An amazing day with Orcas, Humpback Whales, Sooty Shearwaters and so much more!

Our sightings: Northern Resident Orcas, Humpback Whales, Bald Eagles, Dall's Porpoises, Steller Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, one California Sea Lion, Rhinoceros and Cassin's Auklets, Red-Necked Phalaropes, Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Sooty Shearwaters++, Fork-tailed Storm Petrels, Canada Geese and Gulls.

It was a day of colour and contrast as the fog shifted and drifted over wide areas. Orcas were reported in the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve early in our tour and so we made our way out into Weynton Passage and enjoyed the sights and sounds of a myriad of seabirds and of Humpback Whales feeding! There were five whales in our surroundings with Argonaut and Conger among those that we saw. All of the whales were feeding back and forth in wide circles nearby.

We arrived near the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve just in time to see the A30s travelling past the Western boundary of the Reserve.  We listened to their beautiful A-Clan vocalizations and we all so enjoyed seeing and hearing them as they passed on by, our viewing of them was quite superb!

How beautiful was our day, the lighting was gorgeous and the drifting fog rising and disappearing virtually before our eyes was indeed a wonderful sight. The large numbers of Sooty Shearwaters, en route to their summer nesting destinations on remote islands off New Zealand's South Island and Australia were extraordinary to watch. Seeing them fly and soar in a gliding fashion close to the waters surface and suddenly drop and dive beneath to feed was remarkable!

Photo credits: Muriel Halle. All photo's have been taken with a telephoto lens and have been cropped.