June 7, 2024, 10:30am - Hyper Harpy

It was a beautiful, sunny morning today, and we were ready to go! We hardly ever know where we will find whales when we leave the dock. Sometimes the whales are right outside the harbour, while other times we have to travel a little bit farther to find something. Today, we headed south to see who we could find! We often find humpbacks near the channels and passes that funnel between the Strait and the Gulf Islands. This is because as the tide moves in and out of the islands, the changing current stirs up particulates in the water column. This attracts smaller feeding fish, and often Humpbacks as well!

Finally, our search paid off, and we had some success. We found Harpy (BCZ0503) near Active Pass. This was the first time this season we had spotted her and it’s always exciting to see familiar fins. Harpy is always a rambunctious whale and today was no different. She gave us beautiful fluke shots as well as some pectoral fin action. Harpy is a younger whale and is the 2020 calf of Raptor (BCY0458). Both Harpy and mom Raptor are regulars in the Salish Sea in the summer months, but their winter breeding ground is still unknown. Mysterious family!

Take a look at the photos below, paying close attention to Harpy’s pectoral fin. This little whale is super identifiable thanks to her bright all-white pectoral fins! This isn’t super common in Humpbacks here in the Northern Hemisphere. While humpbacks can be seen in all oceans of the world, there is strong colour difference depending on where they are found. Northern humpbacks are typically dark in colour all over their bodies, with white colouration appearing occasionally on their pectoral fins, and more commonly, on the underside of their flukes. In fact, this is how we identify individuals in our population, using these unique markings present on the fluke. There are three different categories of fluke colouration: X animals (very dark fluke), Y animals (mix of white and dark), and Z animals (very white). Northern populations have more X and Y animals, while down south, we see a different pattern. Humpbacks spotted in Australian and New Zealand waters are much brighter than our Humpbacks, and more commonly exhibit a Z coloration on their flukes. But it doesn’t stop there! Humpbacks are commonly seen with bright white bellies, pectoral fins and even dorsal patches! Check out a cool graphic outlining the differences is morphotypes present in the sourthern hemisphere below! The Australian population is also the only one with a documented case of albinism in the humpback species, and is home to the albino male humpback Migaloo, who was last spotted in 2020. For more information on colouration differences, check out this great article by the Marine Mammal Foundation down in Australia!

Source: Marine Mammal Foundation

After hanging out with the ever-exciting whale Harpy, we headed out to see some other wildlife. We finished up the day watching the Harbour Seals on a nearby rocky outcrop, and then went over to the Gabriola Bluffs to check out the nesting Cormorants! A perfect end to our lovely sunny day! Check out all the photos below, taken by onboard naturalists, Val Watson and Lucy Willis!

Harpy about to show off her beautiful fluke. Photograph by Lucy Willis

Can you see the barnacles on the edge of Harpy’s fluke? Photograph by Lucy Willis

We identify our humpbacks by seeing the ventral side of their fluke. Harpy has a mostly white fluke with 2 dots on the right side, that’s how we know it’s her! Photograph by Lucy Willis

We can also ID our humpbacks by their dorsal fins. Though they are small, they are all unique. Photograph by Lucy Willis

Humpbacks often have white on the ventral side of their pectoral but Harpy has white on both the ventral and dorsal side. Photograph by Lucy Willis

Harpy coming up for a breath. Photograph by Lucy Willis

Harpy’s dorsal fin. Photograph by Lucy Willis

Harpy is what we call a Z whale because more than 80% of her fluke is white. Photograph by Val Watson

Water dripping off Harpy’s fluke. Photograph by Val Watson

A harbour seal enjoying a nap. Photograph by Lucy Willis

If you look closely you might be able to see the nails on the harbour seals pectoral flipper. Photograph by Lucy Willis

Steller’s Jays hanging out in a tree. Photograph by Val Watson

Cormorants in their nests. Photograph by Val Watson

Salt water meeting brackish water, also known as fresh water. Photograph by Lucy Willis

All those green and white balls are actually anemones that close up when the tide is low and they are out of water. Photograph by Val Watson