It seems as though summer has arrived already on the North Island with temperatures this last weekend as warm or warmer than they ever get to in the summertime and one cannot help but be amazed at the large numbers of Bald Eagles seen all over the island and viewed in close proximity. Yesterday 28++ could be seen feeding out in the Bay, diving low over a herring ball. This morning I observed a juvenile eagle targeting a Common Loon as it was feeding close to the Government Dock, fortunately for the loon, it skillfully dove beneath the waters surface time and again and the juvenile giving up, flew back to rest on the nearby piling. Birds of all species are busy, some are nest building while others are already sitting on their clutch of eggs. While gardening yesterday, it was heartwarming to see once again the Tree Swallows who have returned to our yard claiming their nesting box and the sound of Rufous Hummingbirds flitting back and forth among the salmon berry bushes and at the feeder was music to my ears. Great Blue Herons and Belted Kingfishers feeding out front when the tide is low is always a welcomed sight and seeing them this morning with the sun shining bright was wonderful. A Minke Whale was also reported yesterday feeding on the north side of Cormorant Island.

Spring is a beautiful time on the BC coast and in Alert Bay the days are warming up with increasing hours of sunshine and spring bulbs continue to beautify our gardens with splashes of vibrant colour. Rufous humming birds can be seen and heard feeding amongst early flowering salmon berry bushes and the trilling of robins in the early hours of the morning is inspiring and a most welcomed sound. A humpback whale was sighted yesterday passing in front of Alert Bay, heading east and early this morning a glorious full moon could be seen in front of the Bay. In celebrating Earth Day yesterday, one cannot help but feel grateful for the beauty that surrounds us if we take the time to seek its source. The link below shows a stunning video clip taken in January 2013 of the rising of a full moon and silhouttes at Mount Victoria lookout in Wellington, New Zealand. It is absolutely beautiful to watch and listen to ~ enjoy! https://vimeo.com/58385453

The orcas this morning were identified by Helena, Paul and Marie (orcalab) who viewed them from shore as they travelled east along Cormorant Island a distance from shore. They were the T18's, T19'and ? T55/T75's with a count of 9 orcas who were last observed still easting in Johnstone Strait but crossing back over the strait heading in the direction of Beaver Cove. It is a wonderful sunny day here in the Bay!

One never knows how much marine-life we miss out on seeing, simply because we are not looking out of the window at the right time. This morning as I sat by the fire inside our house I happened to glance up and "there they were" Orcas! They were spread out in two or more groups, heading east across the bay passing the Nimpkish River; there were two or more males, several females and some smaller fins, all seen from a distance away from our house through binoculars but wonderful to see, some 9 or more orcas. As I observed for resident v Biggs/transient behaviour, the orcas crossed the strait surfacing adjacent to the Government Dock in Alert Bay and then surfacing behind, almost out of my view-scape, they appeared to be forming a resting line and slowing down, possibly they are residents from the brief viewing that I was so fortunate to see a short while ago, beginning at 8.05 a.m. this morning. I contacted Paul and Helena from Orcalab who are currently in Alert Bay and they were going to head down the road to get a look as the orcas make their way along Cormorant Island shoreline. They will post their findings on their web-site later today at: www.orca-live.com

Time has passed quickly for us all living along the BC Coast and now already early spring is bursting forth with shrubs and spring bulbs budding while crocusses are in full bloom. The Enbridge Pipeline Hearings continued early in the New Year in Victoria and because I was unable to attend the hearing scheduled last August in Port Hardy, I was able to speak against the pipeline proposal at the Victoria venue in January via teleconference. Early winter brought with it sightings of two owl species: Snowy and Short Eared owls that are not usually found on Cormorant Island (Alert Bay). On October 28 I found a small Short Eared Owl lying vulnerably in the grass in poor condition and was able to send it down to the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) at Merville BC. Thanks to their dedicated care and attention this bird was given a second chance at life and was successfully released into Owl habitat at the Nanaimo River Estuary by Pat (MARS volunteer)and Jared on January 17, 2013. Much can be found on various web-sites including MARS about the problems with owls and their loss of territory and food in their natural habitat. On December 22nd, 2012, in tragic circumstances, a Great Blue Heron was rescued by Rob and Erin (from Pearse Islands) where it was found hanging by its neck having been caught up in fishing line that had been left hanging from the Government Dock in Alert Bay. This bird also travelled by car down to MARS, arriving late in the evening in the middle of a snow storm. Named "Kringle" by staff at MARS its injury turned out to be a dislocated hip. A mention here and Big Thank you to those helping in assisting the safe ride down to MARS, with only minutes to spare in preparing the birds for their 3-4 hour journey via ferry and car. The 'next' ferry was the best ferry to prevent further shock while lessening the pain and suffering to the birds, getting them to the help they needed as quickly as possible. Kringle was returned and released back to the beach here in Alert Bay on February 6, 2013. For information about MARS Society: www.wingtips.org/ There have been numerous reports and sightings of Transient/Biggs Orcas throughout the winter months and recent days and weeks and Northern Residents with A5's in recent days and weeks. Follow them at: www.orca-live.net/community/index.html Humpback Whales have also been sighted in the area.

