In the last few days the North Island has been buffeted by heavy winds and heavy rain which overnight has turned our lingering late summer into one of late fall. On our last three tours out, on September 21st, 22nd and today, we have had some fabulous Humpback Whale sightings (6-10 whales being sighted) including lunge feeding today and yesterday. Most sightings have been near to Bold Head although yesterday on our way home we sighted one near the Pearse Reefs, it was foraging in circles and passing back and forth through enormous herring balls. The lighting was golden as we watched it lunge feed and observed not only its baleen plates but also gulls scrambling away just in time before getting caught inside its mouth and again this morning our first Humpback Whale sighting was near the Pearse Reefs. Herring ball activity has been considerable in recent days with a myriad of seabird species feeding from both above and below the surface of the water. In the last few days our sightings of Sooty Shearwaters have dwindled considerably from large flocks flying about to a few small groups of birds today. Sooty Shearwaters are amazing birds that fly 65,000 km in a round trip journey each year. They are one of the most abundant bird species in the world with a total population estimated at 20 million. They only breed in temperate and subantarctic regions of the southern hemisphere, in New Zealand, Australia, Chile and the Falkland Islands. New Zealand has by far the most birds with 5 million pairs in 80 breeding colonies, approximately half of the worlds population. Researchers have found that the migratory cycle of the birds encompasses the entire Pacific Basin, focusing on the richest feeding grounds in both hemispheres -from Antarctic waters in the south during the breeding season to bountiful coastal currents off California, Alaska and Japan. With this information in mind, it is always exciting to welcome them back to our waters in early September knowing that they are on their journey back to the South Pacific and while their visit is brief it is wonderful seeing these extraordinary birds. Information on their transequatorial migration can be found at: www.terranature.org/sootyShearwaterMigration Other sightings in these recent days have included: stellar sea lions++, harbour seals, rhinoceros auklets, common murres+++, red-necked phalaropes, great blue herons, belted kingfishers, pelagic cormorants, surf scoters and bald eagles.

It was another beautiful day and while we did not see any orcas the sightings today were fabulous. As we left the dock in Alder Bay we did so in heavy fog and headed in the direction of Cracroft Point where 3 orcas, the A36 brothers and A12 had been foraging earlier. We broke out of the fog into bright sunshine and began scanning the area ahead of us and while we sighted the blows of two Humpback Whales in Blackney Passage, the orcas had moved over to the Vancouver Island shoreline and were reported heading east, they were last sighted east of Izumi Rock where a small vessel had reported seeing them before they were lost to dense fog inside the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. We enjoyed viewing one of the Humpback Whales which had entered into Johnstone Strait and even though we observed it in fog that obscured most of Johnstone Strait to the east, we were able to see it clearly and take photographs. We began to make our way back towards Blackney Passage when a very large whale (larger than a Humpback Whale) was sighted at a distance, breaking from a fog bank that was stretched along the Vancouver Island shoreline. Unfortunately the whale did not surface again allowing for identification and we continued on our way into Blackfish Sound. ** Two Fin Whales had been sighted much earlier in the morning at Cracroft Point making their way to the east, it is possible that this other sighting from a distance away might also have been a Fin Whale. Fin Whales are very rare in these waters, the last one sighted in Johnstone Strait was tragically struck and killed by a cruise ship several years ago. Fin Whales are found offshore off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Central Coast, Haida Gwaii and the North Pacific. We made our way into Blackfish Sound, the fog clearing just ahead of us, and while we had glimpsed a few Sooty Shearwaters (birds) in Johnstone Strait early in the tour there were large numbers flying in all directions in Blackfish Sound, there were also numerous Stellar Sea Lions swimming in the water. On our way to Bold Head we sighted a Humpback Whale near to Stubbs Island and suddenly off Bold Head numerous Humpback Whales could be seen in the distance. The water was calm and blue, the colour of the sky, it was absolutely gorgeous looking out towards the Coast Range Mountains. We sighted two pairs of Humpback whales nearby and it was exciting watching as they surfaced and dived. Sooty shearwaters were gathered in flocks along with other seabirds and we watched several large herring balls with birds feeding and a Humpback Whale feeding through one. Our Humpback Whale count today was 8 and possibly more, it seemed in every direction we looked that a Humpback Whale could be seen surfacing or fluking, it was fantastic viewing. There were numerous migrating birds flying overhead today, some were too high to identify but among them were 35 Sandhill Cranes. On the way home we viewed numerous Stellar Sea Lions hauled out, it was somewhat amusing to watch their antics! Other sightings included: harbour seals, rhinoceros auklets, surf scoters, red-necked phalaropes, a great blue heron, pelagic cormorants, common mergansers and unidentified migrating birds flying high.

