July 25 2024 A34 (minus A62s), A24 (A64s plus A78), A52s, I04s, I65s, another Gclan group unidentified Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Merge CompanyÕs coming! In the early morning, before 5am, it was realised that the A24s, I4s and I65s were moving through Blackney Pass to the south. They cleared our view and the CP camp at Cracroft Point saw them after they had moved west toward Big Bay. It was a fluid situation, they had no intention of continuing west but instead curled back through the entrance to Blackney Pass. Back in view by 6:41am, the I4s and I65s altogether, headed north past the humpbacks, Inukshuk and the sleeping Merge, toward Blackfish Sound. The A64s with A78 followed. Then came the reports: Between 7:30am and 8am, the A24s, I4s and I65s were now spread over Blackfish Sound with one group (probably the A24s) off Bold Head (western end of Swanson Island) and another group (the I4s and I65s) seen headed to Weynton Passage. They were in position to welcome the incoming orcas who came east from Donegal Head (Malcolm Island) around 9:30am. Scotty recognised the new arrivals as the A34s (at least some of the A34s). He later added the A52s, who like the A24s, belong to the A4 pod. It was especially exciting to have the A34s back. The A34s are members of the A1 pod Historically, the A1s were the most steady presence throughout the season. Lately, they have relinquished that role and have visited the area less frequently. This year the A24s seem to have taken up the mantle and at 10:34am they began to lead the new arrivals toward Blackney Pass and Johnstone Strait beyond. But first the orcas had to sort themselves and took a while longer in Blackfish Sound to do so. By 11:26am Scotty reported that the I4s and I65s were foraging near Bold Head while another group was off the Egeria Shoals moving in a southeast direction, others had moved closer to Flower Island. There was a lot of shifting around. We waited patiently. With so many whales the details were somewhat lost. In the end we surmised that the I4s and I65s, sticking together, shifted over to the Plumper Islands and then the Blow-hole where they stalled as the A34s and A52s followed the A24s closer to Blackney Pass on the Swanson side. Finally, by 2:47pm the first orcas came into view of the Lab. It was the A64s and A78 (the A24s). They were now very efficient and were through by 3:05pm. As they cleared, the day held one more surprise. Tomoko and Momoko, listening from Japan. heard distinctive G clan calls. Someone from either the G12s, I11s or I31s was there. Possibly, it was only a few individuals who somehow were lost in the crowd of dorsal fins. Meanwhile, the A34s followed and cleared our view by 3:32pm. The situation was still pretty fluid. The groups who had reached Johnstone Strait carried on eastward. By 3:39pm, they were opposite the east end of Kaikash Creek. While they were carrying on, perhaps in anticipation of activity about to happen at Strider beach, Paul checked out the underwater camera and saw a large Pacific Octopus brush pass the camera as it elegantly disappeared past some watchful copper rockfish. We then had to account for the surprise report of 30 orcas just behind Burnt Point at 3:42pm. So we trained the remote base camera on Burnt Point (to the left of the Lab) and waited and waited. Nothing materialised. Then around 4pm whales were seen heading northwest in Blackfish Sound. As the I4s and I65s had never come through to Blackney with the others we had the thought that this might be them heading out after perhaps first dropping ÒdownÓ to Burnt Point for a final hesitation. On the Strait side, by 4:37pm, there were A4 calls on the Critical Point system in Robson Bight so we understood that at least the A4s were still advancing. Just before 5pm Tomoko watching the live stream saw a group pass Strider. Even though on the underwater camera they never touchedÓdownÓ and continued on their journey east. From here events were blurry. At some point, at least the A34s may have turned around and headed west, eventually moving back out through Weynton Pass to Blackfish Sound by 9pm. We heard their calls there until 11:30pm. Were they leaving after such a short visit? And what happened to the A52s? Did they join their A24 pod mates or slip out as well. And what happened to the mystery G clan group? Too many question at the end of the day but perhaps a new day will bring answers. OrcaLab 26 Jul 2024 10:35:10 PDT July 24 2024 A24 (A64 plus A78), I04s,I65s, [A42/A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Argonaut, Quartz The defining moment of our day was the beautiful rub at Strider Beach in the afternoon. All the groups, the A24s, the I4s and the I65s enjoyed each other as they rolled over and along the beach from 4:21pm to 5:20pm. The whales were very relaxed, resting on the surface between rubs. They have been together for so many days now that their rhythms are well in sync. The underwater camera captured their efforts beautifully. Despite some technical glitches the surface camera found some moments as well. This rub left everyone in awe. It is really something to view these intimate unguarded moments and is testament to the power of using remote cameras that do not interfere with the natural behaviours of the whales. This is how the whales set up their day before the rub. They had spent the entire night in Queen Charlotte Strait. It was only by 6:43am that we heard the beginnings of their return to Blackfish Sound. The I65s were the first into Blackney Pass by 7:02am. They were perhaps travel weary or waiting for the others to catch up as they moved slowly. At 7:17am we heard A4 calls in Blackfish Sound and began to suspect that all the familiar whales of recent days were still travelling together but on this occasion quite spread out. The I4s were next to arrive at 7:26am. They had I145 (his group is the I65s) with them and managed a breach as they passed. As the Ihe I65s cleared to the south the A24s entered from the north. The I65s male, I122, lingered a while longer before resuming his journey and going towards Johnstone Strait after the I4s cleared our view. This left the A24s who took until 8:31am to complete passage through Blackney Pass. Obviously, it was not going to be a furiously fast paced day! On entering Johnstone Strait the orcas headed east resting as they went. It was still low tide and they probably used the opposing current to steady their resting efforts. Just how far had they gone during the night? Had they had a busy time foraging? They certainly seemed determined to now take it easy. Around 1:21pm they were seen turning around back toward Cracroft Point where they positioned themselves in the rip for a bout of foraging. They were now vocal. Two hours later they were ready to head east again. They would soon approach Strider Beach for that wonderful afternoon rub. After the rub they made a deliberate and sudden turn to the west. CP - the Cracroft Point camp was ready! This was the first official start to the camp. CP has been a part of the OrcaLab network since 1993 when it was first established as an observational outpost. Starting with tents the camp built a crude shelter soon after. In 1994, the first underwater cameras were deployed late in the season. A31 was the first orca to be videoed underwater from that location. But the four deployed underwater cameras documented regularly the rich life of the vast kelp forest just offshore of the camp. The decades of observers monitored and tracked the movements of the whales as they passed to and fro and kept an eye on the boat traffic around the whales too. In 2001, with the chance to broadcast video to the fledgling Internet, CP came of age. A new shelter was built to house the more complex equipment and to provide better shelter for those manning the camp. The camp ran typically from July to even as late as December one year. In recent years, due to other considerations (COVID being one), the camp has operated as mainly a remote station, the hub of the OrcaLab remote systems and more sparingly as an observation platform. Thankfully, Megan Hockin-Bennett managed the camp for several summers using her considerable camera skills to capture incredible footage while taking advantage of the stable platform. She was regularly aided by Shari Manning, who on this day opened the camp once again after days of necessary deck renovation. Many helped with getting CP ready, Sullivan, Justus, Kelly, JŽrŽmie and, of course, Shari. And, just before 7pm, Kelly and Shari saw the whales approaching from the east in the midst of the whale watch boats. By 7:48pm they watched as some of the groups turned into Blackney Pass. It turned out that the A24s did not follow this time but stayed in Johnstone Strait, took their own route to the west. They would eventually go out Weynton Pass. Meanwhile, the I4s and I65s made a nice pass by the Lab mid channel. After heading west in Blackfish Sound they would go back into Queen Charlotte Strait for the night. The A24s did likewise after going through Weynton Pass. The A42s with A94 remained in the Salish Sea near Sutil Channel. Quite the convincing summer day. One does wonder if the orcasÕ forays into Queen Charlotte Strait might be about listening for new company? They must certainly be ready as we are too! OrcaLab 25 Jul 2024 10:35:54 PDT July 23 2024 A24 (A64s plus A78), I04s, I65s, [A42s/A94 in Salish Sea] Humpbacks: Stitch,Quartz As said in the previous report the I15s reunited with the A24s in the early morning. The A24s were already in Johnstone Strait when the I15s were heard in Blackfish Sound late the previous evening. At 1:13am, JŽrŽmie heard the I15s arrive in Blackney Pass. He heard only a few blows so at this time it was speculated that only part of the I15s had chosen this route. We know from later information that both the I4s and I65s were in Johnstone Strait. There were two possibilities. One, the rest of the I15s had re-entered via Weynton Pass or two, they had slipped in undetected via Blackney Pass. Their infrequent calls between midnight and 2am made tracking somewhat challenging. But the upshot was that the two I15 groups, the I4s and the I65s, ended up in the Strait along with the A24s who were closer to Robson Bight at the time of their entry. The A24s, being near the Ecological Reserve, had the jump start on the I15s when beginning a rub at Strider Rubbing beach. They were joined by I15s. This rub lasted from 4:08am and 4:26am and at one point spilled over into the Main Beach. The groups moved east from there. Their distant calls continued to just after 5am. At 9:49pm the Cliff reported that the groups were on their way back to the west moving between Boat Bay and Swaine Point. This trajectory brought them up to Cracroft Point (10:52am) where they made the turn into Blackney pass by 11:18am. A78 led the I04s and the others followed. They cleared our view by 11:46am headed to Blackfish Sound. At 11:53am the A4s (A24s) called for two minutes but were later heard on the Double Bay system at 1:06pm. In pretty quick measure after just under two hours they completed a circuit back to Johnstone Strait. We picked up their calls at 4:07pm and the whale watchers sighted the familiar groups off Weynton Island heading into the Strait favouring the Hanson Island side. The Cracroft Point camp (ÒCPÓ)could see them at 2:50 pm after hearing their approach on their remote hydrophone system. By 3:24pm the groups, who had continued to favour Hanson Island on their trek east, were crossing the entrance to Blackney Pass. Here they shut down, stopped calling and formed into a resting line in the warm afternoon. Their energetic circuits had finally caught up with them! Here they drifted, rested on the surface, resumed some calling, and even changed direction. After these indecisive moments and after a bit of foraging they began to orient more toward the east while moving closer to the Vancouver Island side. Calls picked up around 4:05pm. Then around 4:16pm, CP reported that it looked as if one group was now headed west. By 4:26pm all the groups were headed west. They moved in for a foraging pit stop in the rip just west of CP by 4:41pm. Nap time was definitely over, time for afternoon ÒteaÓ. Some managed to escape the rip and continue west. The others followed suit by 4:56pm. But this was not a serious westward push but rather a strategy to get their approach to Blackney Pass right. By 5:30pm they were back in the rip off the entrance to Blackney Pass. This time their calls were very well defined and clear and just before 6pm (specifically at 5:56pm) the first whales came into view of the Lab. This time the order was, the I65s, the A24s and the I04s. The A24s, being the closest to the Hanson side cleared first at 6:31pm, while the I65s on the far side cleared minutes ahead of the I4s who disappeared at 6:42pm. The groups continued calling as they moved west in Blackfish Sound. A fair amount of echo location indicated that they were also foraging They would continue to be heard until just before 9pm. After which they disappeared to Queen Charlotte Strait for the rest of the night. OrcaLab 24 Jul 2024 14:55:14 PDT July 22nd 2024 A24s, I04s, I65s BiggÕs orcas: unidentified Humpbacks: Mum and baby unidentified The A24s along with their I15 companions had left for Queen Charlotte Strait the previous evening but they did not stay away too long and we suspect they had not gone that far as just after midnight they began a return to Blackfish Sound. We heard them approach at 12:13am. The calls, mainly the A24s, resumed at 2:20am. The echo location, heard soon after, indicated that they were definitely on their way in. The following I15s were now also heard just after 3am. By 3:16am, three groups entered Blackney Pass and passed the Lab on the far side. This was not a speedy pass-by. The whales took their time especially as they neared the entrance to Blackney Pass. Briefly heard in Johnstone Strait, the whales regrouped and turned back into Blackney Pass by 5:10pm. This time there was no hesitation and after travelling quickly they cleared into Blackfish Sound by 5:23am. They stopped calling by 6:10am. A group of 7-8 unidentified orcas was seen east of the Reserve about 6:30am and by 8:18am possibly this same group was in Blackney Pass heading north. There were no visual IDs and no calls. The Resident whales had made it back to Queen Charlotte Strait but their restlessness brought the A24s all the way back to Blackney Pass by 11am. This time, when making it to Johnstone Strait, they headed east. Alex saw a group floating while passing toward Weynton Pass at 12:16pm. It was not determined if this was the I04s and I65s but Alex thought they looked like residents. If it was the I15s they probably came back to Johnstone Strait via Weynton Pass and headed east. By then the A24s, also resting, passed the ResrveÕs western boundary as they continued east. The I15s, now also in Johnstone Strait, must have drawn the A24s back toward them because at 2:14pm their collective calls were heard on both the Kaizumi and Cracroft Point systems. This brought on a I15 rub at Kaizumi at 3:09pm and a change of direction to the west. Favouring the Hanson Island shore the groups continued west between 4:47pm and 5:25pm, where by then, the whales were at the ÒtopÓ western end of Hanson. From there possibly the I15s passed toward the Plumper Islands. The dayÕs vacillation continued. Not really leaving Johnstone Strait the A24s continued to be heard until 11:30pm. The I15s were heard in Blackfish Sound at 11:44pm. The groups would not reconverge until after 1 am the next day. One postscript: the A42s with A94 were seen off Lund earlier in the day, answering the question from a couple of days of which way had they gone when they left the area. OrcaLab 23 Jul 2024 17:51:58 PDT July 21 2024 A24s, ?A25s,?A42s, I04s, I65s, I16s not confirmed BiggÕs T065Bs Humpbacks: possibly Merge We start this day with the A24s once again heard on the Parson Island system, in the entrance to Blackney Pass. They soon moved into the Pass followed by the I65s. The two groups made their way north and into Blackfish Sound by 1am. We could still hear the A5s in the Strait as well as others from the I15s- most likely the I04s. At 2:30am the A24s and I65s were still vocal in Blackfish Sound but there were only I15s in the Strait by then. Jordan had not heard the A5s since 1am. Had they simply moved away out of range? Had they gone east or west? Time will tell. Regardless, the I4s were still in the Strait lingering, vocal and getting ready to follow the I65s and A24s into Blackfish Sound. By 5:33am they came into view of the Lab and twenty minutes later they were on their way to the west. They would eventually catch up with the A24s and I65s, who all together were reported coming back to the east while off Lizard Point. Alex saw them pass Donegal Head at 11:56am. We did not begin to hear them (specifically the A24s) until 1:38pm. They came into Blackney Pass in good measure at 2:04pm. Once clear of the Pass they headed east, seen first on the Cracroft Point remote camera then later by the Cliff. By 3:49pm these two groups were passing the western boundary and soon into Robson Bight. At 4:23pm they rounded the eastern headland in the direction of the rubbing beaches beyond. The rub at Strider began 20 minutes later and lasted until 5:18pm. With the completion of the rub they negotiated a wide turn to the west. Scotty reported them off Cracroft Point very close to the shore. They eluded our search on the remote camera because they had already turned into Blackney Pass by the time we looked. At 7:40pm they were once again heading north toward Blackfish Sound. They were silent until reaching Blackfish Sound where they vocalised for about forty minutes. Biggs orcas contributed to the busy scene in Johnstone Strait. A group was sighted just outside the Bight by the Cliff just as they set up for the day at 9:08am. They were not given much opportunity to identify these orcas but later the T65Bs were seen off Malcolm Island at Dickenson Point (Sointula) around 2pm and again later off Pultenay Point at 5:54pm. OrcaLab 22 Jul 2024 11:03:14 PDT July 20 2024 A24s, A25s,A42s, G02s, G27s, G62s, G17s, G22s, G16s, I04s, I16s. I65s Humpbacks: Pacific White-sided dolphins This day was anything but simple but we will try to sketch out the main events as they unfolded. Right on midnight the A24s brought the G clan groups, who had previously travelled in from the west, into the Strait. Although they had not been mentioned during the previous day some A5s were also part of the procession eastward. From the calls we tried to imagine how the groups had arranged themselves and speculated that the A24s led those G1 groups identified during the past day as the G17s and G22s closer to the Hanson Island side while the A5s perhaps took the G12s (the G02s, G27s and G62s) closer to the Vancouver Island shore. Later identifications would add the G16s into the mix and the A25s and the A42s as those A5s heard. We would also later learn that the A23s (also part of the A5s) were seen far away in the Prince Rupert area. After an hour, the Cracroft Point system picked up calls as the many whales advanced eastward but still west of the entrance to Blackney Pass which they would not clearly arrive at until another hour had passed. When they did, the A24 calls became quite clear suggesting perhaps that this group had moved deeper into the entranceway before resuming east. By 4am, the groups were approaching the area adjacent to Robson Bight. Nearly 50 minutes after that the A5s went for a short three minute rub followed by an eight minute rub in the same locale. Throughout, the groups were making continuous calls as this gettogether continued to be energetic and on the move. There was also the inevitable boat noise from marine traffic. Calls became fainter as the groups continued east for a while longer and just long enough for the orcas to reorganise their return passage. By 11am, the western trek had already gotten underway. Three individuals, two large fins, steadily approached Strider Beach from the east. As they journeyed west they did an on the go rub that took them over the beach from 11:02am to 11:04am. Others were westbound on the other side of the Strait. As the whales streamed west they had the Strait covered. Scotty provided the identification of the A25s who by 11:17am were west of the Reserve. Our attention was drawn to reports of yet more Northern Residents heading to Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound. Sure enough at 12:02pm the first group of the I15s, the I4s, travelled through. They would be followed by a succession of two more groups, the I65s and the I16s. As they arrived in Johnstone Strait the groups already there were still making their way west. By 12:19pm the Cliff reported that groups closer to Vancouver Island were now angling toward the Cracroft Point. Shari, along with Sullivan, JŽrŽmie and Justus who were completing the deck job at the Cracroft Point, kept an eye on the proceedings developing from the east to their left and out of the entrance way to their right as whales closed in from both directions. At 12:30pm, Shari saw an advanced group of five off the Sophia Islands. As some of the I15s cleared the LabÕs view at 12:37pm about 20 orcas were passing Kaikash Creek opposite the Cracroft Point camp and another group could be seen advancing from the SophiaÕs while others were east of the riptide to the right of the Cracroft Point platform. Whales were everywhere and we were not yet done! Between 12:49 and 1:19pm, more of the I15s travelled through Blackney Pass headed to the Strait and their community cohorts. Identifications were difficult in the confusion of converging groups but at CP (Cracroft Point camp) the G17s, G39 (from the G16s), the A24s and of course, the I15 groups already mentioned. More than 40 whales continued to move west. By 1:20pm orcas were already nearing the western end of Hanson Island. Far behind, were likely the A42s, the group to go for a late rub at Strider between 2:21 and 2:25pm. They were acoustically identified when they did a follow-up rub at Kaizumi at 7:36pm. By that time orcas were moving back east. A fission of the groups had occurred in the earlier milieu. The Gs carried on to the west and eventually left via Sointula while the As (the A24s, A42s, A25s) joined with the I15s and travelled back toward the Ecological Reserve with the A42s making that quick pit stop at Kaizumi. The reunion of Gs and As had been brief, fluid and intense. Just before 8pm, the whales left in Johnstone Strait approached the Robson Bight area. They were close to the Vancouver island side and their clear echo location and calls could be heard as they passed Critical Point. From 8:37pm to 9:15pm the A24s, I15s, and A5s then had a good extended rub at Strider. From there the orcas moved off to the east for a short while before some of the I15s returned to the beach for an additional rub at 9:29pm. Somewhat exhausted by the dayÕs activities they formed a resting line. Others, still occupied at the Main beach to the east of Strider came back for a rub at Strider at 9:39pm. Accompanied by some Pacific White-sided dolphins the orcas (the A24s+) ended the rub at 9:44pm and moved off to the west. By midnight the A24s had made it back to the entrance of Blackney Pass followed now by the A5s and I15s. Twenty-four hours had passed since the A24s kicked started the dayÕs activities by ushering in the Gs. The early morning hours of the next day would reveal more interesting movements. OrcaLab 21 Jul 2024 09:40:41 PDT July 19 2024 A24s, [G02s, G27s,G62sG22s, G17s QCS], [A34s (part) Storm Islands] BiggÕs orcas: T069As, T011As, T037As Humpbacks: Argonaut, Merge Pacific White-sided dolphins (heard) Dallas Porpoise Looking at the above list of orca matrilines certainly makes one feel that the summer season has kicked in. Quite the contrast to last summer! We were somewhat in between most of the dayÕs events which were really happening elsewhere throughout the day. The exception being the T69As who, after passing Double Bay at 6:11am, came slowly into Blackney nearly two hours later at 8:04am. They managed to come halfway before turning and going back to Blackfish Sound by 8:37am. From there they retraced their steps to Double Bay in better time at 9:21am. Their continued journey would take them to the Plumper Islands by 10:04am and off Sointula by 2pm. The exciting aspect of their trip into Blackney was that humpback Argounaut and Dalls Porpoise were also present. Multiple species being in the vicinity of HervŽÕs hydrophone array experiment is ideal. We had already been teased by the A24s, who had gone east earlier, then distantly vocal from 12:51am to 2:42am. Afterward they slipped out of range retreating even further east. Our time with them would come later in the afternoon when they returned around 5pm. Then their choice was to come west closer to the Cracroft Island shore. The Boat Bay camp saw them pass at 6:40pm. The Strider Beach remote surface camera was able to find their blows when zoomed in. Two cruise ships plowed through the Strait from the opposite direction. No calls were heard in the resulting loud boat noise. An hour later the A24s were picked up on the Cracroft Point remote surface camera and followed west past Cracroft Point, the entrance to Blackney Pass and beyond. They elected to carry on to the west and not come into Blackney Pass. The group of five was still spread out at 8:32pm as they individually disappeared into the distance towards Weynton Pass. There were no calls. The T69As were not the only BiggÕs group around. At 4pm the T011As and T037As were seen off the Sophia Islands in Johnstone Strait. This was about two hours before the A24s turned up further east. Busy day for the Strait! .The T011As and T037As would go on to pass the entrance to Blackney Pass at 4:16pm and find themselves going into Weynton Pass by 5:30pm. They were last seen passing Lizard Point in Queen Charlotte Strait by 7:23pm. The real excitement of the day had to be the reports from the west. As early as 10am Donna Mackay was relaying information from the Naiad Explorer that at 9:26am there was a large group of Northern Residents off the Buckle group in Gordon Channel. Jared Towers provided the identification of the matrilines present, the G02s, G27s, G62s, G22s and G17s. Jared, on his way further west, would add at 2:10pm that part of the A34s were near the Storm Islands as well. The more precise location of the G clan orcas was described at one point as 4 miles out from Round Island, 3 miles east of Doyle and that they were oriented toward Numas Island. The Naiad Explorer left these whales at 2:43pm. Scotty, on one of the Prince of Whales boats, then picked up the storyline. At 3:12pm he reported that the Gclan orcas were between Port Hardy and the northern end of Malcolm Island. He left the G17s 2 miles east of Malcolm Point at 4:21pm. They were making progress and seemed committed to trying for the Johnstone Strait area. At 6pm Kate, at Bere Point, witnessed their passing. By the time they were east of Bere Point the group size was described as being 40 - 50 whales. It has been a while since such a large group has been around. Anticipation in the Lab grew. We had to be patient. Things, and whales going against the current, take time. When we heard their calls at 9:55pm everyone was drawn inside to listen. But a whole hour would go by before we heard more, just enough to recognise the G12 matrilines. Then silence. The current changed at 10:52pm and this encouraged the orcas to move into Johnstone Strait via Weynton Pass. The A24s perhaps offered their lead as they were the first to be heard at 11:51pm in the Strait. As we said earlier, today we were pretty much in between most of the activity but thanks to the remote systems and the great people network nothing ever seemed too far away. OrcaLab 20 Jul 2024 09:08:01 PDT July 18 2024 A24s Humpbacks: Freckles and baby, Inukshuk,Argonaut, possible Claw and baby Pacific White-sided dolphins vocal, Dallas Porpoise There was no activity during the night but as a glorious sunrise unfolded Blackney Pass from night into day dolphins chatted in Blackfish Sound around 5am and humpbacks who made their quiet passes back and forth were revealed in the growing light. The Lab got busy right away with preparations to go to Cracroft Point where the old deck was to undergo renovation. The humpbacks mirrored this busyness with their own increased activity. Their percussive blows punctuated the morning air. Around 11am, Northern Residents were found west of Bold Head. It was not the A42 group of the past days as might be expected but the A24s who had been seen further west in Gordon Channel the previous day. Had the A42s exchanged places so to speak? It seemed likely it was the A24s turn to take a tour of this area. They slipped into Blackfish Sound and at 12:22pm where we first heard their calls. Twenty minutes later they were in our view. This group comprises five individuals, six if it had included A94, who now has had the habit of traveling with the A42s for these past three years. A94, or Mystery, was not with his natal group on this occasion and we assumed he remained with his adopted A42 group somewhere off to the west even though the two groups must have passed by each other. He certainly comes by his nickname honestly - such a mystery! His brother, A78, Toba, however was with the A24 as they passed the Lab and cleared quickly into Johnstone Strait just before 1pm, passing the hard-at-work crew at Cracroft Point. TobaÕs group then headed east. By 2:13pm, it was the Cliff's turn to view these new visitors as they crossed the western boundary of