It was an incredibly beautiful day beginning with dense fog and ending with the brightness of a calm fall day that made everyone on board feel alive and so appreciative of the abundance of marine life in the area and the natural beauty that our local waterways provide. Little by little the fog began to clear and suddenly our first humpback whale was sighted, and so began the sighting of several more whales as the fog cleared further and we began to see far out into the Queen Charlotte Strait and across to the BC Mainland and Coast Range Mountains; the view-scape was and is magnificent, but on a day such as today, it truly was breathtaking with blue calm waters stretching far off into the distance and upon it a myriad of bird species gathered to feed while humpback whales could be seen in every direction. At one time, three whales were sighted surfacing and feeding together, another whale breached nearby twice, pectoral fins could be seen raised high and sunlight glistening on bull kelp as a whale surfaced from underneath the kelp, all of it was phenomenal! Because the whales were constantly moving about in the strong ebb current it was difficult to keep track of and count them all, with more seen further down in Blackfish Sound and far off to the west in the Queen Charlotte Strait and even as we made our way home through the Plumper Islands, another was sighted, some 8++ whales were sighted today! Bird watching was fabulous with large numbers of sooty shearwaters arriving to feed, often landing and diving simultaneously, their wing beat and gliding movement of flight just inches above the water was spellbinding to watch, as were the common murres, watching them dive deep down and disappear through the crystal clear waters was magic in the making. It was a blissful day of astonishing beauty and brilliant sightings. Other sightings included: harbour seals, stellar sea lions, rhinoceros auklets, common murres, glaucous-winged gulls, bald eagles, sooty shearwaters, red-necked phalaropes, pelagic cormorants, white-winged scoters, surf scoters and great blue herons.

It was an incredible day for viewing orcas despite the fog that lingered in Queen Charlotte Strait and Blackfish Sound while burning off rapidly in Johnstone Strait on our return. Soon after we departed from Alder Bay orcas had already been located in Blackfish Sound and travelling through Weynton Passage we encountered one just north of Stubbs Island. The sighting took us by surprise when one of our passengers pointed back, having glimpsed at first one orca, followed by more in the heavy fog. It was exciting, especially so when the engine was cut and we could listen to their blows and loud vocals (G & A-Clan calls) and ecolocations via our hydrophone. They were spread out in their small family groups: mothers and their calves foraging together in the ebb current while mature males and older orcas were foraging nearby but on their own. Because of the fog we could not scan far off in the distance to keep track of all of the orcas who were in the area today but even so, the viewing of those orcas nearby was brilliant! The orcas we sighted were a mix of the A30, A8 and I15 matrilines. For those passengers who carried on to Alert Bay a single dalls porpoise joined us riding at the bow of the boat, almost all the way into Alert Bay which was a wonderful way to end the tour on. Other sightings included: dall’s porpoises, stellar sea lions, harbour seals, rhinoceros auklets, common murres, glaucous-winged gulls, bald eagles, oyster catchers and pelagic cormorants.

What an extraordinary day it was, the sights and sounds were unbelievable and breathtaking! Leaving this morning our tour took us out through Weynton Passage and the scenic Island waterways of the Plumper Islands into the top end of Blackfish Sound where the fins and blows of orcas could be seen spread out across to Swanson Island. We made our way, part way across and with our main sail hoisted we cut the engine and sailed quietly along with our hydrophone trailing and listened to the wonderful G-Clan calls initially from the I15’s but mostly A-Clan calls from the A30’s and A8’s. The I15’s were travelling along the Swanson shoreline and further out off Bold Head, seemingly in the lead while the A30’s, although they were also well spread out, they too were foraging but more into the centre of Blackfish Sound with the flood current moving some of them across towards Donegal Head and then out into the Queen Charlotte Strait. On our arrival, the orcas had been taking long dives and it was not long before we realized the reason why when several pacific white-sided dolphins were seen surfacing and swimming in their midst, they were playful especially with the A50 and A54 calves, A72 in particular. We enjoyed observing the A50’s and A54’s foraging nearby and listening to their loud vocalizations and ecolocation as they foraged back and forth and then watched in amazement as the A8’s commenced foraging alongside the hull of the boat, circling back and forth of their own accord as they had done so yesterday, and several passengers watched in astonishment as two very large salmon swam by, followed by an orca who was chasing them. We continued listening to their calls even as they all moved further north and it was wonderful to sit in the sunshine on such a beautiful day listening to their calls, their blows and also the blows of numerous humpback whales who could be seen near and far away in all directions! Leaving the orcas we turned our attention towards the humpback whales and enjoyed viewing them as they worked back and forth, it was easy to lose count as they were circling around in the flood current, there were some 7 ++ whales sighted. Tail lobbing was seen a distance away but one whale breached twice very close to the boat which was exciting to see, as was some active lunge feeding with two whales in the midst of a herring ball. The sooty shearwaters were again sighted in large numbers, gathering further out in the Queen Charlotte Strait where other birds were also feeding on herring balls. Other sightings included: harbour seals, rhinoceros auklets, common murre, red-necked phalaropes, stellar sea lions, glaucous-winged gulls, bald eagles and pelagic cormorants.