What an amazing day! Our tour began this morning in heavy fog where we noticed a beautiful fog bow in Alder Bay and another when we were underway in Broughton Strait and with the promise of sunshine further east in Johnstone Strait we headed east and soon found ourselves breaking out of the fog into sunshine and beautiful lighting that stretched before us; as well there were numerous Sooty Shearwaters in flight gliding over the water. There was a report that a large group of Transient orcas had headed west through Blackney Passage and with that in mind we entered into Weynton Passage and passing the hauled out Stellar Sea Lions and three Bald Eagles on the shoreline we soon found ourselves in Blackfish Sound. Looking down the Sound we sighted the dorsal fins of several orcas, they were traveling to the west slowly, there looked to be two groups of some 12 orcas, we observed some tail slapping at a distance and listening on the hydrophone we heard their lengthy vocalizations. Taking long dives they surfaced nearby and following their next dive sequence they surfaced beside the boat which was incredible and amazing to see, they were the T19’s, T185’s and T55’s and possibly others. At the same time the blow of a Humpback Whale was heard along the Swanson Island shoreline and while the Transients moved on slowly towards Stubbs Island, we headed towards Bold Head where we discovered not one but two Humpback Whales. As we watched they moved back and forth without fluking, around them Sooty Shearwaters soared, and Common Murres clustered together in small groups; the lighting was absolutely beautiful looking in all directions. We headed back to where the Transient orcas were and on arriving we sighted other orcas traveling in along the Malcolm Island shoreline, they were incoming resident orcas and there were several pods. We sighted the A36’s/A12 , A34’s, A30’s, the A23’s and others and listened to their A-Clan calls on our hydrophone. It was extremely exciting to see the arrival of residents and also the exit of Transients who were seen moving suddenly out of Blackfish Sound and over to Bold Head and the White Cliff Islands while the Residents continued moving east in Blackfish Sound. As the last orcas passed on by we headed for home, it had been an incredible day with many cetacean sightings. Just past Donegal Head we noticed a SE breeze and by the time we reached Johnstone Strait it was already blowing 10-15 knots. An amazing change from the earlier morning fog! Other sightings included: harbour seals, dalls porpoises, rhinoceros auklets, gulls, surf scoters, red-necked phalaropes, a great blue heron, double-crested & pelagic cormorants and unidentified migrating birds flying high.

