April 29 Minke whale, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoise and submarine in Victoria Harbour!

So it looks like somebody turned on the `minke tap` today! We left the harbour just after 2 and headed into the sun and calm waters of the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We travelled east across the Victoria waterfront to check out around the Chain Islands in Oak Bay and Haro Strait. We passed south of Seabird Point, at the south end of Discovery Island and slowed down to check out the productive waters between Seabird Point and Beaumont Shoals to the east. Lucky for us, shortly after we slowed down to watch the seabirds feeding and look for harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) we spotted a minke whale (balaeanoptera acutorostrata)!

Minke whale in Haro Strait

Minke whale in Haro Strait

Minke whale in Haro Strait

We watched the minke as it worked it`s way in the waters around us feeding on what was probably herring. Most of the time we sat with the engines turned off and watch it circling around us as it fed. We were even lucky enough to have it surface quite near the boat a couple times! In addition to the nice close pass we also saw the minke and gulls association feeding, also know as Kleptoparasitism; the minke whales use the bait ball created by the gulls to feed. The gulls and diving birds, such as Rhinocerous Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), force the fish into tight ball just under the water surface. This ball is formed when the gulls dive down from above and the diving birds force the fish to the surface from below.

Dorsal fin of minke whale in Haro Strait. Note the dent on the leading edge of the dorsal fin and the nick at the top trailing edge...good features for future recognition

Close pass of feeding minke!

Close pass of feeding minke!

After spending half an hour watching the minke feed we travelled over to San Juan Island on the east side of Haro Strait to see if we could spot any other marine life. When we arrived to the deep waters off the west side of San Juan we spotted some Dall`s porpoise. Although we slowed to watch them and see if they`d come bowride they seemed more interested in feeding. They kept their distance but we still had a nice sighting especially because the waters were so calm!

Awesome spotting conditions! Beaufort 0!

Dall's porpoise in Haro Strait

After watching the porpoises briefly we continued north up Haro Strait to Kelp Reefs where we've been seeing Steller sea lions (Eumatopia jubatus) recently. We had a nice look at five animals; two were up on the ledge of the marker and three were swimming around in the waters below.

Steller sea lions hauled out at Kelp Reef, Haro Strait

Steller sea lions hauled out at Kelp Reef, Haro Strait

Steller sea lions hauled out at Kelp Reef, Haro Strait

After checking out the Stellers and the harbour seal hauled out on one of the other rocks at Kelp Reef we turned back towards the harbour to return to Victoria. As we were entering the harbour we had an interesting sight...a submarine on a heavy lift ship at Ogden Point! We found out later that this was the fire damaged HMCS Chicoutimi. This sub has not been to sea since 2004 when a fire killed one person and injured eight others. It is now going to Esquimalt harbour for a 2 year refit.

Dockwise ship at Ogden Point, Victoria Harbour

`Dockwise` ship at Ogden Point, Victoria Harbour

Dockwise ship at Ogden Point, Victoria Harbour

Gray whale in Crescent Bay, WA April 27

It was a beautiful sunny day as we headed out of the harbour into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Although we were keeping our eyes open for killer whales (Orcinus orca) we decided to head south from the Victoria Harbour entrance to the Washington State side. There was a report of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) in Crescent Bay, Washington State so we decided to check it out. This was quite exciting for the crew as most of us hadn't seen any gray whales yet this year. It was also a good route to take to scan the waters for either the Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales who we've been seeing quite a bit recently and the Resident 'fish eating' killer whales.

Mount Olympus as seen through the Elwha River Valley,WA

Mount Olympus as seen from in Crescent Bay, WA

About an hour after we headed out of the harbour we neared the shore of the Washington State side of the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Although there had been reports of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) in the morning the whale had not been spotted yet this afternoon. We coordinated with another whale watching vessel to scan the shoreline. Soon the other vessel called us on the radio to say that the whale was close to shore and feeding in the bay.

Gray whale feeding in Crescent Bay, WA

Gray whale feeding in Crescent Bay, WA

We watched this fairly small (less than 30 foot) whale feeding in the bay for about half an hour. The whale was busy bottom feeding so we spent most of the time watching it breathing between dives. While these whales dive to the bottom they feed by rolling to one side, usually the right, and using suction created in their mouths to suck the sandy muddy bottom into their mouths. Once they've sucked the bottom sediment into their mouths they push their large (3000 pound!) tongues against their baleen. This pushes the mud and water out of their mouths but the invertebrates such as amphipods and tube worms get stuck in the fine hairs of their baleeen. Gray whales can consume up to 455 kg (1000 pounds) of food per day and gain 30 cm (6 - 12 inches) of body fat during the feeding season!

Steller sea lions hauled out at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area

Steller sea lions (and a California sea lion on the right!) hauled out at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area

California and Steller sea lions hauled out at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area

We departed Crescent Bay just before 4 to head back towards the Victoria Harbour. On the way we stopped in at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area to check out the Steller sea lions (Eumatopias jubatus), California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). When we arrived we spotted 7 Elephant seals, 2 California sea lions, 14 Steller sea lions and many harbour seals.