the Ecological Reserve. Once inside the Reserve area they went for a rub at 2:50pm. The Strider Beach has two parts or ÒroomsÓ. On this day the A24s favoured the eastern end which we have dubbed Òthe kitchenÓ as opposed to the western ÒlivingroomÓ . This preference meant that although their loud ÒchuffsÓ, as they touched down on the ocean floor, were loud and clear they were only on the underwater camera briefly. The rub continued for a full ten minutes before they pushed on further east and out of range of our systems. The day continued with watching the humpbacks in Blackney while work resumed at Cracroft Point in the hot sun. As late afternoon approached the humpbacks became active with Inukshuk in close proximity to Dalls Porpoise and a mother and baby on the far side breaching together. We lost count of the number of dual breaches, which began opposite the Lab off Red Point, and carried on until the pair were out of sight into Blackfish Sound. Our day concluded with a return of the Cracroft crew, dinner and review of the dayÕs photos including those taken at Cracroft when the A24s had passed. OrcaLab 19 Jul 2024 12:11:24 PDT July 17 2024 A42s,A94 [A24s, R37 and others Gordon Channel], [I27s, A54s and others Beauchemin Channel] Humpbacks:Argonaut, Freckles and Baby, possibly Squiggle It was a beautiful morning with the fog shifting amongst the hills opposite the Lab and humpback breaths rising in the morning light. The A42 group had been last heard off Parson Island just after midnight. During the early morning hours they must have circled back to Queen Charlotte Strait where Kate reported that they went for a brief rub just before 9am before disappearing into the fog heading west. We were to have no further news until much later in the day. Meanwhile, the divers, Megan and Shari accompanied by Claire, got back into the water to adjust HervŽÕs Stethorca arrays which had been put in the previous day on the same slack tide. HervŽ was now satisfied with the results. Suzie Hall had organised the busy dive schedule which also included replacement of the Strider hydrophone. The anticipated dive on the Flower Island system however was postponed. We were very grateful to Janie Wray and Joel Mellish from the BC Hydrophone Network these past few days for providing their assistance, technical expertise, time and effort, not to mention JanieÕs beautiful new boat which made it possible to service the hydrophone sites. Throughout these exercises JŽrŽmie provided his invaluable assistance. Around 3pm, the Naiad Explorer, following a lead, decided to go west and found Northern Residents in Gordon Channel. Included in this group were the A24s. Later Scotty reported that possible ÒRÓ clan members were also there. Bill on the Naiad then later located the A42 group off the Masterman Islands. They were going west leading to the assumption that they were on their way to meet up with the others. Meanwhile, The Achiever reported the I27s, A54s and others in Beauchemin Channel, northwest of Klemtu, Nothing in regard to orcas happened here before midnight. However, a humpback at 10:15pm surfaced super close to the Lab. It was very loud on the local hydrophone and the amount of bubble sounds led to speculation about possible bubble net feeding. This event closed out our day. OrcaLab 18 Jul 2024 09:14:51 PDT July 15 2024 A42s, A94 Humpbacks: Argonaut, Stitch, Merge As these days go, passing through Blackney Pass and past OrcaLab seems part of the daily routine of the A42s and A94. At 2:10am, this family of eight (if you include A94), left Johnstone Strait and headed to Blackfish Sound. They made good time but did not totally leave Blackfish Sound for Queen Charlotte Strait until 5am. They would spend the entire day in Queen Charlotte Strait undetected until just before 6pm when they were found heading east right in the centre nearly opposite Lizard Point. By 7:15pm they were off Donegal Head. Taking a straight route they headed to Blackfish Sound just before 8pm. As they got nearer, the Flower Island station picked up their calls at 8:34pm. By 8:52pm they were visible from the Lab. They filed in mid channel with the A79s closer to the Hanson Island side. The reason for their slow progress became evident as they stalled more than once to forage. A successful hunt was witnessed. Pretty sure our onshore fishers wondered how come they had not had such luck! The orcas cleared at 9:12pm. The Humpback Merge, at first heading north, followed. As they went east they made a few whistles and bouts of echolocation. The remote hydrophone in the Bight at Critical Point registered their calls just before 11pm. Forty minutes later they were in at Strider Beach for a late evening rub. From there they continued east. For the orcas, it was a pretty straightforward return to Johnstone Strait but acoustically they made it interesting with a couple of ÒGÓ clan like calls. Company coming? At the Lab, Mark finished doing the roof at the Guest House. He seemed pretty satisfied with his work. We all think he has done a fantastic job, complimented by JustusÕ repair of the deck and shower area. Work on the hydrophone systems continued with Joel Mellish, Quin Mcintire and JŽrŽmie Collado trying to isolate the problems we have been experiencing. HervŽ GlotinÕs localising hydrophone array, specialising in capturing both high and low frequencies, was readied for its deployment off of the Lab. The skies were beautifully blue throughout the day but without any promise of rain which is critically needed once more. We will hope for that and a speedy return of the A42s and A94. OrcaLab 16 Jul 2024 21:10:46 PDT No orcas present. July 14 2024 Orcas: A42s, A94, T060s Humpback: Inukshuk, Quartz, Argonaut, Stitch, Merge, Freckles & baby The night was calm, with the A42s and A94 ÔMysteryÕ lingering just out of our range in Queen Charlotte Strait. They did not stray too far, as Alex Morton reported them heading towards Weynton Pass in the morning light around 7:40am. Silently, they made their way east in Johnstone Strait, and surprised us with their unmistakable dorsal fins in Blackney Pass at 10:18am. They were travelling together as a unit, escorted by a couple of boats. There was a lot of tail-slapping and a few pec slaps from the whales - seemingly excited activity but unmatched by any acoustic activity. They had cleared into Blackfish Sound by 10:55am, and slowly meandered to the Plumper Islands just off the northwest tip of Hanson Island, where they would stay for a few hours. Elsewhere, the T060s (BiggÕs orcas) were seen off Beaver Cove heading west. Finally, the A42s with A94 began to wake up their vocal chords as they travelled back towards us, our Flower Island hydrophone picking up their calls just before 3pm. By 3:30pm they were with us once more, heading back towards Johnstone Strait, making some beautiful and funky sounds as they travelled! We wondered if their apparent excitement and slow progress through Blackney Pass could indicate that other groups were on the near horizon, but that hope did not materialize. Back in the Strait by 4:40pm, we lost sight of them in the afternoon glare off Cracroft Point. Silent once again, they made their way back west through the Strait and were sighted off Telegraph Cove at 7:30pm. Only much later, into the wee hours of the morning would we understand that they had stalled once again in Johnstone Strait, finally taking Blackney Pass north to Queen Charlotte Strait. OrcaLab 15 Jul 2024 13:36:41 PDT No calls but orcas nearby July 13 2024 A42s, A94 Humpbacks: Argonaut, Freckles and baby Dolphins, Dall's Porpoise After midnight the A42s with A94 travelled away from Strider Rubbing Beach and the Ecological Reserve and carried on to the east. They did not return to this area until around 9am. Again they went for a rub and this time they made a more concerted effort having several goes over the entire length of the beach. They were so engaged with the rub that they even used the Main beach to the east of Strider briefly. After 22 minutes they methodically travelled west close to the Vancouver Island shoreline. By 9:40am they could be heard on the Critical Point system as they neared the Robson Bight area. Individually they filed westward. By 10:30am they were still east of Kaikash Creek and an hour later west of Kaiaksh approaching what is known locally as Little Kaikash. Angling away from the Vancouver Island side they came to mid strait and at 12:15pm were opposite Blinkhorn on the Vancouver Island side and Turn Point on the Hanson Island side. Fifteen minutes later they were basically opposite Telegraph Cove. here they stalled for about an hour. At 1:41pm they were reported to have turned and were seemingly going back east. But in reality their intention was to eventually cross over to Weynton Passage. Nothing about today was about hurrying. They took time to actually get through Weynton and at 6:25pm we heard them in Blackfish Sound. The calls sounded distant suggesting perhaps they were crossing the top end and headed to Queen Charlotte Strait. It was not to be. Just half an hour later they were making strong echo location on the Flower Island system. They wer coming our way! Sure enough the first fins in Blackney Pass were seen at 7pm. Then over the next 3 hours the A42s and A94 traversed back and forth in Blackney Pass disrupting our dinner plans (in the nicest way possible). Paul and Suzie therefore arrived from Alert Bay in time for both whales and eventually dinner. We were pleased that our new Local Centre hydrophone was working so well and that the A42s and A94 were obligingly vocal for most of the time. It needs to be explained that A94 actually is not part of A42s A5 pod. He is a young male who belongs to the A4 pod and specifically the A24 matriline. For some reason three years ago he decided to join the A42s and travel with them. He kept this up until last year when he took a hiatus and disappeared. He rejoined the group recently. There is enough distinction in his vocal to tel him apart from the others and when the orcas came in this evening we could clearly hear his voice. The light was gorgeous as we watched the orcas and the humpbacks too. The sea was still energised from the dayÕs northwesterly winds so the scene was lively. DallÕs porpoise swam by the Lab and dolphins (just a few) swam next to some of the orcas. For the past couple of days the number of jumping pink salmon has been increasing and this evening they were everywhere. The orcas were intent on foraging - probably not on those pinks but more likely any chinooks. On one of the orcas' forays south, near the south end of Parson Island, we could hear the distinctive sounds of an active and successful hunt evidenced by strong echolocation and crunching. We were almost convinced that they were going to exit back to Blackfish Sound after that but no, they turned again. This time they were steadier (but silent) in their intent to head for Johnstone Strait. By 10pm they were seen on the Cracroft Point remote camera in the dusky hues of sunset. They were not in a great hurry anywhere in particular. By 11:30pm they had turned once again and were in the entrance to Blackney Pass, audible on our Parson Island hydrophone. They made yet another pass in the dark, foraging slightly as they passed us around midnight, back into Blackfish Sound. We could not hear their blows with waves lapping at the shore, but it is always so very charming to imagine a family of orcas passing the deck under a blanket of stars. With three days of consistent presence from the A42s + A94, we wonder (and dearly hope!) if this is the true beginning of our 2024 orca season. OrcaLab 14 Jul 2024 16:15:20 PDT No calls but orcas nearby July 12 2024 A42s, ?A94, [A35s, A73s Gordon Channel] BiggÕs: T060s Humpbacks: Argonaut, Merge, Stitch, Inukshuk, ?Freckles and baby Our day began around 4am when A5 calls were heard on the speakers. Shari was first to respond. The calls turned out to be in Blackfish Sound mainly and briefly in Blackney Pass. This posed a conundrum. Was this the A42s making a very unusual circuit (they were last seen headed west past Alert Bay the previous evening at 11pm) or had someone else ventured in? Opinions were split. The calls faded away in Blackfish Sound before any conclusions could be made. But it was nice to think that the Northern Residents were not far away. Orcas were seen in Gordon Channel heading west. The guess was that it was the A35s and A73s. The rest of the day went ahead as usual. The same individual humpbacks continued in Blackney Pass. There was a report of the T060s northbound near Wedge Island at 4:09pm. Just before 5:30pm two sources told us that the A42s had returned via Port McNeill. They seemingly retraced their steps and by 6:41pm they were reported off Alert Bay continuing east. We did not immediately have any calls that might indicate that they had progressed into Johnstone Strait. While this tracking was happening there were additional notes about another group in Johnstone Strait but the reports were somewhat contradictory describing several locations and opposite directions. Suffice to say a group of undescribed orcas were in the vicinity of Naka Creek at 5:40pm and past the Ecological Reserve at 6:34pm. Again there were not convenient calls. Final note for the day: The A42s did get to Johnstone Strait and went in for a quick rub at 11:25pm. They gave an excited burst of calls (perhaps caused by the proximity of the dolphins nearby) before continuing east. OrcaLab 13 Jul 2024 14:39:01 PDT No calls but orcas nearby July 11 2024 A42s, A94 BiggÕs: unknown Humpbacks: Merge, Inukshuk, Freckles and baby, Stitch A whole week has passed since the last update. This afternoonÕs event has encouraged us to write again. At 3:36pm the A42s were heading west through the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve. A couple touched down at Strider Rubbing Beach as they hurried west. The Cliff Research site, once alerted, then kept an eye on their progress. We heard distinctively clear echo location as they passed the Critical Point, the headland on the east side of Robson Bight. Just a couple of calls were voiced. The Cliff watched as the whales on the Vancouver Island shore then approached Kaizumi Beach. Despite going against the current (it was flooding all afternoon and evening) they continued west.. Time went by. No calls and the sea was pretty exercised so viewing on the remote cameras was not ideal. We went about our regular monitoring, scans & chores. Grant arrived today with his lovely dog Sola to help Mark with the roofing of the lower part of the guest house. Justus continued to work on part of the deck, Everyone, everywhere seemed busy working up an appetite for CallumÕs next delicious meal. HervŽ Glotin returned to deploy his localising hydrophone array. He and JŽrŽmie worked on refurbishing the array, getting it ready to be placed back in the water in a few days. There have been some already interesting data results from past deployments. Part of the morning was spent taking the fire pump out and doing a fire drill. Not a bad idea because there was much which needed attention to make the system work which we managed in the end to do. Now we just have to repeat the exercise to finesse our procedures! By 7:54pm the A42s along with A94 (later confirmed by Jared Towers) were passing Jim and Mary BorrowmanÕs place in Telegraph Cove. Jim remarked on the accompanying dolphins keeping pace with the orcas. The orcas were a bit spread out but continuing west. By the time Jared got out from Alert Bay they had ducked into the calmer waters of Beaver Cove. The current was to change around 9:25pm and we waited to see what they did next. The humpbacks seemed to be enjoying the blustery weather. Several were in the Pass today. The day before, Freckles and her new baby slowly moved back and forth for quite a while. This was our first sighting of the pair. Freckles seemed very attentive to her baby barely surfacing, taking long dives and not moving too fast or far. They returned the following day. We have an added appreciation of these humpbacks after a visit from the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS). Jackie Hildering gave a presentation explaining how the OrcaLab data is aiding humpback research in the local area. This helped the new volunteers understand more about their collective efforts to follow, identify, document and report sightings. Jackie explained the history of the occurrence of humpbacks in this area and how they have rebounded after the cessation of whaling in 1967. She gave detailed information on feeding and other behaviours. She explained the dangers from ship strikes and how to best report infractions of the whale watching regulations. It was a wonderful meeting. Thank you Jackie, Caitlin and Nicole. The discussion about ship strikes could not have been more timely. Jordan, who recently returned to Orcalab, watched as the Alaskan ferry, the Kennicott, barrelled down on the humpback Stitch, who made a startled dive as the ship passes Later on, at 9:30pm Nicolette reported that a mother and baby were bubble net feeding near Double Bay. We wonder if it was Freckles and her baby. Meanwhile the humpback Merge came close to Lab while Inukshuk gambled further out. While this was happening Shari sighted a small group of BiggÕs orcas travelling north through Blackney Pass far side. They were too far away for any positive identifications that were further hindered by the fading evening light. All this time the A42s had come out of Beaver Cove and were slowly going past Alert Bay by 9:48pm. They were still only part way past Alert Bay by 11pm OrcaLab 12 Jul 2024 12:28:59 PDT No orcas present. July 4 2024 A23s, [A42s? East] Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Meniscus, Argonaut, Stitch PWD During the night there were no further signs of the A5s but the humpbacks seemed to be quite active and we were made aware, from time to time, of movement, occasional grunts and whups, splashes and bubbles. Day came and still no news of the A5s. Then at 10:45am clear calls. The whales were on their way back west! Obviously we all wondered if it would be all of them? Apparently not. As the morning unfolded we realised that it was only the A23s who had made the journey back. About ten minutes after the first calls we could see their fins in the distance east of the Ecological Reserve. A few individuals appeared to be travelling closer to the Cracroft Island shore before the Cliff Research site reported seeing more passing the Main Rubbing beach. Sure enough, at 11:01am 2 to 3 orcas began a rub at Strider beach just west of the Main beach. The rub ended 11 minutes later and was followed by a lot of N3 calls and echo location. They continued to call as they journeyed westward. By 1:19pm their calls were on the Cracroft Point system as they approached the entrance to Blackney Pass. With the current opposing their efforts progress was slow and disjointed. A60, seen on the remote camera, had turned east before 1:48pm, and so did others. But this was not their final intention as they took the opportunity to forage and organise their approach to Blackney Pass. Dolphins had not abandoned the orcas and were nearby as were humpbacks who were also attempting to negotiate against the current in the rip off Blackney Pass. Later we learned from Jackie that it was Argonaut and Meniscus. Inukshuk was already resting in Blackfish by this time and Stitch was suspected to be around too. For the longest time we lost track of the orcas - it looked like they had finally moved into Blackney Pass but their progress must have been further impeded before they came into view of the Lab at 2:36pm. They moved well, still foraging, slightly spread out. A60 pushed ahead. He was followed by the growing male, A95 while A43, A69, A126 and A109 followed. Inukshuk was right there accompanying the orcas as they travelled through. Encouraging to think that there were enough fish out there to make them stop every so often. Jared shared that he had earlier got a prey sample from A109 when the whales were still in Johnstone Strait. The A23s cleared our view to the north by 4:33pm and resumed their N3 expressions. Alex watched them forage their way to Double Bay, then Donegal Head. When a cruise ship passed they tightened up their group and headed for Lizard Point in Queen Charlotte Strait. This brought the encounter with the A23s to an end for the day. Other activity in the area included a sighting of the T060s in Cormorant Channel. This was around 4pm and they passed the Pearse Island shoreline on their way to Johnstone Strait. Thanks Marieke for this report. We will wait with interest to find out what happened to the A42s yesterday. Are they east? And will the A23s return? Each day is different from the previous one and always unfolds as it will. OrcaLab 04 Jul 2024 22:37:42 PDT No calls but orcas nearby July 2- 3 2024 A42s,A23s BiggÕs orca Pacific White-sided dolphins Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Half Dome,Sparrow (Casper), Argonaut and one other Time to catch up as we head into July and the upcoming 2024 orca season. So much has happened since we last posted so not sure where to begin. Suffice to say we have been busy. ______ Well that was yesterdayÕs unfinished summary. And today everything changed for the better. At 6:20am Claire woke up hearing ÒAÓcalls! Super faint so how she managed to surface and quickly get dressed and head to the Lab was amazing. By 6:46am she had a recording going and had alerted everyone. The whales did not disappoint. They continued calling as others tuned in from afar or turned up at the Lab. Tomoko chimed in from Japan declaring A5 calls! So here it was, the start of the 2024 summer season underway. No camera this year in Blackfish Sound but the Sea Lion rock camera has a long prospect to the west and Shari, who was curious, had a go at locating the incoming orcas. We also alerted Alex and she too got her scope out and was ready. We had a clue that they were headed our way when they echo located into the Flower Island hydrophone. JŽrŽmie, who took over from Shari, also located the very distant, very small fins which were definitely now advancing eastward toward the Lab. Before we knew it, at 7:55am, Katelyn and Kelly simultaneously, excitedly called out that the orcas had arrived! They came in travelling in scattered groupings making identification a bit more of a challenge. There were only A5 calls and given the number of orcas present we gained confidence in our opinion that the A42s and the A23s were both there. As we grappled with understanding the distribution, Fife (A60) passed at 8:06am. Calls from the lead groups began to be picked up on the Parson Island system around that time as well. A few of the individuals were accompanied by energetic dolphins. The orcas answered with a few breaches of their own. Then at 8:13am as the parade of orcas progressed toward Johnstone Strait 3 adult humpbacks, travelling very closely together, surfaced 10 meters off the Lab. They totally took our attention from the orcas as we watched them roll their way past the mooring and along the Hanson Island shore. We were able to identify ÒInukshukÓ very quickly, wondered about ÒHalf DomeÓ but quizzed about the third. They obviously were enjoying each otherÕs company and we could not remember ever seeing three humpbacks so close to each other, so close to the Lab. We were really having our senses overloaded in the best possible way and all before 9am! By 8:30am, the orcas had cleared our view and we began to wait for their arrival in Johnstone Strait. A couple of minutes later, 5 orcas travelling on the Cracroft Island side headed east togethers. Others had crossed to Vancouver Island. Despite the early hour a few whale watch boats were already out following the whales. The A5s headed to Strider Rubbing beach and went in at 9:32am. The rub lasted until 9:59am. From there they went east. HmmmmÉ Last year, on July 7, the A42s were again the first Northern Residents to arrive but they didnÕt stay. Instead they kept going east into the Salish Sea and other Northern Residents did not arrive until August. We really hope they donÕt plan to do the same this year. In the evening the ebb had still not encouraged their return so fingers crossed. There had been a flurry of excitement at 2:38pm when the Cliff reported that a single adult male orca was passing. When he eventually came into Blackney travelling north at 3:09pm we were convinced this lone whale was a BiggÕs orca. We have sent his picture to Finwave - Bay CetologyÕs AI identification site so hopefully we will get a positive identification soon. He cleared at 3:30pm perhaps continuing on his way to connect with the four other BiggÕs who had been seen in Weynton Passage in the morning. What a day! And about that Òbusy stuffÓ before. Through June we have been pleased to welcome Claire, JŽrŽmie and Shari back to OrcaLab and welcome for the first time Justus, Sullivan, Katelyn, Kelly, Kabir, and Callum. Everyone has been so helpful making sure that the long list of Òto dosÓ is getting completed. In June, the North Island Marine Mammal Stewardship Association, Marine Education and Research Society and OrcaLab hosted the annual general meeting in Port McNeill. The meeting was well attended and there is a growing sense that those interested about the welfare of the whales are really coming together and building a solid community. On June 29 we went to Telegraph Cove and attended ÒCoastal InsightsÓ organized by Megan Hockin-Bennett and convened by the Whale Interpretive Centre run by Jim and Mary Borrowman. Beautiful setting with the articulated bones of Fin, Humpback and orca suspended from the ceiling. We were happy to be among the presenters that night. Helena told about the importance of orca matriarchs and dusted off a story Paul wrote 34 years ago on that subject. The story is titled ÒGreat MotherÓ. Claire helped the presentation by beautifully illustrating this story and that of Scimitar, A12 one of the Northern Residents most distinctive and singular matriarchs. The evening began with a welcome and introduction by Chief Ernest Alfred. Other presenters were Jared Towers, Jackie Hildering, Natasha Garrity, Ryan Tidman, Megan Hockin-Bennett, Amy Kamarainen, and Leila Kirchel. JŽrŽmie helped Megan with the technical aspects and filming the event while Claire took photos. So now, with the whales east of us we are on stand-by, continuing with our chores while our ears and eyes remain on high alert. OrcaLab 03 Jul 2024 22:09:13 PDT February 14 - March 1 2024 NR: A23s, A25s,A42s, possible I04,I27s BiggÕs orcas present Humpback vocal Throughout February change was in the air as the last vestiges of winter played out as evident by an unexpected short snowfall. Not unheard of but everyone was somewhat caught off guard after the preceding, unseasonably warm weather. As the month of February progressed the sea lions, also sensing change, began to depart northward. Even though some will stay behind they will not haul out on the local rocks again until next September. Their growls and grunts will pretty much disappear from the soundscape until their return. As we absorbed the reports of the A23s, A25s and A42s (the whole of the A5 pod), who indeed found each other in the Salish Sea (Georgia Strait) very soon after the A23s and A25s had travelled through Blackney Pass on 9 February, there were additional events that caught our attention. On 6 February a surprising humpback was faintly vocal in Blackfish Sound; then on 8 February, five unidentified orcas were seen briefly in Blackney Pass; a large but silent group of unidentified orcas traversed Johnstone Strait on 13 February- one speculation was that it may have been Southern Residents taking a Ôshort cutÓ back to the Salish Sea; another nice Resident surprise happened on 20 February when echo location was heard in Blackfish Sound mid afternoon, by 4:30pm a few fins were spotted off in the distance and as they turned back to Blackfish Sound nice ÒGÓ clan calls were heard, speculation here was that it was the I04s and I27s poking their noses into the area but not willing to stay, much like the other ÒGÓ clan groups who came for a visit earlier; and finally there were three more BiggÕs orca events on 22, 26 and 29 February. We appreciated the updates about the travels of Fife and Holly's families in the Salish Sea. Former assistant Lucy kept abreast of the various reports and relayed these back to us. One such report, originally from Gary Sutton, on 17 February mentioned both groups in the Howe Sound area just north of Vancouver. It is a big sea and so amazing that these orca families could find each other! On 24 February the groups had shifted north towards Sechelt where they were found off the Trail Islands. Life at the Lab continued around these sightings and reports. Technician Quin came for a brief visit to sort out the recent wireless network problems. He was successful but a permanent solution proved still challenging, as a key radio in a difficult location, needs now to be replaced. We are hoping this will be accomplished in March. On a recent town trip to Alert Bay Cam and Mat discovered a package in the mail. Each year Sinae and her husband Kenji in Japan, send a care package full of yummy and useful things for caretakers and summer volunteers. It always arrives around Valentine's Day. What better way to chase off winter than with beautiful chocolates? We are always touched by this kind and timely offering. Mat and Cam kept busy throughout the month even deciding to power wash the large water cistern right at the coldest part of the month. This important water storage container is now ready for summer. They did a terrific job! Cam has said that they are increasingly becoming aware of how their time at the Lab is coming to an end. They will leave mid March to go back to Montreal and their ÒotherÓ life. Cam said Òeveryday has been a great day and they will enjoy every moment before leaving but that everything now has a different taste when you know you will be leaving, soon.