Superb sounds!! Calls have begun to come through again, but this time they are on Parson Island hydrophone. Leah 02 Mar 2010 04:33:56 PST Superb sounds!! We are hearing transient calls at critical point! Marie & Leah 01 Mar 2010 22:56:35 PST No calls but orcas nearby We just had a group of four transients quietly head South through Blackney Passage! Marie & Leah 26 Feb 2010 14:04:28 PST No orcas present. For the record: Graeme Ellis (DFO) was able to identify that the following groups; the G3's, G16's, G31's, G27's and G2's were present in the area on February 7. This was a good encounter and rare for the Gs to be here in Johnstone Strait during the winter. Although they have been encountered elsewhere on the coast we have not seen them, as a group, since the summer of 2006. Leah and Marie's efforts to get good ID photos were very much appreciated. Helena & Paul 21 Feb 2010 10:32:34 PST No calls but orcas nearby We just had a group of 7 transients quietly heading North through Blackney Passage! Marie & Leah 20 Feb 2010 10:28:02 PST No calls but orcas nearby The calls from early this morning were transients! A group of 8-10 headed West in Johnstone Strait and went past Ledge Point at 0900 (thanks to Jackie, Bill/Donna and Alex for spotting them). Its another beautiful sunny calm day here on Hanson! Marie & Leah 19 Feb 2010 11:00:20 PST Distant calls audible. We are hearing calls in Johnstone Strait! Marie 19 Feb 2010 06:53:25 PST Boat noise Last night around 9pm a few Gclan calls came through on the Critical Point hydrophone. The few calls were quiet and sporadic and very hard to hear with all of the boat noise. Leah 12 Feb 2010 17:45:43 PST No orcas present. Here is a bit of quite interesting news. On January 23rd J pod made an unexpected visit to Johnstone Strait. Leah made a nice recording of their calls and we asked John Ford to confirm who it was. We let Susan Berta of Orca Network Sightings know and she provided the following information: "Wow - that's very interesting! We had them here on Jan. 3/4, then not again until J1 showed up alone at the end of Jan. for a few days, freaking us all out, then the rest of J's showed up Jan. 29th - cool! Thanks so much for the report" Susan Ls and Ks have used this area before but a J pod visit is unique. Helena & Paul 08 Feb 2010 23:21:14 PST No orcas present. Just a catch up from yesterday: the Gs went through Blackney Pass after travelling west from the Bight. They headed into Blackfish Sound with their calls fading off as they moved further away. Helena 08 Feb 2010 11:43:19 PST Superb sounds!! Sounds like the Gs with the I31s are heading west! Sounding very relaxed this sunny morning. Leah 07 Feb 2010 09:23:59 PST Superb sounds!! We are hearing the I31's and another group in heading West in Johnstone Strait. Leah & Marie 07 Feb 2010 09:22:50 PST Superb sounds!! We've confirmed I31's as they travel East in Johnstone Strait. They are very vocal and calls are coming in very clear now on Critical Point. Leah & Marie 06 Feb 2010 08:57:06 PST Distant calls audible. Good Morning!! We've got whales in Johnstone Strait heading West. Leah & Marie 06 Feb 2010 08:12:31 PST Distant calls audible. We are hearing A5 calls in Johnstone Strait, they are heading West. Leah & Marie 05 Feb 2010 11:20:35 PST Superb sounds!! We are hearing clear calls on critical point hydrophone Leah & Marie 05 Feb 2010 10:10:00 PST Orcas near mics. Transient calls in Johnstone Strait! Helena 03 Feb 2010 18:04:49 PST Distant calls audible. There were a short duration of calls and the whales have just gone quiet in Johnstone Strait. Leah and Marie 03 Feb 2010 17:39:45 PST No orcas present. We still haven't heard any calls. The system has been running quite well with a little bit of sun here and there. It's another calm but cloudy day. Leah 03 Feb 2010 11:09:29 PST No orcas present. We've heard no calls for several days, during which our internet connection has been down because of power problems. We're up again, for the moment, but aren't sure for how long. