May 17, 2024 - The whales keep coming and they don't stop coming!

We started the day with two boats leaving our harbour to begin the search for whales. After passing through Dodd Narrows, our boats travelled south, one down the east side of Salt Spring Island while the other took the west side to expand our search area. Finally, in Haro Strait, we reaped our reward as we found

T049A1 Noah ♂ (2001).

This is the furthest south we’ve travelled so far this year! Of course, spending time with Noah was worth the wait.

Our Transient Killer Whales are big momma’s boys and we typically see sons stay by their mom’s side their entire lives! Noah, however, is one of the few exceptions to this rule. Despite their mom still being around (more on her later), both Noah and his brother, T049A2 Jude, have taken to travelling solo. This sight is so rare that we can use the fact that we’re looking at a lone male as part of our identification process, as it narrows down our options to just a handful of suspects.

After our long journey south and our time spent with Noah, it was time to start making our way back to Nanaimo. On the way home, our semi-covered boat swung by Canoe Island to check out our Stellar Sea Lions. But hold on, who was that in the distance? More whales!

T124A Kittiwake ♀ (1984)
T124A6 Kasuun ♂ (2016)
T124A7 ♀ (2021)

T124A4 Sabio ♀ (2010)
T124A4A ♀ (2021)

Mystery Calf
T124A1A (2024)

We gave the word to our open boat so they could join us while we watched this big group which consisted of matriarch, Kittiwake, with some of her children and grandchildren! These whales were very active and with a lot of young whales in the group, we got to enjoy what looked like play behaviour under the water and some curious spy-hoppers. There was also possibly some hunting taking place, a great opportunity for these youngsters to learn from the older, more experienced members of the family.

The youngest member of this group has become quite the mystery since their birth earlier this year. They were initially thought to be the calf of Kittiwake’s eldest daughter, T124A1 Bonapartes, as they were first spotted travelling by her side. Since then however, our 2024 calf has more often been travelling with T124A4 Sabio and Bonapartes has separated from the group entirely. Was our little calf Sabio’s all along or was Bonapartes unwilling/unable to care for her calf, leading to sister Sabio taking on the role? Time will tell!

Before leaving our group, we noticed Kittiwake was sporting some fresh wounds at the front edge of her dorsal fin. The pattern of the wounds indicated these may be from a close encounter with a propeller, reinforcing why it’s so important for boaters to shut down their engine if the whales ever get too close. Hopefully they’ll heal well with some time and Kittiwake will have learned an important lesson to ensure she has no more incidents in the future.

Homeward bound, our open boat hung out by Stinky Rocks where there was an abundance of different species to see, including Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, a Bald Eagle and some Harlequin Ducks.

Our semi-covered vessel however, crossed paths with even more whales!

T019 Nootka/Mooja ♀ (≤1965)
T019B Galiano ♂ (1995)

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

This particular group included whales from two families travelling together; mom and son, Nootka and Galiano, along with Nan and four of her children. The latter family is actually the mom and siblings of our lone male from earlier in the day, Noah!

Our time had well and truly run over at this point so we only watched for a surface or two before heading back to dock after a wonderful day on the water, racking up a whopping 114 nautical miles!

Photos from today, taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Lucy Willis can be viewed below.

T049A1 Noah surfacing and showing off his eye patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Here you can see the notch in T049A1 Noah’s dorsal fin, which helps us identify him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A7 followed by her older sister, T124A4 Sabio. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A Kittiwake sporting some new scarring. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Our mystery calf, T124A1A. When first born, the white patches on baby orca have an orange tinge, which can be seen here. As this calf ages and gains weight, those patches will whiten! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A4 Sabio with another whale peeking up behind her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Breaking the surface! With T124A4 Sabio behind. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A7 and her older brother T124A6 Kasuun. Those arched backs could mean they’re heading down for a deeper dive. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A4 Sabio with T124A1A right beside her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A1A and T124A4 Sabio. Look at the size difference in their dorsal fins! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A4A, T124A1A, and T124A4 Sabio in a beautiful, silver sea. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Group photo! From left to right we have T124A4A, T124A4 Sabio, T124A1A, and T124A6 Kasuun. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A1A with their head out of the water, beside T124A4 Sabio. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124A4 Sabio and T124A1A. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A couple of Stellar Sea Lions having a dispute. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A sleepy stellar in the background, watching the drama unfold. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Sea lion butts make great pillows, apparently. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A couple of male Harlequin Ducks. Photo by Lucy Willis.

An adult Bald Eagle looking majestic. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A Harbour Seal in the banana pose, showing off their colouration. Photo by Lucy Willis.

The banana pose from another angle. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Jilann LechnerMay 17, 2024Whales2 Comments