Ó Before they leave we hope they will get a chance to witness the return of Holly and FifeÕs families as they make their way back north. Probably, if the past holds true, this could happen sometime in early March. OrcaLab 05 Mar 2024 09:12:47 PST January - February 13 2024 Northern Residents: I33s, I35s, [A23s,A42s in Salish Sea], possible A23s BiggÕs orcas: T109As + Unidentified Humpbacks: seen and heard January recap: January had a little bit of everything. The weather was wet, dry, cold, icy, windy, calm, and warm. Scattered through the days were encounters with humpbacks, orcas (both of the Resident and BiggÕs kind), sea lions, seals and myriad birds. Humpbacks and orcas enriched the calendar when either seen or heard. Winter caretakers, Cam and Mat navigated their way through the various weather events while managing to record the comings and goings of the various critters. On some days the sea lions hauled out on the local nearby rocks numbered anywhere from a few to over a hundred, averaging around 70. The mother sea lions were kept busy nursing their young, slipping into the water to cool off and find a bite to eat for themselves, and then secure a comfortable spot back on the rocks. The sea lionsÕ presence was certainly a draw for the marine mammal hunting BiggÕs orcas. On five occasions through January these stealth hunters made their presence known. If travelling in silence they probably went undetected on some occasions.. There is quite a good local network of individuals, including those connected to Orcalab, who endeavour to co-ordinate sightings of the elusive BiggÕs. These reports contribute to the understanding of their presence and movements and so, when he is notified, colleague Jared Towers (Bay Cetology) often undertakes the task of further investigating when weather permits. The weather in January is not always conducive to boat trips, and the BiggÕs orcas can easily disappear in both favourable and unfavourable conditions because of their less predictable behaviours. Over the years however, impressive information about BiggÕs orcas has been accumulated from sightings and occurrences along the entire coast. Listed as Threatened under CanadaÕs Species At Risk Act (SARA) in 2003 their population is actually on the increase, most likely due to healthy prey abundance. Sightings help illuminate the preference many groups have for chosen areas. In the Blackfish Sound/Johnstone Strait area, for instance, it is often the case that the same groups show up year after year. This January, Resident orcas were present as well. On 19 and 20 January the G clan families of the I33s and I35s made an area tour. Meanwhile, we continued to receive various reports about Holly and FifeÕs groups who had slipped into Georgia Strait (the Salish Sea) earlier. On 6 January both groups were seen off of Powell River, but later the sightings further south on 23 and 24 January did not include Fife's family. There has been circulating a lot of speculation regarding the young male, Mystery (A94) who for the past two years had joined HollyÕs family in their travels. Mystery is from another pod so there has been keen interest in his choice to wander away from his own immediate A4 family. While HolyÕs family was busy with CurrentÕs new baby and continuing to explore favourite Salish Sea haunts like Fiddler Bay, where locals have documented their return to rub over the last four years near or on the same date each year, Mystery was not seen. Extreme weather in mid January knocked out power in nearby Alert Bay. The long outage played havoc with OrcaLabÕs remote radio wireless system. Bad weather, bad luck, and bad timing made it impossible for technical help to fix the problem. We hope to resolve the issue(s) in February. Meanwhile Cam and Mat remain vigilant listening to the surviving hydrophone signals they are still able to receive. February recap: On February 6 they heard faint humpback calls in Blackfish Sound and on February 8 five unidentified orcas were in Blackney Pass. Then on February 9 came a nice surprise of A5 calls followed by a group passing through Blackney headed south who we guessed were the A23s. Are they headed back to the Salish Sea to find the A42s? There were no follow-up reports as of yet. On February 13 another large group was spotted near Vancouver Island but they disappeared before they could be identified. The days are getting longer and we are now into winterÕs last stretch. Holly will soon realise this and once again bring her family (and maybe the A23s too) back sometime in the next month or so. We hope she will let us know! The beautiful pictures were taken by Camille Nemond. OrcaLab 13 Feb 2024 17:21:08 PST December 1 2023 - January 16 2024 Northern Residents: A23s, A25s, A42s, A94, G17s BiggÕs orcas: T019s, T046s,T109As Humpbacks, Dallas Porpoise, Stellar Sea Lions, Otters Yesterday, January 16 2024, seemed like an appropriate day to catch up with OrcaLab. We recently experienced a winter glitch after power went out in Alert Bay on January 11 The effects of the outage lasted several days. The connection between Cracroft Point and Parson Island (one of the links in OrcaLabÕs wireless radio network) continued to be a problem even after power in Alert Bay was restored. This impacted both audio and video live streams as well as our ability to monitor the hydrophones in Johnstone Strait. We still had Blackfish and Blackney Pass covered. Then today the entire system was restored, even though the connections were somewhat tenuous. But it was just in time for a brief glimpse of a large group of orcas heading steadily through Blackney and on towards Johnstone Strait. The fragile system continued to be touchy as they cleared the LabÕs view. There were no calls. December, although very windy at times, was unseasonably warm. No white Christmas this year for caretakers Mat and Cam. The beginning of the month, when Mat and Cam were settling into their daily routines, was not busy until two humpbacks, described in the last summary, chose to playfully roll around together in front of the Lab on December 5. December 7 was a pretty busy day too with a humpback vocal in Blackfish Sound and the A23s and A25s travelling silently north through Blacknep Pass at 1noon. That same day we had word that A94 was seen off of Powell River and suspected that his usual companions, the A42s, were not too far away. Indeed, later reports in the New year, suggested that they were indeed doing their usual winter sojourn in the Salish Sea. A few uneventful days passed. Then on December 10, echolocation was heard in Blackfish Sound. A while later, the G17s came silently through between 12:44pm and 1:04pm Cam and Mat had never seen these orcas so Jared Towers obliged with the identifications. This large group then simply vanished without further trace after they cleared into Johnstone Strait. The sporadic events continued. On December 13 a humpback was heard once again, vocalising this time in Johnstone Strait. Apparently, some humpbacks had decided to linger a while longer in the area before moving on. The Resident orcas were not yet done with the area either. On December 15 around 7pm, calls and echolocation were heard in Blackfish Sound. Most of the calls were what is referred to as Òresting callsÓ. These went on for the next two hours. We believe the calls were A5s. The A23s were seen down near Boat Bay on December 27, a day after A clan calls were heard near Robson Bight. Between December 23 and 26, BiggÕs orcas made their presence known as well. Sometimes, as on December 23, the encounter was brief and elusive. Just one male orca on this occasion was seen travelling through the Pass silently. The next day, on the 24th, BiggÕs were vocal in Blackfish Sound so it seemed their search for prey had some positive purchase on this day. BiggÕs orcas coincided with Resident orcas on the 26th. T019B was identified positively amongst orcas that made their way into Johnstone Strait between Noon and 1pm. BiggÕs were then heard on the same day in Johnstone Strait around 3pm two hours after A clan calls were heard. The New Year came in where the old one ended. On January 4 there were both humpback and BiggÕs orca events. Late in the afternoon at 5:10pm BiggÕs orcas made very beautifully clear calls while in Blackfish Sound. Then at 8:26pm Cam and Mat were again recording but this time it was a humpback in the same locale. There was a cluster of activity on January 7 and 8. FinWave identified the James Wilson encounter with the T109As. On the same day two humpbacks rolled past Alert Bay while another one showed up in Blackney Pass. The next day, January 8, Cam and Mat identified members of the T046s (T046E and D for sure) travelling south in Blackney Pass around 2:30pm. The matriarch T046 was not there and has not been seen with her group since February and is now presumed to have died. Her life and legacy of a large family were celebrated in the local and National news! Quite something for a BiggÕs orca to be so recognised. Even though the next several days were without any noted whales, Cam and Mat were busy keeping warm through the cold snap of Arctic air that had swooped over western Canada sending temperatures plunging. They kept an eye on the Sea Lions, doing a daily count and watching for the two poor unfortunate young sea lions who had been spotted with a ring of restrictive rope or plastic around their necks. Only one has been seen since the initial sighting. Hopefully, help may be soon on the way. Megan Hockin-Bennet has been hard at work on her new Podcast, ÒCultivating ConservationÓ https://open.spotify.com/show/1mT62RLrNBUJ6HVczGOmlb Each Episode so far has been engaging and well worth a listen. Give it a try! Hard to believe that it is over half way through the first month of the year! Snow is now falling so winter is far from over. We wish everyone a Happy New Year. OrcaLab 17 Jan 2024 12:01:06 PST November 12 - December 7 2023 Northern Residents: A34s, A79s, A23s,A25s [A94 seen Georgia Strait] BiggÕs orcas: T002C1, T049A2, T120,T124,T117s,T167s, T060s Humpbacks: Ripple, SpongeBob,Moonstar,Bumpy,Clover, Drogon?Kailash? It has been almost a month since our last summary and so much has happened in the meantime. This time of year is usually when everything begins to wind and settle down as the winter months approach. Nearly each day seemed to bring new, sometimes amazing events. For this review we need to start with one expected transition. Janie and ErinÕs time on the island was drawing to a close mid November. Right up until their departure they were kept busy with noting the humpback sounds through each day and night. The number of humpbacks increased daily in Blackney Pass as the whales converged in its narrow waters to feed and socialise before starting on their long migrations to the warmer waters of Mexico and Hawaii (their choice) during which they would not eat again until returning to these waters in the Spring. Their calls, a mix of feeding and social calls often evolved into song, always surprising us with their vocal range and complexity. Janie and Erin had witnessed the return of the Northern Resident families, the A34s and the A5s for the start of their late season visit. And before they handed the reins over to our winter caretakers, Camille and Mathieu, they also had more encounters with BiggÕs orcas between November 19 and 20. These orcas were vocal throughout those two days, even when humpbacks continued to vocalise, in this instance in the same locale. The following day, November 21, Northern Residents were present again. This day started with a sighting of an unidentified male orca (unclear if BiggÕs or Resident) near White Beach Pass in Blackney Pass. Very soon after, at 11:54am, the A34s began to call in Johnstone Strait as they headed eastward. Vocal until 2:20pm, there was a short intermission until they approached Robson Bight and came into range of the Critical Point hydrophone. The orcas seemed to be spread out and progress was slow. Just before 9pm they were still heard on Critical Point. A humpback whale chimed in just after 9pm and an hour later BiggÕs orcas were heard in Blackfish Sound. This mix of different cetaceans occurring together, sometimes in the same space, would be repeated on several other occasions over the next month. At 11am on November 22, a small group of BiggÕs orcas was once again in Blackney Pass. The male T120 was identified. Cam and Mat followed their progress to Johnstone Strait. Later that night at 10:43pm they heard both A34 and A5 calls in Johnstone Strait. The calls continued into the next early morning as these whales travelled west. By 2am, they were approaching the entrance to Blackney Pass. By 4am, they were further west in the Strait but they had not yet left. BiggÕs orcas were heard in Blackfish Sound.just before 5:30am. Resident orcas, perhaps a second group, were heard off the entrance to Blackney Pass just before 6am as the BiggÕs orcas continued calling in Blackfish Sound. By mid morning it was possible to use the remote ÒCPÓ cam and orcas were located at 10:43am. They looked like they were approaching the entrance of Blackney Pass. A congestion of BiggÕs and Residents played out here. As the Residents continued to move west toward Weynton Pass, BiggÕs orcas moved into Blackney Pass, first seen as blows opposite the Bell Rocks, and then passing thoughtfully close to the Sea Lion rocks along Hanson Island. The Sea Lions who were hauled out took notice but there were no consequences. The BiggÕs were later identified as T167s, T117s, T124C and T043A2, by Jared Towers who picked up their trail after they had exited Blackney Pass. Jared was particularly excited about this encounter and posted the the following on Facebook: ÒAfter T049A2 and T051 were stuck in Barnes lake for 6 weeks I promised a lot of people IÕd let them know if they show up again. Looks as though theyÕve split up since we got them out of there but T049A2 was swimming with T124C in Blackfish Sound today. Also found the T117s and T167s nearbyÉÓ Jared originally posted on October 5 his description of the rescue of T049A2 and T051. ÒOnce in a while whales get into situations they canÕt get out of and it can eventually kill them. In 2021 some colleagues and I published a paper about these Ònatural entrapmentsÓ in killer whales and then in mid August this year T049A2 and T051 swam into Barnes Lake, Alaska, and became entrapped. While inside they had no company and very limited access to food but working last week with colleagues at NOAA, the Orca Conservancy, more than half the population of Coffman Cove and with support from Cetacean Research Program at DFO we managed to coax them out. Each of the methods available to move wild orcas has associated risks including decline in efficacy with increased exposure. Such is undoubtedly the case with playback experiments, but hearing a series of brief vocalizations from a few females these two guys like to spend time with motivated them into and through the narrow and shallow south exit channel at high slack. This approach, although mentally invasive and potentially socially disruptive, gave these whales their freedom and their lives back. It was authorized under NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program permit #24359.Ó Back to November 23. As the BiggÕs orca distraction was happening, the A34s went through Weynton Passage from Johnstone Strait where their calls were heard at 2:55pm. A few minutes later T049A and T124C swam back through Blackney Pass from Blackfish Sound. The A34s stayed in Blackfish Sound until 10pm when they returned to Johnstone Strait via Weynton Pass once again. They headed east and by 11:38pm they were off Cracroft Point. After midnight on November 24, A5 calls were noted along with those of the A34s. The evening had also been marked by humpback calls in Blackfish Sound. BiggÕs orcas were not to be outdone and as the A34s and A5s excitedly congregated, Bigg's orcas ÒopenedÓ up vocally in Blackfish Sound very close to the Flower Island hydrophone. All this activity was enough to make oneÕs head spin but Cam and Mat managed very well to keep track of all the comings and goings. The A34s and A5s were still vocal in Johnstone Strait at 6am (they had moved east to the Cracroft Point area) and continued to be so until 10:22am when their calls were close to Critical Point in Robson Bight. Jared went out once again and this time he found the A79s without the rest of their A42 family travelling with the A34s who were without the A62s part of their family. Most importantly, Jared noticed that Current, A79, is now a mother for the second time! It was unusual for Current to be without the rest of her family but less so for the A62s to be travelling independently of the rest of the A34s as they have hinted at independence recently. So where was everyone? By 6pm the A34/A79 group was well past the Ecological Reserve and still moving eastward. The next morning, November 25 at 8:22am, the orcas moved back ÒupÓ the Strait. By 11:17am they were past Izumi Rock (west of the Reserve) moving along Vancouver Island. Cam and Mat found them on the remote CP camera at 1:19pm as they approached the Cracroft Point area and moved toward the entrance of Blackney Pass. They were spread out and very active, tail slapping etc. They passed the entrance to Blackney Pass and kept going west but did not leave the Strait. By 10:30pm they had turned around. Before midnight their calls were back on the Cracroft Point system as they edged eastward. A humpback became vocal as well in Johnstone Strait before 1am on November 26. Throughout the 26th the Resident orcas maintained their presence in the Strait. Sometimes they became excited but did not seem to progress far in either direction off the Cracroft Point area and never really made it back to the Ecological Reserve. Successful foraging may have been reason enough for the excited exchanges and the limited range of movement. This remained the situation until before 8pm when the whales finally decided to shift east. Again a humpback, this time in Blackfish Sound, made social calls around this time. November 27 was pretty much the same as the day before with the orcas remaining in the Strait throughout the day and into the night and early morning of the 28th. Then the mood changed. As the A34s and A5s moved east past Kaizumi Rubbing beach they (at least some) went in for a rub which lasted 9 minutes (from 9:35am until 9:44am). From the beach they headed to the Ecological Reserve. They were near Critical Point by 11:18am from where they kept going. By 12:19pm only distant calls were heard as they slipped eastward past the range of the hydrophones. November 29 had begun with the T060s travelling south at 8:44am through Blackney Pass. As they moved toward the entrance to Baronet Passage on the north side of Cracroft island, we received a report that the A23s and A25s were southbound off of Lund in Georgia Strait. Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. We had wondered about the rest of the A5 pod, suspecting we had heard all of its three matrilines, but so far only A79 and her young ones had been visually accounted for. At some point the A23s/A25s must have passed through. We donÕt know by which route. We suspected that the rest of A79Õs group, the A42s, had probably done so as well but that is still to be determined. Starting at 10:09am Resident orcas were heard on Flower Island throughout most of the day. We think this is when the A34s probably departed. We were still noting A5 calls up to 6:25pm. There were no Resident type calls on November 30 but a humpback obliged in Johnstone Strait. On December 1, A5 calls in Blackfish Sound resumed at 9:09am. It was one of those ÒcrowdedÓ days again with Resident calls in the morning, humpbacks producing very good ÒsongÓ in Blackfish Sound and BiggÕs orcas vocal just before midnight in Johnstone Strait. December 2 was no less busy. Humpbacks at 12:40am, BiggÕs orcas at 2:53am, possible echo location at 5:07am and later more humpbacks vocal in Johnstone Strait and then the most beautiful vocal session of westbound BiggÕs in Johnstone Strait from 4:07pm until 5:22pm on our hydrophones! Further west, the hydrophone at Telegraph Cove picked up their calls soon after. They were still intense, excited and constant. Jared, who did not go out this time as it was too late in the day, remarked that he thought it must be quite a large group. BiggÕs orcas are not often as vocal so this was a recording to treasure. The number of Sea Lions hauled out had increased steadily over this time period.. Each day the count was in the 70s and by the 5th the count was over 100! BiggÕs were sighted in Blackney Pass on the 3rd (a small group consisting of a male and smaller fin) and 5th (T002C1). And on the 5th, Cam and Mat watched in amazement as the humpback Ripple plus another foraged in Blackney Pass while making incredible sounds. Later they passed close by the Lab in the dark. Cam and Mat saw this passing. In silence at 12:10pm on December 7, the A23s and A25s passed in front of the Lab. They carried on to Blackfish Sound and later, Jared watched as they entered Fife Sound. On December 6, the A23s and A25s had been seen off Grief Point near Powell River. They were reported to be accompanied by A94. This was another surprise as Mystery (A94) has been travelling with the A42s in recent years. A94 was not with them by the time they passed the Lab just a day later. At some point we hope there will be more information about the A42s. It has been strange to hear reports of only parts of this group who normally have travelled together. Their habit is to stay a good length of time in Georgia Strait over the winter so we will just have to wait and see. OrcaLab 09 Dec 2023 12:31:25 PST November 4 - November 11 2023 NR: A34s, A5s BiggÕs orcas:T060s Humpbacks: Claw, Ripple, Hunter and many others This week the A34s continued to make wide circuits around Hanson Island and occasionally finding themselves joined by the A5s. Throughout the week the humpbacks kept the recordings going - almost non stop, challenging Erin and Janie to keep up with the notes. Days flowed from day to night and into day again without too many pauses. Who would have guessed that this time of year would become so intense. It has become increasingly so with the humpbacks acquiring so much of our attention. But we are learning lots too - the late season habits of orcas, the nuances of humpback vocalisations. On November 4 the A34s were first heard in the distance in Johnstone Strait just before 8am. We gained a sense of their movements when their calls occurred on the Òother sideÓ at the western end of Blackfish Sound at 11am after taking Weynton Passage. Once there they stayed into late afternoon foraging. Alex observed them near Donegal Head on Malcolm Island around 5pm. They were still in the vicinity at 6:46pm but by 8pm, 12 hours after leaving Johnstone Strait, they were back after retracing their steps through Weynton Passage. Their movements became fuzzy after this reentry and there would be no clues until 2:23am PST (we had changed from PDT to PST overnight on November 5 at 2am) when audible west of Cracroft Point. Three hours later they were westbound toward Weynton Passage and by 7:26am (PST) they were back in Blackfish Sound once again. This merry-go-round activity took on a new twist when A5 calls were heard suddenly near the Cracroft Point area in Johnstone Strait at 11:11am. The A34s, who had been in Blackfish Sound until 9:47am (at 7:42am, Alex saw them off Bold Head heading northwest), now turned up in Johnstone Strait just after the A5s were first heard. They apparently had enough time (even with going through Weynton Passage) to join with the A5s off the entrance to Blackney Pass and Cracroft Point. Then an interesting development. The A5 calls dropped out as the A34s made their way into Blackney Pass by around 1pm. At 1:12pm the first male orca came into view. The calls became very excited. Afterwards the A34s made their way through and into Blackfish Sound by using the Blackney Pass route. We could find no evidence of any of the A5s and this left much head scratching. The A34s stayed in Blackfish until at least 3pm on and then at some point made their way into Weynton Pass and around and into Johnstone Strait by 6:50pm. Still no sign of the A5s. Over the next few hours (to just before midnight) their calls remained distant and only faintly heard in the Strait. There was a possible hint of A5s ever so briefly. At 3:18, on November 6 there were distant calls in Johnstone Strait. The A34s resumed calling there at 9:26am. The calls remained distant for the next two hours. At 11:22am the A5s chimed in and once again gave the impression of being in the Cracroft/Blackney Pass area with the A34s. Gradually by 1:43pm the calls became very faint as the groups shifted away. This time the A34s took the A5s with them into Blackfish Sound where orcas were heard from 2:28pm until 5:48pm. During that time the A5s had disappeared by 3pm, perhaps after heading to Queen Charlotte Strait. The A34s meanwhile positioned themselves to eventually move back into Weynton Pass and turn up in Johnstone Strait by 6:38pm. We think the A34s, often in two groups, were still as one unit up to this point but the possibility exists that the two groups might have been functioning independently - this would naturally complicate this story. With that in mind we pick up the narrative at 5am on November 7 when both A5 and A34 calls were heard in Blackfish Sound. Did part of the A34s stay with the A5s and were now accompanying them? Within an hour the calls had faded and disappeared as the whales entered Weynton Pass and moved on to Johnstone Strait. Three hours later both families were heard on the Parson Island hydrophone as the whales neared the entrance to Blackney Pass. It was a drop off - the A34s, and only the A34s, came into Blackney Pass and travelled north toward Blackfish Sound. They were gone out of view of the Lab by 10:14am. They stayed in Blackfish for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon as well. Alex noted that these whales were spread out taking variable directions, most likely foraging once again. After clear calls at 5:23pm the A34s were readying to head back to the Strait and once more via Weynton Pass. They got there by 7:37pm. But true to the past two weeks the A34s vacillated once more between Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Sound and at 6:39am on November 8 were heard again in Blackfish Sound. By 10:29am A34s were heard in Johnstone Strait. The A5s showed up too. After some serious pacing and foraging the orcas staged an entrance into Blackney Pass. By 11:41am they were in! But this time only the A67s and A34s came through, no A5s and no A62s (the other half of A34Õs family). Had the A62s been the ones in Blackfish from 6:39am - 7:15am? Had they preceded the rest of their family into Queen Charlotte Strait? The family acoustic traditions run deep and it is very difficult to tell closely related intra matrilines apart. The A5 calls simply disappeared as the A34/A67s travelled through. We never heard them again and by 2pm these A34s also disappeared. This time, sadly, they made no circle back. They carried on to the west. No Resident orcas were evident in the following days. But on November 11 around 4:30pm Janie noticed that the Sea Lions had suddenly departed their rocks. The reason became clearer a short while later when the T060s were seen passing to the north. They made no calls. Of course, during all this time humpbacks were very active. Finally, as in seasons past, Blackney Pass entertained as many as eight humpbacks daily. Lots of feeding and socialising. When we had the remote camera trained on the orcas while off Cracroft Point humpbacks, sometimes in groups of two or three, rolled over each other and foraged all the while, giving the impression of casual ease, with night time vocal activity often spilling over into daytime. When the orcas were off Cracroft Point on November 5 the humpbacks chimed in with incredible calls of their own. Each night brings out the rich tapestry of their calls. The descriptors include shrieking, grunting, whuping, chirping, knocking, raspberrying, buzzing. Honestly, it feels as if they enjoy hearing the different sounds they can make! Best of all is when the calls come together as song. Patterns emerge, melodies ensue, effort is sustained. Time will come for the humpbacks to move on but in the meantime it is great to have the opportunity to share their space. OrcaLab 12 Nov 2023 22:14:44 PST October 26 - November 3 2023 NR: A34, A5 BiggÕs orcas: vocal, T049C Humpbacks: singing! During these nine days the A34s stayed and were a near daily presence in the area. They have completely made themselves at home once again by touring the area, foraging heavily and vocalising energetically day and night. It has been reassuring to see and hear them managing so well after their prolonged absence. Looking through theLab books, realising that last fall and winter (into the New Year) they had likewise established themselves. This Fall seemed more like old times when they were most often the predominant Northern Resident group at this time of year. It has taken a few years to get back to this and it is very welcomed. Here is a quick run down of their recent activities (with one pleasant surprise) as well as a sketch of the doings of