Another double species day for us! We started the day off strong, with reports of an unknown whale just south of Dodd Narrows, and a pod of orca just north of us. We’re always eager to get off the dock on days like this, so we sent the fleet in different directions to see what we could find!

A beautiful sunny day, we only had a short journey south before we came across our reported mystery whale, a solitary Humpback just south of Round Island. This was a whale we’ve seen before, who comes back to our waters from the Mexico population. It was Pepper (BCX1706)! Unless a calf shows up in our waters with its mom, it can be hard to pin down an age on a Humpback. Pepper is one of these cases. While the first spot in the Baja region was in 2017, the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS_ here on the island assigned Pepper an ID in 2016 when they were first spotted in our waters. This ID is MERS-BCYuk2016#10, and the BCYuk designation suggests that Pepper was a full grown unknown whale when spotted, or else the designation would be BCC or “BC calf unknown”. While Peppers's gender is still unknown, they have yet to show up with a calf yet, so maybe we can confirm in the next few years!

Meanwhile just off the coast of Gabriola, we came across the Orca that had been reported in the area. It was the T049As! This is a fairly large family, with only T049A2 Jude missing today. This is fairly normal of the boys of this age. At 16, Jude has sprouted and has dispersed from his family for the time being. Big brother T049A1 Noah has done this in the past, but was seen alongside his family again today. T049A Nan is a big boy mom, with only one confirmed daughter, T049A5 Nebula. These guys were in the middle of a hunt when we arrived, one that was successful based on the scraps stolen by the seagulls. This family includes:

T049A Nan ♀ (1986)
T049A1 Noah ♂ (2001)
T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)
T049A4 Neptune ♂ (2014)
T049A5 Nebula ♀ (2017)
T049A6 Charlie II (2022)

This family is a fan favourite because of their unique little babe, nicknamed Charlie II. This nickname is reference to a well known whale, the infamous T1 Charlie Chin, known for his characteristic jaw shape. Charlie and his unique family where known for their unusual underbites, and the unique coloration of T4 Chimo. Chimo was suspected to have the genetic anomaly Chediak- Higashi Syndrome, which produces a distinctive white color, alongside immune deficiencies and a reduced lifespan. Interestingly enough this is likely the same genetic anomaly seen in the T046Bs, with since deceased T046B1B T’luk also possessing this unique coloration. While matrilines are clearly distinguished in Orca, paternity is a totally different matter. Is it possible these two families are related somehow? Especially since Chediak Higashi syndrome is hereditary, there is a pretty strong case suggesting so. Although we may never know without genetic testing for confirmation, it sure is fun to speculate. Check out the photos below of little Charlie II’s unique face and teeth!

Already spoiled with a double species day, we left the T049s on their eastbound journey and headed to the Gabriola Bluffs to see what else we could see! While enjoying the Cormorants and the Bald Eagle nest, we heard the familiar sound of blows behind us. Even though we had left the T049s on the NW tip of Gabriola, the family decided to switch it up and follow us to the bluffs. We were treated to a nice close pass, as we had stopped to get a better look at the Eaglets. After saying goodbye to the T049s again, we started our slow trek home, where we saw that T049A1 Noah had split from his family and was enjoying some time in the Nanaimo River estuary. These boys do what they want!

All in all it was a phenomenal day, packed full of wildlife, and all decently close to home! We are so fortunate to be able to see such amazing wildlife right in our own backyard.

Photos taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Vanessa Vereschahen, Des Poier