May 25, 2024 - T019 and T019B join us alongside the T049As!

We had a mix of sun and cloud today, but most importantly the winds had calmed down overnight! All three of our vessels departed the dock at noon and we split up to cover more ground while searching our range. We decided to go North today to see if we could spot the Orca from a shore repot earlier in the day. We did not have to travel for long before we spotted what looked like a big black sailboat in the distance! We already knew who this iconic whale was as he has one of the largest dorsal fins in the population, standing tall but very wide as well! After snapping a few photos just to be 100% sure it was confirmed to be Galiano! He is a local favourite because his fin is very recognizable, and who was he with today? Back at his mother Nootka’s side, right where we usually find him. Yesterday, we spotted Nootka without him, which was strange as this mother-son combo are always together. Looks like they were having a T-party and coming together to socialize with the T049As, well most of them. The orca present today were:

T019 Nootka ♀ (~1965)
T019B Galiano ♂ (1995)

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

The T049As consist of 7 whales, today 5 out of the 7 were at the party. Nan is the matriarch of this pod and the rest of the members are her children, she’s a pretty amazing mom if you ask us because they are all still alive! Orca have a high mortality rate especially in the first year of their lives, with around a 50% survival rate. Another thing out of the ordinary with this pod is the children usually spend their entire lives at mom’s side, particularly the boys. Well, Nan’s second eldest son Jude is a bit of a lone male travelling away from his pod and her oldest son Noah branches off to do his own thing periodically but is normally still fairly close to where his family is. We have a joke amongst staff that Nan is a good but mean mom, so her 2 boys don’t always hang around her. Jude is not always alone, he was travelling with another male Amir earlier this year, maybe they just decided it’s the bachelor life for them! After watching some of our favourite Orca travel and visit with each other we moved on to see who else we may spot. We made a few stops as we continued searching, and got to meet some of our pinnipeds.

The first place we got to see our flipper-footed friends was at the Halibut Bank ODAS buoy. They will sometimes haul out in strange places like this, especially when there is plenty to snack on below the surface for them. The other place we saw Sea Lions today was at Harmac Pulp Mill, another “not natural” spot. Typically these animals would spend time hauled out on the rocky shorelines of the coast, but it makes sense for them to be on places like log booms or Buoys since these places are never covered by the tides, unlike the rocks. When the rocks are covered by water with a rising tide, it means that the animals become vulnerable to predation by their main predator, Biggs orca! laying on a floating object means this might never happen to these smart sea lions.

The Harbour seals won’t be so lucky though, since they are limited in where they can go, given that they can’t walk around like a Sea Lion. They are stuck haul-ing out on the shallower slopes of the shores instead.

The last stop that we made today was in Northumberland Channel along the Gabriola Island Shoreline. Here we saw cormorants nesting on the tall sandstone cliffs, as well as the Bald Eagle family at their nest. We even got to confirm that they do have a baby this year, and they’re already so big! With this last bit of excitement, we happily returned to the Nanaimo harbour, pleased with all the wildlife of the Salish Sea we got to see today.

Photos taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Vanessa Vereschahen, and Lucy Willis.

T049A6 Charlie II with T049A5 Nebula behind him. Photo by Lucy Willis.

T049A Nan with her youngest calf T049A6 Charlie II behind her. Photo by Lucy Willis.

T019B Galiano’s giant droopy dorsal. Photo by Lucy Willis.

T049A4 Neptune behind T019B Galiano. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T049A3 Nat right behind T019B Galiano. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T049A5 Nebula and T049A6 Charlie II - you can tell it’s him because of his flat face! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T019B Galiano, T049A6 Charlie II, and T049A4 Neptune. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T019B Galiano. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Sleepy day on the ODAS buoy. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Look at those big teeth! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A half wet, half dry sea lion. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A day dreaming sea lion. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

“Make sure to get my good side!” Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A young Harbour seal looking back at us. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A proud Bald Eagle parent! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Look at the brand-new Eaglet! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Busily getting nesting material. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Look at that pretty eye! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A band of Steller’s Jays. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A cluster of ochre sea stars. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Our Open Zodiac, Keta, looks tiny against the Gabriola Bluffs! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Our Open Zodiac, Keta. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Our Open Zodiac, Cascadia, with T019B Galiano in the background. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Our Semi-Covered Vessel, Kula. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Jilann LechnerMay 25, 2024WhalesComment