the constantly intriguing Humpback Whales. October 25 - 26: The night recordings revealed that the A34s were in Johnstone Strait around 10:30pm. A first group came through Blackney Pass and headed into Blackfish Sound. The second part of the family followed to the entrance of Blackney Pass but seemingly elected to stay in the Strait and head west from there with their calls becoming very distant in the early hours of the morning. Presumably, they went through Weynton Passage and followed the others out into Queen Charlotte Strait. Then just before 9am a few calls were heard from that direction but it was not until the early afternoon that they actually became more committed to Blackfish Sound. At 2:26pm they were in view of the Lab. This time they were arranged in three groups. A34 and her daughter A67Õs family were first but soon merged with A34Õs other daughter A62Õs family. A small group, including perhaps A96 and her new baby, followed. They all headed to Johnstone Strait where upon arriving crossed out and westward. This seemed to be the pattern of travel they willingly adopted. By 5:40pm Jim and Mary Borrowman saw them spread out off the entrance to Weynton Pass more or less opposite Telegraph Cove. As the impression was being formed that they would choose to go through the Pass they turned and headed back ÒdownÓ (east) the Strait once more. Around 8pm they were once again approaching the area adjacent to the entrance of Blackney Pass. All the while, humpbacks kept up their steady presence too by vocalising almost constantly through the night and into the day, always with such a variety of effort and expression. October 27: The A34s once again showed up during the night recordings but only very faintly and distantly on the Flower Island hydrophone about a half hour after midnight. They had had plenty of time to get there as the last calls were around 8pm (the previous evening) in the Strait. As to how they got there they did not inform us. Their toggling back and forth between the different passages continued and by 5:20am they were heard back in Johnstone Strait. Whatever plans they had did not include going very far to the east in the Strait. Just before 8am they were again west of the entrance to Blackney and once again Jim was soon able to offer some additional info. At 9:33am he heard calls on the Telegraph Cove system and then saw a male near the Wastell Islets just east of Telegraph Cove where Jim is located. The A34ds then proceeded to head toward the Plumper Islands and Blackfish Sound beyond where we picked up their calls at 10:04am. They skirted the top end of Blackfish, foraging as they went and moved into Queen Charlotte Strait. Quite the merry-go-round. We are still hearing bubble net feeding by the humpbacks so in addition to their incredible sounds this is pretty interesting especially when herring make sounds too cluing us into some of the features of this type of feeding. One very good episode happened just before 8am. October 28: The A34s stayed out of range to the west for the entire day. The humpbacks had all of our attention therefore. They did not disappoint when some of their cries (shrieks really), grunts and moans morphed into actual songs. Their vocal bouts are tending in that direction of late. Very dramatic ÒbangsÓ and slaps spoke to their energy and sheer physical behaviours during the night. One beautiful session at 8:30pm) elicited many remarks from recent volunteers who make a habit of tuning into the Orcalab audio link. ÒThese calls are so beautifulÓ (Barbara), ÒSo clearÓ (Emily) and simply ÒListeningÓ (Tomoko). October 29: The whereabouts of the A34s became clearer at 2:07pm when Kate Braur reported that a group of orcas had just passed Bere Point to the east. One female apparently came in for a brief rub before proceeding on her way. It was not long after (2:49pm) that their calls registered on the Flower Island hydrophone. The current was in flood with the daytime hightide reaching the 17.1 ft level - the highest of this cycle. Despite this the A34s did not come into AlexÕs view for some time and it was only after 6pm when she reported seeing them. Calls had long before ceased. With enough light still in the evening sky Alex observed that they were coming ÒdownÓ the east side of Blackfish Sound. Calls were now clear but only briefly. Then quiet, leaving the night to the humpbacks once more and no further anticipation that the A34s would use Blackney. October 30: At 1:05am the A34s were back in Johnstone Strait but their distant calls disappeared before 2am and were not again obvious until 3:18am when the calls were stronger. The humpbacks were incredibly busy producing bout after bout of calls. Getting on toward 6am the A34 calls pierced through the humpback vocals before disappearing once more. By 8am the ever moving orcas had shifted back to Blackfish Sound, most likely choosing Weynton Pass to get there. Alex watched as they crossed the top end of Blackfish Sound where they stalled. Their calls over the next several hours were frequent and clear. A male BiggÕs orca garnered some attention by travelling near to the Pearse Island group during this time. Apparently a lone male had shown up near Fort Rupert where a funeral service was being held for Beatrice Wadhams. Jared wondered if this was one and the same. The A34s were generally spread out foraging so the recording rolled on and on. They made some beautiful calls, unfortunately spoiled by a persistent boat trying to get pictures. This is just what we had hoped would not happen in regard to this family. The annoying, constantly manoeuvring boat stayed on them for about forty minutes. Thankfully, the A34s were intensely foraging and maintained their focus. A few made appearances on the far shores near West Pass but it was not until after 1pm that any serious attempts were made to go through. It was a really busy and ambitious day at the Lab. Paul went to get Quin and Simon to work on modifying some of the trees near the Lab to enable a better WiFi connection. Difficult work but they got right to it on arrival as did Don, Herb and Cecil from Alert Bay, here to work on securing a much needed tarp for the ailing Bath-house roof, a challenging job. It was an incredibly beautiful day. The orcas finally filed through. They were still very scattered. A55 was the last to come through at 4:22pm. Soon after, Paul ferried Quin and Simon back to Alder Bay and the others hurried to complete the difficult tarp job. By late afternoon they had finished, loaded their boat and departed. Paul was not back yet but on his way he had noticed the A34s up near Weynton Passage. They had done their usual circuit yet once again. And sure enough just after 6pm they were back in Blackfish Sound. Calls ended there around 8:30pm. Presumably the A34s carried on to the west. The humpbacks now signalled a change too. Throughout the night their calls were quite distant, almost eerie - a coincidental but fitting precursor to Halloween! October 31: At 5:47am the faintest of faint A34 calls on Flower Island were detected in the night recordings. They must have been quite some distance still to the west. Finally in the early afternoon, just after 1pm, they called again, this time louder. Jared, who had been watching T049C interacting with humpbacks near the ÒtopÓ end of Blackfish, located the A34s one mile west of Swanson IslandÕs Bold Head. It was 1:24pm and by 2:17pm the advancing orcas turned around. Just as well as Paul and Helena had to leave for town in order for Janie to come back and take over. There was some urgency to go as the wind was freshening and the day was getting on. When Janie arrived the A34s were still in Blackfish Sound but by 7:14pm they were back again in the Strait heading east having retraced their travels through Weynton Pass. Just before 10pm they were near the entrance to Blackney Pass. The humpbacks were busy breaking into song and kept it going through the night. The wind was now blowing with that promise of an advancing gale. November 1: The A34s probably stayed in the Strait overnight. Just before 3pm they were not far from the entrance to Blackney Pass. By 4pm after a long pause they resumed calling in approximately the same location. After yet another pause they picked it up again just before 6pm, this time closer. Within a very short time they were back in Blackfish Sound after passing through Blackney Pass very quickly. Before 7pm they and their calls were distant. November 2: 4:30am and the A34s were back in Johnstone Strait. They were still there before 8am but not for long. By 12:12pm they had found their way once again to Blackfish Sound. A short while later they sounded very excited. With good cause, the A5s had arrived! (this was our hint at surprise). It is not unusual for the A5s to come back at this time of year. Good for the A34s to have company too. The ever watchful Alex reported at 1:39pm that some of the whales were east of Flower Island. This seemed promising but the A5s had other plans. Just after 3pm they were heard in the Strait after taking Weynton and not Blackney as hoped. The A34s remained in Blackfish Sound for a while longer then followed their A clan companions to the Strait by 5pm using the same route. Just as the orcas were passing the entrance of Blackney Pass and Cracroft Point area humpbacks in Blackfish Sound and in Johnstone Strait created very beautiful, perhaps the best ever, songs. Janie had brought Erin, who is studying humpback vocalisations, to OrcaLab so for the humpbacks to trip into this new level of effort was very good timing indeed. And it was still evening and many people far and wide were listening too. Pretty amazing to have these Northern Resident orcas and humpbacks joined together acoustically. At least the A5s continued to the east. The A34s let them carry on while they made their typical circle back to Blackfish Sound by 9:30pm. We last heard themat 10:04pm. November 3: BiggÕs orcas turned up in Johnstone Strait at 6:12am and overnight the A34s returned there as well. By the time the A34s continued at 9:43am, with calls on both Parson Island and Cracroft Point, humpbacks had already found voice in Blackfish Sound. The A34s then made their way into Blackney with A55 first to make an appearance. By 10:40am they were entering Blackfish Sound. A long pause in orca calls ensued until 5:20pm when a few more calls were heard in the distance. The humpbacks, true to form, kept their presence known well into the night. The next days and nights were just as full and will be featured in our next report. In the meantime, perhaps join us by finding time to listen to the live audio broadcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk1ODDZQy8c OrcaLab 06 Nov 2023 09:12:01 PST October 16 - 25 2023 NR: A34s Humpbacks galore and glorious! The humpbacks just donÕt disappoint. Every night, usually every day they make their presence known. Large exhalations, bangs and slaps, bubbles and water movements and above all calls. The night is when they usually really let go and fill their ocean spaces with their voices. Throughout the night we record and during the morning we review the recordings delighting when social calls morph into song, pleaded when we hear the distinctive sounds of bubble net feeding. Of course they are not the only ones out there. On October 20th BiggÕs orcas crossed the entrance of Blackney Pass at 9:43am. They carried on west and through Weynton Pass. By 12:34 they were in Blackfish Sound and for the next half hour we listened and watched the group on the remote Flower Island camera. This event proved to be just a brief interruption in what has become daily humpback routines. Skipping to October 23. We had just said our good-byes to Suzie and Quin who had come to help with some of the final winter preparations. Suzie did a dive to retrieve the special hydrophone arrays in front of the Lab. Thanks to MeganÕs careful planning the work went off without a hitch. Previously, while Jeff Chamberland tidied and secured the Strider Beach installation Megan, Suzie and Rachel took care of the surface cameras at each rubbing beach location. It really began to feel like the summer season was over. Quin meanwhile busied himself with the network systems with plans to radically change how we will connect and deliver our video and audio signals to the Internet in the near future. Of course, not everything went to plan although the weather cooperated. Quin found it necessary to head back to Alert Bay to fix a problem and we decided to save the lasagna until he got back! Quin managed to get the systems in good enough order but he realised that a return trip was going to be necessary. He and Suzie left. The wind had dropped and the sun was out. They had a stop to make on their way into town at Double Bay to say hi to Nicollette and return the borrowed Double Bay boat. While there they heard A1 calls on the Double Bay hydrophone, then saw fins heading east. They reported immediately back to the Lab and soon after we heard the calls too. Unmistakably the A34s! Despite their past prominent role in the Johnstone Strait orca social scene the A34s for the last several years have dialled back their involvement in this area to the point that they now usually return well after the regular season has wound down and the other orca groups have long gone. This has caused no end of discussion. Speculation as to the cause for this seemingly deliberate delay of presence includes the idea that A34 and her family have elected to give the busy part of the season a miss. Early one Fall when the season had almost ended the A34s arrived in Blackfish Sound only to encounter three whale watching charter boats who immediately gave them all their attention. As we watched on the remote camera we saw the family reverse their course of travel and leave the area. They returned later only after whale watching and cruise ship activity had stopped. Is this coincidence or compelling evidence of a change in behaviour? Their actions may be having an affect on the other families. This year the orca season did not begin until mid August - a full month later than what has come to be expected. And it lasted only one short month. For a number of years now the resident orca season has become shorter and with fewer families participating. Historically this has been an important area to the Northern Residents and earned the designation of Critical Habitat in recognition of their predictable use of the area for foraging and socialising. The A1 pod, of which the A34s are a part of, had always maintained the most constant steady presence. But another member group of the A1s, the A50s, did not show up at all in 2023. The other part of their family, the A54s, showed up very late on September 1. This had never happened before and it is worrisome. Change happens slowly in this orca community. Afterall they have honed their habits and preferences over thousands of years and strong traditions and site fidelity are passed from generation to generation through the orca mother who usually has a long life expectancy and a further role to play as a grandmother. There have been changes to the A1s. The A36s, previously the A1Õs third matriline is no longer as all its members have died. The older females of the other two former matrilines have also died. Has this been enough to so radically change such embedded habits? Back to October 23. The A34s made their way into Blackney Pass by 1:42pm after making their way very slowly through the once again choppy waters of Blackfish Sound. The humpbacks in the Sound were very vocal and called out in tandem with the orcas. The first to venture into Blackney Pass was Echo, A55, SimoomÕs oldest. Simoom (A34) followed soon after. Her second oldest daughter, Eclipse (A67) with her own, A102, A112,A125. SimoomÕs youngest son, A80 was not far away. Rainy, SimoomÕs youngest daughter, was there with her new baby. They made their way through Blackney and on into Johnstone Strait. Before arriving into the Strait they made some very clear uninterrupted calls starting at 2:17pm. While on their way we heard additional calls in Blackfish Sound and knew that the A62s would soon appear. Sure enough they arrived closer to the Hanson Island shore. Researcher Jared Towers followed at a respectful distance. As the A62s cleared into Johnstone Strait Jared reported that they headed away on their own to the west. We were hampered following the whales into Johnstone Strait as we were experiencing a Network issue. Cameras and hydrophones were unavailable. Jared filled us in. As said, the A62s went west and the others did not go for a rub and would eventually follow the A62s to the west. Briefly around 5:48pm we heard calls once again but were not able to locate them. We were not entirely sure that a group had not made it to Blackfish Sound. Around 7:49pm Jim Borrowman reported that there were calls on the Telegraph Cove system. After reviewing the nighttime recordings the next day we noticed lengthy echo location in Blackfish around 8pm. No calls however. The rest of the night and the beginning of the next day belonged to the socialising/feeding humpbacks. On the 24th, Telegraph Cove reported hearing very faint A1 like calls then at 1:26pm Nicollette heard calls on the Double Bay hydrophone and saw one male fin mid blackfish Sound. Had they been circulating through the night back and forth to and from the Strait or had the group maintained the earlier split with groups in either location? The afternoon was dedicated to looking for and eventually finding very small fins on the Flower Island camera that were framed by the Malcolm Island shore to the north of Stubbs Island and west of Donegal Head. They were going back and forth. Alex thought at one point (around 5pm) they were making a try for Weynton but then their direction changed for one last time and she saw them headed toward Lizard Point just before 5:30pm. Amazingly we could hear their distant calls during all this time. As the sun was beginning to set our attention was diverted to the humpbacks off of Flower Island. They and the birds were busy feeding. Two humbacks joined closely together for several surfacings. Then everything seemed to go off to the west and the sun set, bringing a close to a long and busy day. The night brought more vocal humpbacks but no orcas. Had then stayed off to the west? About the same time as the day before A1 (A34) calls were heard in Blackfish Sound in the afternoon of the 25th. It was just a single call and impossible to source. Two hours later there were more calls. This time the calls were more frequent and definitely in Blackfish Sound. They sounded far closer than the day before and their echolocation seemed to indicate that they might be approaching. However, their arrival coincided with our scheduled shut down of the Flower Island remote camera so no peeking this time. The calls continued for almost the next two hours. No one seemed to be advancing. Interspersed with their calls were those of a close humpback or two. The increasing boat noise did not seem to deter the humpbacks but the orcas became quiet around 5pm.. The tide in ebb, wouldnÕt turn until 8:30pm - not encouraging for travel into and through Blackney Pass. At 6:26pm the A34Õs plans came together as they eventually made way into Weynton Pass. By 9:07pm their calls were further east in johnstone Strait as they approached the entrance to Blackney Pass. The calls were distant so perhaps they were closer to Vancouver Island. By 10pm, it felt as if one part of the A34s entered Blackney and headed north into Blackfish Sound. A second group elected to continue west and out via Weynton Pass. By now the clock had begun to turn to the 26th. The 26th would hold more encounters origination from Blackfish Sound. OrcaLab 26 Oct 2023 17:17:08 PST corrected text: September 28 - October 15 2023 Humpbacks active vocally BiggÕs Orca: T018, T019s Pacific White-sided dolphins heard It has been a very busy time at OrcaLab on many fronts. Since we last wrote Fall has progressed, making us very aware that it is time to prepare for the upcoming winter. Besides bucking and splitting logs for winter wood supplies many of the systems have needed our attention as well. Technician Joel Mellish arrived to check the hydrophone network performance, make sure data logging was performing as it should and most important re-install the Critical Point hydrophone. The latter required a couple of dives. Jenn Lily came up from Campbell River to assist Megan. As the eastern headland of Robson Bight, Critical is a tricky spot, high cliff, deep water, but the weather co-operated near perfectly. The first dive involved bringing up the old hydrophone (which has now been sent off for servicing and recalibration) and guiding the new hydrophone down in place. The current changed before this second phase was completed to everyoneÕs satisfaction so a third dive and an underwater drone check were required the next day. The installation was successful so after more than a year without this important hydrophone its signal was once again being monitored in the Lab. Additionally there was the job of retrieving the three underwater cameras from the rubbing beach sites. The certainty of winter storms prohibits keeping these cameras at these locations long term, so each year they are taken out, serviced, readied and stored for next summer. Megan does a terrific job organising this work. This year we converted the dark room (not in use since the advent of digital cameras) into a proper store room for the cameras and HervŽÕs complex hydrophone array. Emily, Sandra and Adrien transformed the very black darkroom space into a cheerful, bright, clean off white functional room. Adrien, who modified the bench, found an old negative strip and even a forgotten print from the 1990s which he and Sandra framed and put back in the room - a small history reminder. All this while (the above happened the week of September 26 to October 3) Emily was hard at work dealing with the nighttime recordings, which usually involved annotating mostly humpback calls. Humpbacks really like to ÒopenÓ up vocally during the night. What was astounding to everyone was the amount of bubble net feeding which was not only during the day but at night as well. On EmilyÕs last day (her departure was actually delayed by thick fog) Emily was in the Lab by herself in the late afternoon when she heard the distinctive sounds of bubble net feeding in Blackfish Sound. Checking the remote camera, after quickly starting an audio recording, she saw two humpbacks fully engaged in bubble net feeding close to the Flower Island remote camera. Being close meant that the fog was not so much a factor. She had the presence of mind to start a video recording. She watched in amazement and when the event was over she ran to tell everyone. It was the highlight of her entire stay, so aware that the chances of capturing both sound and visual proof are hard to come by. The fog played havoc with OrcalabÕs presentation during the Marine Education and Research SocietyÕs Webinar, ÒOcean VoicesÓ. We completely lost all Internet connection after several tries. Jackie was stoic, helping us stumble along but it was awkward and frustrating. The rest of the Webinar was really interesting with presentations of two animations designed to bring awareness to the problems of ocean noise to cetaceans, and informative presentations about whales and ocean noise by Harold Yurk, Ben Hendricks and Valaria Vergara. The fog was still very bad the next day. Emily had to go as she had a plane to catch and connections to keep. Sandra and AdrienÕs time at the Lab was also at an end as they had travel plans that were to take them over to the west side of Vancouver Island. We were going to miss all three but our immediate concern was how to get them out safely. We only had the small boat on hand which was not equipped with radar. Our good neighbours at Farewell Harbour came to the rescue and got everyone to their destinations on time. Of course, the fog lifted soon afterwards, allowing for various Thanksgiving plans to get underway. Helena, Paul and Janie headed into town and Megan went off to pick up friends for the long weekend. But the October weather was beginning to show signs that it was edging toward more unsettled patterns. The weekend turned out to be quite windy. Thankfully, it dropped just in time for Megan to return her friends to Telegraph Cove and pick up Janie in Alert Bay. Since then a series of Pacific born weather systems have swept in, causing delays in plans to further winterize the remote systems. But of course, none of this discourages the humpbacks and over the course of the next week humpback whales were singing nightly, usually starting around 8pm with a series of social calls that eventually evolved into song. There were moments when you could hear two or more humpbacks singing together. Often one in the lead, with the other accompanying. The humpback calls most often began to fade as the sun rose, followed by some social calls heard sporadically throughout the day. During the day, well over fifty sea lions are usually hauled on the Òsea lion rocksÓ just to the south of the Lab. They are extremely vocal. Often groups of two or three swim past the lab daily, looking towards the activity on the deck of the lab with outright curiosity. Biggs Orca have also been in the area, and on consecutive days no less! On October 11, Alex Morton observed a small group of BiggÕs who had first caught her attention by being vocal off the very western end of Blackfish Sound. This group then went west into Queen Charlotte Strait a while later. On October 12th, the T019s (with T018) travelled very slowly past the Lab, mostly mid channel, starting from the entrance to Blackney Pass towards the north. Then, when opposite the Lab they took a long dive and when they next surfaced they were closer to our side, allowing for a few good pictures before they disappeared to the north and out of our view. On October 13th BiggÕs were suddenly loudly vocal on the Parson Island hydrophone at 4:22pm. We could see a few dorsal fins near the entrance to Blackney Pass, first a few females, then noticed a young baby and a juvenile. Their behaviour indicated foraging as they travelled back and forth, changing direction constantly in a small circle. We could also see a group of sea lions in the distance, all very close together, heads bobbing out of the water watching the scene not that far from their location. This went on for 30 minutes, then the Biggs made a move towards the north into Parson Bay at 5:30pm, then turned back south and cleared into Johnstone Strait at 5:55pm. They were quite vocal the entire time. We were not able to identify this group. The night of October 14 - 15 was one of the more interesting nights, with humpback songs on Flower Island through most of the night involving at least two humpback whales singing together. At the same time there was another one or perhaps two humpback whales vocalising in Blackney Pass. There was quite a variety of social calls with a few moments of song. Listening to both hydrophones at the same time was extremely mesmerising while trying to understand this symphony of changing and evolving whale calls. It was also a night of very little boat noise, which might explain why it was such a busy night for song. One last exciting note. The British Columbia Hydrophone Network (BCHN), of which OrcaLab is a partner, launched its new website, ÒWhale SoundÓ (www.whalesound.ca). This website showcases the work of the BCHN and features both an interactive map with the location of the projectÕs hydrophones and its Dashboard which graphically demonstrates both whale presence and levels of ocean noise. Check it out! OrcaLab 16 Oct 2023 17:42:06 PST An additional treat: https://on.soundcloud.com/kajjJ OrcaLab 16 Oct 2023 16:53:37 PST September 28 - October 15 2023 Humpbacks heard BiggÕs Orca: T018, T019s Pacific White-sided dolphins heard It has been a very busy time at OrcaLab on many fronts. Since we last wrote Fall has progressed, making us very aware that it is time to prepare for the upcoming winter. Besides bucking and splitting logs for winter wood supplies many of the systems have needed our attention as well. Technician Joel Mellish arrived to check the hydrophone network performance, make sure data logging was performing as it should and most important re-install the Critical Point hydrophone. The latter required a couple of dives. Jenn Lily came up from Campbell River to assist Megan. As the eastern headland of Robson Bight, Critical is a tricky spot, high cliff, deep water, but the weather co-operated near perfectly. The first dive involved bringing up the old hydrophone (which has now been sent off for servicing and recalibration) and guiding the new hydrophone down in place. The current changed before this second phase was completed to everyoneÕs satisfaction so a third dive and an underwater drone check were required the next day. The installation was successful so after more than a year without this important hydrophone its signal was once again being monitored in the Lab. Additionally there was the job of retrieving the three underwater cameras from the rubbing beach sites. The certainty of winter storms prohibits keeping these cameras at these locations long term, so each year they are taken out, serviced, readied and stored for next summer. Megan does a terrific job organising this work. This year we converted the dark room (not in use since the advent of digital cameras) into a proper store room for the cameras and HervŽÕs complex hydrophone array. Emily, Sandra and Adrien transformed the very black darkroom space into a cheerful, bright, clean off white functional room. Adrien, who