Aug 12 - Raptor and her calf, Harpy!
On August 12 we spotted Raptor travelling with her adorable calf, Harpy! Harpy was just recently named by one of our local naturalists. Why Harpy? Harpy eagles are a breed of raptor (see what we did there?) that lives in Mexico - this is the same breeding grounds her mother, Raptor, has been cross matched to!
The duo was busily feeding on our amble amounts of krill found underneath the ocean’s surface. Raptor and Harpy had a long journey from the Mexican breeding grounds up to the Strait of Georgia, or their feeding grounds. Adult humpbacks do not feed during this migration period - instead, they rely on the fat reserves inside their bodies to power them until they get back to the feeding grounds. Needless to say, they are VERY famished when they arrive! They then spend most of the summer eating as much as they can to rebuild those fat reserves in preparation for the return migration to Mexico!
Raptor is spotted regularly in the Strait of Georgia. During our 2019 season, we spotted her travelling with humpback Heather almost constantly. It turns out they both have new calves this year, so they were pregnant BFFs during our 2019 sightings!
Check out the best photos from the day by Naturalists Ryan & Rebeka!
Photo by Ryan Uslu
Photo by Rebeka Pirker
Time for a dive! Photo by Ryan Uslu
Harbour seals resting in the sun. Photo by Ryan Uslu
Seals nap in the weirdest places! Photo by Rebeka Pirker
Photo by Ryan Uslu
Cormorants - juvenile (brown plumage), adult (black plumage). Photo by Rebeka Pirker
Seagull chicks! Photo by Rebeka Pirker