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.

Humpback whale diving

Humpback coming HB under Boat

I am sure that this is not an over active imagination.  The first photo shows a humpback whale starting a dive not far from our boat.  The closeness to the kelp bed and the number of years fishing in the area I know that the water is no over 60 feet (20 meters) deep so the whale cannot dive that deep. In the second photo just to the left of the bow light one can see several small patches of white on the humpbacks pectoral fin as it passes beneath the bow. If you strain hard enough one can see an outline of the whale; we saw it in real time I just hope the camera has captured the image.

 

 

 

Orca breaching

orca

Books on whales and dolphins are full of pictures of breaching mammals. It is hard to imagine the number of hours it took and pictures, which were taken prior to digital camera to get one good photo. Spending three to four months each summer working for Grizzly Bear Lodge with many of those whale watching I know that a breach is not that common.  The breaches that occur do not come with a five minute warning in fact most good photos are a result of “right place right time” with allot of luck added.

Black bear ready for hibernation

Fat Black Bear

Not the sharpest picture but it was taken in mid September to show a black bear with enough fat to hibernate. This bear is big enough to challenge a sub-adult grizzly.  Several years ago there was a large black bear that did just that for the first part of the viewing season in the Glendale River estuary, the main area for observing grizzly. The first part of the season is mostly mothers with new and one year old cubs and some three and four year old grizzlies.  The black bear mentioned managed to claim its part of the beach until one of the breeding male grizzly appeared and that was the last we saw of the black bear. It is interesting to note that the bear in this picture does not have access to the salmon rivers because of the grizzlies so its bulk is from grass, beach protein and berries.  Once the berries appear in June they last through the fall.  There are a variety of berries including; huckleberry, salmonberry, blackberry, salal berry, thimbleberry, and elderberry all within a short walk from the lodge.

Killer whales (orca) passing astern

orca por passing
Click to enlarge then click again

The overcast day may not seem too appealing unless you think about taking pictures from a boat.  On bright days it is necessary to have the sun at your back or the reflection off the water will make picture taking difficult if not impossible. Marine mammals often change their direction of travel without notice and do not always cooperate in getting the boat in the right position. On a dull day their cooperation is not necessary. Again the motor in the picture is to provide an indication of the nearness of the orca pod.

 

Lunch visitor – Harbour seal

Harbour Seal

Not quite as dramatic or exciting as the previous post and the humpback whale visiting but still unique.  Another day and a picnic with a visit from a harbour seal. This is the only time I have had a seal intentionally come this close.  Harbour seals by nature are very timid and shy away from boats. However this one appears small and therefore young and may have not learned to fear boats. The advantage of sitting quietly and having lunch in an area with allot of marine wildlife.

Lunch visitor – Humpback

Humpback whale closethumpback in kelp

Click either photo to enlarge then click again

Picnic lunches on the whale watching tour can be interesting. I normally take a bathroom break around eleven of eleven-thirty in Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island.  Guests have time to have a coffee or hot chocolate and walk the boardwalk to visit the shops or museum. The stay is as long as you wish to make it, as we are not on a tight schedule unless it is your last day and then we need to be back at the lodge for the plane by three o’clock. Lunch is back on the water and this day it was at Bold Head in Blackfish Sound.  We had tied to a kelp bed and were watching the whales in the distance when we had a visitor. As the pictures show a humpback came into the kelp to roll and play close to the boat (maybe twenty feet – eight meters) off the bow. I took the picture with a guest’s head in the shot to give perspective as to the distance. The whale stayed close for at least twenty minutes until another boat came into the area.  It was a memorable experience.

 

Black Bear ancestry – proof?

Black Bear

The picture that supports the speculation of scientists:“Most black bears are black with a light brown muzzle and often have a white V-shaped fur patch on their chest. The North American black bear Ursus americanus is the smallest and the most widespread bear species found in North America. Its ancestors are believed to have crossed into North America over the Bering Land Bridge.” (from http://www.bearsoftheworld.net)

“Asian black bears are medium-sized bears that inhabit parts of southeast Asia and the Russian Far East. Asian black bears have a patch of yellowish-white fur on their chest and a black body. They resemble American black bears in body shape and behavior. Asian black bears feed on a variety of plant materials including bamboo shoots, leaves, herbs, grasses, fruits and nuts.” ( from About.com Animals / Wildlife)

Every tour from the lodge is a black bear tour as they are most often seen along the shore at low tide turning over rocks in search of food. These bears do not have access to the salmon spawning rivers as they are under the protection of the grizzly bear.  For a grizzly a black bear would be food for several days.

Killer whales pass under the boat

Orca passing

As I have stated many time in this blog one of the most effective whale watching techniques is to do nothing.  Drifting while eating the picnic lunch we are often visited by humpback whales, steller sea lions, and harbour seals.  The orca (killer whale) is by nature curious and a stationery boat off to one side of a traveling pod is frequently a thing of interest. This photo demonstrates this philosophy as an orca passes beneath the boat and then returns to join its pod.

Lunch visitors – sealions

sea lions visiting
Click to enlarge then click again

A raft of sealions in the water on land they would be a colony. Steller sealions are the largest of all sea lions and they have an appetite to match. These giant pinnipeds are carnivores and hunt fish, squid, octopus and rarely smaller seals. They are found off northern Pacific coasts from Alaska to California. In the past few years more of these sea lions are remaining in our viewing area all summer rather than continuing their trek from California to Alaska in the spring and then rejoin their south bound relatives in the fall. The area adjacent to Stubbs Island near Telegraph Cove BC is a popular haul out area for this small summer colony numbering up to three dozen mammals.  On a calm day we will tie to the kelp and have lunch and often visitors.

Black Bear pose

Black Bear Headless

Fortunately this is not a permanent pose only a common position we often find bears using on our tours.  At low tide bears come to the beach for food and that requires them to turn over rocks to get at the high protein crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. Rocks roll easier down hill so we often have a great view of their backside. This black bear like others will eventually move to another rock and prove more photogenic. The good aspect of this photo is that it shows we are not interrupting their feeding or disturbing their natural habits as the motto we tend to use as guides is “ Leave them as we find them.” Part is we want to be able to come back to the same area another day and not to have the bears run when we approach but the main reason is that it is good stewardship.