modified the bench, found an old negative strip and even a forgotten print from the 1990s which he and Sandra framed and put back in the room - a small history reminder. All this while (the above happened the week of September 26 to October 3) Emily was hard at work dealing with the nighttime recordings, which usually involved annotating mostly humpback calls. Humpbacks really like to ÒopenÓ up vocally during the night. What was astounding to everyone was the amount of bubble net feeding which was not only during the day but at night as well. On EmilyÕs last day (her departure was actually delayed by thick fog) Emily was in the Lab by herself in the late afternoon when she heard the distinctive sounds of bubble net feeding in Blackfish Sound. Checking the remote camera, after quickly starting an audio recording, she saw two humpbacks fully engaged in bubble net feeding close to the Flower Island remote camera. Being close meant that the fog was not so much a factor. She had the presence of mind to start a video recording. She watched in amazement and when the event was over she ran to tell everyone. It was the highlight of her entire stay, so aware that the chances of capturing both sound and visual proof are hard to come by. The fog played havoc with OrcalabÕs presentation during the Marine Education and Research SocietyÕs Webinar, ÒOcean VoicesÓ. We completely lost all Internet connection after several tries. Jackie was stoic, helping us stumble along but it was awkward and frustrating. The rest of the Webinar was really interesting with presentations of two animations designed to bring awareness to the problems of ocean noise to cetaceans, and informative presentations about whales and ocean noise by Harold Yurk, Ben Hendricks and Valaria Vergara. The fog was still very bad the next day. Emily had to go as she had a plane to catch and connections to keep. Sandra and AdrienÕs time at the Lab was also at an end as they had travel plans that were to take them over to the west side of Vancouver Island. We were going to miss all three but our immediate concern was how to get them out safely. We only had the small boat on hand which was not equipped with radar. Our good neighbours at Farewell Harbour came to the rescue and got everyone to their destinations on time. Of course, the fog lifted soon afterwards, allowing for various Thanksgiving plans to get underway. Helena, Paul and Janie headed into town and Megan went off to pick up friends for the long weekend. But the October weather was beginning to show signs that it was edging toward more unsettled patterns. The weekend turned out to be quite windy. Thankfully, it dropped just in time for Megan to return her friends to Telegraph Cove and pick up Janie in Alert Bay. Since then a series of Pacific born weather systems have swept in, causing delays in plans to further winterize the remote systems. But of course, none of this discourages the humpbacks and over the course of the next week humpback whales were singing nightly, usually starting around 8pm with a series of social calls that eventually evolved into song. There were moments when you could hear two or more humpbacks singing together. Often one in the lead, with the other accompanying. The humpback calls most often began to fade as the sun rose, followed by some social calls heard sporadically throughout the day. During the day, well over fifty sea lions are usually hauled on the Òsea lion rocksÓ just to the south of the Lab. They are extremely vocal. Often groups of two or three swim past the lab daily, looking towards the activity on the deck of the lab with outright curiosity. Biggs Orca have also been in the area, and on consecutive days no less! On October 11, Alex Morton observed a small group of BiggÕs who had first caught her attention by being vocal off the very western end of Blackfish Sound. This group then went west into Queen Charlotte Strait a while later. On October 12th, the T019s (with T018) travelled very slowly past the Lab, mostly mid channel, starting from the entrance to Blackney Pass towards the north. Then, when opposite the Lab they took a long dive and when they next surfaced they were closer to our side, allowing for a few good pictures before they disappeared to the north and out of our view. On October 13th BiggÕs were suddenly loudly vocal on the Parson Island hydrophone at 4:22pm. We could see a few dorsal fins near the entrance to Blackney Pass, first a few females, then noticed a young baby and a juvenile. Their behaviour indicated foraging as they travelled back and forth, changing direction constantly in a small circle. We could also see a group of sea lions in the distance, all very close together, heads bobbing out of the water watching the scene not that far from their location. This went on for 30 minutes, then the Biggs made a move towards the north into Parson Bay at 5:30pm, then turned back south and cleared into Johnstone Strait at 5:55pm. They were quite vocal the entire time. We were not able to identify this group. The night of October 14 - 15 was one of the more interesting nights, with humpback songs on Flower Island through most of the night involving at least two humpback whales singing together. At the same time there was another one or perhaps two humpback whales vocalising in Blackney Pass. There was quite a variety of social calls with a few moments of song. Listening to both hydrophones at the same time was extremely mesmerising while trying to understand this symphony of changing and evolving whale calls. It was also a night of very little boat noise, which might explain why it was such a busy night for song. One last exciting note. The British Columbia Hydrophone Network (BCHN), of which OrcaLab is a partner, launched its new website, ÒWhale SoundÓ (www.whalesound.org). This website showcases the work of the BCHN and features both an interactive map with the location of the projectÕs hydrophones and its Dashboard which graphically demonstrates both whale presence and levels of ocean noise. Check it out! OrcaLab 16 Oct 2023 16:39:34 PST September 27 2023 BiggÕs orcas: T06D,T060E, T55s,T18,T19s Humpbacks: heard but not seen Yesterday was certainly something to write home about! It started with BiggÕs calls heard on the Flower Island hydrophone system in Blackfish Sound at 8:24am. None of us thought to check if there had been any reports. We are kind of Òin Fall modeÓ falling back on to what we see and hear. So we listened and noted just how beautiful the calls were when we noticed a large male on the far shore. The BiggÕs were on their way south into Blackney. It turned out to be quite the group, and the majority passed closer to the Hanson Island side affording the opportunity to get reasonable photo IDs. There were a number of males including the two brothers, T060D and T060E, the same characters who have been recently in and out of Blackney Pass. The groups, consisting of at least three families, were scattered amongst themselves. The very large T019B was following right behind T055 for example. Progress through the Pass happened at a leisurely pace. There were at least three, then four boats, focused and following. The orcas grazed past the end of Hanson Island and the numerous sea lions right there did not seemingly react. This was interesting, especially after witnessing how jittery they can be. In a different location further along, an eagle intent on eating something in the forest, just up from where three sea lions were resting, scared them off the rocks with its movements. The orcas were possibly showing no interest and they carried on toward Johnstone Strait, boats in tow around 9:20am. Once in the Strait they turned east and headed to the Sophia Islands. Our remote camera followed their journey until they became too distant, and too small. They vocalised briefly while in Blackney Pass but then became silent. Just before noon three more BiggÕs orcas, identified as the T146s, were spotted off Beaver Cove. These three made it east of Blinkhorn, turned in toward shore and returned to Beaver cove by 4:11pm. The adventures with BiggÕs orcas were not yet complete. You might have guessed. At 5:44pm, the two brothers, T060D and T060E retraced their earlier travels. They passed the Lab fairly close. It was as if, just like it happens with Resident orcas, that they had escorted the others into the Strait and then left off to resume whatever they had next in mind. Since we last wrote there has also been humpback activity, especially at night. Bubble net feeding has continued sporadically at night and at first light as well. All these events have been happening in Blackfish Sound. Emily has been dutifully annotating each call, discriminating what behaviours might be involved, whether social or feeding. Most seem to be feeding. Perhaps the humpbacks see this as their priority for the moment. The sea lions began to haul out on the Hanson Island side on September 26. Their numbers have increased and they have since occupied more rocks along the Hanson Island shore. The Harlequin ducks arrived a while ago, the humming birds have left so the change in the season is really now in full swing. OrcaLab 28 Sep 2023 13:44:17 PDT September 22 - 24 2023 BiggÕs orcas: T60D, T060E Humpbacks: Argonaut, Merge, Lucky, Apollo,Conger You never know what might go bump in the night. Early in the morning of September 24, just before 4am, a humpback began to bubble net feed. And boy! did this whale ever find a good spot! The feeding event went on for close to two hours, in the same place and pretty much with the same intensity throughout. We have heard bubble net feeding throughout this season but only for short durations. Last year we did not hear much activity. Bubble net feeding is well known further north. In Alaska, the humpbacks there were the first to be documented and because most efforts are a group effort the events tend to be very dramatic. As humpbacks came into the inner coast they did so from north to south. Once well established on British ColumbiaÕs north coast they began to vocalise and adopt bubble net behaviours. Making their way into other parts of the coast, including the Johnstone Strait area, they were at first ÒshyÓ and did not immediately vocalise. Over a short period of time, as they became comfortable about their choice of locale they found their voices. Simple at first, a few social and feeding calls, then more elaborate song trials performed by the male humpbacks as summer turned into autumn. We have become quite used to spending hours recording the humpbacks. This season there does not seem to be as many humpbacks here as in previous years although several of the most familiar returnees have shown up, including Guardian with her new baby. So far they have not been very vocally expressive either. A rather delayed and subdued season all round. The resident orcas came a month late and left a month later. The sea lions have yet to haul out on the Hanson Island rocks although they have done so across the way and in the Plumper Islands. Even our famous sea gull, Uni, came late. With all these delays the surprise increase in bubble net feeding has grabbed our attention. Has this unique feeding strategy finally arrived here? From what we understand a humpback or a group of humpbacks begin low and deep and as they circle towards the surface they create bubbles which act as a trap for the small fish. The final ÒnailÓ is the piercing moan they emit before coming to the top and devouring their catch. Usually we have heard and seen the bubble net efforts during the day, so to hear such an extended effort in the dark of the night of the 24th felt exceptional. The first big storm hit the coast the next night. The wind and the waves made hearing the distinctive sound of the bubbles breaking was lost, but even so, distinctive distant moans were heard briefly in the night and then around 7am. The last few days have also been punctuated by sightings (no vocals) of two orca brothers T060D and T060E. BiggÕs orcas began to proclaim their presence on September 19 just before 6pm. Heard but not seen, these orcas were in Johnstone Strait and vocal until about 6:30pm. On September 21, there was the first sighting of the two brothers. Till and Carla were at the Cracroft Point camp and saw them heading toward Blackney Pass at 6:44pm. Amazingly it was still light enough to see them as they came into view of the Lab. They made long dives as they headed into Blackfish Sound. In the intervening three days before the next sighting ,Emily, who has just completed her Masters studying the complexities of humpback vocalisations at St AndrewÕs in Scotland, was staying up at night annotating the live humpback vocals which were now happening on a more regular basis. Emily shared her thesis findings with the rest of the group the evening before Barbara and Paulo left. Barbara followed EmilyÕs presentation by showing us a comparison of the scan data from here and the Fin Island Research station. Each location is tasked with scanning the waterways in front of their station nine times per day. During the 15 minute scans boats, cetaceans, weather, sea state are all entered onto a tablet. It was remarkable how similar the findings were at the two locations month by month. On September 24 the two brothers were back at 6:30 am heading south. Just under two hours later they were seen yet again, this time heading north. They were gone by 9:22am. At4pm they were back going the other way again. This time they shifted into Parson Bay. Lots of seals were over there, but at such a distance it was unclear if they found a target. They kind of disappeared after a long dive and into the late afternoon gloom. They were back going south once more at 8:13am on the 25th. This passing was quite close to Hanson which afforded us a much better look at their dorsal fin distinctions. The storm which had raged through the night settled down quite a bit during the rest of the 25th but the forecast promises us to expect another blow. We had already battened down the hatches so we are braced and ready. In the afternoon two sea lions occupied one of the Hanson Island rocks. A bit later there were 7. Hmm this might be the start of something after all. During this time we said good-bye to Gloria, Barbara, Paulo, Till, Carla and uliette. We would like to thank them for all their hard work especially during the busy part of the summer. Through it all, each was cheerful and willing. We could not ask for more. We wish each safe travels. Thank you! https://on.soundcloud.com/Hfzei OrcaLab 25 Sep 2023 20:36:35 PDT September 12 2023 BiggÕs : T059s Humpback Whale: Merge Pacific White-sided dolphins The welcomed sound of rain falling on the lab deck filled the night, and a few dolphin calls were heard over the hydrophones in Johnstone Strait. Outside, at 4am there were a few loud tonal blows of a single humpback whale, who stayed with us until light and was identified as Merge. The only sound absent was the familiar calls of resident orca. Shifts in the lab continued as usual, documenting the departure of orca is just as important as their arrival, though not quite as exciting. There was silence in the camp as many wondered if the orca had left the area, or if another family, not yet seen this season, would still arrive and make their way into the Reserve, to the beaches for their annual rub. There were lots of sea lions sighted throughout the day, and birds flocking in larger groups on the water where hidden from our view were bait balls of schooling small fish such as herring. At 6:15pm what we did not expect to hear was the word ÒORCA '' being yelled from the deck of the lab! This is also a main part of the culture of OrcaLab, that if you see an orca, you shout this word as loud as you can so everyone knows to drop what they are doing and to run to the lab. This is exactly what happened, the excitement on the deck was contagious, everyone took on their roles, the camera, the scopes and inside someone on the camera and of course the hydrophones. With the next up we all knew immediately this was a group of BiggÕs orca. There was one female leading, at least 200 meters ahead, then another female, a juvenile and a young baby. The female with the baby had a distinctive nick on the back of her dorsal, which would make identifying this group much easier. Not a single call was heard over the hydrophones. They were quite relaxed as they travelled past the lab towards the entrance of Blackney Pass. Just as they passed out of view, suddenly over 150 dolphins were porpoising at full speed, into Blackney Pass, close to the Parsons Island shore. The BiggÕs had turned and were close behind, in obvious pursuit. The dolphins split and scattered into 2 groups, one group heading north towards Blackfish Sound and the other back towards Johnstone Strait. No sign at all of the BiggÕs. It was not until 10 minutes later that the BiggÕs were sighted, in a group very distant, tight to the Cracroft Island shore and heading into Baronet Pass. There were no signs that this was a successful hunt as they slowly travelled out of view. At this point the light of the day was fading. The scopes and cameras were put back into the lab. The pictures were downloaded onto the computer and after comparing several photographs the BiggÕs were identified as the T059s. OrcaLab 13 Sep 2023 14:24:08 PDT September 11 2023 Pacific White-sided dolphins A rather different day today: A slight southeast breeze, rain and no resident orcas or humpbacks heard or seen. A few dolphins circulated, chatted just before 10am and travelled past the Lab just after 7pm. While contemplating all day long whether the resident orcas would return it gave everyone a chance to do other things: The boat was loaded on the high tide for the town trip the next morning; Adrien carried on organising winterÕs wood supply; Naomi packed up her belongings; and a crew set out to do a CTD scan in the Sonic. ÒCTD stands for conductivity, temperature, and depth, and refers to an electronic device used to detect how the conductivity and temperature of water changes relative to depth.Ó At regular intervals. OrcaLab tests the waters at selected hydrophone locations for these ocean conditions. The data from the CTD scans informed by the ocean state at the hydrophone sites is logged and stored for analysis. Today, Janie took Juliette, Tills, Carla and Adrien along. They visited and tested four sites, near the Lab, Flower Island, Cracroft Point and Kaizumi. They worked efficiently and were back in good time. The wind and rain stopped shortly after their return (of course) and the afternoon and evening became quite lovely. The gentle southeaster apparently had been just a hint of whatÕs to come later in the year.. Afterall, summer is still here for another ten days. The sea lions are increasing in numbers but have yet to haul out on the local rocks although they have occupied the rocks near the Parson Island light for some time. These rocks, on high tides, become submerged at which point the sea lions return to the ocean. Even though the local rocks on Hanson offer more permanent ground their habit of returning to the ocean on the high tide is the same. Even though they are across the Pass from the Lab their growls are clearly audible. Once on Hanson their growly complaints become much louder and frequent. It is surprisingly comforting. Naomi had her last full day at the Lab where she had been since June. She had been through the long wait for resident orcas to show up, learned quickly to identify BiggÕs orcas, delighted in watching exuberant dolphins and swam in the chilly waters daily. One of her best moments came when she swam at night through the bioluminescence. She said it was as if stars were floating past. Naomi also spent time looking at and comparing the presence of individual humpbacks over the past two years. We hope her journey back to Germany goes well and that the year to come is as fulfilling as her time here at the Lab has been. The night became somewhat eventful with the sounds of dolphins off Cracroft Point just after 10pm. A distant humpback, perhaps in Blackfish Sound, moaned intermittently reminiscent of bubble net feeding calls though it was too distant to make out any subsequent bubble sounds. And then midnight. OrcaLab 12 Sep 2023 13:18:02 PDT September 10 2023 Northern Residents: A54s,A23s,I04s Humpback Whale: Squiggle Pacific White-sided dolphins heard There is a change that occurs every year as the days get shorter and the nights longer, the humpback whales become more and more vocal, until one night the first song of the year will happen. From midnight until the early hours of the morning there were a number of humpback calls, from the deck one individual could be heard tonal blowing, the sound echoing throughout Blackney Pass. Then at 5:30am this whale went into song, it was a practice session, lasting only 6 minutes, but was a taste of what will hopefully come as fall arrives. It was a quiet orca night, only a few calls heard at 4:20am in Johnstone Strait, accompanied by Pacific-white sided dolphin chatter. It was a surprise to suddenly hear rubbing on the beach at Strider at 7:00am, not a single call, just the sound of orca bodies passing over the pebbles. From the angle of the camera 2 female orcas were seen. They only rubbed a few times then travelled to the west. It was not until 7:40am when there was a report of 5 orcas seen in the Reserve travelling west, that a few very faint A5 and then A1 type calls were heard. These faint calls continued and were eventually heard on the Kaizumi hydrophone and a few calls on Cracroft. At 8:50am Jim Borrowman reported that orcas were spread out foraging opposite Telegraph Cove, and that they could hear A Clan calls on their hydrophone. Calls could still be heard on Kaizumi. A few ÒGÓ clan I15 calls indicated that perhaps the I04 family was still in the area. After All they had been constant companions to the A23s, A25s and especially the A54s. A clear A54 signature call lent credence to the idea that they were still in the area as well. At 10:50am there was a report from Scotty that the A23s had been sighted travelling west through Weynton Passage. It had been quiet on the hydrophones for a long time, when both A5, A1 and sparse I15 calls were heard on the Flower Island hydrophone at 1:45pm. On the remote camera we were able to see 1 male and a few female orcas off in the distance - the orca families had come through Weynton and were now crossing the western end of Blackfish Sound. By 2:50pm distant A1 and A5 calls could still be heard. Megan at Cracroft Point relayed that AJ had sighted orcas spread out between Donegal Head and Lizard Point foraging. The last report of the day was at 4:11pm when 12 orcas were sighted travelling west towards Lizard Point in Queen Charlotte Strait. The evening was very quiet, not even a humpback whale or a dolphin was heard over the hydrophones. Hopefully the orcas have not made their fall departure and more families are yet to arrive and the humpback whales will sing throughout the night very soon! OrcaLab 11 Sep 2023 09:41:37 PDT September 9 2023 Northern Residents; A54s, A23s,A25s,I04s Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Merge Pacific White-sided dolphins What a morning! Despite the fact that the resident groups had reentered Johnstone Strait via Blackney Pass around midnight; despite the fact that they went east, stalled and then turned back to the west by 2am; despite the fact that they retraced their steps and went through Blackney Pass,at least the A23s did, at 5:20am, the morning really belonged to one singular event, a sleeping humpback in front of the Lab. Starting just after daybreak at 7:57am Inukshuk decided to fall deeply asleep. He drifted quietly and slowly, breathed out mists, glistened in the early morning sun. It was a stunningly intimate moment. Never had this happened in this way before so close to the Lab. People spoke in whispers as they watched. Cameras clicked just occasionally. The moment belonged to him. As he drifted out further from shore there was the concern that he would be vulnerable to boat traffic. Apparently, perhaps tired from a night of feeding, Inukshuk has been seen sleeping in the daytime before. One fairly large boat went by and after it had long passed Inukshuk stirred. As a finale he lifted his fluke, dove and moved on. The Resident orcas during this time were organising their next moves. Those that had gone through Blackney at 5:30am were now back off the western end of Johnstone Strait. Gathered together were the A54s, A25s, A23s and the I04s, the same gang who have been together over the last several days. It was now 10am. By 11:35am they had shifted over towards Telegraph Cove and Beaver Cove. It was time for them to start moving. In no particular hurry they turned eastward. By the time they were opposite what is known locally as Little Kaiakash it was early afternoon. The ÒCPÓ camp, and those on the Cracroft Point remote camera back at the Lab, watched the orcas' steady playful progression. Mostly mid strait, with some nearer Vancouver Island, they were followed by the inevitable boats. A60 had gotten ahead and was busying himself at 12:35pm going back and forth closer to the ÒCPÓ camera. By 1:35pm the various groups were passing Cracroft Point to the east. By 1:45pm orcas were near Kaikash, along the Vancouver Island side. At 1:56pm some of the A54s went in for a brief rub along Vancouver Island and then continued east. Passage eastward by the slightly more energised orcas was as before, with the various groups spread out making way. By 3:24pm, the A54s were ready for another rub, this time at Strider beach. The rub would last for about half an hour during which all the groups but not all individuals were involved. Collectively the orcas were concentrated on Strider and Main beach area but they only clearly rubbed at Strider. While doing so, close loud calls from the different groups were heard (not seen due to technical difficulties) at Main beach. The impression was that the whales not immediately involved at Strider were lingering close to Main not far away. Half an hour later the orcas finally began to pull away from Strider beach. Main beach had been abandoned before this. A few of the orcas attempted to follow but could not resist returning for another go, crisscrossing with those attempting to follow the others west. By 4:10pm all whales were westbound. The currents during this part of the monthÕs cycle are not as strong as just a few days ago, so the whales made reasonable time back past Kaizumi, Kaikash and Cracroft Point. Three loud cruise ships entering the Strait via Blackney Pass and a tug pulling a log barge, already in the Strait, did not help with tracking the whales acoustically. The strong afternoon glare was not much help either. As the whales shifted toward the entrance of Blackney, Megan watched A61 head in. By 6:07pm, the Lab started to track the various groups though the Pass. The A54s, fragmented somewhat into smaller groups, had overtaken A61 and were in the lead. The A23s followed along with the rest of the A54s. The A25s managed their way next followed by the I04s who obligingly stayed together as a group mid channel. A60, like the A25s was further over nearer the Parson and Swanson Island shores. As with the previous evening, the orcas headed off into the lovely sunset in Blackfish Sound, their calls becoming distant as they went. By 8:13pm no further calls were heard. They made a final declaration in Blackfish Sound an hour later. The A54s, perhaps now behind the others, made distant calls for about 10 minutes before they disappeared into Weynton Passage. The A5s, who presumably proceeded the A54s back to Johnstone Strait were first heard on the Kaizumi system at 11:30pm as they, with the A30s (heard at 11:43pm) advanced eastward in the Strait. Calls ended just before midnight with no I15 type calls detected, so it was not clear whether or not the I04s were still with the ÒAsÓ. Humpback noises and dolphin chatter helped to fill in the Johnstone Strait soundscape as the day ended. OrcaLab 10 Sep 2023 10:42:34 PDT September 8 2023 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s BiggÕs orcas: T069A (+?) Humpbacks: Argonaut in Blackfish Sound Pacific White-sided dolphins Around 9pm each night we begin to prepare the summary of the day. It is when we unravel all the sightings, recordings and reports of the whereabouts and movements of the whales, the orcas in particular. The days are so busy that trying to remember how the day actually began is a bit of a challenge at times. Dialling back this day, a humpback started it off just after midnight. Not much but at this time of year that is to be expected , more from them will come later. From the A30 calls the previous evening it was apparent that the A54s had returned from their journey to the east leaving behind the A23s, A25s and the I04s. They went silent afterwards for a while and re-emerged about 12:26am with more calls. Still no sign of the others. Dolphins, however, were not far off, chatty and very expressive. This time the A30 calls lasted until 1:19am. They were always distant and sounded as if they did not advance further than the east end of the Ecological Reserve. The A54s must have then retreated to the east to hurry the others back. At 5am they were back in range for a while until 5:38am. Things take time and the orcas still had a long way to come to get back into full range of the hydrophones. The morning was absolutely beautiful. No fog for once. The sun literally kissed the calm flat ocean with hues of soft yellows and orange. Into this morning appeared the T069As travelling leisurely to the south not far from the Hanson Island side. They were not decisive