Bob and Helen Everson captured a quite moment in the stellar sea lion rookery. A few sea lions are in our viewing area all year however the prime time is spring and fall. The stellar sea lions that migrate between California and Alaska use the waters off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as feeding and resting area on their migratory route. The rookery is normally a hub of noise and activity as sea lions fight for prime real estate in the rookery and the juveniles thrash about in the water. Although there may be an absence of noise I can assure you the same is not for the smell.
Not all photos require a sunny sky to be interesting. The stellar sealions pass through the area, between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, to and from Alaska in the spring and fall. They gather on the rocky shore in the area of Telegraph Cove by the hundreds to sun themselves and rest after feeding in our area before continuing their trip. This area of BC’s coast is so rich in food for these marine mammals that several dozen in the past three years have started to stay all summer and not make the journey north.
The USA Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has a program to brand Steller sea lions as a means to estimate vital population parameters in the future. The western stock is listed as endangered under the ESA (U.S. Endangered Species Act) and the eastern stock is listed as threatened. The Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team recommended in 2000 that researchers begin branding and marking Steller sea lion pups throughout their range. Most summer we viewing two of three branded sea lions and report them online.
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Interesting experience on a whale watching day in Blackfish Sound. We were traveling beside a pod of Pacific whitesided dolphins when I look behind the boat and snapped a photo of what might have been a dolphin playing in the wake of the boat. It was the second photo that made it clear it was a Steller Sealion copying the dolphins. This Sealion repeated this proposing action eight or ten times and the guests got some great photos. It was the first and last time I saw this behaviour in my twelve years guiding for the lodge. The whale watching tours are in an area that provides opportunities for photos of orca, humpback whales, minke whales, Steller sealions, harbour seas, dolphins, harbour porpoise, dall porpoise as well as black bears, eagles and a variety of ducks.
Steller sealions have become common on whale watching tours. With the abundance of herring in the area of the day trips the sealions have started to stay all summer rather than just in the spring and fall on their coastal migration. Several dozen of these large males frequent the small island in Weynton Pass across from Vancouver Island’s Telegraph Cove.
Some Steller sealions have started to spend their summers in our viewing area. The whale watching safari from Grizzly Bear Lodge travels from Minstrel Island on Knight Inlet to Johnstone Strait and Vancouver Island. This hour trip places us in an area of a variety of marine wildlife such as killer whales (orca), humpback whales, sealions, seals, pacific white-sided dolphins, dall porpoise, harbour porpoise as well as bald eagles and numerous species of ducks and gulls. All of this is because of the abundance of herring which one way or another is the main source of food, either eating the herring directly or indirectly through salmon. Some of the Steller sealions, about three dozen, which used to pass through on their migration now summer here.
Steller sea lions use land habitat as haul-out sites for periods of rest, molting, and as rookeries for mating and pupping during the breeding season. In this case it is a resting area as they migrate along the coast spending part of their spring and fall in the area where we watch whales. Steller sea lions have been known to migrate large distances (>400 nm) but it is presumed their routes remain coastal. They are solitary hunters but are often seen small groups, but may gather in large “rafts” at the surface near rookeries and haul outs. The haul-pouts are a noisy area as they are capable of powerful vocalizations that are accompanied by a vertical head bobbing motion by males.
Steller sea lions are the largest eared seals in the world. They are sexual dimorphic, meaning the males are noticeably larger than the females. A distinguishing characteristic of male Steller sea lions is their thick mane of coarse hair. Males can weigh up to 1,120 kilograms (2,500 pounds); whereas; females weigh up to 350 kilograms (770 pounds). Pups range from 16 to 22.5 kilograms (35 to 50 pounds). Males can reach lengths up to 3 to 3.4 meters (10 to 11 feet), while females reach 2.3 to 2.9 meters (7.5 to 9.5 feet). The coloring of the adult Steller sea lions ranges from light blonde to reddish brown, with slightly darker coloration of the chest and stomach. The stellar sealions can be found in our viewing areas all year but are more abundant in the spring and fall when they are travelling between Alaska and California. They spend time in the area to rest and feed while moving between the two areas.
Australia’s Gary Wilson waited for the perfect picture, a humpback whale in front of the Steller Sealion haul out area. In this case the sealions are on their return from Alaska to California and spending a few weeks resting and replacing some of the fat used to travel this far. Large groups of sealions pass through the area in the spring and fall, however we now have several dozen that spend the summer in our viewing area. The humpback whales arrive in June and remain in the area through October due to the abundance of herring, which is their main food. A beautiful fall day for this well timed rare picture.
Steller sea lions spend time on the small rocky islands near Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island. The sea lion travel from California to Alaska and back each summer. In May and September these islands provide a resting point in their journey, at times there may be as many as two hundred sea lions in the area. In the past few years close to a dozen of the Steller sea lions have begun to spend their summers in the area and not travel north. The “resident” sea lions have become a nice bonus to our whale-watching safari as Lynn Morris’s photo show how they appear to be posing for the camera.
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.
