The Gifts of June

June has so far been a generous month gifting us with beautiful weather and unusually frequent sightings of both Transient (Biggs) and Resident Orca. Yes, we had Orca sightings again today under a clear, sunny and splendid sky.

Despite the few boats that are on the water, whales are being sighted due to the fact that they are traveling in narrow straits and passage ways where their presence can be detected by their blows and tall dorsal fins.  We also have a community spirit where even amongst the whale watching companies, we share information and sightings. We are all here with the same goal, wanting to share with all our visitors the wild and wonderful treasures of Northern Vancouver Island.

The Transients we first sighted in Johnstone Strait were traveling in an Easterly direction, taking long dives therefore making it difficult to keep track of where they were.  After seeing the pod surface twice, we lost them. Even after twenty minutes of looking and searching through binoculars, we could not find them again. It is in their nature to be stealth-like because they have to sneak up on their large prey unlike the residents who have a main diet of salmon. Thankfully, just around the corner we came across residents, the same group we encountered yesterday.  They were much easier to keep track of therefore we had a wonderful viewing. The bright sunlight struck the water droplets on each of the black dorsal fins and as they traveled in their family group, they surfaced in unison.

At the Stephenson Islets, the adult Bald Eagles had taken over the numerous cedar tree branches. Their black and white appearance matched the colouration of the Orca; the contrast in colour was stunning. The shiny bald heads of harbour seals cruised amongst the kelp, camouflaged by the bulbs of the bull kelp, such evidence how nature works together.

And off the water: this is a busy weekend for Alert Bay as we host the annual June Sports soccer tournament. Teams travel from all over BC to take part in this three day event. This morning the town was lively as the parade kicked off the line-up of events. There is always good energy and Great Spirit in this small town at the edge of the Broughton Archipelago.