May 13, 2024 - The T065Bs and T075Bs are Partying in the Strait of Georgia

The sun was shining overhead as we left the dock on the 13th of May, heading out to see what the Salish Sea had in store for us today.

We had two boats today, one took the outside of Gabriola Island and started the search out into the Strait of Georgia, while the other took the inside passageways, searching along the way. It didn’t take us long before we spotted the black triangular dorsal fins of some orca cutting through the water.

Not only did we see dorsal fins, but it seemed like these orca were having a bit of fun! there was lots of action at the surface, with tail slaps, spy hopping, and breaching all being seen. This much surface activity is usually an indicator of a celebration after a hunt, or more likely in this case, socializing between the orca. With the whales jumping around like popcorn, it took us a little while to get the IDs of all of the whales present. The first pod was easy, it was the T065Bs, but the second pod, the T075Bs needed help from our office staff who could stare at eye patches and saddle patches for longer! This means that the following whales are present:

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

T075B Pebbles ♀ (1995)
T075B2 Fifi/Jasper ♂ (2015)
T075B3 Rubble (2017)
T075B4 (2021)

These whales were all travelling south through the flat top islands and continued along the shoreline of Valdes Island while we were with them. By the end of our time with them, they were still celebrating and continued their journey south.

After our time with the whales, both boats headed back into the passageways between the Southern Gulf Islands, looking for other wildlife. We first came across some Pinnipeds, or Seals and Sea Lions closer to shore along Valdes Island. Pinnipeds are one of the most predictable animals that we see during a tour, as they have certain areas that they will consistently haul-out on. For the Harbour Seals they will be found there year-round, but the Sea Lions will leave our area in the summer months to go to their breeding grounds. The Steller Sea Lions that we saw today should be starting their journey soon, and will usually be all gone by mid-summer.

Today though, it was fun watching all these fuzzy critters enjoying themselves, unaware or uncaring that their main predator just passed by within a mile of where they were. We soon left the seals to their suntans and the Sea Lions to their fighting and travelled through the islands home.

Our very last stop was at the Bluffs along the Gabriola Island shoreline. These towering sandstone cliffs not only put size into perspective but also form a nesting place for a lot of our seabirds. Mainly it’s cormorants but gulls and pigeon guillemot have also been seen nesting here.

At the end of the bluffs, there is a pair of eagles that use the nesting site as their own personal smorgasbord, often seen flying back to their nest with an unfortunate cormorant in their talons. Today they were resting in their nest, likely keeping a watchful eye over a chick that isn’t large enough for us to see over the edge of their nest yet.

There were lots of wonderful moments from the tour today captured by our onboard marine naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen and Des Poier, all of which can be viewed below!

T075B4 lifts their head out of the water beside someone else’s fluke in the air! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B1 Birdsall surfacing in the waves. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T075B2 Fifi/Jasper beside T065B2 Nettle, T075B3 Rubble, and T065B Chunk. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T075B2 Fifi/Jasper spy hopping! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B3 surfacing just ahead of mom, T065B Chunk. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T075B2 Fifi/Jasper in front of two other fins. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B1 Birdsall with all the water running off of his back. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Look at all these new scars that T065B1 Birdsall is sporting! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T075B2 Fifi/jasper also has some deep scarring. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Flukes up! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T075B2 Fifi surfacing and showing off her eye patch. Photo by Des Poier.

Group photo! Photo by Des Poier.

T065B1 Birdsall with T075B2 Fifi/Jasper and another. Photo by Des Poier.

T075B Pebbles surfacing beside her youngest, T075B4. Photo by Des Poier.

A little bit of porpoising from the baby! Photo by Des Poier.

A rare in-the-water fight from the Steller Sea Lions. Photo by Des Poier.

The fight continues. Photo by Des Poier.

Harbour Seals on Stinky Rock. Photo by Des Poier.

Cormorants nest on the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Des Poier.

A young gull resting on the waters. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Some Steller Sea Lions posing on the rocks. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A snoozing California Sea Lion on the seaweed of the intertidal zone. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Cormorants drying themselves on the rocks. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Harbour Seals holding onto the last of the rocks. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Harbour Seals watching this gull eat some seaweed. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Look at this adorable little Harbour Seal watching us from the water. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A Bald Eagle in flight, leaving the nest to fish. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

The other Bald Eagle remained at the nest to watch over the chicks that we are guessing are in here. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A Turkey Vulture flying overhead at the bluffs. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A Bald Eagle keeping a watchful eye out. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.