These two photos show some thing that is pretty obvious but if you are much further away it is hard to tell what is making the white water. Pacific white sided dolphins may travel in pods of twenty-five to over one thousand. In either case they seem to like playing with a moving boat. After guest spend time with the dolphins it is hard to make their day get any better but we keep trying.
Unlike humpback whales the tail slapping of killer whales seems to be a playful activity of the Northern Resident Whales we watch. It can occur when they are close to your whale watching boat even if their are no other pods of orca in the area. The underside is mainly white in contrast to the black from the top of their tail. This behaviour is less frequent than with the humpbacks.
Their is no consensuses amount the scientific community for tail slapping or lobtailing by humpback whales. The reasons range from communication to feeding habits. In our viewing area of the Johnstone Strait it seems to occur more often on days with a little chop on the water. The reasons is not as important as the fact that it happens three or four times a week and is always spectacular. And even more attention getting is that it is often accompanied by breaching.
Reporting a pectoral fin as an orca dorsal fin will lead to several days of radio talk about ones eye sight and value as a guide. The best policy is to make sure one see the “complete mammal” before reporting.
Humpback whales have extraordinarily long pectoral fins, nearly one third the length of the whale. The length and shape of the pectoral fins facilitate the graceful movement humpbacks are known for, even allowing the whale to swim backwards and turn on a dime. These long pectoral fins are where humpbacks get their scientific name Megaptera novaeangliae or “big-winged New Englander”. On foggy mornings they have been reported as killer whale dorsal fin as will be shown in the next posting….
Yes that is the spotlight on the bow of our boat. The goal was the bald eagle flying our way that was about to come down on to the herring ball where the ducks are located. The eagle was a little slow as the humpback came up for lunch. When photographing eagles, orca, whales, seal, sea lions, dolphins or any other “wildlife” it is best to adopt the boy scout motto and “Be prepared.”.
The most popular theory is that orca eye-spots protect their actual eyes by providing a false target (prey animals will often attack the eyes of their predators). But then if they did not have the eye patch it wouldn’t it be harder to find the eyes? Some scientists believe that the eye-spots might help other orca recognize body orientation in dark or murky water. The reason is not the important part but the fact that lodge guests want pictures of the orca’s eye spot as they surface is important. It is harder than one might expect as orca do not give much of a warning when they plan to surface.
A sea lion haul-out is an interesting place to visit but you would not choose it as a good location for a picnic lunch. First is the constant roar. Scientist say roaring is a way that they can protect their territory when they feel threatened. This is often enough to get both humans and other animals to leave them alone. There are many sites on “YouTube” that give you an idea of the volume of the roar but nearly all of them are for “one” seal lion whereas most of the time we are viewing thirty or forty sea lions. Second is the smell. Enough said.
I have been guiding whale watching and grizzly bear trips at the lodge for over fifteen years and I still am impressed when a humpback whale is feeding less than 20 meters (60 feet) from the boat. As majestic as the killer whale is on the water the humpbacks with all their lobtailing and feeding are slowing becoming a favourite of our guests.
There were four or five orca close to the stern of the boat but I only managed to catch one in the photo. Some times the grass is green on the other side of the fence.
Just like that another season has come to an end. We are grateful for all the wonderful staff and the guests this season. It was an excellent season and we are already looking forward to next May.
One of the highlights of the season was all of the new cubs out. It was awesome to see so many new cubs of the year and that is great news for our bear populations moving forward. We had great spring viewing and this continued through summer. On our river trips we started to see salmon arriving in August and enjoyed some great shoulder season viewing. The fish at the viewing platforms were a little late showing up this year, but viewing during late September at the platforms was great and the estuary viewing remained strong throughout the season.
Out in the whale watching world it was another year that saw large numbers of resident Orca who remained in the area right into October. The Humpback viewing was also great with large numbers feeding in Blackfish Sound. It is so amazing to have these magnificent animals back in our waters in such numbers.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We rebuilt the front deck last spring, utilising cedar cut on site. We will continue with some siding, rooms improvements and hopefully a floating sauna ready for the start of our season.
2026 is already looking like a very busy season for us. We only have limited high season availability so please book early to ensure we have space for your group.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid
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