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience. As the days get longer, & sunnier, we should stay better connected (hope so). Paul & Helena 30 Jan 2010 14:58:30 PST No calls but orcas nearby Sounds like the A5s have headed past Critical Point after closing in towards Robson Bight. Helena 25 Jan 2010 21:20:39 PST Orcas near mics. We are listening to A5 calls once again in Johnstone Striat! Helena 25 Jan 2010 20:34:17 PST No orcas present. Yesterday, around 6:30pm there were whales who were very vocal on Parson Island and then on Critical Point. Helena 24 Jan 2010 21:06:58 PST Orcas near mics. Sounds like the I31s are moving closer to Robson Bight. Must be very restful out there today because pretty much all we have heard all afternoon have been resting calls. Blackney Pass has been calm all day for a change! Helena 22 Jan 2010 16:33:47 PST Distant calls audible. They are back! At least the I31s. Signal is a bit scratchy but working. Helena 22 Jan 2010 09:21:07 PST Orcas near mics. Since the last note: the whales were back till about midnight the other night. Right now, I31s are calling in Johnstone Strait! And As (?A8s) too! Something delicious must be encouraging them to stay around. Helena 18 Jan 2010 12:33:41 PST Superb sounds!! Sounds like the I31s and A5s (Jared reported yesterday seeing the A8s) are returning again. Stormy seas today but a lovely afternoon sky. Helena 16 Jan 2010 17:25:27 PST No orcas present. Compounding our connection problems, power went down in Alert Bay just after we posted our last comment, so we lost our internet connection again (and stopped streaming). Power is back & so is our connection this morning, but we've heard no calls since last evening, when we thought the A5s (A8s) & I31s were headed to the east in Johnstone Strait. We're streaming again, and our hydrophone network is functioning, for the moment, so we are waiting... apologies for the frustration (we're experiencing it too). Paul & Helena 16 Jan 2010 12:39:10 PST Superb sounds!! The Calls from the I31s and A5s are louder now and still quite frequent. The computer coughed up a security check and so the streaming was interrupted. Would you know it? I just checked and we are streaming now. Helena 15 Jan 2010 17:45:51 PST Superb sounds!! Hi everyone!, just had to say this was good even though the calls are fairly distant because it is so lovely to have this winter visit from the A5s and I31s. This morning,just after 11am we started to hear calls and we have been recording ever since while we did some repairs on the system. We should be streaming now so enjoy the sounds! Helena 15 Jan 2010 15:02:30 PST No calls but orcas nearby Yesterday morning, just after it became light, Troy heard "A" and "G" clan calls in Blackney Pass. He wasn't sure what happened to them, but it's exciting to know that we've already had northern resident visitors in 2010! Paul & Helena 05 Jan 2010 10:05:08 PST Performing maintenance Sorry, everyone, but our internet connection on Hanson Island is still down, so we are unable to stream live audio for the moment. Troy will get the system running again as soon as possible... we appreciate your patience! Paul & Helena 30 Dec 2009 21:55:42 PST Performing maintenance Hello everyone. We have been off line since around 0830. Still working on the issue. Hope to be back on line soon. The Transients that were heard last night were not heard again. No idea where they might be at the moment. We'll keep you posted. Troy 28 Dec 2009 22:20:04 PST Superb sounds!! We,ve been listening to Transients calls since 23:47. They are brief and fleeting, but so nice to hear. Seem to be coming from LL mic, and the last ones heard at 12:43 seem to be louder. Clouds are starting to hide the moonlight. Calls seem to have stopped for now. Troy 28 Dec 2009 01:04:55 PST No orcas present. Another quiet day at the lab. Clear skies throughout. The evening is calm again, with bright moonlight. Troy 27 Dec 2009 21:03:11 PST No orcas present. Another clear sunny morning, so nice too see. Good morning from Hanson Island. Troy 27 Dec 2009 09:16:21 PST No orcas present. Lovely winter day on Hanson Island. At sunset the winds are calming, and the half moon shines brightly. Troy 26 Dec 2009 18:16:29 PST No orcas present. Good morning OL,ers. Nice & clear sunrise this morning, presently it,s