Tag Archives: Humpback Whales

Herring balls and humpback whales

Humpback Lunge

The seagulls in this photo are the key to good whale watching. Humpback whales in our area feed on herring. Diving ducks attack the herring from below and their defence is to form a tight mass of revolving herring (a herring ball) which moves to the surface. When the herring near the surface the gulls attack from above and that is what your guide wants to see. Once the gulls are spotted it is necessary to move toward the herring ball without making the ball disperse and then wait for a humpback whale to lunge up and eat the herring. On this attempt the humpback was faster than the guide to reach the herring so our view was from the distance but if you check the post’s from April 6th and 7th you can see that is not the norm.

 

 

Humpback Whale Lunge Feed 2 of 2

Humpback lunge feeding

The joy of being able to spend time with the humpback whales in the viewing area used by Grizzly Bear Lodge is the variety of experiences that happen each tour. Aside from watching the whales lunge feed in the dramatic photo form yesterday’s post to the more sedate lunge in today’s post is the variety of other wildlife. Wildlife such as orca / killer whales, Stellar sealions, harbour seals, porpoise, dolphins, bald eagles, variety of sea birds and frequently black bears.

 

 

Humpback Whale Lunge Feed 1 of 2

Humpback whale lunge

At first glance it is hard to make sense of this picture. Sure it is something coming out of the water and that does look like a large pectoral fin but what is happening. A humpback whale (not too far from the boat) is making a sideways lunge through a ball of herring and turning at the same time. Tomorrow’s photo is more sedate

 

A Wary Grizzly Bear

Grizzly bear river walker

The first half of the viewing season from Grizzly Bear Lodge is spent in the Glendale River and it’s estuary. We travel up Knight Inlet in the morning for about an hour and fifteen minutes and tie to a float in the mouth of the river and transfer to a smaller 5.5 meter (yard) skiff to travel up the river. The river is a pathway for the bears as they are either coming to the estuary for the sedge grass and to turn over rock in search of other protein or returning to high ground as the tide rises. As the tide rises your guide is in the water slowly pulling the skiff up river were we meet bears either coming or going.

 

Humpback Whale Backward Tail Lobbing

Humpback tail lobbing

Yes that humpback whale is slapping the water with the upper-side of its tail. That means that it is on its back and slapping downward. With the increase number of humpback whales that spend the summer in our viewing area, often viewing ten or twelve whales each trip; we view more interesting behaviour. In the past summer tail lobbing, lunge feeding and breaching are common place. For the first time there has been a whale bubble feeding and this is a rare behaviour. Rare because it is one whale bubble feeding rather than a group. The whale swims in a circle blowing bubbles to keep the herring inside the ring and then turns and lunges up through it’s own bubbles.

 

My Camera vs guest camera 2 of 2

Humpback lunge

Comparing yesterday’s post and today’s there is not much room for a comment. The only comment is that we often view a dozen of more different humpback whales each day and frequently they are lunge feeding close to our boat, which provides opportunities for “bucket list” photographs.

 

My Camera vs guest camera 1 of 2

Humpback Whales lunging

My camera is a smaller Pentax Optio waterproof camera that is great for getting the perspective and a close up if the object is close. Also good or grandkids and general scenery. Tomorrow’s post the guest’s photo.

 

Humpback Whale Feeding

Humpback Whale under jaw

That is the underside of a humpback whale’s lower jaw as it lunges out of the water with a mouth full (minus one) herring. Getting into position for the picture is easier than getting the picture. As a guide I keep a look out for diving seagulls, which gives me the location of a herring ball. Next you try to get close to the herring ball before a humpback whale beats you to the herring ball. After that it is a matter of waiting for the gulls to lift off the water just before the whale lunges.  My job is complete all the guests needs to do is have perfect timing and an excellent eye mixed with luck.  My photography relies mostly on the luck.

 

 

Perfect identification photo

Humpback Whales fluke

“Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate between high latitude summer feeding grounds and low latitude winter breeding grounds. In the North Pacific, winter breeding grounds are known in waters off Japan, Hawaii and Mexico; summer feeding grounds are found in coastal waters of Alaska, British Columbia and the western mainland United States. Researchers use photographs of the ventral surface of the tail flukes to identify and track movements of individual whales and to estimate abundance. Patterns of pigmentation, scarring and shape of the flukes are unique to each individual.” From Fisheries and Oceans Canada website.

Over the past five years more and more humpback whales are spending the summer in the area near Grizzly Bear Lodge in Knight Inlet so that it is common to see more than a dozen whales on a days whale watching safari.

 

 

Humpback Whale Breaching

Humpback Whale Breaching

This was an interesting morning off the end of Craycroft Point that juts out into Johnstone Strait. We were watching some orca feeding in the ripe tide as well as a humpback whale. These were resident or salmon eating orca so no threat to the humpback but it was repeatedly breach as if to scare the orca from the area but it was not working. The highest count I got was nine breaches in a row. This breach was mid-way in a sequence were the whale was coming out of the water and down with a loud slap.  The guest got many excellent photos, which put mine to shame, but then I always use the excuse “I was running the boat.”