We were very lucky when we left the dock on the morning of June 25th, since one of our off-shift captains working the BC Ferry let us know there was a humpback whale just 15 minutes outside the harbour! Our two open boats and semi-covered vessels headed in that direction to see if we could find them. Sure enough, we saw the blow in the distance and the whale as we got closer!

It was a single humpback whale who seemed to be feeding in the area. This means that they will usually come to the surface a few times to breathe and restore their oxygen levels before doing a deeper dive to the depths where their food is. This also usually means that the whale will lift their tail out of the water to help propel themselves deeper. Since we need the underside of the tail fluke to make IDing the humpback whales the easiest, we usually like it when they dive! When this whale did their first dive we saw the tail, recognizing it as Fukurō (BCY0885calf2021)! This isn’t a whale that we’ve seen at VIWW before, but they are very distinct with the white underside and dark markings.

When the whales return to our area this time of year, they are usually very food-focused, and we see them eating more often than anything else. This is because the humpbacks are migratory, travelling either to Hawaii or Mexico for the whales in our population. When they are down south, there isn’t very much food for them so they only feed opportunistically, if ever. Instead, their primary energy source comes from their fat reserves. It’s a long distance to go, especially for a smaller, young whale like Fukurō, who wouldn’t be fully grown, therefore having less fat reserves. We know Fukurō travels to Hawaii over the winter months, which is about 3,000 miles!

While we were with Fukurō, we got a report of an orca travelling nearby, so we decided to try our luck in finding that whale as well! Sure enough, we saw the towering black dorsal fin of a male orca in the distance. They had two distinct notches from their dorsal fin, allowing us to ID them as:

T049C Neilson ♂ (1998)

Neilson is a lone male who is seen in the area often, and is known for his tricky ways! Sometimes, it seems like Neilson doesn’t want to be watched, and will suddenly disappear into thin air. This happened with him today, as after a few surfaces he decided that he didn’t want to stick around. He went under the water and never came back up where we could see him! It’s a nice reminder that we aren’t holding these whales hostage to watch them, and when they want to leave us behind they can and will! It was great to see him for the short amount of time we did though, since he is a very impressive whale. Not only is he fully grown at 26 years old, he has a unique dorsal fin as well as intricate scarring on his saddle patch that makes him very interesting to look at.

After it was clear that we weren’t going to see Neilson again, we decided to continue on our way to find other wildlife that would be more comfortable with us. One boat stuck close to shore and made its way to Stinky Rock, where there was a ton of wildlife to be seen, including Sea Lions, Harbour seals, Turkey Vultures, Black Oyster Catchers, and Bald Eagles. It’s usually the Sea Lions that steal the show at Stinky with their loud fighting, but today we were fascinated by all of the Turkey Vultures that were here.

Although Turkey Vultures aren’t the prettiest birds ever, they are super important to the ecosystem. They are carrion eaters, meaning that they eat things that are already dead. Compare this to the Bald Eagles who are predatory, hunting their prey in addition to scavenging. Having something dedicated to eating carrion means that the dead things won’t have time to rot. Rotting animals usually bring in bad organisms such as bacteria and parasites. If these pass on to other members of the animal population it can make them sick, harming the health of the ecosystem. Turkey Vultures are the main line of defence against this happening! They have interesting adaptations to help them stay clean while they are eating their dead things, most noticeably the lack of head feathers. This means less cleaning and maintenance after they stick their heads directly into their food. They also have a very keen sense of smell to detect their food, being able to smell the freshly passed animals while they ride the thermals overhead.

While one of our boats was enjoying time with all of the animals at Stinky, the other two made a quick stop with another humpback whale: Squirrel (BCX2183)! Squirrel was also in an interesting mood, Doing a single breach as we approached, and then a few pec slaps before slipping below the waves. We didn’t stay with Squirrel for too long since we were getting short on time, just a few surfaces to watch him playing in the waves!

Finally, we made one last stop at the Gabriola Bluffs, seeing the Bald Eagle nest with Bonnie and the chick both visible. As we continued along the cliff it became clear where Clyde was looking for food, since we saw him flying from nest to nest where the cormorants were. While this is the first time we have observed the eagles raiding the cormorant nests, this isn’t the first time it was observed in the Salish Sea as a study observing cormorants in the Salish Sea also recorded this behaviour at various Double Crested cormorant nests. It was fascinating to see, although sad for the cormorants who were likely losing their young.

Soon it was time to complete our morning journey, and we returned to the Nanaimo Harbour. It was great to see not only both species of whales but also all the other wildlife! All the photos from today were taken by the onboard Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Des Poier, and Hayleigh Hilbert and can be viewed below!

June 25, 2024, 10:30am - T049C Neilson and Humpback whales Fukurō and Squirrel

© Vancouver Island Whale Watch 2018-2024. All Rights Reserved.