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.
In the Knight Inlet area it is rare to see Black Bears feeding on salmon in the river. The reason for this is that the Grizzly Bears are the dominant bears and push the black bears out of these prime areas. The Black Bears tend to be more spread out and when the tide is low we often spot them rolling rocks on the beach looking for shore crab.
Some photos capture the majesty of the orca. This is a large male coming for a closer look. Often the best approach to viewing marine life in the area between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast is to sit quietly in the boat with engine turned off and allow visitors approach. Lunchtime on a whale watching tour involves drifting and waiting. Photos by
Peter Palstring 5-6
When the humpbacks feed they often lunge out of the water very quickly consuming as many herring as possible. Another lazier technique is to use the current to their advantage. The whales poke their mouth out of the water slowly, open and close it and let the current deliver krill and small baitfish to them. Although not as dramatic it is equally impressive and much easier to see and photograph.
The Humpback Whales that frequent the waters near the lodge are migratory. Most of the whales in our area head to Hawaii in the winter to mate and have their calves. Biologists are able to identify these whales by taking pictures of the underside of their fluke (tail). These markings are unique and once the whale is mature will not change. They are catalogued and separated according to region and the percentage of white and dark colours. This whale is known as “Guardian.” She is frequently spotted in our waters and has been returning for several years.
The Great Blue Heron is another bird that we see commonly on out tours. Like the eagle they are opportunistic feeders and are quite proficient at catching small fish. In the ocean they will often sit on kelp or logs and look for unsuspecting fish. In the rivers they hunt for fry (young salmon) and other small fish such as stickleback. Thanks to Felix for the great picture.
The Bald Eagle is a very prominent bird in our area. It takes them approximately 5 years to get their white head and white tail feathers. Before that they are a drab brown colour and often look larger then their adult counterparts because of their “poofy plumage.” The eagles mate for life and it is very hard to tell male from female, although the female is usually larger. We see them on all our tours both in Johnstone Strait and Knight Inlet.
This is a picture of the Humpback Whale known as Guardian breeching in Queen Charlotte Strait. What you can’t tell from the picture is that there is a group of Pacific White Sided Dolphins harassing her. Both dolphins and Sea Lions have been know to pester Humpbacks and Resident (fish eating) Orca. Why they do this is still up for debate. She did several breeches and tail slaps in an effort to shake the annoying dolphins.
Thanks to Julie for giving us this three part picture of a bald eagle taking flight. They truly are a beautiful bird and we are lucky to have such a healthy population in our area. Guides often joke “we only point out the first twenty”
Fish and birds aren’t the only ones who feed on herring balls. Humpbacks often do what is called a lunge feed where they come up from underneath the herring ball with their mouth open and try to consume as many fish as possible. Often when we are out whale watching you will see gulls feeding on a herring ball. When the birds lift off the water it usually means one of two things. Either the fish have dispersed or there is a whale coming up for a snack.
Out in Johnstone Strait it is common to get what are called “herring balls.” Basically these are schools of small baitfish that have been pushed to the surface by fish and diving birds such as aucklets and murrelets. The fish appear to boil on the surface and are easy prey for gulls and bald eagles.
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
Visit our Blog