The Day of the Eagles

It was the day of the Eagles today as numerous Bald Eagles, both adult and juvenile were out in abundance, hunting, flying and foraging. Although they were a highlight it was the abundance of other marine mammals that stole the show.

Lunge feeding Humpbacks and numerous sightings of these larger whales completely surprised our visitors. Right across Blackfish Sound you could see blow after blow on the calm horizon. Another animal in abundance was the Pacific White-sided dolphins which traveled in the same vicinity as the Northern Resident Orcas. They bugged the Orca in the same way that Mosquitoes buzz around one’s head. It certainly changes the behaviour of our residents as it seems to force them to dive deeper and longer in hope of avoiding these marine pests.

During both tours we lowered the hydrophone to listen to the underwater sounds coming from the whales and dolphins. The vocals were out of this world, in fact our skipper stated it was the ‘best ever’ that he has heard. So along with our guests, he was thrilled also.

Although there was a few family groups of Residents, we also had Transient (Biggs) killer whales in the area and they were not too far apart from eachother. In the past having observed the interaction between Biggs and Residents, it seems obvious that the Biggs tend to stay clear of the Residents. Perhaps the Resident Orcas, traveling in their larger pods and extremely vocal at times may be a hindrance to their hunting and foraging.

After two days of heavy wind and rain, it was a relief to be back on the water to experience the richness of September. How wonderful to know that rain has filled the streams allowing salmon to head on up and lay their eggs; a crucial part of this cycle of life.