Superb sounds!! We are listening to transient calls in Blackfish Sound. A large group of transients just past us,heading north, quite close to the Hanson Island shore. Lots of rolling, tail slaps etc and now vocal! Helena 28 Apr 2008 11:14:50 PDT Distant calls audible. We are hearing very faint transient calls in Johnstone Strait. Helena 25 Apr 2008 16:54:40 PDT No calls but orcas nearby There was a small group od orcas who headed quickly through Blackney Pass toward Johnstone Strait. Helena 25 Apr 2008 16:32:40 PDT Orcas near mics. We're listening to transient calls on the Flower Island hydrophone, the first orcas we've heard for some time. Cold & sunny days here & we're fine, hope all of you are too. Good news about Robson Bight a couple of days ago - the diesel fuel tanker lying at the bottom is going to be removed, hopefully before the northern resident orcas return (see update story on OrcaLab site). Helena & Paul 20 Apr 2008 23:59:54 PDT Performing maintenance We have closed the viewer comment column for the moment, to give everyone a break from persistent spam problems, and allow our technical staff time to figure out a solution. We do appreciate the exchange of ideas and information that happens on the comment board, very much, and hope to bring it back soon. Meanwhile, we will continue to stream live audio (as long as our internet connection is stable) and will continue to post comments on this side of the board. We wish everyone the best during this comment time out. Paul & Helena 02 Apr 2008 06:07:46 PST No orcas present. Our internet connection has been stable for several days, so we've started streaming live audio again. Paul & Helena 29 Mar 2008 14:53:28 PST Performing maintenance Sorry everyone, our internet connection is mostly down at the moment. We are going to try & shut down the comment column for the moment, though this may take a few days. Please excuse the inconvenience & thanks for your patience. Our best wishes to you all. Paul & Helena 25 Mar 2008 19:33:51 PST Performing maintenance Sorry everyone, our internet connection is mostly down at the moment. We are going to try & shut down the comment column for the moment, though this may take a few days. Please excuse the inconvenience & thanks for your patience. Our best wishes to you all. Paul & Helena 25 Mar 2008 19:29:52 PST No orcas present. Very windy and cold, not like spring at all at the moment except for a few brave flowers and robins. Our hummingbirds have yet to arrive. We even had snow that covered everything for the better part of a day. Good news from Jared Towers that Springer has been seen further north in the company of her kin! Helena 22 Mar 2008 12:45:40 PST Distant calls audible. Transient calls out there somewhere. We have not located a source so no map at the moment. Helena 19 Mar 2008 20:37:09 PST No orcas present. Just a bit more news on yesterday's transients. Jackie Hinderling saw 5 transients in Beaver Cove later that same afternoon. Unfortunately, they were being harassed by a boat. I guess some people don't realise how little it takes to disturb these whales. On the northern resident front: DFO has encountered a large group (several pods) further north. This will certainly help this year's survey! Helena 17 Mar 2008 15:20:10 PST Distant calls audible. We are hearing transient calls in Johnstone Strait once again. Cold, grey and snowy today! Helena 16 Mar 2008 12:58:17 PST No orcas present. For the record the MacKays reported that a large group of transients were seen off Port Hardy yesterday. The transients certainly have been busy lately. Helena 09 Mar 2008 10:23:45 PST Superb sounds!! Very interesting transient calls in Johnstone Strait. Helena 07 Mar 2008 22:30:36 PST No calls but orcas nearby A group of 7 transients have been in Blackney Pass for the last hour. They surrounded a seal which then disappeared. This may have been a kill. By dark they were still in Blackney, a little further south, milling opposite a group of young sea lions. The group consisted of females, juveniles and one young calf. Helena 04 Mar 2008 18:59:49 PST No calls but orcas nearby Bill and Wendy have seen a group of 4-5 transients