April 17, 2024 - The T049As travelling off North Nanaimo
After receiving an early morning report of orca near Nanoose, we were eager to push off the dock and start our search. We cruised out of the harbour and turned north, our eyes scanning all around us in search of those signature black dorsal fins. It didn’t take us long to spot them travelling together near the Winchelsea Islands!
This pod was surfacing lots and travelling very closely together. While we didn’t see a hunt happen, the pod may have been prey-sharing while we were on scene. Prey-sharing is a social activity where all the pod members come together to divvy up their catch.
We snapped some photos of these individuals and identified this group as the T049As:
T049A Nan ♀ (1986)
T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)
T049A4 Neptune ♂ (2014)
T049A5 Nebula ♀ (2017)
T049A6 Charlie II ♂ (2022)
The youngest member of the pod, T049A6 Charlie II, was just recently confirmed to be male! This sassy little one is a fan favourite due to his unusual facial shape. Charlie II’s face is quite flat and some of his teeth pop out of his mouth. Interestingly, during our first encounter with this calf back on March 6, 2022, Charlie II’s face wasn’t nearly as flat as it is now. During our first encounter with him, it was also noted that his dorsal fin had a lot of damage on it. Nan may have had complications while giving birth, leading to the other pod members needing to help with the delivery. No matter what caused his irregularities, we love Charlie II and his adorable little face!
After we said goodbye to our orca we turned back south and made our way over to Entrance Island. Entrance Island is a manned lighthouse found outside the Nanaimo harbour. It is a popular haul-out spot for our sea lions. Today several large Steller sea lions were lumbering around, grumbling and growling to assert their dominance up on the rocks. There were also a couple of California sea lions barking away amongst the large Stellers. Snake Island was another stop along the way where we saw some snoozing Harbour seals sunbathing.
It was another beautiful day in the Salish Sea with lots to be seen right in our own backyard!
Photos by Marine Naturalist Val Watson.
T049A3 Nat travelling.
T049A3 Nat with the Winchelsea Islands in the background.
T049A4 Neptune travelling behind his mom T049A Nan.
T049A5 Nebula showing off her eye patch.
T049A3 Nat, T049A5 Nebula, and T049A6 Charlie II travelling together.
T049A3 Nat sporting some new scarring on his saddle patch in addition to his growing dorsal fin.
T049A family photo!
T049A3 Nat in front of his mom T049A Nan, T049A4 Neptune and T049A5 Nebula.
T049A Nan with T049A3 Nat.
T049A3 Nat.
A little look at T049A6 Charlie II’s face <3.
T049A6 Charlie II travelling close beside his mom, T049A Nan with brother T049A4 Neptune leading the way.
T049A6 Charlie II and T049A Nan with the Coastal Mountains as the backdrop.
T049A3 Nat in front of the mountains.
The white underside of a tail beside the rest of the family.
T049A Nan and T049A3 Nat travelling beside each other.
The youngest boy, T049A6 Charlie II surfacing as his big brother T049A3 Nat dives.
A big blow in front of T049A4 Neptune and T049A5 Nebula.
T049A3 Nat.
Family Photo from left to right: T049A5 Nebula, T049A6 Charlie II, T049A Nan, T049A5 Nebula, and T049A3 Nat.
The T049As going for a dive.
Big Male Steller Sea Lion.
The Sea Lions hanging out on Entrance Island with the lighthouse in the background.
A California Sea Lion on the rocks at Entrance Island.
Steller Sea Lions on the rocks.
A Steller Sea Lion in the water.
The Steller Sea Lions Rafting near Entrance Island.
This Large Steller Sea Lion was causing a ruckus.
Some Jellyfish in the water near the Sea Lions.
Puppy on the rocks of Entrance Island.
The Nanaimo to Vancouver ferry arriving in Departure Bay.
Harbour Seals on the rocks of Entrance Island with another ferry in the background.
An Oystercatcher stomping in the intertidal zone.
A brave little Harbour Seal.
Two cormorants near the harbour Seal haul out.
Entrance Island with the Coastal Mountains in the background.
Two more Harbour Seals at Snake Island.