We were working our way up Blackfish Sound looking for some killer whales reported to be in the area when we came upon a Steller sea lion. This sea lion cam within 5 meters (yards) of the back of the boat, of course I missed that photo. Sea lions are very curious and if you sit quietly in a boat they will approach quite close.
Whale Watching
We’re not all about the bears, whales are abundant here too!
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.
Good Day 1 of 4
This day started with a black bear on the beach in Clio Channel behind the Grizzly Bear Lodge. It was a very obliging bear in that it did not mind us getting good photographs. My goal when watching any wildlife is “to leave it as I find it”. If you cannot do that you are disturbing the flow of nature and the economic sense is that it will not be there the next time one wants to watch.
“Fluke” Shot
Some of our guests were very lucky to have a great phot opportunity with this Humpback Whale on a beautiful morning in Blackfish Sound. These whales frequent our waters during our season to feed on krill and small fish, such as herring. I hope they managed a good picture.
Our Staff
Our crew has been with us for an average of over 10 years. We have witnessed a huge increase in interest in wildlife viewing over the past years and have been fortunate to see some amazing success stories, with increased numbers of Grizzly Bears and Humpback Whales in our area. I’m on the left pulling the boat in at the lodge, and my brother cam is on the right at telegraph cove, stretching the legs after a morning of whale watching.
All photos: Rainer Beck, Bornheim, Germany
Humpback Whales Lunge Feed
This view of a humpback whales lunge feeding is from the top of it’s head. One can see the baleen hanging down over the lower jaw. As the mouth closes the water is forced out through the baleen and the herring are trapper inside to provide another meal. These whales have become common in out viewing area so we often see eight to ten different whales on a viewing day.
Driving Photo’s 2 of 2
However in this case you can see the wash from the boat so we were moving when the pacific white sided dolphins came to play. There were a number of pods is our area this summer. Confusing is the definition of a pod: “A group of dolphins is called a pod. A pod usually is formed of around 12 dolphins and it is the usual social group of dolphins. However, when a group of pods join in places with abundance of food, they can reach up to one thousand individuals forming a large group which is called a super pod.” The confusion it that our pods normally contain between fifty to one hundred dolphins which may be a result of the “abundance” of food in our viewing area.
Driving Photo’s 1 of 2
It is a good thing that there has not been a law passed about taking one handed photos while driving a boat – or I would miss some of my better opportunities. This is a dall’s porpoise that came to visit while we were waiting for a humpback whale to surface so I really was not driving….
Bald Eagle Sharing Catch
I always try to find an interesting location to eat our picnic lunch on a whale watching tour. This day it was with a mother bald eagle that had just caught a small salmon and was sharing her catch with this years offspring. When any animal / bird has food and you are not intrusive they tend to ignore your presence so we enjoyed watching this exchange of food for about thirty minutes.
Whales Close 2 of 2
In this case the boat’s antenna helps to obscure the humpback whale fluking, however the intent of the photo is again to show that on occasion we do get close to that we are viewing. As the guide and picture taker it is often a “shot from the hip” rather than a planned and timed photo. Guest safety is number one priority over a good photo.
Whales Close 1 of 2
It must be another misty August morning in Johnstone Strait with a pod of killer whales on their rounds. The metal bar in the corner to the picture is the mount that holds the radar on my boat and gives an indication of the nearness of the orca. By noon the mist will have “burned off” to gives us another nice after noon to locate humpback whales, Steller seal ions, bald eagles etc. …