about their direction, first going north, then south, then north again. They were lost on a long, long dive and only found once in Johnstone Strait where they went off to the west. While they were doing so the Resident orcas had made tracks and their calls were heard again by 7:26am. This time it was everyone. A5, I15 and A30 calls taking turns, mixed together. The Kaizumi, Main beach and Strider beach hydrophones all reach into different areas. The Kaizumi beach hydrophone often picks up calls closer to the Cracroft Island side. This had been the case when the whales departed eastward the day before. Here they were again, spread out from each of the Johnstone Strait shores. Their movement westward was steady and over the next few hours their progress was charted from east of Main beach, to Strider beach, Kaizumi and Cracroft Point. There were no rub attempts at any of the beaches. The remote cameras along the way witnessed some of the movement. Some of the whales had travelled very close to the Vancouver Island side. As the whales passed the Kaizumi remote camera between 10am and 10:30am they were easily observed, but when opposite Kaikash, and beyond the range of the Kaizumi camera, the Cracroft Point camera, even zoomed right in, had difficulty except for discerning blows and splashes. By 11am there were close A54 calls on the Cracroft system and a short while later I15 calls as well. Whales were converging towards the entrance of Blackney Pass. The A54s cleared into the entrance at 11:24am They were followed by a research boat and local whale watch boat. Megan meanwhile was watching one group that was still on the Vancouver Island side continue west. From 11:30am, the A54s and the I04s moved through Blackney Pass and into Blackfish Sound by 12pm. It looked like A54 was in the lead of the fairly compact group. As they headed into Blackfish Sound they spread out somewhat and carried on in a generally westerly direction, changing direction from time to time. Dolphins joined them off the western end of Blackfish Sound on the cusp of Queen Charlotte Strait. At this point the research boat seemed to abandon its following and headed toward Johnstone Strait perhaps to investigate the BiggÕs orcas. It was now about 12:30pm. The group that had been seen still on the Vancouver Island side was most likely some of the A5s. Possibly, the A23s had doubled back. At 12:50pm they began a rub at Strider beach. Once again A60 did not join A95, A69, A126, A109 and his sister A43 as they enjoyed the beach in that order. The rub was over by 1:11pm and the family carried on to the west. The A25s were not around for this rub but would turn up off Cracroft Point a couple of hours later. They made direct passage past ÒCPÓ and into Blackney Pass. There were a few curious unexplained A1 like calls in the midst of the A5 calls of the west bound A23s/A25s in Johnstone Strait around 3pm. There were not a lot of calls but clear enough to have us wondering what was going on? Around the same time one of these whales made an imitation of a ÒGÓ clan call. It is not uncommon for the whales from one cClan to imitate another but it was interesting nonetheless. Up in Blackfish Sound the Naiad Explorer encountered Argonaut, the humpback, sleeping on the surface when a sea lion came up to him and nudged him until he grumpily awoke. The A23s caught up to the A25s and both groups travelled through Blackney Pass from 3:33pm until 4:08pm with the A25s leading. Before reaching Blackfish Sound the A25s fell back and lingered a while longer in Blackney Pass foraging. Eventually they too moved into Blackfish Sound and continued west accompanied by the inevitable dolphins. A gap ensued. Then at 8:50pm a noisy humpback in Blackfish Sound began the nightÕs events. He was followed by the sounds of resident orcas returning. Again the A54s led an I15 group (?the I04s) and an A5 group (?A25s) into and through Blackney Pass as all the while the humpback (perhaps two) rumbled and grumbled along. Dolphins had been quite active in Johnstone Strait before all this but had grown quiet for a while. Passage by the orcas through Blackney Pass was straightforward although their calls dropped off as they made their way. They resumed their calls once they arrived in Johnstone Strait. Megan and Gloria heard them come ÒinÓ as two groups that quickly shot straight out towards Vancouver Island. A trailing group (the A23s?) were not far behind. Once in the Strait and after their initial excitement (there was a flurry of pronounced N3 type calls) the orcas only made intermittent calls up to midnight. There was a lot of persistent boat noise. A humpback closed off this part of the night by exhaling several times near one of the hydrophones under the nightÕs brilliant canopy of stars. OrcaLab 09 Sep 2023 07:40:00 PDT September 7 2023 Northern Residents: [A30, A5, I15 - heard] Humpbacks: Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins Basically, the groups that were off the western end of Blackfish Sound the previous evening made their way into and through Weynton Passage to Johnstone Strait where they spent the rest of the night from just before midnight to 7:30am travelling eastward. Dolphins abounded in Blackney Pass for a long time. Some of the orca milestones along the way were as follows: The A30s and the A5s were probably abreast Cracroft Point by 1am; by then the dolphins had ventured closer to Blackfish Sound; by 2am the orcas had shifted closer to Izumi Rock, I15s, perhaps the trailing group were not heard until 2:23am; by 4am the lead whales had passed Robson Bight and were closer to Strider beach; a rub occurred at 4:35am involving both A5 and I15s; it was only a brief rub as these whales continued east; a coincidental rub, lasting only seconds happened at Main beach; the whales were not stopping; at 4:53am dolphins were in Johnstone Strait as well; from 5am to 7:30am calls remained distant; one impression was that the whales continued east with at least some travelling closer to the Cracroft Island side. Northern Residents were absent for the entire day. At 1:51pm a whale watching report described a large group of Northern Resident orcas westing in Race Passage on the southside of Helmken Island not far from Kelsey Bay. We were not aware of any further reports nor the IDs of those in Race Passage. At 9:29pm A30 calls were heard east of the Ecological Reserve. At least some of the whales were on their way back. The calls lasted until 10:06pm. Dolphin calls lasted a while longer. A humpback, at 11:51pm made a few ÒwhupsÓ in Blackney Pass. This closed off this part of the night, more was to follow. Sadly, we said good-bye to Momoko Kobayashi our long time assistant who this time visited for a few weeks and was a tremendous help. We wish her all the best and can't wait fro her to return next year. Though Alex Morton is not going far her short visit at orcalab came to an end when she hopped on the boat with Momoko to go back to her Malcolm Island home. It was a lovely visit - we know she will be listening and watching as always. OrcaLab 08 Sep 2023 10:10:30 PDT September 7 2023 Northern Residents: [A30, A5, I15 - heard] Humpbacks: Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins Basically, the groups that were off the western end of Blackfish Sound the previous evening made their way into and through Weynton Passage to Johnstone Strait where they spent the rest of the night from just before midnight to 7:30am travelling eastward. Dolphins abounded in Blackney Pass for a long time. Some of the orca milestones along the way were as follows: The A30s and the A5s were probably abreast Cracroft Point by 1am; by then the dolphins had ventured closer to Blackfish Sound; by 2am the orcas had shifted closer to Izumi Rock, I15s, perhaps the trailing group were not heard until 2:23am; by 4am the lead whales had passed Robson Bight and were closer to Strider beach; a rub occurred at 4:35am involving both A5 and I15s; it was only a brief rub as these whales continued east; a coincidental rub, lasting only seconds happened at Main beach; the whales were not stopping; at 4:53am dolphins were in Johnstone Strait as well; from 5am to 7:30am calls remained distant; one impression was that the whales continued east with at least some travelling closer to the Cracroft Island side. Northern Residents were absent for the entire day. At 1:51pm a whale watching report described a large group of Northern Resident orcas westing in Race Passage on the southside of Helmken Island not far from Kelsey Bay. We were not aware of any further reports nor the IDs of those in Race Passage. At 9:29pm A30 calls were heard east of the Ecological Reserve. At least some of the whales were on their way back. The calls lasted until 10:06pm. Dolphin calls lasted a while longer. A humpback, at 11:51pm made a few ÒwhupsÓ in Blackney Pass. This closed off this part of the night, more was to follow. OrcaLab 08 Sep 2023 09:51:06 PDT September 6 2023 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s, I16s BiggÕs orcas: T071s, T109s Humpbacks: Inukshuk, Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins This day seamlessly began where the previous one ended with all the orca groups gathered around the Boat Bay - Ecological Reserve area. For hours the A54s, I15s (the I04s & I16s)and A5s (the A25s & A23s) moved around in this general vicinity. Calls fluctuated from the very faint and distant to the sometimes clear calls on the two most eastern hydrophones at Strider and Main beaches. These hydrophones both have a long reach and Main beach has been known to hear all the way beyond Naka Creek to the east so it is possible that these orca families were at times east of the eastern boundary of the Ecological Reserve. The shifting whales were probably stretched at times between the Cracroft and Vancouver Island shores. The 5 families present account for 28 individual whales, quite a sizable collective group, with each having either similar or separateate agendas. This became clearer as the night wore on and the variety of calls continued through the LabÕs night shifts. Then just before 6am things began to change when I15 type calls were heard further west into range of the Cracroft Point hydrophone which can pick up calls to about mid strait off the Sophia Islands. But nothing was going to happen with any speed this day and progress was slow as the I16s pulled away from their companions and began to make their way west. Between 9 and 10am orcas were reported both at Cracroft Point and Telegraph Cove. It was still very foggy at 9am and there was no description or identification of the whales off Telegraph Cove. However, definite I15 type calls were heard off Cracroft Point and Megan witnessed whales she thought to be the I04s passing by to the west and crossing over the entrance of Blackney Pass, perhaps following their close family, the I16s who eventually made their way into the entrance of Weynton Passand Donegal Head by 11:17am. They would go on into Queen Charlotte Strait and make very slow progress to the west for the rest of the day. By 3:10pm they were finally identified as part of the I16s. Kate would later see the remainder of the group far offshore nearly 3 hours later. The I04s, however, never left the Strait and were perhaps the 4 whales reported heading east near Izumi Rock at 12:29pm. 12:29pm was also when the dayÕs feature event happened with A61 starting a beautiful,long, leisurely solo rub at Strider beach. The entire rub lasted one hour and twenty-two minutes and would eventually involve more of the A5s, some of the A23s and finally the i04s. A61 had the beach to himself until the rest of his immediate family (A85 and A121) joined him at 12:45pm. Then some of the A23s slipped in around 1:10pm. It might be noted that A60, the adult male in the A23 family, has yet to be seen rubbing at any of the beaches. He seems to be content being offshore of the action. Throughout the Strider rub A5 and A30 calls were heard to the east on the Main beach system but there was no indication that anyone came in for a rub there during this time. The A54s came along at 1:38pm. Throughout, A61 was never far away and of course, dolphins made their presence known, but interestingly, this time, they were fewer and less exuberant around the orcas. There was a brief rub at the Main beach at 1:56pm after loud A5 calls and echolocation were heard. The direction the whales took after these rubs was not entirely clear but most likely it was to the east. At 2:43pm, the I04s had made it to Strider where they rubbed for five minutes and joined the others somewhere near the eastern boundary. At 3:36pm the mass of whales had elected to head west along the Vancouver Island side. Just after 4pm they were angling towards the beaches. A61 made no effort to resume rubbing but carried on to the west. However, some of the A54s did so at Strider starting at 4:17pm and ending at 4:24pm. A5 and dolphin calls could be heard off in the distance. Five unidentified orcas approached Strider for a brief two minute rub. Time was not for the wasting, the whales were on the move and going west. The relaxed pace westward was consistent with how the day had already unfolded. Eventually, the orcas made their way to Cracroft Point. In the midst of their movement another flavour was brought to the day. Around 4:45pm Scotty came across BiggÕs orcas, the T071s moving northwest from mid strait opposite Big Bay. By 5:30pm these BiggÕs orcas were off Telegraph Cove and the Resident A23s were offshore of Vancouver Island in line with Kaizumi beach from the ÒCPÓ perspective as Megan and Gloria watched their advance ÒupÓ the Strait. In the next half hour A61 was seen travelling mid strait ( basically parallel to the A23s) and angling in toward Cracroft Point. His family, A85 and A121 were not far away. There was a certain amount of indecisive movement as these whales milled in one direction then the other. They seemed either biding their time, waiting for others or maybe surveying for fish while waiting? The calm waters, the sight of the relaxed A61 along with his and his familyÕs clear calls and echolocation was a lovely and engaging moment regardless. A large group of about 100 dolphins were involved in the A25 scene. Eventually, these orcas turned west and went past CP. By 6:30pm they and others were making their way into Blackney Pass. Using the long range of the remote Flower Island camera the blows of the various groups could be seen coming through the entrance of Blackney and into the pass. The Achiever on perhaps its last excursion was there following the whales as well. Kate at Bere Point added that the T109s made a close pass into the bay. She thought that perhaps they were chasing seals. They left to the east. Over the next hour, with dinner delayed, the whales streamed by the Lab arranged in three groups. The A23s and the A25s led the others, including the I04s into Blackfish Sound while the last group composed of most of the A54s completed the passing. Inukshuk, the humpback, had a few antics to contribute as the orcas passed him by. It was time for A61 to be the centre of attention once again as he steadily swam, with the Flower Island remote camera trained on him, into the sunset. Dolphins still accompanied him. Further away a lone humpback energetically followed dolphins and orcas through the sunset glow. Again, the whales were in no hurry and there was a lot of crisscrossing of the far western end of Blackfish Sound as they formed a collective decision on which direction to go. As the sunset diminished, and dinner on the table, all was left was their now distant calls. By 9:30pm the A5 calls had ceased to be heard and then by 9:40pm the A30s and I15s had ended as well. The whales had finally made up their minds to head into Weynton Passage and go back to Johnstone Strait. Had they brought anyone else along? The I16s, when last known, were still in Queen Charlotte Strait by late afternoon. What had they decided? Meanwhile, the dolphins had gathered in Blackney Pass. They were still chatting when the resident orcas made it back to Johnstone Strait just before 11pm. The A5s were first followed by the A30s and I15s. Their calls were all distant over the next hour. It was time for the early morning shifts to now follow what the rest of the night and the whales had to offer. OrcaLab 07 Sep 2023 09:33:20 PDT September 5 2023 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s, 116s Humpbacks: Quartz, Argonaut Pacific White-sided dolphins UNI the gull! After such a busy day, the night from our perspective was very calm. The whales had all left the immediate area and would not return until the morning. Kate Brauer at Bere Point spotted a large group coming in from the west. They went for a brief rub at 7:07am, before continuing east along the Malcolm Island shore. As we awaited their arrival a large group of Pacific White-sided Dolphins appeared in front of the Lab, relaxedly travelling north at 9:18am. The first A5 calls from the Flower Island hydrophone were audible by 10am followed by more distant A30s and I15s. Momoko located tiny, tiny fins on our Flower Island remote camera way over by the Malcolm Island shore west of Donegal Head. After a while it became clear that the orcas were angling towards Blackney and not choosing to go into Weynton Passage, giving us plenty of time to anticipate their arrival out front. As these whales headed east, a group of resident orcas, likely the A23s returning from their jaunt to the lower reaches, were reported passing Boat Bay on Cracroft Island to the west in Johnstone Strait. A reunion seemed imminent! A61, visible at 11:17am, was the first orca to enter Blackney Pass. He was mid-pass and bucking the ebb. Predominantly A5 and A30 calls were heard, along with distant I15 calls. At the same time, the large group of dolphins re-entered Blackney and were seen foraging and jumping closer to the Swanson shore. As A61 reached the Parson Bay area two smaller fins tailed him at some distance - likely the rest of the A25s, A85 (Cordero) and her young one Twilight (A121). The A54s next -at least 8 of them - travelled as a tight-knit group on the further side of the Pass. Finally, the I04s with the rest of the A54s cut in close at Burnt Point on the Hanson Island side and travelled forward, only a few hundred metres from our deck, after the others. The A25s led the whales into Johnstone Strait with all clear of our view by 12:18pm. Over to Megan and Gloria at CP, where the A54s passed first close to the deck. The groups then angled towards the Vancouver Island shore. Meanwhile, the A23s headed steadily west towards the Kaizumi area. A report at 12:29pm declared that I16s were back in Blackfish Sound too headed east toward Blackney Pass. Soon enough they rounded close to Burnt Point at 12:56pm. These seven individuals travelled silently as a tight group close to the deck, riding the back-eddy current south to join the others. Around 1:30pm, the A23s became very vocal as they passed Kaizumi Beach and continued west. All the other groups, now westbound as well, caught up with them by the time they reached the Telegraph Cove area. The orcas stayed here for a while, with some whales dipping into Beaver Cove, others spreading out opposite the entrance to Weynton Passage. By 5:20pm, they were all in a nice resting line off Telegraph Cove, pointed east but not travelling. As we awaited their next moves, we spotted a Glaucous winged gull standing on the rocks to the left of the Lab digging into a sea urchin - ÒUniÓ, who has returned to this bay for over twenty years and is known for her consistent sea urchin hunting, was back! A little late but back all the same. Finally, around 5:40pm, the A54s, A23s and A25s. had energised themselves enough to head off through Weynton Pass. As these whales completed their slow lap around Hanson Island, entering our view again by 7pm, their movements were accompanied by lots of calls. The A23s were in the lead, followed by the A25s and finally A54s. How polite of them to be on their way to Johnstone Strait by 7:30pm, just in time for us to enjoy our dinner! As these whales arrived at Cracroft Point, they initially produced a lot of ÔN3Õ calls before opening up into very excited N4s and other more decorative vocalizations. The N3 is a very compact call, and an interesting conversation ensued over dinner with Alex who suggested that this is often employed as the whales organise movements and/or further conversations. The footage on our remote Cracroft Point camera was beautiful, with glassy waters in the fading light. We were quite confident Megan at ÒCPÓ was capturing this beautiful passing as well. The whales were tracked eastward, calling vibrantly as they went, with the A5s leading the A54s into the night. Then just before 9pm faint I15 calls were heard from the western end of the Strait. These whales steadily followed in the same direction chosen by the others. Around the same time, an intermittently chatty group of Pacific White-Sided dolphins began in Blackfish Sound. The hydrophones were alive with cetaceans on all sides! By 10:37pm, the leading A5s with A54s had made it past the eastern boundary of the Ecological Reserve, with a report of audible blows from one of the kayak camps. Here they stayed, awaiting the I15s who would join them. All stayed just within our range, with faint but lively calls persisting to midnight and beyond. OrcaLab 06 Sep 2023 11:29:13 PDT September 4th 2023 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s No humpbacks! 100+ Pacific White-Sided Dolphins Another day come and gone, another set of orca mysteries to solve! The whales - at least from our perspective - have kept us on our toes as they travelled back and forth and intermingled as they went. With no further clues of the I16s today, we still surmise that it was they who travelled north past the lab in the dark yesterday evening, and out to Queen Charlotte Strait. The others - A54s, A23s, A25s and I04s - all remained east for the majority of the night. The ÒAÓ groups seemed to travel furthest and dip out of our range, while the I04s lingered and were still audible around the eastern beaches at 2:45am. By 4:40am, the I04s had decided to move to the west, as we began hearing them faintly on our Cracroft Point and Kaizumi Beach hydrophones. Their westerly decision did not stick for long, as they swept back on the flooding current to Strider Beach for one, solitary rub at 6:45am, before turning again to the west. They reached Kaizumi by 8:25am and continued on their way. Why the back-and-forth? Waiting for others, perhaps. In the meantime, the A23s had also come back from the east, audible around Kaizumi beach at 8:49am. The A54s were the last to reappear, reaching our Main Beach area at 9:15am, and continuing west. It was time for the A23s to be Ônon-committalÕ to a particular direction, as from 10am to 12pm they switched from east to west, back to east - pacing the boundary of the Ecological Reserve. This was the last we would see of them, and their puzzle piece was not fitted until the evening when we received a report that they were seen down in Nodales Channel at 5:24pm. We believe they took the Ôback routeÕ behind East & West Thurlow Islands. Quite an impressive journey for just a few hours work; the Blue Moon tides have brought speedy passages to these whales! Back to Johnstone Strait, and the westbound A54s crossed from the Bight to the Cracroft shore around 12:30pm. They headed straight to Cracroft Point and made no delay on their way to Blackney Pass. We could see them from our deck at 1:21pm and began hearing them shortly after, around the same time that a large, chatty group of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins headed north and into Blackfish Sound. The A54s travelled fairly quickly, with a few breaches for good measure. As a family of 11 now, it was wonderful to see their many fins pass by. They were all clear from our view by 2pm, and headed towards Weynton Pass. At 1:49pm, we received a report of some A25s heading west along the Vancouver Island shore around Kaikash Creek. An hour later, A61 (A25s) would pass Cracroft Point, also westing. It is not unusual for this trio to be quite spatially separated. They did not come into Blackney, instead following the I04s who had also headed west and were now foraging around Weynton Island. By 5:10pm, the A54s, I04s and A25s had rejoined and were all spread around Telegraph Cove. They all rode the evening ebb ÒupÓ Weynton Passage, grazing the range of our hydrophone in Blackfish Sound at 7:40pm. They travelled north towards Bold Head (Swanson Island) and beyond. As the light faded, we caught a glimpse of two tight-knit groups of orcas, suggesting the family groups were interspersed. We were able to ID A61 (Surge) from his distinctive flat-top dorsal fin, and track the groups out of view into Queen Charlotte Strait. On land, it was a day of arrivals. Suzie came back for another brief stint (night shift for the next few days!) along with Gloria Pancrazi, who first came to us as one of our very few 2020 volunteers. We also welcomed Alexandra Morton back to Hanson, who will be staying with us for a few days. She brought enough home-grown squash to feed us all for weeks! It is an honour and a pleasure to spend time with her here, surrounded by the songs of the orcas that have brought us all together. As the final touches were being made to HelenaÕs potato gratin & trimmings, a huge group of Pacific White-Sided dolphins stole our attention right in front of the lab at 7:40pm. There were easily 100 individuals, along with a couple of sea lions, chasing schooling fish northward into the Sound. As the night closes in, our ears are peeled to the east for the A23s and to the west for the other groups, who may just return with others in tow. OrcaLab 05 Sep 2023 08:47:40 PDT September 3 2023 Northern Residents: A54s, A23s, A25s, I04s and I16s (seen in Queen Charlotte Strait and possibly heard) Humpback Whales: Argonaut Pacific White-sided dolphins At 1:30am the A54s were vocal on the Flower Island hydrophone until 2:50am. There was a pause in calls, then at 3:25am both A54s and I15s became very excited with a burst of calls from both families, perhaps they had just joined up again with the A23s. It was soon after that blows were heard from the deck of the lab at 4:00am. The groups, the A23s, A54s, A25s and at least the I04s, were travelling towards the entrance of Blackney Pass and cleared into the Strait by 4:15am. In the Strait at 5:09am A5 calls were heard with the A54s and I15s distantly on Kaziumi hydrophone, indicating that they were crossing the Strait over the Vancouver Island side. By 5:20am they had gone silent. It was not until 6:00am that very close A5 calls were heard on the Strider hydrophone in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. At 6:22am the rubs began as the sun was rising to the east. The first rub was very short, they were quite vocal, lots of N3 type calls that are common within the A Clan community. The next rub was at 6:40am, 2 females and a young juvenile, was also a quick rub after which they travelled east. Further east of Strider there was a lot of the echolocation on the adjacent Main rubbing beach. At 6:50am there was a burst of energetic I15 type calls and one minute later one male and 3 females began to rub on Strider. Through the various calls, A5s were also detected close on Strider and the male was identified as A61. Soon a group of Pacific White-sided dolphins arrived on the beach, travelling very close to the orca, who had stopped rubbing at 7:00am and now were at first travelling east then back west soon after. However, there was still lots of echolocation heard to the east on Main rubbing beach hydrophone. At 7:03am another rub began on Strider. This time the orcas were surrounded by a large group of Pacific White-sided dolphins. Once again there were lots of N3 calls. The group then left the beach and travelled west at 7:07am. At 7:15am yet another rub began on Strider with an accompanied A61 again. There were many A5 and I15 types of calls heard on Strider, but only A5 calls on Main. At 7:48am the 3 females left the beach, but the male, A61, stayed behind and continued to rub on his own. He was soon joined by a group of at least 10 White-sided dolphins. In a strategy employed by others, Surge (A61) circled offshore of the beach and moved as if going towards the west. The dolphins followed. He took a deep dive, circled back without the dolphins and had another long rub. The dolphins came back so he repeated his ruse three times before finally truly leaving the beach and travelling west at 7:55am. The western movement of the orcas was captured just after 8am when very distant ÒAÓ calls were heard on the Kaizumi hydrophone These calls were followed by some from the I15s at 8:22am. Further testament to their progress, faint A5 and A1 calls were next heard on the Cracroft Point hydrophone. At 9:08am, Megan at the Cracroft Outcamp (ÒCPÓ) reported the A23s passing the entrance of Blackney Pass, 400 metres offshore. The first assumption was they would travel west in Johnstone Strait but at 9:45am, the I4s and the A54s were sighted in Blackney Pass travelling to the north very fast. The A25s followed and they all cleared to the north at 10:13am with A61 taking up the rear. The orca continued to the northwest and by 11:15am only distant calls were heard after going out of range of the remote camera. We had missed the A23s who most likely were already past when we spotted the others. Megan relayed the report that at 12:43 the A23s were 3.5 miles east of Lizard Point and at 1:00pm the Naiad reported that the 116s were westing near Lizard. Scotty reported that he had sighted the A54s with the I04s. The