April 12, 2024 - A Sunny stroll through the Islands
It was bright and sunny when we left the dock today in search of whales. We ended up patrolling a large portion of our southern range, going around the Southern Gulf Islands.
There had been reports of whales inside the islands in recent days so we were hopeful that they would still be around. While we searched we had a couple of stops with some other wildlife.
Our Harbour seals were nestled amongst the rocks, snoozing away when we found them. We even saw a couple of cute pup faces among the adults! It’s still a little early for pup season as most of them are born in May to July, but because of this year’s unseasonably warm temperatures, we might see some babies earlier than normal. After departing our seals we continued our search, scanning far and wide as we travelled along.
As we approached Yellowpoint we spotted a couple of dorsals poking out of the water! These whales were doing deep dives and were very tricky to track at first. Once our Naturalist snapped a photo of them, they identified these whales as part of the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) ecotype - a critically endangered population which we do not watch. The conservation of the ecotype is very important to us, and we hope one day the population will be able to recover to a stable number. Once we knew they were the SRKW we departed and turned our attention northwards.
After scooting our way around the SRKW we continued into Dodd Narrows ourselves. Once on the other side, we made our way over to Harmac - a favourite place for our sea lions to haul out on. Many of the sea lions were dozing away, with a couple using others as their pillows. While some were barking away, overall it was a rather calm experience with them. We also saw a Gull perched on top of a barrel - at first it appeared to have a stick in its mouth, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like it was busy having lunch!
After watching our sea lions we turned back towards home port. Sadly the whales eluded us today, but all guests on board today were given vouchers which are good for another trip on us!
Photos by Maine Naturalist Vanessa Vereschahen.
There were a couple of younger faces amongst the adults!
Can you spot the perfectly camouflaged Harbour seals on the rocks?
The edge of one of the Southern Gulf Islands.
Round Island, near Yellowpoint.
Approaching Dodd Narrows!
Dodd Narrows. Left to right: Vancouver Island, Gabriola Island (back), and Mudge Island.
The currents were strong in Dodd Narrows today!
Entering the waterway - look at those whitecaps!
The other side of Dodd Narrows. Left to right: Mudge Island, Link Island, Thetis Island, and Vancouver Island.
A Gull with lunch.
Sleepy sea lions on the log booms by Harmac.
Personal space? What’s that?
Curiously watching something behind us.