Our Eaglets have Left Home

Since late June we have had the privilege of observing two Bald Eagle Chicks (eaglets) being raised by their parents in a rather substantial nest on a islet neighboring Weynton Passage.  At first sight they were small and covered in fluffy down and vocalized aggressively as they called out for food. Day by day, week by week they grew bigger and their bodies and feathers developed.

The last scene of them still in the nest, which by now they had outgrown, was only a day ago. One sat perched on the edge of the nest, now seeming larger than its parent. The other was perched on a branch above the nest, already detached from its home. Today on tour, our skipper Jon believed he saw the two newly fledged birds flying nearby, with their parents also in mid flight in the same proximity of sky. How delightful it was to witness a successful rearing of not just one but two Bald Eagles. Let's hope they get to grow up to rear their own young one summer. 

The A42, A35 and A32 pod of Orca were in the vicinity today and at first observation of their behaviour it seemed as though they were just waking up from a nap. The juveniles in the group were spyhopping and porpoising, they were lunging and tail slapping as they slowly made their way across the Strait to Weynton Passage. 

Six Humpbacks were also seen milling and circling as they searched for food, taking deep dives to explore the depths below.  A breach was sighted from one of these Humpbacks, possibly coming from Ripple's calf who was one of the whales identified. 

The sky was heavy with cloud and the ocean was calm with hardly a ripple. The break from the sun was welcomed and it felt so fitting that today would be tranquil and quiet, after experiencing the dynamic electrical storm last night.  

Above is a photo taken August 9th by Robin Quirk, a local Alert Bay photographer. This spyhopping whale captured exactly what our passengers experienced this morning. A whale taking a look at their environment from a different perspective.