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.

Whale watching – Florence and Ray 8

humpback near boat
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While on our whale watching day we managed to see stellar sealions, harbour seas, eagles and a few dolphins but all these are hard to compare to a humpback whale rising out of the water behind the boat while we are taking a lunch break. The important part of the previous sentence is the word “day”. We are not limited to as four-hour tour like the companies from Telegraph Cove or Port McNeil nor do we arrive late in the morning and have to leave early as the companies that travel from a greater distance. We are close to the viewing area, approximately 50 minutes, and unless it is your departure day there is no set time to return to camp so if the activity occurs later in the day we are later returning to the lodge.

Whale watching – Florence and Ray 7

whale of a tail
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Florence and Ray’s whale watching day was also blessed with a very active humpback calf that spend part of it’s day entertaining us with a number of fluke (tail)) slaps. For some reason it would repeatedly (ten or twelve times in a row) slap the water stop for a few minutes and then repeat the process.

 

Whale watching – Florence and Ray 6

very close whale
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As mentioned in yesterday’s post it was an active day for the humpback whales.  Our lunch break is often in the area of Bold Head where we set up a table in the boat and drift with the tide and the whales.  With the motor turned off and no noise but the water lapping against the boat we often have visitors. On this whale watching tour we had a humpback whales lunge feed directly behind the boat. As you can see humpback whales are baleen feeders straining water through their baleen.  Note also the white of the pectoral fin extending beneath the back of the boat.  The whales know our exact position but as our motor is turned off we are not a threat rather like a drifting log.

Black bear with triplets

black bear family on rocks
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Guest first evening in the lodge normally means a local area tour to find black bears. The hour plus boat ride lets guests get comfortable with the boats and guides as well as a chance to see some wildlife such as harbour seals, eagles, black bear and learn a little history of the surrounding area. At certain times of the season the hardest animal to find is the black bear.  This is late July and early August when all the berries are ripe and bears are less likely to come to the beach looking for food.  This photo is in the spring as the cubs are still quite small.  Triplets are not very common for black bears but more so for grizzly bears.

Humpback Whale breaching close to boat

close breachinf whale
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As the blog writer and guide I have frequently mentioned that the best strategy in whale watching is to do nothing. Doing nothing means once the whales are located it is often best to sit in a quite boat and let the whales carry on with their natural activity without the noise of boats moving around. This is especially effective if you are the only boat in the area. Besides providing the guests with opportunities for great photos it gives me time to play with my Pentax Optio (6mp 3Xoptical zoom) and get a shot like the one posted. If I am able to do this with a “point and shoot” imagine what guests are able to do with the cameras they normally have.

White-side dolphin pod

leaping dolphins
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Great photo of a pod of pacific white-side dolphins which frequent the waters of British Columbia’s coast. The average pod size for pacific white-sided dolphins is 10-100, but they can be found gathered in pods of thousands of individuals. These dolphins commonly leap (breach) and somersault and may also ride the bow and stern waves created by boats. This photo shows the dolphins surging forward as a pod as they search for food (herring) along the shore.  While engaged in this activity they travel at about nine miles an hour but have clocked speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

Male orca

killer whale breath
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A male killer whale’s dorsal fin can grow to as much as two meters (6 feet) tall. Despite the fact that the dorsal fin is very straight, it is primarily made of cartilage. Orcas travel in deep water and this water provides pressure to the fin, keeping the tissues inside healthy and straight. This photo shows the difference in size between and adult male and female orca’s dorsal fin.

Summer of the Wolf

wolf summer
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Guests in the lodge often ask about wolves.  The wolves located along the coast are referred to as Rainforest Wolves that take to the sea, swimming among forested islands to feed themselves. These wolves make more than 75% of their living from marine resources like salmon, beached whales and seals. The most common question is how often do you see wolves and the answer is rarely, I have guided for Grizzly Bear Lodge nine seasons full time and also spent several weeks every summer in Knight Inlet for more than twenty-five years and had seen wolves twice until this year. This year I had two good views of wolves and Angus and Ed three more.  This picture taken by Angus was at the mouth of the Glendale River on a grizzly bear tour where along with the guests the wolf was watched for more than fifteen minutes. Truly a rare sight.

Stellar sealions

male sea lion
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Steller sea lions are the largest eared seals in the world. They are sexual dimorphic, meaning the males are noticeably larger than the females. A distinguishing characteristic of male Steller sea lions is their thick mane of coarse hair. Males can weigh up to 1,120 kilograms (2,500 pounds); whereas; females weigh up to 350 kilograms (770 pounds). Pups range from 16 to 22.5 kilograms (35 to 50 pounds). Males can reach lengths up to 3 to 3.4 meters (10 to 11 feet), while females reach 2.3 to 2.9 meters (7.5 to 9.5 feet). The coloring of the adult Steller sea lions ranges from light blonde to reddish brown, with slightly darker coloration of the chest and stomach. The stellar sealions can be found in our viewing areas all year but are more abundant in the spring and fall when they are travelling between Alaska and California. They spend time in the area to rest and feed while moving between the two areas.

Orca spyhop

spyhopping orca
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“When spyhopping, the whale rises and holds position partially out of the water, often exposing its entire rostrum and head, and is visually akin to a human treading water. Spyhopping is controlled and slow, and can last for minutes at a time if the whale is sufficiently inquisitive about whatever (or whomever) it is viewing.

Generally, the whale does not appear to swim to maintain its “elevated” position while spyhopping, instead relying on exceptional buoyancy control and positioning with pectoral fins. Typically the whale’s eyes will be slightly above or below the surface of the water, enabling it to see whatever is nearby on the surface.

Spyhopping often occurs during a “mugging” situation, where the focus of a whale’s attention is on a boat rather than on other nearby whales. Spyhopping among orcas may be to view prey species. For this a spyhop may be more useful than a breach, because the view is held steady for a longer period of time.” From Wikipedia