clear to the blue. Moderate southeast wind blowing. Nice to see the sun, good for the power system, and the human spirit. Who knows what the day may bring. Troy 26 Dec 2009 10:07:27 PST No orcas present. it,s been a nice day here at the lab. no sign of Orca so far. Have,nt seen the Sea Lions today at all. The southeast picks up again at night fall, moderate gusts. Hope all are enjoying the day & this evening. Half moon is bright in the sky, with stars. Troy 25 Dec 2009 17:51:12 PST No orcas present. It,s a beautiful Christmas day, sunshine, with blue sky & light clouds. Light southeast winds bring a fresh winter air, good time get out and gather some firewood. You never know when Orca may present themselves. Christmas cheers from the lab. Troy 25 Dec 2009 13:35:29 PST We are back on line, as Paul & Helena posted. Cold southeast winds today, with what seems like outflow winds from the inlets. A bit chilly, the sunny breaks were nice, and it,s not raining. Winter beauty on Hanson. As the sun goes down, the wind picks up. No Orca seen or heard today that we know of. The Sea Lions are still out of sight. A quiet day. Merry Christmas from the Orcalab, may you all enjoy the holiday season. Troy 24 Dec 2009 16:47:37 PST Performing maintenance Looks like we're streaming live audio again... thanks Troy! Paul & Helena 24 Dec 2009 13:22:08 PST Performing maintenance Sorry, everyone, but we're having problems connecting again. Troy will try to solve the problem today. Meanwhile, we hope you're all enjoying a happy Christmas & holiday season... take good care, please! Paul & Helena 24 Dec 2009 08:08:44 PST The day started with a beautiful sunrise, and flat calm. The Sea Lions have still been out of sight all day. Very calm waters made for a pleasant day around the lab, and the sunshine was great while it lasted. At night fall it,s started to clear with the quarter moon shining bight, and stars starting to appear. No Orca seen or heard today. Maybe through the night or tommorrow. Troy 22 Dec 2009 18:15:28 PST Northeast/Northwest wind throughout the day, though by nightfall it has calmed down somewhat. Orca have not been seen or heard today in the area as far as we now. The Sea Lions have been out of sight today, but the Harliquin Ducks are a pleasure to watch when their around. Hoping for a little sunshine on Hanson in the next few days, and maybe Orca. Troy 21 Dec 2009 20:01:14 PST Southeast wind has calmed down this evening. It,s presently raining, with calm waters. We wait, and see what develops. It,s quiet for now. Troy 20 Dec 2009 20:40:23 PST Performing maintenance We lost our internet connection yesterday, & were not able to stream live audio. We're back again for the moment. We are not sure how long it will last, as our batteries aren't in very good shape just now. Apologies in advance if we lose our connection again over the holidays! However, here is wishing everyone a wonderful & safe holiday. All the best. Paul & Helena 18 Dec 2009 17:35:01 PST No calls but orcas nearby for the record: Jared Towers went out and found the whales (still in small groups) between Cracroft Point and Swain point (Boat Bay). Jared identified 16; the T77s, T23s,T18s,T2s and the T55s. There were two new calves (T23C3 and T77D). Five members from these various groups were missing and Jared wondered if yet another group was further ahead. Generally, the whales were going eastward very slowly. Jared heard calls as well and noted the groups were very social. Helena 10 Dec 2009 16:07:53 PST Orcas near mics. The transients, possibly the same groups as earlier, sound like they are now closer to Robson Bight. The Critical Point hydrophone battery is low so the signal is not very stable. Helena 10 Dec 2009 14:52:50 PST Superb sounds!! Several small transient groups have been making their way through Blackney Pass toward Johnstone Strait. The groups were spread out across the Pass. The last group which includes a young male is off Parson Island now slowly following the other two groups. They are vocal. Lots of birds have been following them. A seal has been keeping an eye on them while safely hauled out on rocks this side. Helena 10 Dec 2009 12:44:19 PST