It was an extraordinary day, one of contrast and colour, variable weather conditions and an abundance of cetacean and seabird activity. As we left the dock in Alder Bay this morning it was raining lightly, the sky was dark to the east and brightening to the west. We headed east and soon found ourselves enveloped in fog with poor visibility and it was at this point that the large fin of a male orca suddenly appeared nearby much to our astonishment and delight! It was soon established that numerous orcas were in the area, they were well spread out foraging from Lewis Point on Vancouver Island towards the Stephensen Islands in Weynton Passage. The orca we noticed had a small notch on the top of its dorsal fin and we were able to identify it as being I62 from the I33 matriline, another large male and two smaller orcas were sighted nearby, all of them were moving quickly towards Weynton Passage in the ebb current and were soon lost in the fog. Other orcas were seen to follow behind, the A36’s/A12 and the A34’s. The A34‘s stalled briefly in a back-eddy, some were seen to be resting briefly, some of the younger calves A83 & A91 were playful in their behaviour. There was a large gathering of Stellar Sea Lions hauled out, as well many swimming in the water as we carried on through Weynton Passage and suddenly we noticed that the fog had mostly cleared and the lighting across the water was remarkable, changing momentarily, it was beautiful looking out through the Queen Charlotte Strait towards the Coast Range Mountains that were partially visible with their peaks appearing high above the fog. The orcas continued to move quickly and far out into the Strait, but a mother and her two calves could be seen at a distance heading east at the top end of Blackfish Sound traveling close along the Plumper Islands towards Hanson Island. The sight of cetaceans and seabirds was phenomenal, as we watched we could count the blows of five Humpback Whales spread out over a wide area, four were in the vicinity of Bold Head and one was in Blackfish Sound. A large group of Pacific White-sided Dolphins arrived, they were on scene charging rapidly along, passing by some of the Humpback Whales and the orcas as well, while some could be seen mobbing the mother and two orca calves who were traveling east in Blackfish Sound. Sooty Shearwater birds were flying about and milling on the surface of the water, their unmistakable gliding wingbeat sequence was wonderful to watch. We lingered to watch more of the Humpback Whales as they surfaced and dived, and with a myriad of birds gathered we watched as herring balls formed before our eyes. Traveling back we passed again the hauled out Stellar Sea Lions and many more swimming in the water, as well, a Humpback Whale making its way into Weynton Passage. Other sightings included: Dalls porpoises, rhinoceros auklets, common murres, herring, california, mew and glaucous-winged gulls, belted kingfishers, red-necked phalaropes, surf scoters & bald eagles.

Each and every tour is different from any other and so is was today that en route to Alder Bay this morning we could see the blow of a Humpback Whale in Weynton Passage and while we were docked in Alder Bay two young mink could be seen playing with each other and running up and down the dock in a curious manner. Leaving the dock we headed in the direction of the blow that we had seen earlier and near to Weynton Island two Humpback Whales were sighted; they had been identified as Domino and Butterfly and it was fabulous to see these whales so early in the tour. We carried on further east to see three orcas (A12 & A36’s) who had been sighted traveling to the west, A12 was foraging very close along the Vancouver Island shoreline, A46 was parallel to her some 300 meters away while A37 was far behind crossing over towards Hanson Island where he could be seen foraging before moving back towards Blackney Passage. A12 and A46 continued foraging to the West, A12 going the furtherest past Blinkhorn before she turned back to the east. Prior to her reaching Blinkhorn several Dall’s Porpoises were seen porpoising back and forth around her. Meanwhile, across to Hanson Island two Humpback Whales were seen, one of which was breaching++. We made our way in their direction across Johnstone Strait, watching as the humpback whale continued to breach, effortlessly it seemed! As we drew closer our passengers had supreme viewing of KC, the breaching Humpback Whale, it was phenomenal viewing for all on board! Watching their dive sequence as the two large whales moved along, one following the other was charismatic and wonderful. Close by Stellar Sea Lions could be seen hauled out and swimming in the water and the sound of their roar filled the air in the stillness of the afternoon. We headed home via some scenic waterways where large kelp forests could be seen floating in the current along with hauled out harbour seals and in the distance another Humpback Whale was sighted. Other sightings included: rhinoceros auklets, common murres, herring, california, mew and bonaparte gulls, belted kingfishers, red-necked phalaropes, black turnstones, a fork-tailed storm-petrel, surf scoters and bald eagles.