report of the I16s got us thinking as we had not identified this group in Johnstone Strait during the morning. Had they gone out with the A23s ahead of the others? Or had they just turned up in Queen Charlotte Strait? Possible. The A23s were seen easting off Donegal Head at 3pm. At 3:30pm a few A5 calls were heard on the Flower Island hydrophone, then a long pause in calls. Then at 4:40pm the A23s, A54s, A25s and the I04s travelled very fast in a tight group past the Lab towards the entrance of Blackney Pass into Johnstone Strait. They cleared the view of the Lab by 4:50pm. Distinctive A5 and I15 type calls were heard as they entered the Strait and by 5:10pm they were travelling in the Strait towards the Vancouver Island shore. They were quite vocal with lots of echolocation. By 5:26pm the A23s were rubbing on Kaizumi beach. The rub lasted for just for a few minutes, then they all travelled east. At 6:46pm, distant calls were detected on Strider and by 7:04pm, almost 12 hours later from their morning rub, they were back at the beaches for another session. At 7:11pm the A23s were identified on the Strider beach rubbing and we heard I15 calls at this time as well. There were lots of excited close calls. At 7:17pm this rub ended and they travelled further east to the Main rubbing beach. This A23 rub started at Main at 7:20pm and ended at 7:24pm. At 7:22pm Megan reported orcas between Cracroft Point and Little Kaikash mid strait headed east. Was it possible that this was perhaps the I16s and that they had headed into the Strait via Weynton Passage? As the I15 and A5 calls on Main beach continued to fade by 7:40pm by 8:50pm, I15 calls were detected on Kaizumi hydrophone. Were these the eastbound group that Megan saw at 7:22pm? It seemed as if we were dealing with two possible separate I15 matrilines. By 9pm, calls were back on the Cracroft Point system. We were keeping options open. At 9:20pm, both I15 calls and echolocation were heard on the Parson Island hydrophone as whales entered Blackney Pass. They travelled north. Calls continued on Local Center and then echoed to Flower. At 9:40pm this I15 group cleared north followed by close calls and echolocation on Flower. At 10:36pm A5 calls were still heard on the Strider hydrophone, and at 10:55 another rub started, by either the A23s or A25s. This rub ended at 11:00pm, and there was the chatter of dolphins close by on Strider. They travelled east and by 11:10pm there were both A5 and A54 calls on the Main hydrophone, with faint dolphin calls. By midnight the calls were fading but audible still on Strider and Main. OrcaLab 04 Sep 2023 15:36:22 PDT September 2 2023 Northern Residents: A54s,A23s, A25s, I04s, I16s BiggÕs orcas: T055s Pacific White-sided dolphins Before beginning this summary there needs to be a bit of backtracking about the movement of the various I15 groups. The I15 matriline was divided into four matrilines, the I04s, I16s, I27s and the I65s,after the death of I15. They maintain the same shared calls. These matrilines came to be viewed as independent of each other while travelling in varying combinations. The I16s, for example, came in earlier and travelled with the A23s for a good length of time. They departed with the A23s, then the other three matrilines came in later together with the I31s with whom they also left early on August 31. In hindsight yesterdayÕs early morning I15 calls might have been returning I16s with at least the I04s. Today there was no mention of the I27s and the I65s. Oversight? Possibly, there were a lot of whales and a lot of movement. Starting at midnight the A54s, the A23s and the A25s headed into Johnstone Strait after being met by their I15 (I16) companions in Blackfish Sound. These I15s had especially gone through Blackney Pass into Blackfish Sound for the meeting. All together the groups filed into the Strait and went east. Over the next almost three hours they made progress towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, finally touching down at Strider beach for a rub at 2:43pm. This five minute rub, that involved some of the I15s and the A54s, was a good deal shorter than the rubs the A54s indulged in last year when they would stay for nearly three hour sessions. On this occasion they finished quickly and skipped along to the adjacent Main beach where they rubbed for three minutes before continuing on to the east. Distant calls then endured for several hours until a break ensued just before 6am. The whales had not really gone far and by 7:47am were vocal again and in better range of the Reserve hydrophones. They were on their way back. The I15 calls were the most distinctive. The whales were spread out with some foraging. Visual reports surfaced. At 9am the Achiever was reported stationary off Robson Bight with at least three orcas surrounding them. Earlier a male orca and two others had been seen crossing to the Cracroft Island shore. Perhaps after finding a bite to eat and tired from their long journey into the area (a lot of it against the current) some whales took a long needed rest in Robson Bight around 10:30am. At this time other whales, perhaps the A23s, were seen as far east as Naka Creek. By 11:13am whales were spotted off the Cracroft Island side of the Strait. Scotty now mentioned the I04s and the A54s resting together off Boat Bay. Finally the now identified I16s who had been resting near the estuary of the Tsitika River in Robson Bight for most of the morning began to exit to the west. Half an hour later these same whales were as far west as Kaikash beach. Although the general direction was to the west, whales had woken up enough to forage along the way. At some point the I16s crossed over to the Cracroft side and at 12:42pm they started through the entrance of Blackney Pass all together. The current, as of 12:25pm, was against them and although they made it out of MeganÕs and the remote cameraÕs view they never made it sufficiently far enough for the Lab to see them. They remained out of sight until 1:22pm. They were still fighting the current when Megan saw them again and a short while later they turned west and abandoned, for the moment, any thoughts about going through the entrance to Blackney. Meanwhile, the A54/I04 group slowly, but with some energy too, moved west. Cetus now reported that several other groups were passing by, following the A54s. The opposing current was really slowing down efforts. The I16s had not gotten very far to the west before they drifted out towards mid strait where the Kaizumi hydrophone picked up their calls. Before 2pm Megan was watching the A23s forage with the A25s further offshore. At 2pm the A54s looked great as they moved along. Juliette did a great job on the remote camera capturing the playful group. A54 and her daughter A86 both have new babies this year. Just after they passed Cracroft Point, Bigg's orcas were heard in Blackfish Sound. Amazingly they were quickly located on the remote camera. They were very distant off the top end of Blackfish Sound. They continued to call intermittently. They looked to be engaged in a hunt before continuing to cross Blackfish Sound from nearer the Hanson Island side by which time they had attracted a few boats and kayakers. By 2:11pm a group of BiggÕs orcas was reported coming out of West Pass and heading west along Swanson Island . Not sure if these were the same or different from the group who had been at the western end of Blackfish Sound earlier. There were BiggÕs calls again at 2:17pm, 2:19pm, 2:22pm, and finally at 2:23pm. At 2:27 BiggÕs orcas were located mid Blackfish Sound and identified as the T055s as they moved toward Bold Head by 2:38pm. At 2:45pm there were now loud BiggÕs calls along with echolocation. Just before 2pm the BiggÕs orcas turned southeast travelling the Swanson Island shore. Eventually, the T055s were, by chance, seen on the very far side of Blackney at the northern tip of Parson Island. Their long dives and distance made it difficult to keep up with them as they travelled south toward the Bell Rocks before 4pm. These calls and reports of this activity in Blackfish somewhat of necessity divided our attention from the resident orcas who were still very active themselves as they continued to pass in front of Megans and carry on west of Cracroft Point. Megan summarised her observations at 2:06pm. She had seen the A23s first and closest with the A25s further offshore. The I16s were now west of Cracroft Point moving closer to Vancouver Island. And the A54s were now foraging off the entrance to Blackney Pass. Eat, rest, play. The most advanced group (the A54s) turned to the Hanson Island shore and started back east towards the entrance of Blackney. As the orcas were sorting themselves the scene off the entrance to Blackney Pass became crowded with jet skis, three cruise ships and other small boats. Probably, this and the presence of Resident orcas discouraged the BiggÕs orcas from venturing closer to Johnstone Strait. Just after 5pm BiggÕs were heard in Blackfish Sound once again from 5:05pm until 5:18pm and visually seen at 5:26pm when off the Òtop endÓ of Blackfish Sound, back where all the BiggÕs action had begun hours ago. By this time the Resident orcas were back in a jumble in the rip just west of Cracroft Point. It was now about an hour and half before the tide would turn in their favour. As is often the case, orcas will mount an effort to take advantage of currents shortly before the actual, in the book, slack. The advantage is that they will have the current with them during the majority of their journey. At first there was a shift towards the Hanson Island shore then a slow push towards Blackney Pass. They first came into view at 5:46pm. They had finally made it! The A54s appeared to be leading at least some of the I15s (?I4s) and lastly the A25s. They were quite spread out and moving efficiently but playfully forward. By 6:47pm all were in Blackfish Sound keeping the same energy as they moved into the late afternoon glare. However, some of the residents were missing. The A23s and the I16s were yet to be seen. At 5:30pm orcas, who had come from Beaver Cove, had been reported off of Telegraph Cove moving eastward. The A23 and the I16s then turned up mid channel in Blackney Pass at 7:20pm. They wasted no time getting to Blackfish Sound and heading into the sunset. Calls dropped off by 9pm. That was it! A complicated day much simplified. For a few hours the night was uneventful. The next day's story would begin at 1:30am. OrcaLab 03 Sep 2023 11:36:00 PDT September 1 2023 Northern Residents: I15s,A54s, A23s, A25s [A52s, C10s Queen Charlotte Strait] Humpback Whales: Quartz, Argonaut Pacific White-sided dolphins September is here, and as the days are becoming shorter the humpback whales are becoming more vocal. There were humpback social calls and grunts from 1:30am until 3am, then at 3:22am distant I15 orca calls were heard on the Flower Island hydrophone in Blackfish Sound. By 3:48am the orca calls were closer on the Flower Island system, and the humpback calls were now on Parson Island hydrophone in Blackney Pass.. At 4am the orca calls on Flower were much closer, accompanied by Pacific White-sided dolphins. It was 4:40am when 4 to 5 orca blows were heard opposite the Lab, the I15s were travelling south towards the entrance of Blackney Pass. At 5:09 echolocation could be heard on the Kaizumi hydrophone, indicating that they had entered the Strait and had travelled towards the Vancouver Island shore, in an easterly direction. At 5:45am I15 orca calls could still be heard on the Kaizumi hydrophone, then there was a pause in all acoustic activity. This lasted until 7:20am, when rubbing was heard on in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve on the Strider beach hydrophone , just 3 rubs, a few calls then they travelled towards Main beach. They became quite vocal at this point, when suddenly there were 2 more rubs heard on the Strider hydrophone. On the surface camera one male and one female were sighted. Just like the first group, they each had one very quick rub and headed towards the east. It was an extremely low tide, which may have been the reason behind the decision not to rub on the beach this morning, and continue east. It was extremely foggy and they had gone silent by 8:15 am. At 1:25pm there was a report from the Achiever that near Port Hardy the A25s and A54s had been sighted, as well Cetus reported 9 orca (the I15s) near Naka Creek travelling west. At 4:30pm the A54s had already gone for a Rub at Bere Point. Meanwhile at 5:00pm distant echolocation was heard on the Main beach hydrophone, soon followed by I15 calls, which continued until 6:20pm. Orcas were apparently converging slowly from both directions. The current worked in favour for the westbound I15s but not for the orcas coming from Queen Charlotte Strait. At 6:35pm Kate, from Bere Point, reported the A23s, A52s, and C10s had just passed and were heading east. Jared was off Lizard Point with the A25s. Kate was so excited about the arrival of the C10s in particular as it had been a while since their last visit. The calls of the I15s were heard again on the Main rubbing beach and one group of 5 orca were seen, with one male and and Pacific White-sided dolphins, travelling offshore towards the west. It was at 7:30pm that A1 calls were heard for the first time this year at OrcaLab! The A54s had drawn closer to Blackfish Sound. At the same time I15 calls were getting closer to the Kaizumi hydrophone in the Strait. A reunion was anticipated but how would the whales pull it off with current conditions not very favourable. Jared had soon found the A23s but not the A52s and the C10s. Amidst a beautiful sunset at 8:20pm very distant orcas were seen off the western end of Blackfish Sound on the Flower Island remote camera. Along with the gradually stronger A54 calls were A5 calls as well. Progress into Blackfish Sound was very slow. A lone humpback off in the distance as well in Blackfish Sound made a few bubble net feeding calls. Each to his own! Meanwhile, the waiting I15s were marking time by pacing mid strait east of Cracroft Point. As the A30 (the A54s) and A5 (the A23s and A25s) calls became even more frequent and lounder - it was apparent that they were determined to come east in Blackfish Sound against the current - blows from the northbound I15s were heard in front of the Lab at 9pm. The I15s, taking advantage of the still ebbing tide had decided to take the initiative. It was a very calm night, so counting their blows was fairly straight forward. At 9:12pm, they joined the other groups, close excitement calls from all groups followed. The ÒmeetingÓ continued until at 11:30pm the whales had come to a collective decision to make a try for Johnstone Strait on the tail end of the ebbing tide. Slack water was to be at 12:22am. The A54s led, then the A5 group and finally the I15s, all entering Johnstone Strait by midnight to continue their journey east together, It was going to be a very busy evening in the Strait and the beaches! All at the Lab and those listening were still happy that at least part of the A30s had made it back, summer was just not the same without them. OrcaLab 02 Sep 2023 11:47:45 PDT August 31 2023 Northern Residents: [ I15s, I31s heard] Biggs orcas: heard in Blackfish Sound Humpback Whales: Inukshuk, Guardian and Baby, Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins Just after 1am a humpback in Blackfish Sound let out with a pretty good set of calls. It did not last long but it was very distinctive, getting the attention of everyone near and far. At 3:10am Tomoko listening in Japan heard a very faint I31 call. Suddenly things began happening everywhere. Dolphins had already begun to chatter in Johnstone Strait in the midst of another (or perhaps the same?) humpback also now in the same locale. Ten minutes later, at 3:14am, there were very distant I15 calls with another set of dolphins in Blackfish Sound followed by now clearer and more frequent I31 calls. Previously, the evening before, the I15s and I31s had followed the A23s to the west in Johnstone Strait around 8pm. This begged the question - had they taken all this time (7-8 hours) to travel the distance from Telegraph Cove to the Òtop end of Blackfish Sound via Weynton Pass? Perhaps they were reluctant to leave. When their calls faded around 4: 15am they must have continued into Queen Charlotte Strait where, in still slow form, they lingered even more. Kate could hear them on her Bere Point hydrophone at 7:30am and at 9am they were still there. Dense fog prevented her from seeing them but she estimated from the strength of their blows that they were about 3 miles offshore. They disappeared shortly afterwards. Neither of us heard any A5 calls so it is not understood what happened to the A23s. The humpback who had been in Johnstone Strait with the dolphins kept up a presence for an hour after the orcas disappeared from Blackfish Sound. After 5:17am it became ÒquietÓ and it would remain so all day. Focus naturally shifted to observing the humpbacks in Blackney Pass. Inukshuk came by in the morning fog close to the Hanson Island shore and in the later afternoon when the fog had disappeared Guardian and her baby showed up with Quartz not far away. The uneventful day had slipped by in a relaxed sort of way in the absence of busy orcas. As the dark settled in and the wind began to rise, Biggs orcas called briefly around 8:45pm in Blackfish Sound adding a final short entry in the book. OrcaLab 01 Sep 2023 08:35:26 PDT August 30 2023 Northern Residents: A23s, I65s,I27s, I35s, ?I04s, ?I33s Biggs orcas: T049As Humpback Whales: Quartz Pacific White-sided dolphins A pretty straightforward day: A Humpback making ÒnoisesÓin Blackfish Sound throughout the early morning hours; Resident orcas; a group of Biggs orcas and of course dolphins, lots of dolphins. Now the details. The humpback was active from 2:25am until approximately 4am, - they do seem to be getting their voices ready for the Fall. The Resident orcas came back from eastern Johnstone Strait where they had spent the rest of yesterday and most of this dayÕs morning. At 8:13am Patrick relayed that ten orcas were westbound near Yorke Island in the Sayward region of the Strait. By 11:29am, very faint calls were detected on the Main rubbing beach hydrophone. More than an hour later (12:51pm) a group of orcas was reported heading west from Naka Creek. Quite amazing to think that the reach of the Main beach hydrophone extends that far east! The dolphin calls started not long afterwards. It took a while longer for the A23s to reach the eastern boundary of the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve where the Cliff Research group saw them at 1:47pm. It was 2:17pm when they touched the Main rubbing beach briefly. Just before this occurred the T049As were seen further west at 2:10pm near Kaikash beach. They were also headed west. The A23s passed Strider beach without bothering to rub. They were fairly spread out and had dolphins alongside them as they passed. By 2:30pm, they had disappeared to the west. Attention then shifted back to the Main beach where ÒGÓ clan calls started to be heard. From several previous reports there were several groups making their way west from the Cracroft island shore to Vancouver IslandÕs. With the help of the remote camera a line of orcas offshore proceeded west then made a right angle turn towards the rubbing beaches arriving first at Main at 3:30pm then travelling on to Strider beach a couple of minutes later. There was a very good pass underwater by a couple of the west bound orcas. These I15s became very involved at Strider. Their rub began at 3:35pm and did not end until 3:55pm. Their calls at times were so clear and loud that they echoed back to the Main beach hydrophone. Distant I31s were also heard during this session. The I31s, in reverse of the day beforeÕs parade, were following the I15s and the A23s west and would soon arrive for their turn at the beaches after the I15s moved on. Hard to understand what the dolphins are playing at. They come right in with the orcas at the beaches and are very energetic around them. The orcas seem to respond by moving away offshore then turn back. Sometimes this works and the dolphins ease off but the dolphins seem undeterred most of the time and will carry on flanking the orcas to and fro. The dolphins donÕt ever rub but their body movements through the water create loud water noises at times. At 3:59pm the I31s (specifically the I35s at first) began to rub . Again the orcas looked as if they were playing dodge with the dolphins and this rub was over by 4:08pm. As the orcas streamed past the beaches there would be another quick touch down and then a longer effort from 4:19pm until 4:25pm. A young sea lion poked his head up and watched as the orcas and the dolphins left to the west. Disturbing news was posted that around 3pm a large fuel spill had occurred around the Telegraph Cove area. The westbound T049As were nearby by 3:25pm and the Resident orcas would advance in that direction eventually. Jared Towers, who was out on the water, went by the area later in the afternoon and commented that the gasolene smell was very bad between Telegraph Cove and Alert Bay but that there was no sheen on the water. Before the last rub ended at 4:25pm the A23s had maintained their sizable lead passing Kaizumi and carrying on to the west. The I15s and the following I31s would not get there until around 5:15pm by which time they were quite spread out with groups favouring both shores and mid strait. By 7pm, the lead Resident orcas had arrived off Telegraph Cove with others headed in that direction from across the Strait. Their calls faded soon after 8pm. This is where events of the day ended. A hot shower and sauna were next on the agenda. OrcaLab 31 Aug 2023 10:48:45 PDT August 29 2023 Northern Residents: I33s, I35s, I04s, I27s, I65s, A5 calls heard Humpback Whales: Pacific White-side dolphins YesterdayÕs thunderstorm with its so welcomed rain seemed to wipe the slate clean and bring new life to the Johnstone Strait area. Always harbingers of a sort, dolphins chatted off the far end of the Ecological Reserve from 12:40am until 12:52am and then became distant. Even though the rest of the night was uneventful, change was happening far to the west. Dawn opened to a misty/ smokey morning with two humpback whales travelling slowly in the fog towards the entrance of Blackney Pass at 7am. After a bit of dolphin in Blackfish Sound the orca reports began. Five orcas in Blackfish Sound were headed east. A brief burst of calls and echolocation at 11am announced that ÒG clan orcas were in the neighbourhood. The distant glimpse of two orcas offered insufficient clues as they corrected their movement toward Weynton Pass. Meanwhile, near Kelsey Bay, in the eastern reaches of Johnstone Strait, four unidentified orcas were seen travelling west. At the same time, Kate, at her Bere Point camp, had two other groups come from the west and go in for a brief rub before continuing on into Trinity Bay to the east. She looked at her photos and identified the I65s, I27s and other members of the I15 family. It was Jim BorrowmanÕs turn next. At 11:50am the I33s entered Johnstone Strait from Weynton Passage. They were followed at 12:18 by the rest of the I31 family, the I35s. It was not clear if the I68s were there as well. So by now Johnstone Strait was quite crowded by a parade of whales. The first task at hand was to follow the I31s eastward. Just after 1pm they were mid strait approaching Kaikash Creek. They were moving quickly. As they neared Kaizumi beach to the east at least two had moved closer to the Vancouver Island shore with the intention of going for a rub. The rub lasted until 1:22 pm and involved five individuals. From there, the I31s carried on eastward. The Cliff Research site opposite Robson Bight on Cracroft Island reported their progress to Critical Point at the eastern end of Robson Bight. The whales as we had witnessed on the remote cameras were very spread out. It was now 2:30pm and the I31s were proceeding toward the rubbing beaches. Curiously though they only did a cursory rub at 2:49pm and shifted along to the Main beach where they did not rub either despite their clear and close calls and echolocation. There was a lot of echoing of calls between the two beaches which are in fairly close proximity to each other. By 3:03pm some were ready to commit to a longer, more definite effort at Strider beach. The rub went until 3:30 during which we suspected that the rest of the I31s had caught up to the lead whales who we thought to be the I33s who had already moved on. Eventually, this entire group left to the east. In the next while, a large group of dolphins, favouring the Cracroft Island side, travelled east. Soon after it became apparent that the I15s had arrived in the Strait after taking Weynton Pass like their other ÒGÓ clan members. It was now 4:30pm. It was difficult to assign the few A5 calls heard from this time on. The last sighting of the A23s was yesterday evening when they travelled east past the Boat Bay camp. Was this them returning or had unidentified A25s accompanied the I15 groups into the area? Just too few calls. This was a wait and see, Almost an hour after arriving in the Strait, the I15 groups closed in on the Kaizumi beach area. But they did not rub. Were they just not interested or were they distracted? Once past they made an interesting detour offshore towards other orcas being followed by rushing dolphins. Together they turned inshore once again when past Izumi Rock and resumed going forward toward the Ecological Reserve. A boat had been following them and had actually come in between individuals when the whales did this odd manoeuvre. A5 calls picked up around 6:10pm. By 6:49pm whales were approaching Strider and two minutes later a rub started. This rub, which would have many phases and involve different individuals, really lasted until 8:30pm. The intervals were: 6:51pm to 6:56pm; 7:12pm to 7:40pm; 7:49pm to 7:50pm; 8:01pm to 8:02pm and finally 8:22pm tp 8:30pm. It was noted that sea lions at 6:58pm were amongst the orcas and that at 7:49pm many dolphins (who had followed the orcas from the west) crowded the scene. The orcas dealt with it by going offshore for a moment or two before returning. It was determined that the I15 families, like their I31 predecessors, travelled east from the Ecological Reserve. Their calls faded away by 8:38pm. Only a lone vocal humpback figured during the next portion of the night. At 10:37pm, this humpback made a few quite lovely deep and guttural vocalisations somewhere not far from the Parson Island hydrophone. It was over far too soon leaving only annoyingly persistent loud boat noise to shape the soundscape. We bid Hannah and her family good-by earlier in the day. It was a short but sweet visit. On their way to Telegraph Cove they encountered the incoming I31s. Paul, usually so careful to avoid whales, had not been aware they had already come into Johnstone Strait when he departed. Hannah had delayed the departure in the hope that the whales were going to drop into Blackney Pass and as it was taking too long they left. It was a bit of a surprise to say the least that they saw whales on their way. Fortunately the Warden boat was able to alert them and Paul stopped the boat and waited for the whales to pass. As night fell the near full moon brightened the surrounding clouds and spilled light on to the ocean below. Later we learned that JŽrŽmie and Claire made it back to France! Their journey and this night was almost done. OrcaLab 30 Aug 2023 10:18:50 PDT August 28 2023 Northern Residents: A23s, unidentified group Humpbacks : Fallen Knight, Inukshuk, Quartz, Guardian and baby possibly Pacific White-sided dolphins The last report of the A42s and the Bs, and possibly the I16s and A23s was from Kate who heard their calls near Bere Point just after midnight. At the lab it was an evening of silence on the hydrophones, except of course for boat noise. Just before 8am there was echolocation on the Flower Island hydrophone and at 8:18am A60 was seen heading south at West Pass with the rest of the A23s closer to our side opposite White Beach Pass. There were a few N3 calls, but for the most part they were very quiet. At 8:30am they were spread out in 3 groups from Parsons Light to Parson Island with A60 and A95 in the lead. By 8:45am they had cleared the view of the Lab as they headed towards Johnstone Strait. They angled towards the middle of the Strait between Cracroft and the Sophia Islands. The A5 calls on the Kaizumi hydrophone indicated this movement across the Strait. Due to the amount of smoke in the air it was difficult to see the A23s on the remote camera until they were near Izumi Rock at 9:30am. At 10:43am the Cliff Research site reported the A23s approaching Critical Point (the eastern headland of the Robson Bight). A60 was a bit offshore from the rest of his group the whole time they were easting through Robson Bight. When his family went in for a rub at Strider Fife (A60) did not rub but crossed over to the Cracroft Island side. At 10:50am the rubbing started on Strider, lots of chuffs (displacement of the pebbles), and calls, beautiful footage over the camera and live on www.explore.org. This rub lasted until 11:27am when the orca made a turn back to the west. A60 went under the Cliff on Cracroft Island headed west at 12:21pm. It was 12:45pm before the rest of the A23s approached Kaizumi beach along with a group of Pacific White-sided dolphins. A60, still separated from the group, continued to travel closer to Cracroft Island headed now towards the entrance of Blackney Pass. He and the rest on the other side continued for a while longer to the west. At some point the