off of the east end of Pearse Islands in Johnstone Strait. This west of Hanson Island. The two females, one male, one juvenile and a possible sprouter, may have done a kill, and then headed off to Stubbs Island. Pictures have been sent to the DFO. Helena 04 Mar 2008 12:18:55 PST Boat noise There no further calls from the transients after 9:30pm (yesterday.) It was a blowy night, this morning there is rain and the wind is beginning to flip to the northwest. Helena 03 Mar 2008 09:23:25 PST Orcas near mics. Transients in Blackfish Sound! Helena 02 Mar 2008 21:04:21 PST Orcas near mics. Dolphins tonight! Helena 02 Mar 2008 20:24:05 PST No orcas present. We have had recent reports of 5 transients in Johnstone Strait yesterday and in Weynton Passage today. Thanks to the MacKays for both reports. Helena 26 Feb 2008 21:55:24 PST Superb sounds!! We're listening to the T18s in Blackfish Sound, after they passed silently through Blackney Pass, heading north. Lovely sounds & no boat noise! Helena 19 Feb 2008 14:50:36 PST No calls but orcas nearby We just had 4 transients pass by headed north through Blackney Pass. It looked to us like the T18s. They have not made any calls but T19B (the young male) made a lovely spyhop before moving on. Helena 19 Feb 2008 13:46:47 PST No orcas present. Hi, Sorry a computer update bumped the streaming. We rebouted and are now streaming again. There have been no calls. A small group of dolphins (silent) went past yesterday morning. Helena 15 Feb 2008 13:55:59 PST No orcas present. Hi,Sorry we have been down again but are now up and running. Interesting sealions in Blackney Pass today, sunny, calm, warm weather. Helena 13 Feb 2008 17:47:23 PST No calls but orcas nearby A group of seven transients were seen off the Pearse Islands by Bill and Wendy so , if the same group (probably) as heard earlier, they went off to the west and not east. Bill and Wendy thought they possibly made a kill off Weynton Island. They continued west toward Sointula. Helena 10 Feb 2008 15:59:51 PST No calls but orcas nearby The transient calls seem to have ended for the moment. The tide is flooding and this may have encouraged them to head east. But we will see. They managed to be heard a few times over the boat noise (which is also gone now too). Helena 10 Feb 2008 14:36:56 PST Superb sounds!! The transients are in Johnstone Strait not too far from the Robson Bight area! Helena 10 Feb 2008 12:51:04 PST No orcas present. Hi! We are up and running again. There bhave been no further A5 calls. Helena 08 Feb 2008 18:31:17 PST No calls but orcas nearby We heard A5 calls in Johnstone Strait around 4am yesterday, and though we weren't sure what direction they were going in, it was great to hear them! Helena 07 Feb 2008 00:10:24 PST Performing maintenance Sorry everyone, we've lost our internet connection again, so we're unable to stream live audio. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it back again, but this may take a few days. No calls heard since our last post. Paul & Helena 05 Feb 2008 22:11:48 PST No orcas present. It has been fairly uneventful. However, the weather has been lovely and even a touch of snow this morning. Helena 03 Feb 2008 22:41:48 PST No orcas present. A nice grey day here on Hanson Island. The MacKays reported seeing a small group of transients near Gilford village this morning. Snow on the mountains, all has melted on the ground. Helena 31 Jan 2008 14:26:50 PST Distant calls audible. For the second time tonight some very brief dolphin chatter in Johnstone Strait. Helena 28 Jan 2008 23:58:37 PST No calls but orcas nearby There is a group of 8 transients around today. They were first sighted by the MacKays off Bold Head headed to Stubbs Island. They must have then gone through Weynton Pass as they were next seen in Beaver Cove by Jackie Hinderling. They are now moving off to the west toward Alert Bay. Helena 27 Jan 2008 15:17:01 PST Boat noise Hi We are back! Fingers crossed it holds. Helena & Paul 25 Jan 2008 12:41:56 PST Performing maintenance Sorry everyone, but our internet connection is still unreliable, i.e. too unreliable for us to resume live audio streaming. Apologies for getting