When we set out this morning we had no idea what lay ahead of us for our tour. The morning started out with a report of orcas heading into Blackfish Sound and so we travelled in that direction passing hauled out Harbour Seals on the Stephenson Islands and Stellar Sea Lions off the Plumper Islands, some were hauled out while others were in the water swimming. It was just past this that we lost our visibility to heavy fog as we made our way towards Bold Head where orcas had been sighted. While we were en route the fluke of a Humpback Whale suddenly appeared off the bow, the whale we identified as KC, a whale that we have seen frequently this summer, one glimpse was enough to identify this easily recognizable fluke. Traveling on we were distracted by the sight and sound of two Humpback Whales breaching and tail-lobbing a distance away and soon we were in the vicinity of the orcas. After waiting patiently, orca fins suddenly surfaced ahead of us and there were many! Orcas could be seen spread out over a distance, they were moving slowly, some were foraging back and forth, all of them keeping to a northerly direction in the Queen Charlotte Strait. We identified three separate groupings. The A30 matriline: A39 was with A30, A38 was foraging off on his own, A5o and A54 were each with their three calves in two groups and A46 (from the A36’s) was foraging close by with the A30’s. The A23’s were a distance away while A12 and A37 (from the A36’s) were the furtherest out in the Queen Charlotte Strait. The fog had cleared to enable us to see all of this however it thickened again when we made our way back towards Bold Head looking for the Humpback Whales. It was reported that there were four of them traveling together and suddenly there they were! Words cannot truly describe our wonderfully exciting encounter and viewing and photographs cannot do justice to the vivid and majestic images that we were privileged to see, the viewing was superb! What more could we ask for! As the humpbacks went by us to the west the orcas were suddenly seen coming towards us, they had made their turn just before the tide turned back to flood, they were on the move making their way in the current towards Blackfish Sound. We watched as the A30’s/A46 and A23’s went by and making our way home via Donegal Head we could see two more orcas, they were A12 and A37, heading back in with the rest of the orcas. At Donegal Head we sighted a large flock of Sooty Shearwaters, the first that we have seen this fall and finally, near the Pearse Reefs another Humpback Whale was sighted bringing the count to 6 Humpback Whales & 19 orcas! Other sightings included: rhinoceros auklets, gulls, common murres, , surf scoters, red-necked phalaropes, double-crested cormorants and unidentified migrating birds flying high.

The diving sequence: seven images of the humpback whale and its fluke.

A37 & A12

The morning looked to be clearing of fog early however en route to Alder Bay we encountered heavy fog. We initially headed east down Johnstone Strait but diverted through the passage at Weynton Island lured by sunshine and the scenic beauty of the Plumper Islands where hauled out Harbour Seals were clearly visible as were Stellar Sea Lions swimming in the water as we made our way into Blackfish Sound which was partially obscured by fog. Drifting back into fog briefly at the bottom end we entered Johnstone Strait through Blackney Passage and suddenly we were back into brilliant sunshine in time to see the blows of orcas as they made their way west of the western boundary of the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve on Vancouver Island. As we drew closer, with a light se wind blowing and our mainsail hoisted we cut the engine and sailed quietly along. The orcas were traveling close along the shoreline, they were identified as the A30 matriline (11 orcas in total), the A23 matriline were with them and we observed A60 and A85 traveling parallel to them at a distance of 300-400 metres. They were all traveling to the west, at times some orcas were seen turning back briefly as though to forage before continuing on. The A30’s were split into two groups, A38 was traveling with A54 and her calves, they were ahead of A30, A39 and A50 and her calves. It was at Blinkhorn that they slowed to a stall and could be seen resting briefly on the surface of the water and with the flood current behind them, they turned back to the east. As we made our way back to Alder Bay a group of 12-15 Pacific White-sided Dolphins came charging along, passing us by briefly at the bow of the boat delighting everyone onboard and again as we neared Alert Bay, they came charging out of the Bay and beyond, it was fascinating to watch as they sped along! Other sightings included: dalls porpoises, rhinoceros auklets, common murres, herring, glaucous- winged and mew gulls, a common loon and a double-crested cormorant.

This final photo was taken from Alert Bay this evening.