May 3, 2023 - Travelling T's by Nanoose Bay

There were many reports of Orca in our area when we pushed off the dock. We excitedly set our sights Northward in search of a T-party that seemed to be travelling past Lantzville.

After a short trip along the coastline, we met up with today’s whales just east of Lantzville. We were able to ID these whales as:

T065B Chunk ♀ (1993)
T065B1 Birdsall ♂ (2011)
T065B2 Nettle ♂ (2019)
T065B3 (2023)

T124A2 Elkugu ♀ (2001)
T124A2A Agafia ♂ (2013)
T124A2B Litton ♀ (2016)

T124C Cooper ♂ (1992)

These 8 whales were also seen travelling together outside our harbour on May 2, 2023!

T124C Cooper seems to be checking in on all of his family members these days. We’ve seen him travelling with either T124A2 Elkugu (his niece) or T124A Kittiwake (his sister) regularly in the past month. His other sister, T124D Field, has also been in our area - while we haven’t encountered Cooper interacting with Field and her pod recently, we wouldn’t be surprised if he popped in to say hello to her too!

Today it seemed like Cooper wasn’t wanting to visit with his family though. After travelling closely with the T065B’s and T124A’s for a good portion of our encounter, he suddenly veered to the right and travelled very fast towards Sechelt by himself.

As we departed from the whales, our Semi-Covered vessel had a bit of an unusual encounter. A Cormorant began racing them as they picked up speed! This little bird cruised beside them for some time as they continued their tour.

We then cruised around Gabriola Island, stopping at some of our favourite wildlife spots along the way. We briefly stopped to view Entrance Island - one of BC’s last manned lighthouses and a popular spot for our sea lions to haul out at. We then detoured into the Flat Top Islands to find a group of Harbour seals snoozing on the rocks, and we also found another surprise visitor - a River otter! We know this can be a bit surprising for guests to see when we are travelling in the ocean. So why are we so sure the otters we are viewing are River otters and not Sea otters?

Sadly, Sea otters were extirpated from the Southeastern Vancouver Island area during the Fur Trade. Extirpation, also known as local extinction, occurs when a species is wiped out from a specific area. Sea otters are now a protected species and their populations are beginning to make a comeback - we could potentially see Sea otters along our coast regularly again within the next few decades!

Sea otters are incredibly important to our ecosystem as they feed on Sea urchins. Sea Urchins, specifically Purple Sea Urchins, have had a population explosion in the past decades due to the lack of predators (Sea otters) in the area. Kelp forests all along the west coast of the USA and into British Columbia have been disappearing as a result. Kelp forests are incredibly important for several species, including marine mammals and fish, as they provide shelter and shade for animals to rest and reproduce in.

But why are River otters spotted here when they should be in rivers? River otters are carnivorous - more specifically, they are mainly piscivorous (fish eaters) but will happily snack on crabs as well. Our coastal climate is abundant with both fish and crab species so they’re able to thrive in our Coastal climates.

If you are ever observing an otter and you’re unsure which species you are looking at, here are a couple of key features to look for:

1. Tail - River otters have very long and pointed tails. Sea otters have very flat and wide tails - similar to Beaver tails

2. Swimming - Are you observing the otter in the water? Sea otters primarily swim on their back, floating along the surface of the water. River otters swim on their stomachs, similar to how cats and dogs swim.

3. On land - Is the otter on land? If you’re seeing an otter on land, chances are you are observing a River otter. Sea otters are not built for travelling on land as their rear ‘paws’ are flippers. River otters are quite fast on land and are capable of running.

We also stopped to see our Sea lions hauled out at ‘Stinky Rocks’ and cruised by the Gabriola Bluffs to check out our Cormorant rookery and to take a look at the interesting sandstone formations found all along the cliffside.

Today’s photos were taken by Marine Naturalists Cheyenne Brewster and Carmen Murphy.

Left to right: T065B Chunk, T065B3 (face), and T065B1 Birdsall. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Left to right: T124A2 Elkugu, T124A2B Litton, T065B1 Birdsall, T065B2 Nettle, T124A2A Agafia, and T124C Cooper. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

T065B2 Birdsall. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

This cormorant was racing our Semi-Covered Vessel today! Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Sleepy Harbour seals. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

Curious Harbour seals. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Our surprise visitor - a River otter. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Harlequin Ducks. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Cormorants at the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

Sandstone formations at the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

A BC Ferry with the Coastal Mountains in the background. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Entrance Island. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

Kula, our Semi-Covered vessel, outside Nanoose Bay. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.

The view from Kula’s windows. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Jilann LechnerMay 3, 2023WhalesComment