your hopes up, & all our best wishes to you all. Paul & Helena 19 Jan 2008 15:44:14 PST No orcas present. We've heard no calls for several days, but our internet connection may be ok again. If it's still there in the morning tomorrow, we'll start streaming live audio again... fingers crossed. Helena & Paul 19 Jan 2008 02:27:23 PST No orcas present. We're connected again, at least for the moment, so have started streaming live audio again. Another storm is on the way, so this session may not last long. We haven't heard any calls since this afternoon, but think at least some of the A5s may be nearby or not too far away, so it's possible we'll hear them again. Paul & Helena 11 Jan 2008 00:33:41 PST No calls but orcas nearby We heard A5 calls in Johnstone Strait this afternoon. Helena 11 Jan 2008 00:12:46 PST Performing maintenance Hello everyone. Storms have interrupted our internet connection, so we've been unable to stream live audio for the past few days. We hope to get things working again, but don't know how long this will take. Please accept our apologies, along with our best wishes to you all. Paul & Helena 06 Jan 2008 22:21:47 PST No calls but orcas nearby Seven transients just travelled south through Blackney Pass headed for Johnstone Strait. Too far away for identifictation but the group included a mum and calf, two adult females, a possible juvenile and an adult male. They made no calls but moved back and forth over something when opposite us. Helena 02 Jan 2008 13:35:14 PST No orcas present. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone... and a happier year for our world! Helena & Paul 01 Jan 2008 08:35:01 PST No orcas present. Happy Christmas! and Happy Holidays to everyone, with love from Hanson Island. Helena & Paul 25 Dec 2007 11:32:14 PST No orcas present. From a dark and stormy Hanson Island: Nice to know the light will get stronger, happy solstice! Helena & Paul 21 Dec 2007 17:09:16 PST Orcas near mics. These G clan calls are sounding closer to the Critical Point hydrophone now, so the orcas are probably in or near Robson Bight. Helena 20 Dec 2007 00:10:42 PST Distant calls audible. A few more of the same calls at 6:26pm. A little louder in the persistent boat noise. Helena 19 Dec 2007 18:56:38 PST Distant calls audible. We just started to hear G clan resting calls in Johnstone Strait! Helena 19 Dec 2007 17:33:47 PST No orcas present. It has been both stormy and beautiful here for the last while. The "micro hydro" crew has come and gone. They were a great crew and we will soon see the benefits (reducing our emissions) of their hard work. Hats off to Brooke, Morgan and Scott and their instructor, Steve Lapp at the Technologist Program. St. Lawrence College, Ontario. Scott, Morgan and Brooke did not get to see any orcas during their stay but an obliging sea lion growled through their last night and then hauled out the next day. Eagles, seals, mergansers, harlequins were also a delight to these landlocked Ontario residents. Also,the Robson Bight investigation, as you know, ended during this time. Living Oceans has posted pictures and an update on their web site: www.livingoceans.org. Helena 19 Dec 2007 11:37:35 PST No calls but orcas nearby The transients heard earlier this morning in Blackfish Sound (to 7:20am) may have circled around to Johnstone Strait. Very briefly (and faintly), we heard calls in the Strait. Bill MacKay, who was taking media to the sub dive off Robson Bight today, saw the whales (a large group of about 11) off of the Sophias. The transients, according to Jim Borrowman (who is on scene with the sub), continued east very fast past Boat Bay. A small group of Dalls porpoise had been off the Bight prior to the transient's pass. Right now we can hear the muffled conversations between the sub and the rest of the crew which is rather interesting. Helena 12 Dec 2007 11:52:58 PST Distant calls audible. We're listening to occasional distant calls from transient orcas on the Flower Island hydrophone. Still thinking about Corky, first morning as a captive. The underwater inspection of the wreckage in Robson Bight will begin this morning. Helena & Paul 12 Dec 2007 07:02:58 PST