June 20, 2023 - T046Bs and T085s again

Our morning and afternoon trips were both with the same whales. During the morning, they were found closer to Bowen Island across the Strait of Georgia and in the afternoon, we caught up with them after they had travelled south towards Porlier Pass.

Orcas present today included:

T046B Raksha ♀ (1988)
T046B2 Akela ♀ (2008)
T046B3 Sedna ♀ (2011)
T046B4 Quiver ♀ (2013)
T046B6 Sol ♀ (2019)
T046B7 (2023)

T085 Eve ♀ (~1977)
T085B Ali ♂ (1995)
T085D Findlay (2014)

The two pods that were seen today have been travelling together for at least a few days. Matriarch T085 Eve had two of her children present with her today: T085B Ali and T085D Findlay. Matriarch T046B Raksha had five of her children in tow today: T046B2 Akela, T046B3 Sedna, T046B4 Quiver, T046B6 Sol and her 2023 calf T046B7. Raksha’s new calf was born this year and has a lot to learn from her mother. It’s a matriarch’s job to teach her offspring how to hunt and travel as a pod. Each family pod has its own unique dialect that needs to be taught to the young ones, so they can effectively communicate with all members of their family.

Both Bald Eaglets were spotted today in their nest next to the Gabriola Island bluffs, with one parent perched on a nearby branch. A very normal behaviour among Bald Eagle broods is one eaglet overpowering the other in size and strength so that it eats all of the food more so than the other smaller eaglet. Once they reach a certain point and the parents can no longer provide enough food for the stronger eaglet to stay well-fed, the stronger eaglet will kill and eat the weaker eaglet. Based upon today’s photos both eaglets are still in the nest and looking to be quite big and strong, so we have very high hopes that both of these eaglets are staying well-fed. Bald Eagles mate around February and even into the early weeks of March and are known to lay their eggs in late March. If two eggs are laid, the second egg will appear two or three days later than the first. Male and female Bald Eagles will take turns sitting on the eggs for about 35 days until they hatch. The young will stay in the nest for over two and a half months before they attempt their first flight out of the nest on or before July 25th. By the time a Bald Eagle reaches 4-6 years old, they will be able to mate with a partner and will stay with their partner for life. Around the time of 4-6 years old is also when they will successfully acquire their fully white head and tail feathers.

A large group of Canada geese were spotted on Stinky Rock today, along with the usual harbour seals and stinky sea lions. Canada geese were once migratory geese but upon the introduction of a population of non-migratory geese that were from the east coast to the Fraser River Estuary in the 1970s, there are now a number of them that don’t migrate and instead stay here year-round. The reason for the introduction of these geese to the area was due to a sudden trending increase in humans hunting geese. The number of humans actively hunting geese decreased quite rapidly, leading to a population boom for the geese. Introduced Canadian geese have since bred with the population of Canadian geese that were already residing here, creating a hybrid geese population that stays here year-round and overpopulates many areas, causing trouble for many other bird populations.

During a low tide, many sea stars are able to appear along the intertidal zone. Ochre stars that appear purple in colour feed primarily on mussels, while the sea stars that don’t rely on mussels as their main food source appear light pink or orange in colour. A sea star has two stomachs and is able to pry open the shells of mussels with its tube feet and evert its cardiac stomach into the inside of the mussel, where it will release digestive enzymes that break down and digest the mussel.

Photos during these tours were taken by Marine Naturalist Des Poier.

T046B7 - they are still slightly orange! 10:30.

T085D Findlay and their mother T085 Eve. 10:30.

T046B4 Quiver with her new sibling T046B7 in front of her. 10:30.

Little T046B7 popping out beside their mother T046B Raksha. 3:30.

T046B Raksha with her youngest calf T046B7 on her left and second youngest calf T046B6 Sol on her right. 3:30.

T046B Raksha, T046B7, and T046B6 Sol. 3:30.

The T046Bs. Left to right: T046B7 (eyepatch), T046B6 (front), T046B3 Sedna, T046B2 Akela, and T046B Raksha (back, tip of dorsal). 3:30.

T085D Findlay and their mother T085 Eve. 3:30.

A cuddle puddle of Stellar Sea Lions, someone is King of the castle! 10:30.

How many Ochre Sea Stars do you see? 10:30.

Brightly coloured Ochre Sea Stars. 10:30.

Pine Cone and Fred are our names for the Bald Eaglets. 10:30.

Adult and juvenile Cormorants on their favourite tree. 3:30.

Jilann LechnerJune 20, 2023WhalesComment