Tag Archives: Orca

Biggs Orca

In our area we have two types of Orca. We have the residents and the Biggs (aka transient). Although quite similar in size and appearance their behaviour is quite different. The resident Orca show up in the summer and usually remain in the area until the fall. The Residents feed exclusively on fish, and enter the area to feed on salmon. Their primary food source is the chinook salmon, which is the largest of the 5 species. To a lesser extend they also feed on other types of salmon, lingcod, squid and various other species of fish. They will never feed on marine mammals and despite their name tend to leave the area during the winter months. They are very social and often vocalise. On the other hand the Biggs can be spotted year-round. They feed on marine mammals with harbour seals (like the ones in the picture) being their main food source, although propose, dolphins, sea lions and otters are also commonly on the menu. These animals are much “stealthier”, traveling quickly and vocalising much less. This is because they are on the hunt for mammals which can detect their calls. The Biggs below circled this particular rock several times, but in this case were unsuccessful in catching a seal off guard.

The Biggs Orca were named after Dr. Micheal Bigg who pioneered Orca research in the area. He realised that individual whales can be identified by their dorsal fin and saddle patch. This led to the creation of a thorough catalogue of animals and their family structures, which are organised by clans, pods and matrilines.

Awsome photos

hb lunge
Click to enlarge then click again

orca and calf
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Two incredible photographs the first being a humpback whale lunging through a ball of herring directly toward the boat. A perfect photo showing the herring in the spray, the baleen along the lower jaw and the growth on the pectoral fins. The second shows a female orca coming out of the water on its back with a calf on its belly. A unique photo that I have never seen duplicated or heard of from another guide in the area. Comparing the two photos one would say the humpback is much clearer, more close-up and would win as a photo until you were told that the orca photo was taken twenty of more years ago on 35mm film. So no second chance or multiple digital shots just a once in a lifetime photo.

Glassy Calm Whale Watching in Blackfish Sound

On the coast the weather can at times be unpredictable.  That being said in the summer and fall we are often very lucky with our weather and often do not get a lot of rain until October.  Our waters are protected from the open ocean, so although it can get a bit choppy at times we do not receive the big swells that trigger seasickness.  This is a beautiful evening in October (after the end of the season) watching a number of resident Orca move through Blackfish Sound, into Johnstone Strait.

Transient or Resident Orca 2 of 2

transient orcaTransient orcas generally form smaller and more variable social groupings than residents, roam over a larger area of the coastal waters, and their appearance in particular places is not so predictable. They feed primarily on sea mammals such as seals and sea lions. The name “killer whale” probably stems from observations of transient orcas hunting. Transients are characterized by more triangular and pointed dorsal fins than those of Residents (because they have a broader base), and their saddle patch is generally solid.

Good Day 3 of 4

killer whales passingYes we did find the killer whales and spent an hour or so with them as they moved through Blackfish Sound. The guest photos from the day were much better than mine. I know this because it is part of the day that photographs are compared once all guest return to the lodge. In my defence I am more interested in getting photo that make for a good blog posting than the ideal photo to show friends (I have enough of those).

Whales Close 1 of 2

close killer whalesIt must be another misty August morning in Johnstone Strait with a pod of killer whales on their rounds. The metal bar in the corner to the picture is the mount that holds the radar on my boat and gives an indication of the nearness of the orca. By noon the mist will have “burned off” to gives us another nice after noon to locate humpback whales, Steller seal ions, bald eagles etc. …

A Killer Whale’s “What’s up?”

spyhopping killer whales

Spy hopping is coming out of the water and staying above the surface the same way a human treads water. Some adult male killer whales spy hop for longer periods of time and get as much as half of its body above the surface of the water. Orcas spy hop to examine its surroundings and it is believed that an Orca can see as well above the surface as it can below. If an Orca hears anything strange, they may spyhop to see what is approaching. This past summer the Whale Research vessel in our area was using a drone for observation and we noticed much more spy hopping while the drone was in the air.

Orca Salmon Fishing

killer whales feed on salmon

As I recall on this day of whale watching we had two boats from Grizzly Bear Lodge in Johnstone Strait with a pod of killer whales. We re off Cracroft Point, in the tide ripe, a favourite place for the orca to feed. This is where you turn off the motor and sit and wait for the orca to “pop up” around the boat and provide photo opportunities and they did.

Anette and family visit 1 of 7

large male orcaAnette’s visit was September 3, 2015 and she has sent us some first class photos of their time with us last season. She provides: “A little story to go with some of the pictures: We had a great day spotting whales with George. Our son Nicolas (12 at the time) summed it up when he exclaimed “This is the best day of my life”. At that time we had had a long day with lots of orcas, including the bull on the picture who chose to take his herd very close to the boat,……”