Tag Archives: Whale Watching

Marine Mammal Tail 1 of 2

Killer whale tail

Seems to be three choices for this tail: a small humpback whale, a large dolphin or a killer whale. All three are common when on a whale watching trip from the lodge. The area’s humpback whale population has grown to the point that we often view up to a dozen whales a trip, the resident killer whales a frequently in the area feeding on salmon and large pods of pacific whitesided dolphins appear on a regular basis. Also there are Steller or northern sea lions, harbour seals, porpoise, bald eagles, a large variety of ducks and sea birds as well as the occasional black bear.

 

 

Herring / Bait Balls

Herring Ball

By definition: A bait ball, or baitball, occurs when small fish swarm in a tightly packed spherical formation about a common center. It is a last-ditch defensive measure adopted by small schooling fish when they are threatened by predators. Herring are the reason we have successful marine wildlife tours. Herring balls are the food source of humpback whales, dolphins, porpoise, ducks, eagles and salmon. The salmon in turn bring the killer whales into the area every summer. The above picture is what your guide hopes to find and then parks the boat within camera range and waits for the humpback whales to lunge feed through the herring. If it is possible to find a bait ball in an area away form the whales it is possible to move very close (as in the picture below) to see the herring. The bait balls vary in size from basketball size to boat size.

herring ball close

 

 

 

 

Porpoising 2 of

Killer Whale

Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins so it is only natural that they will often behave like dolphins. There are both resident and transient pod populations of killer whales in our viewing area the most common being the residents. Resident pods tend to prefer fish, while transient pods target marine mammals.

 

Humpback Whale Breaching

Humpback Whale

It is not that we do not see allot of whale activity it is just rare to have the camera pointed in the right direction when it happens. In the past five years the numbers of humpback whales in our viewing area has increased from two or three a trip to more than a dozen. On your whale watching trip from the lodge there are all the marine life mentioned in the September 2nd posting as well as a very active humpback population. We frequently see whales lunge feeding, tail lopping (slapping) and breaching the challenge is to get the perfect photo. At times it is necessary to remind guests to put down the camera and just enjoy.

 

Visiting Killer Whales / Orca

Visiting killer whale

Some orcas do not believe in the 100 meter (yard) distance set out in the Whale Watching Guidelines. But this was a good day because the warden that oversees these guidelines was near us and watched the orca approach and circle our boat. Talking with her after it moved back to it’s passing pod she thought that we must have been sitting over a school of salmon and it came to fish. The reason is interesting but the experience is what the guests will remember. The days whale watching tour from Grizzly Bear Lodge spends most of its time in the Johnstone Strait adjacent to Vancouver Island where we normally observe orca, humpback whales, porpoise, dolphins, harbour seals, Steller sea lions, bald eagles, a variety of sea birds and frequently black bears.

 

 

Branded Steller Sea Lion

Steller sealion brand

This Steller sea lion was branded at Forrester Island in Southeast Alaska that is the “F” in the brand. Branding occurs at several places along the west coast of North America as part of project to discover the reasons behind the mysterious disappearance of sea lions and what it could mean for the ocean ecosystem. Since 1980, the world population of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) has dropped from around 300,000 animals to fewer than 100,000, and it is still declining. Possible causes include increased incidence of parasites and disease, predation by killer whales, nutritional stress through competition with man or other species for food, or nutritional stress caused by natural and/ or human-induced changes in the abundance, quality and distribution of prey. Other factors that may be contributing to the population decline include meteorological changes (i.e., frequency of storms), pollution and toxic substances, entanglement in marine debris, and incidental and intentional take by man. Whether the decline is caused by a single factor or a combination of all of the above is a matter of scientific debate.

 

 

Excitment coming

Killer Whale approachiing

If you have just taken a photo like the one above you know that the next photos will be allot more exciting as the orca / killer whales come closer. The whales watching guidelines specify that we must be 100 meters (yards) from the orca that is to prevent running to close along side the pods or leap frogging to get in front of a traveling pod of orca. However the orcas are not aware of the guidelines and will often turn and approach a boat that is sitting quietly. If you have scanned through the blog postings you will notice many photos of orca close to and even passing under your boat that does not mean it happens every tour but the percentages are high that your will get your “bucket list” photo.

 

 

Curious 2 of 3

Killer Whale Visiting

Yes that is the edge of the boat in the lower right corner of the photograph. And this is another curious mammal an orca or killer whale. The whale watching guidelines require that we stay 100 meters (yards) from the orca and we were until this female came over to the boat and swam around and under us several times. We were fortunate that the warden (whale watching police that enforces the guidelines) was not far from our boat at the time of the occurrence and had not just arrived to see it happen. We talked with the warden after and both agree that we must have stopped over a school of salmon and this orca was fishing.

 

Curious 1 of 3

Steller Sea Lions

Most marine wildlife is curious but the key is to be sitting / drifting quietly. This viewing area has a fast tidal current that allows us to drift past a number (25 to 150) Steller sealions at a haulout on a small rocky island. The many young sea lions in the water will come and play around and under the boat and given time will approach quite close.

 

Humpback Missing a Lunge?

Humpback feeding

A good photo of a humpback whale lunging up through a herring ball. The photo is good but the lunge appears less than successful. The water coming out of the mouth should not contain so many herring. The mouth should be closed and the water forced out through the baleen and trapping the herring inside. The number of whales in our viewing area has increase dramatically over the past five years so we often see more than a dozen different whales on each safari. So we are successful even if the whales are not.