majority of the group circled around and negotiated a turn back towards the entrance of Blackney Pass along with A60. By 2:30pm the A23s were once again going through Blackney, this time to the north, with A60 leading the way. They were directly in front of the Lab by 2:40pm, mid way, with at least 3 boats following. At 2:50pm they cleared to the north, separated into 3 groups. Soon they were on the Flower Island camera, spread out in Blackfish Sound, with a group of over 40 dolphins. By 3:15pm there were no calls and they were no longer visible. Out of view for some time, they turned back to the south and were now once again in front of the Lab by 4:30pm, not a single call had been heard! As was the theme for the day, A60 was leading, with the rest of the A23s in a tight group, travelling very slowly in a resting line. This was also an entire day of thunder and lightning, very dramatic, but this did seem to have any impact on the whales at all. At one point A60 joined his family, and when this happened they suddenly changed direction that only lasted for a few breaths. Then, with A60 in the group, they continued in slow motion, resting and travelling very relaxed, making long dives, coming to the surface for a few breaths, then back down, side by side. At 5:50pm they cleared into the entrance of Blackney Pass but this time travelled west on the Cracroft remote camera. At some point they changed their minds and a report at 8:10pm from Cliff confirmed that the A23s were easting past their Boat Bay camp, close to the Cracroft shore. We expected to hear calls on one of the rubbing beaches to follow, but the only sound we heard was the continuing thunder, followed by lightning, lasting until 10pm, then all was quiet. OrcaLab 29 Aug 2023 13:21:52 PDT August 27 2023 Northern Residents: A42s (A94), B07s [A23s, I16s, A52s Port Hardy area] Humpbacks: Stitch, Argonaut, Quartz What a difference a day makes. The entries in the log book cover just 3 pages! Theday started promisingly enough with faint calls from the A42s and B07s still in Johnstone Strait at 12:33am. The calls would remain distant until 1:03am. All of this suggested the orcas were to the west and probably moving north into Weynton Pass. A few more unsourced calls occurred at 6:49am. We suspect that the whales had come through to Blackfish Sound and were now headed to Queen Charlotte Strait. Kate at Bere Point saw and identified the A42s and the B07s when they approached Bere Point at 10:23am from the east. They continued west. Later, at 1:12pm they turned and had a long and energetic rub and then turned around to the west once more. The rubbing beach at Bere Point is a concern and great frustration to Kate who camps on the beach in order to monitor whales and keep an eye on humans as well. The beach is open to the Public and attracts many visitors. Despite just plain common sense and KateÕs educational efforts, the whales are often subjected to overly excited people when rubbing happens. It is really too bad because this beach is easily accessible and therefore a privilege to be there. Perhaps people fall victim to believing they can do no harm with their enthusiasm, treating each rubbing event as if it were a show at a captive facility. Too harsh? Not really. This ocean is the orcasÕ home. It is never acceptable to crash into someoneÕs home. If only people understood the benefits of being quiet, still and in awe. The pay off? The moment will, guaranteed, be deeper and more profound - who could ask for anything more than that? Additional notes for the day. Thirty orcas were travelling south-east (an encouraging direction!) at 4:50pm. This turned out to be the A23s with the I16s off Deer Island. The Bs and the A42s were ahead of them resting. The A52s were there as well. Thanks Scotty for this report. Are they on their way back? Maybe - Kate reported late at 11:35pm that there were orcas rubbing again at Bere Point. Arriving just in time for dinner we welcomed Hannah, Indie, Zephyr and Sam for a short visit. OrcaLab 28 Aug 2023 07:53:58 PDT August 27 2023 Northern Residents: A42s (A94), B07s Humpbacks: Stitch, Argonaut, Quartz What a difference a day makes. The entries in the log book cover just 3 pages! Theday started promisingly enough with faint calls from the A42s and B07s still in Johnstone Strait at 12:33am. The calls would remain distant until 1:03am. All of this suggested the orcas were to the west and probably moving north into Weynton Pass. A few more unsourced calls occurred at 6:49am. We suspect that the whales had come through to Blackfish Sound and were now headed to Queen Charlotte Strait. Kate at Bere Point saw and identified the A42s and the B07s when they approached Bere Point at 10:23am from the east. They continued west. Later, at 1:12pm they turned and had a long and energetic rub and then turned around to the west once more. The rubbing beach at Bere Point is a concern and great frustration to Kate who camps on the beach in order to monitor whales and keep an eye on humans as well. The beach is open to the Public and attracts many visitors. Despite just plain common sense and KateÕs educational efforts, the whales are often subjected to overly excited people when rubbing happens. It is really too bad because this beach is easily accessible and therefore a privilege to be there. Perhaps people fall victim to believing they can do no harm with their enthusiasm, treating each rubbing event as if it were a show at a captive facility. Too harsh? Not really. This ocean is the orcasÕ home. It is never acceptable to crash into someoneÕs home. If only people understood the benefits of being quiet, still and in awe. The pay off? The moment will, guaranteed, be deeper and more profound - who could ask for anything more than that? Additional notes for the day. Thirty orcas were travelling south-east (an encouraging direction!) at 4:50pm. Could it be ÒourÓ gang? The A23s,I16s,A42s and B07s number 27 individuals. Are they on their way back? Maybe - Kate reported late at 11:35pm that there were orcas rubbing again at Bere Point. Arriving just in time for dinner we welcomed Hannah, Indie, Zephyr and Sam for a short visit. OrcaLab 28 Aug 2023 07:05:53 PDT August 26 2023 Northern Residents: A42s, B07s (A23s,I16s retreating through Blackfish Sound) Pacific White-sided dolphins With the A23s and the I16s retreating silently through Blackfish Sound after midnight our attention shifted to Johnstone Strait where we knew that the B07s and the A42s remained. An hour went by before Pacific White-sided dolphins preceded the arrival of the B07s from the east. By 1:20am the Bs had moved fully into range of Strider beach hydrophone. Their calls echoed to nearby Main beach as they moved westward. Sure enough their calls next registered on the Kaizumi beach system from 2:25am to 2:30am. Continuing progress west, with perhaps a shift offshore, meant that the Bs were also heard on the Cracroft Point system. For about 20 minutes (from 3:14 - 3:34am) the Bs most likely continued west a while longer. Then at 3:55am faint echolocation on the Kaizumi system indicated that these whales had probably turned and were still offshore of the Vancouver Island shore. From 4am to 5:45am the Bs moved back eastward and found themselves then on the Strider beach where they participated in the first of a series of rubs. This one lasted 24 minutes during which the A42s revealed themselves acoustically at 6:16am. Were they only now coming up from the east or had they been silent partners on the Bs journey west and now east? At 6:20am the A42s were heard on Main beach as well. Some echolocation, calls and observed breaches on the Strider remote hydrophone and camera systems preceded a general travel eastward. It was now 6:28am. It became the A42s turn to rub at 6:37am signalling a quick backtrack to Strider. For their part the Bs were now distant acoustically. The A42s rub lasted 11 minutes. It was over at 6:46am. Once again the whales shifted east. The east-west vacillation continued. At 6:54am a group was seen heading west. The Bs, distant at first on Main beach, jumped in for a three minute Strider rub from 7:49am to 7:52am. They seemed to leave to the west but were not done with the beaches just yet. Sure enough the Bs turned back into Strider at 8:15am and rubbed until 8:21am. Restarting this rub at 8:25am the Bs seemed committed and the rub was quite a beautiful one until dolphins joined the orcas causing some apparent chaos and perhaps helping end this rub at 8:30am. At 8:34am, the orcas did an Òin and outÓ rub and then formed a line along with the dolphins. After a deep dive offshore the orcas came up pointing to the west then turned and had another go at Strider. This rub started at 8:48am and ended at 8:54am. Again the dolphins were right there. As the Bs left west there was a breach perhaps signalling that now it was really time to go and get on with the rest of the morning. The dolphins might just have got the message as they travelled off in the opposite direction. The orcas travelled through the rest of the Reserve very slowly. It was that kind of day! They finally were west of the Reserve in their resting line by 11:33am all the while close to the Vancouver Island shore. A commercial fishing boat setting off Kaizumi might have discouraged the whales from continuing along the shore. B13 or ÒYaculta '' and one other orca were in the lead of the now offshore whales. It was a beautiful passing with the two companion groups in now mixed company as evidenced by A42, A79 and B16 travelling together. It was now 12:11pm. We had a sad departure. Long term assistants JŽrŽmie and Claire left OrcaLab for the start of their journey back to France. They came in June with the intention of staying only one month because they had pressing family events to get back to. They sorted these obligations out and decided to extend their stay. They did this at least twice more before leaving. Thei stay had lasted three wonderful months. Completely impossible to describe all that they did, sufficient to say the summer would have been completely different without them. As a last act JŽrŽmie baked six more loaves of his incredible bread for us to store in the freezer. He had become the LabÕs baker producing fresh bread nearly everyday. We will miss them terribly but hang on to their promise to return to their Canadian home next year. Bon Voyage nos amis, bien amicalement. Past Kaikash Beach our sightlines are quite stretched and because the whales were resting there were no obvious vocals to record and follow their progress easily. In these situations other reports are useful. Finally at 12:49pm word reached us that the two groups were off Telegraph Cove. They stayed in that vicinity with little details offered about their behaviours until 4:20pm after which they negotiated a turn to the east. With their afternoon rest over and perhaps stimulated by the decision to head east the whales became sporadically vocal on their new journey. Because the reach of the Strider beach hydrophone is quite extensive, calls were heard on both Kaizumi and Strider some distance to the west. Then at 5:12pm they gave it a pause and resumed calling only when off the Kaizumi area at 5:55pm. These calls echoed to the Cracroft station. The remote camera confirmed the impression that whales were offshore of Vancouver Island and still eastbound. At least some of the A42s must have advanced ahead of the B07s as they were at Strider from 6:13pm till 6:25pm while the B07s were still further west. The advanced A42s tried out Main beach three minutes after completing their effort at Strider. But this rub was over almost immediately as these whales moved eastward. While all this was happening at the ReserveÕs beaches, the Bs were still evidently closer to Kaizumi. There were some A42 calls heard along with the Bs. We remembered that A42 and A79 had been travelling with B16 so were not too surprised by this mixture of calls. These two matrilines have now spent days in each other's company and quite often it takes orcas some time before they break from their family ranks and begin more intimate socialising. It was a good sign. Just before 7pm the A42s who had been east after their earlier rub returned and passed over Strider beach. The Cliff research site conveyed the information that B13 was mid strait and headed for Robson Bight. At 7:52pm a resting line(that included 8+ individuals as well as B13) formed west of Strider Beach. These whales would begin to rub at 8pm. A42, A94,B13 and A79 were identified. The rub really ended at 8:13pm despite a short a break in between activity. Energetic dolphins once again interrupted the whalesÕ focus on the rub and they pulled away. By 8:26pm they had swung around to the west once more. By 8:34pm we could no longer see them on the remote camera and as they had fallen silent once more the night and the ocean belonged solely to them. OrcaLab 27 Aug 2023 10:48:02 PDT August 26 2023 Northern Residents: A42s, B07s (A23s,I16s retreating through Blackfish Sound) Pacific White-sided dolphins With the A23s and the I16s retreating silently through Blackfish Sound after midnight our attention shifted to Johnstone Strait where we knew that the B07s and the A42s remained. An hour went by before Pacific White-sided dolphins preceded the arrival of the B07s from the east. By 1:20am the Bs had moved fully into range of Strider beach hydrophone. Their calls echoed to nearby Main beach as they moved westward. Sure enough their calls next registered on the Kaizumi beach system from 2:25am to 2:30am. Continuing progress west, with perhaps a shift offshore, meant that the Bs were also heard on the Cracroft Point system. For about 20 minutes (from 3:14 - 3:34am) the Bs most likely continued west a while longer. Then at 3:55am faint echolocation on the Kaizumi system indicated that these whales had probably turned and were still offshore of the Vancouver Island shore. From 4am to 5:45am the Bs moved back eastward and found themselves then on the Strider beach where they participated in the first of a series of rubs. This one lasted 24 minutes during which the A42s revealed themselves acoustically at 6:16am. Were they only now coming up from the east or had they been silent partners on the Bs journey west and now east? At 6:20am the A42s were heard on Main beach as well. Some echolocation, calls and observed breaches on the Strider remote hydrophone and camera systems preceded a general travel eastward. It was now 6:28am. It became the A42s turn to rub at 6:37am signalling a quick backtrack to Strider. For their part the Bs were now distant acoustically. The A42s rub lasted 11 minutes. It was over at 6:46am. Once again the whales shifted east. The east-west vacillation continued. At 6:54am a group was seen heading west. The Bs, distant at first on Main beach, jumped in for a three minute Strider rub from 7:49am to 7:52am. They seemed to leave to the west but were not done with the beaches just yet. Sure enough the Bs turned back into Strider at 8:15am and rubbed until 8:21am. Restarting this rub at 8:25am the Bs seemed committed and the rub was quite a beautiful one until dolphins joined the orcas causing some apparent chaos and perhaps helping end this rub at 8:30am. At 8:34am, the orcas did an Òin and outÓ rub and then formed a line along with the dolphins. After a deep dive offshore the orcas came up pointing to the west then turned and had another go at Strider. This rub started at 8:48am and ended at 8:54am. Again the dolphins were right there. As the Bs left west there was a breach perhaps signalling that now it was really time to go and get on with the rest of the morning. The dolphins might just have got the message as they travelled off in the opposite direction. The orcas travelled through the rest of the Reserve very slowly. It was that kind of day! They finally were west of the Reserve in their resting line by 11:33am all the while close to the Vancouver Island shore. A commercial fishing boat setting off Kaizumi might have discouraged the whales from continuing along the shore. B13 or ÒYaculta '' and one other orca were in the lead of the now offshore whales. It was a beautiful passing with the two companion groups in now mixed company as evidenced by A42, A79 and B16 travelling together. It was now 12:11pm. Past Kaikash Beach our sightlines are quite stretched and because the whales were resting there were no obvious vocals to record and follow their progress easily. In these situations other reports are useful. Finally at 12:49pm word reached us that the two groups were off Telegraph Cove. They stayed in that vicinity with little details offered about their behaviours until 4:20pm after which they negotiated a turn to the east. With their afternoon rest over and perhaps stimulated by the decision to head east the whales became sporadically vocal on their new journey. Because the reach of the Strider beach hydrophone is quite extensive, calls were heard on both Kaizumi and Strider some distance to the west. Then at 5:12pm they gave it a pause and resumed calling only when off the Kaizumi area at 5:55pm. These calls echoed to the Cracroft station. The remote camera confirmed the impression that whales were offshore of Vancouver Island and still eastbound. At least some of the A42s must have advanced ahead of the B07s as they were at Strider from 6:13pm till 6:25pm while the B07s were still further west. The advanced A42s tried out Main beach three minutes after completing their effort at Strider. But this rub was over almost immediately as these whales moved eastward. While all this was happening at the ReserveÕs beaches, the Bs were still evidently closer to Kaizumi. There were some A42 calls heard along with the Bs. We remembered that A42 and A79 had been travelling with B16 so were not too surprised by this mixture of calls. These two matrilines have now spent days in each other's company and quite often it takes orcas some time before they break from their family ranks and begin more intimate socialising. It was a good sign. Just before 7pm the A42s who had been east after their earlier rub returned and passed over Strider beach. The Cliff research site conveyed the information that B13 was mid strait and headed for Robson Bight. At 7:52pm a resting line(that included 8+ individuals as well as B13) formed west of Strider Beach. These whales would begin to rub at 8pm. A42, A94,B13 and A79 were identified. The rub really ended at 8:13pm despite a short a break in between activity. Energetic dolphins once again interrupted the whalesÕ focus on the rub and they pulled away. By 8:26pm they had swung around to the west once more. By 8:34pm we could no longer see them on the remote camera and as they had fallen silent once more the night and the ocean belonged solely to them. August 26 2023 Northern Residents: A42s, B07s (A23s,I16s retreating through Blackfish Sound) Pacific White-sided dolphins With the A23s and the I16s retreating silently through Blackfish Sound after midnight our attention shifted to Johnstone Strait where we knew that the B07s and the A42s remained. An hour went by before Pacific White-sided dolphins preceded the arrival of the B07s from the east. By 1:20am the Bs had moved fully into range of Strider beach hydrophone. Their calls echoed to nearby Main beach as they moved westward. Sure enough their calls next registered on the Kaizumi beach system from 2:25am to 2:30am. Continuing progress west, with perhaps a shift offshore, meant that the Bs were also heard on the Cracroft Point system. For about 20 minutes (from 3:14 - 3:34am) the Bs most likely continued west a while longer. Then at 3:55am faint echolocation on the Kaizumi system indicated that these whales had probably turned and were still offshore of the Vancouver Island shore. From 4am to 5:45am the Bs moved back eastward and found themselves then on the Strider beach where they participated in the first of a series of rubs. This one lasted 24 minutes during which the A42s revealed themselves acoustically at 6:16am. Were they only now coming up from the east or had they been silent partners on the Bs journey west and now east? At 6:20am the A42s were heard on Main beach as well. Some echolocation, calls and observed breaches on the Strider remote hydrophone and camera systems preceded a general travel eastward. It was now 6:28am. It became the A42s turn to rub at 6:37am signalling a quick backtrack to Strider. For their part the Bs were now distant acoustically. The A42s rub lasted 11 minutes. It was over at 6:46am. Once again the whales shifted east. The east-west vacillation continued. At 6:54am a group was seen heading west. The Bs, distant at first on Main beach, jumped in for a three minute Strider rub from 7:49am to 7:52am. They seemed to leave to the west but were not done with the beaches just yet. Sure enough the Bs turned back into Strider at 8:15am and rubbed until 8:21am. Restarting this rub at 8:25am the Bs seemed committed and the rub was quite a beautiful one until dolphins joined the orcas causing some apparent chaos and perhaps helping end this rub at 8:30am. At 8:34am, the orcas did an Òin and outÓ rub and then formed a line along with the dolphins. After a deep dive offshore the orcas came up pointing to the west then turned and had another go at Strider. This rub started at 8:48am and ended at 8:54am. Again the dolphins were right there. As the Bs left west there was a breach perhaps signalling that now it was really time to go and get on with the rest of the morning. The dolphins might just have got the message as they travelled off in the opposite direction. The orcas travelled through the rest of the Reserve very slowly. It was that kind of day! They finally were west of the Reserve in their resting line by 11:33am all the while close to the Vancouver Island shore. A commercial fishing boat setting off Kaizumi might have discouraged the whales from continuing along the shore. B13 or ÒYaculta '' and one other orca were in the lead of the now offshore whales. It was a beautiful passing with the two companion groups in now mixed company as evidenced by A42, A79 and B16 travelling together. It was now 12:11pm. Past Kaikash Beach our sightlines are quite stretched and because the whales were resting there were no obvious vocals to record and follow their progress easily. In these situations other reports are useful. Finally at 12:49pm word reached us that the two groups were off Telegraph Cove. They stayed in that vicinity with little details offered about their behaviours until 4:20pm after which they negotiated a turn to the east. With their afternoon rest over and perhaps stimulated by the decision to head east the whales became sporadically vocal on their new journey. Because the reach of the Strider beach hydrophone is quite extensive, calls were heard on both Kaizumi and Strider some distance to the west. Then at 5:12pm they gave it a pause and resumed calling only when off the Kaizumi area at 5:55pm. These calls echoed to the Cracroft station. The remote camera confirmed the impression that whales were offshore of Vancouver Island and still eastbound. At least some of the A42s must have advanced ahead of the B07s as they were at Strider from 6:13pm till 6:25pm while the B07s were still further west. The advanced A42s tried out Main beach three minutes after completing their effort at Strider. But this rub was over almost immediately as these whales moved eastward. While all this was happening at the ReserveÕs beaches, the Bs were still evidently closer to Kaizumi. There were some A42 calls heard along with the Bs. We remembered that A42 and A79 had been travelling with B16 so were not too surprised by this mixture of calls. These two matrilines have now spent days in each other's company and quite often it takes orcas some time before they break from their family ranks and begin more intimate socialising. It was a good sign. Just before 7pm the A42s who had been east after their earlier rub returned and passed over Strider beach. The Cliff research site conveyed the information that B13 was mid strait and headed for Robson Bight. At 7:52pm a resting line(that included 8+ individuals as well as B13) formed west of Strider Beach. These whales would begin to rub at 8pm. A42, A94,B13 and A79 were identified. The rub really ended at 8:13pm despite a short a break in between activity. Energetic dolphins once again interrupted the whalesÕ focus on the rub and they pulled away. By 8:26pm they had swung around to the west once more. By 8:34pm we could no longer see them on the remote camera and as they had fallen silent once more the night and the ocean belonged solely to them. OrcaLab 27 Aug 2023 10:14:06 PDT August 25 2023 Northern Residents: A23s,A42s,A52s,B07s,I16s Humpbacks: Aquarius, Ripple Pacific White-sided dolphins Around here pretty much every new dayÕs events start where the last one ended. However, on August 25 there was a bit of a break in the activity from about 7:30pm the previous evening until past midnight. We had left off understanding that the B07s and A42s were headed east off Blinkhorn. Their progress after that was obscure. We were given no acoustic clues - our main tool at night. But at 1:07am there were finally some calls and apparently they had not gone far after all, so we picked up their trail as they headed east past the Cracroft Point/Kaizumi area. Progress was far from speedy over the next few hours. More likely they seemed to stall in this general area. Then starting around 4am they became very excited and at 4:18am a few distinctive A4 type calls were evident. Now, it was impossible for us to say exactly who was responsible for these calls. There could be two explanations. The A42s have been travelling with a member of the A4 pod for over two years. ÒMysteryÓ or A94, a young male, naturally belongs to the A24 matriline of the A4 pod and for some unknown reason he decided to join the A42s who are a matriline of the A5 pod. For sure they are cousins, even if only distant ones. It was possible that his voice became stronger in the mix of calls during the excited outpouring by the eastbound orcas. OR, the other explanation might have been that the A52s, who are also members of the A4 pod, had finally returned from the east and were letting their presence be known, causing not only those calls but perhaps the reason for all the excitement as well. Whatever the real story, the B07s and A42s were just after daybreak nearing the eastern end of the Ecological Reserve. The sun had risen bright red, influenced unfortunately by all the wildfires in the Interior. From 7:22am to 7:30am, the B07s rubbed at Strider beach and then one male orca touched down briefly at Main four minutes later. The A42s stayed offshore but continued eastward along with the Bs. All calls ended just before 8am as the whales went out of range. No sign yet of the A52s. Then at 10:05am, the A52s appeared heading west past Boat Bay where many of OrcaLabÕs group had gone and stayed the night on the invitation of the Wardens. The ÒBoat Bay PartyÓ is a long standing tradition. This year the Wardens kindly ferried everyone to and fro just as they had done last year. Unlike last year the weather was very co-operative, calm seas and no fog. Everyone had a lovely time and the westbound whales in the morning were a good reminder to hurry back. By 10:43am the A52s were passing under the Cliff Research camp (part of the Warden programme). By 11:04am Kory reported that they had passed Discovery KayakingÕs camp at the Sophia Islands. Throughout, the A52s were travelling fairly close to Cracroft Island and each other. These orcas made it to the entrance to Blackney Pass and into our view by 11:58am. They were still travelling close together and only made a few calls as they left Johnstone Strait and moved through past the Lab. By 12:22pm they were headed into Blackfish Sound and continued west to Queen Charlotte Strait where the A23s and I16s were spending the day. A few hours passed before any new developments. The A42s and the B07s had not returned and it was not until 4pm before there was any word about the A23s and the I16s. Slow seemed to be a theme for the day. The A23s rolled casually past Bere Point and into Trinity Bay. The I16s, likewise, almost an hour later at 4:50pm, followed suit. They too were in no hurry. Kate guessed, probably correctly, that the A52s were further offshore. Except for the A52sÕ more determined travel through Johnstone Strait earlier, it was a very slow day for the mostly Òtake a breakÓ resting other orcas. We finally heard the A23s and the I16s arrive in Blackfish Sound at 8:02pm. Scotty offered the information that specifically the A23s were eastbound off Bold Head on Swanson Island and that the A52s had earlier gone into nearby Weynton Passage at 7:40pm. The scene had become a little bit livelier with calls and echolocation, but as the light was fading fast we crossed our fingers that the incoming whales would make it to Blackney Pass before dark. They just made it! A60 led his group mid channel just before 9pm. Soon after the dark really closed in. Losing the light was rather nice in the end as the whales favoured the Hanson Island side of mid channel and their blows were clearly heard through the quickly darkening gloom. Megan at Cracroft Point heard the first blows at 9:13pm as the A23s emerged from the Pass amidst a lot of dolphins. But as midnight grew closer the dayÕs story was not yet complete. Although the I16s came into Blackney Pass after the A23s, and we heard their calls as they passed the Lab at 9:21pm and Parson Island at 9:38pm, they never really made it to the Strait. By 11:23pm they were back in Blackfish Sound and had seemingly drawn the A23s back along with them. OrcaLab 26 Aug 2023 09:39:58 PDT