December 18th - Pinnipeds in the inner islands
We left the Harbour on the 18th on a beautiful snowy day! Today we decided to search for whales inside the Southern Gulf Islands. These islands create lovely scenery to enjoy while we travel through them, with many islands sporting high sandstone cliffs, caves caused by erosion, and wildlife using these ecological niches for their advantage!
Today we ended up seeing some Bald Eagles (although we weren’t quick enough to grab any photos) which is always a great sight on a tour! Bald eagles were once endangered in the area, as their numbers were reduced by many factors, one of which being the use of pesticides in the area. One pesticide in particular, DDT, heavily impacted various species of raptors in North America, since one of the side effects of this chemical was that it caused shell thinning in birds. The large eggs of the bald eagle would get crushed by the parent’s attempts to incubate them. Once scientists realized what was causing this, as well as other side effects on humans from DDT, the use of the pesticide was banned.
Since the ban, the Bald Eagle population has been growing steadily and they are a very common sight throughout North America! Did you know that depending on where you see the birds, they are different sizes? Bald Eagles grow in size the further from the equator you get! Meaning if you saw an Alaskan eagle next to one of our Vancouver Island ones, there would likely be a size difference. This is called “Bergmann’s Rule” and also works across taxonomic groups, not only species!
While we continued the search we got to see a huge sea lion haul-out back near Nanaimo with plenty of charismatic animals. The vast majority of the sea lion species present were the California Sea Lions, with only a couple of Stellers in the mix. You can tell the difference between the two species visually by looking at their colour, size, and head shape. California Sea Lions are smaller, darker, and have a pointer head (generally) than the larger, more tan Steller Sea Lions with their rounded heads.
If you are watching them in person, there is also an auditory difference. The California Sea Lion will do the classic barking, whereas Steller Sea Lions growl! These growls can sometimes sound more like burps and gurgles instead of the normal sounds people associate with them.
Upon our return to the harbour, it was official that we didn’t find any whales. Not to worry though, all guests got their vouchers with codes that can be redeemed anytime for a free trip to try again! Hopefully, at some point in the future, we will be able to take all these guests out and show them some whales and even more wildlife! For now please enjoy the photos from the trip today taken by marine naturalist Aly Kohlman!
While there’s mostly California Sea Lions, you can see the massive male Steller Sea Lion at the back of the log booms!
Sea Lion yoga is a common sight in the winter.
Here is a great example of the ridged head of the California Sea Lion!
A sleepy send-off by the sea lions!