and Helena 30 Oct 2018 03:03:42 PST Superb sounds!! You can scroll back on: http://explore.org/live-cams/player/orcalab-base To see the whole scene. In total four humpbacks were involved. And the humpback vocals continue in Blackfish Soundfrom a different humpback and to top it all off T46C2 (Sam) was in Blackney Pass as well!!! Helena 29 Oct 2018 13:05:03 PST Superb sounds!! Watching incredible Humpback feeding in front of Lab. Calls are in Blackfish from another HB. Helena 29 Oct 2018 12:49:35 PST Superb sounds!! Crazy windy! and a very vocal humpback (a "BCZ") doing headstands with frolicking sea lions. Two other humpback in the Pass but the waves are too, too big! Helena 27 Oct 2018 16:58:49 PST Distant calls audible. Quite distant Bigg's calls in Blackney Pass. Unfortunately also a boat is transiting through as well. For the record, yesterday afternoon around 3pm Sam (T46C2) was spotted off Cracroft Point. Helena 27 Oct 2018 01:03:06 PST No calls but orcas nearby The story of Sam (T46C2) continues: Late afternoon (6:45pm) on October 22 David and Barbara saw a lone orca off Bold Head from Double Bay. The orca was surrounded by 3 Humpbacks who were fairly "attentive". This orca was not an obvious male and so when they reported their sighting we wondered if it might be Sam who is often alone. Then this morning Jared Towers reported definitely seeing Sam in Weynton Passage also in the presence of humpbacks. As a reminder T46C2 was "rescued" when encouraged to leave a small bay off the north coast near Aristazabal Island in 2013. She, at the time, was thin and seemed to be stuck. Since then she has been re-sighted many times, sometimes with family, or other Bigg's orcas, or by herself. We last saw her for sure on October 1 when she was alone in Blackney Pass. She might have been there the next day as well. On October 4 she was together with other Bigg's in Blackfish Sound (T090s, T087 and T002B). Helena 25 Oct 2018 11:18:30 PST Superb sounds!! Beautiful, just beautiful humpback song tonight! OrcaLab 22 Oct 2018 19:40:01 PST Two humpbacks with sea lions right on the doorstep of the lab David 22 Oct 2018 14:56:34 PST Superb sounds!! Lovely humpback, now in Blackney Pass. Helena 21 Oct 2018 18:22:24 PST Superb sounds!! The A34s seemed to fade off into the distance from Blackfish Sound but now a beautiful humpback has taken over. Helena 21 Oct 2018 15:54:04 PST Distant calls audible. Very distant calls off Blackfish Sound. Sounds like the A34s who probably went through Weynton Passage earlier. We heard them just before they exited through the pass and now they have come full circle to Blackfish Sound. We had managed to "catch" a glimpse of whales heading across the entrance to Blackney Pass around 2pm and before this there had been calls. OrcaLab 21 Oct 2018 15:16:03 PST Distant calls audible. Distant Northern Resident Orca calls on Critical Point and now Cracroft Point hydrophone - seems like the A34s are circling the island again maybe ? David and Barbara 21 Oct 2018 10:45:42 PST