Killer whales and humpback whales are often seen during our wildlife tours. There are resident whales and transient whales that can be seen feeding and playing in our waters.
On or whale watching trips we travel to BC’s Johnstone Strait area to watch (visit) the killer whales but some days we are the ones being visited. If you use the map mentioned in yesterday’s post you will be able to view the whale watching area. On this day I was photographing orcas near the bow of the boat with one of the guests and turned to call the other guest to come forward and found that it was not necessary. See tomorrow’s post…
This is the reason to park the boat in the area of a bait ball but not on top of the ball. A humpback whales is very aware of its surroundings but I do not wish to test their awareness with the bottom of my boat because I think we might lose. Although it appears that this lunging humpback missed many of the herring it must have got enough to satisfy itself because there was not a second lunge.
By definition: A bait ball, or baitball, occurs when small fish swarm in a tightly packed spherical formation about a common center. It is a last-ditch defensive measure adopted by small schooling fish when they are threatened by predators. The occurrences of a herring ball is very common in the area we go for whale watching but photographs are not as common. Not common because bait balls attract whales and you do not want to be sitting over a ball of herring when a whale decides to feed. So we only approach the bait ball when there are no whales in sight and that does not happen often. See tomorrow’s post…
It is mid September at Grizzly Bear Lodge as one of the local fishing lodges is being towed back to its protected winter base. Aside from the variety of marine wildlife (orca, humpback whales, seals, sealions, dolphins, porpoise, bald eagles, many different water birds, swimming black bears) this area also has “work” related activities: commercial fishing; tugs towing floats, barges, log booms; cruise ships; seaplanes arriving and departing etc. That is to say there is never a dull moment on a tour and many opportunities for interesting photos.
Most often when humpback whales do their slapping they are nose down or hanging in the water. They may slap in an anterior or posterior position (belly or back) and either way it is loud. As with orca tail slapping humpbacks can be heard underwater by other whales many miles away so it may be used for communication or remove a build up of parasites and barnacles from the tail. The reason is interesting and the photos can be sensational.
Tail-Lobbing, Lobtailing, Tail-Slapping all means the same. This action is when an orca slaps its tail against the surface. It can get pretty loud, so some scientists think its probably a method of communication. The whales might also be trying to get rid of unwanted parasites, or they might just enjoy slapping the water! This killer whale is slapping just off the stern of our boat. Note that orca tend to be on their back when tail slapping….
All wildlife we view on our tours has its comfort zone and when something encroaches they become concerned. This grizzly bear was on the beach eating sedge grass when something behind it got its attention….
Today’s posted photo was takes just a few minutes after yesterdays posted photo. As a guide it is ideal to find a herring ball because herring are a humpback whales primary food. And if you station your boat near the herring a whale will come to feed. That is like “A Field of Dreams – build it and they will come”.
The interesting aspect of this photo taken on a whale watching safari is that Glen managed to catch a seagull with two herring in its mouth. Also interesting is the importance of finding a herring ball while whale watching because this leads to really interesting photo as tomorrow’s post will show…
Interesting in that the only place the photo could have been taken was from the viewing stands we use on our grizzly bear tours. The slightly downward angle with the bushes in the back ground means Glen was about 3.5 meters (yards) in the air. Like the posting from the 15th there are always interesting subjects when one tires or wants a change from grizzlies and a heron is a change.
Just like that our season has come to an end. I would like to thank all of our wonderful guests and staff who made this year a huge success. I am happy to stay that all of our team is planning to return next season. We are actively taking bookings, with dates starting June 1 2025. Hope to see many of you next season.
The wildlife viewing this season was awesome. A couple highlights that come to mind was the shear number of salmon in our local rivers, as well as the abundance of Resident Orca. With salmon returns being so strong this year, we were happy to see bears in excellent condition. By the end of our season most of the bears had packed on a lot of weight and were getting very “picky” about what parts of the salmon they would eat. Hopefully this will translate into more cubs being born this winter. Another positive was the weather conditions. We had enough rain to keep our fire risks low and it made for some excellent wild berries. The bears took full advantage of this, with the berry season extending far past its normal conclusion. This did mean that we had to work hard to find bears during our summer season, (as they were often feeding on the berries deep into the forest), but moving forward it is excellent that they had such an abundant food supply. The Humpbacks also didn’t disappoint, with great numbers and a few new calves returning with their mothers to feed. After a slower year for resident Orca sightings, this season was one of the best that I can remember. In fact as Im writing this the A62 and A23’s are still being spotted in the area by dedicated biologists. Strong numbers of Chinook and Chum salmon are providing them with a steady food source. There are a lot of positive signs and we are hopeful that 2025 will be another great season.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We plan on having a new cedar front deck built in time for the 2025 season, as well as new ceilings and paint in parts of the lodge and rooms. Theres always projects on the go.
Felix, Julien, Ryan, Zack and Myself all look forward to welcoming guest in June. See everyone soon.
Angus Reid
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