Tag Archives: Whale Watching

Got it!!

Humpback breaching

Hard to believe that the whale breached twice in a row.  That is often the reason one gets a good photo because you are now prepared. Do not think that a long lens is necessary I use a waterproof Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP with a  3X Optical Zoom. A good lens is better but over the past few years I have seen some great photos taken on Phones and Tablets.

 

 

Trying for?

missed breach

Unfortunately this is an all to common photo from a whale watching trip. Not to say that humpback whales do allot of breaching but rather that it is hard to get a good photo. In this photo it is possible to see a pectoral fin if you look real closely. But the splash is impressive. Tomorrow’s post is much better.

Resident Killer Whales

Killer paradeLooks like a good photo of some resident killer whales until you look closely and realize that all the dorsal fins are not going in the same direction. Resident orcas are the ones that eat salmon.  This was an occasion when they stopped travelling and started to feed.  From this point on they stayed in the ripe tide off Craycroft Point and fed on salmon for over an hour. We turned off our engine and sat in the ripe while the orca fed all around the boat.

 

 

 

Best Series of Photos 3 of 3

orca tailorca tailHowever as the last photo shows that this is a killer whale (orca) not a humpback whale. Killer whales are identifies by their dorsal fin and the accompanying saddle patch. This last photo was actually the first is the series but if I had posted them in the correct order there would be nothing to write.

 

 

 

 

Best Series of Photos 1 of 3

Killer WhaleKiller whale divingApril and Rob of Cairns Australia visited Grizzly Bear Lodge in the summer of 2011 and took a series of photos which has always been one of my favourities. Photos of tails is one of the main identification tools for whales…

 

 

 

 

Killer whales at rest

Orca Restline

A killer whale pod often forms a tight group or reatline while traveling, and their breathing and movements will synchronize. Taking several breaths at the surface they submerge for a period of time before surfacing again. The time spent submerged increases as the “sleep” becomes deeper, and they may take up to ten breaths near the surface before submerging for as long as ten minutes.

 

Humpback Whales Feeding

Lunge feeding whale

 

 

Humpback whales over the past seven years have become a common sight in our viewing area. Rather than traveling to the Alaskan waters to feed they are spending their summers along the southern coast of British Columbia. The colder, coastal waters attract the humpbacks because in the summer months the area is rich in prey, including small schooling fish such as herring, capelin, and pilchard, as well as krill. The whale will lunge through a shoal of prey with mouth gaping open often exploding at the surface with both food and water. They may eat up to 1,400 kg (3,000 lbs) of food a day.

Steller Sea Lions at Rest

Steller Sealions

Steller sea lions range throughout the Pacific Rim (from northern California to Northern Honshu in Japan, and to the Bering Strait). Steller sea lions are highly gregarious and they use traditional haul out sites (an area used for resting) on remote and exposed islands. These sites can be rock shelves, ledges, boulders, and gravel or sand beaches. Adult Steller sea lions eat a wide variety of fishes, including Pacific herring, pollock, salmon, cod, and rockfishes. They also eat octopus and some squids. Over the past five years more of these sea lions are spending their summers in our viewing area rather than traveling to more northern waters.

 

 

Marine Mammal Tail 2 of 2

Humpback whale tail

Yesterday’s posting was an orca / killer whales while today’s is a humpback whale. Humpback whales are identified by the underside and trailing edge of their tail flukes; each one is different just like a fingerprint. The white on the underside of the tails will vary in amount and pattern and these photos are used by researchers to identify and track whales