Race Rocks Marine Protected Area with Mount Olympus in the background

We arrived back at the Victoria Harbour just before 5 after a wonderful afternoon in the sun watching a gray whale feed in Crescent Bay, WA and Steller sea and California sea lions, elephant seals and harbour seals at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

Transients near Race Rocks April 26!

We departed just after 2 pm on Five Star Charter's vessel Fastcat. It was a beautiful sunny day and after leaving the Victoria Harbour we headed south to Race Rocks to follow up on a report of Transient 'mammal eating' Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Race Pass. On the way to Race Pass we stopped at Albert Head to check out the bald eagles in their nest. We could see one of the individuals in the nest but it was hard to tell if there were any chicks yet. We suspect their must be as they've been in the nest for over a month which is about as long or longer than the typical 35 day incubation period for bald eagles.

Sail boat in Race Pass with Race Rocks Lighthouse

We arrived at Race Pass just before 3 pm and shortly after sighting the other whale watch vessels we spotted the group of Transients. This ecotype of killer whale is called the 'Transients' because during the early years of research this ecotypes was seen with less regularity than the Resident 'fish eating' whales so scientists believed they were more 'transient' than the fish eating killer whales.

Juvenile Bald Eagle flying over Race Rocks

Juvenile bald eagle joining an adult bald eagle at Race Rocks

Juvenile bald eagle with adult at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area

After watching the Transients for a while we we headed to Race Rocks Marine Protected Area to see if there were some sea lions, harbour seals, elephant seals and bald eagles. We ended up spotting about a dozen Steller sea lions (Eumatopia jubatus), 3 elephant seals (Mironunga angustirostris) and many harbour seals (phoca vitulina).

From Race Rocks Captain Trev decided to do a quick drive into the Strait of Juan de Fuca to see if we could spot anything else. It was fairly calm further in the Strait but the swell picked up because we were out in the more exposed are where the water moves through the Strait from the open ocean.

Steller sea lions at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area

Tattered Canadian flag at Race Rocks

We returned back to the group of Transients and shortly before arriving on scene heard other whale watch captains reporting that the whales were in the process of either killing a porpoise or a seal. When we arrived they were definitely in feeding mode as we watched them circling consistently in one spot and sea gulls were flying overhead and swooping down to pick up scraps.

Group of 5 Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Group of 5 Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Group of 5 Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Around 430 we left the whales, who looked like they were still busy feeding, to make our way back to the harbour. We arrived back at the harbour at 5 feeling quite lucky for our sighting of the Transient killer whales, Steller sea lions, Northern elephant seals, harbour seals and bald eagles. It was another great afternoon on the water!

T10s in Swanson Channel today

This afternoon we departed at 2 pm with a full load of passengers on Five Star Charter's vessel the Supercat. Fortunately, the winds we'd been having the last couple of days finally came down and we were treated to flat calm waters and blue skies.

After departing the harbour we travelled East across the Victoria waterfront and into Haro Strait where we could look across to San Juan Island in Washington State. We were heading to a report of Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in the north end Haro Strait. When we had left the harbour they were travelling near Mandarte Island...an important bird nesting area for southern Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands.

Looking back behind the boat down Haro Strait

We ended up travelling an hour and a half to Swanson Channel where we finally caught up with the other whale watch boats and the whales who had been travelling northbound, away from us, when we left the dock. When we arrived we spotted the three Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales (Orcinus orca) who were the matrilineal group the T10s. This small group of Transients consists of a female and her two offspring T10B, a mature male, and T10C his younger sibling. In addition to seeing the whales we were also fortunate to have two mature bald eagles (Halieetus leucocephalus) fly overhead at just about the same time the whales were surfacing...making it very difficult for us to decide whether to photograph the whales or the eagles!

Transient male killer whale T10B

Transient male killer whale T10B

Transients T10B with younger sibling T10C

Male Transient killer whale T10B

Male Transient killer whale T10B

Youngest offspring of T10, T10C

Female Transient killer whale T10 with son T10B

Female Transient killer whale T10 with son T10B

Male Transient killer whale T10B

When we first arrived the T10s were heading in a northerly direction up Swanson Channel. It appeared they might have been feeding because many gulls were circling and diving for what was likely to be scraps from the whales hunting a seal or a porpoise. After a few long 2 - 5 minute dives, with shorter surfacings in between, the whales changed direction and headed east across Swanson Channel and towards Pender Island.

Male Transient killer whale T10B in the distance

Around 4 pm we left the whales to start making our way back down Haro Strait and Victoria Harbour. It was a beautiful trip back with more flat calm seas and great views of the Olympic Mountains! We arrived back to the dock a little late...but it was definitely worth it as we had a wonderful sighting of these three Transient killer whales and the weather couldn't have been better!

Captain Trev and Ron Bates of the Marine Mammal Research Group

Passengers enjoying the sunny (but chilly!) ride home on the top deck


Passengers enjoying the sunny (but chilly!) ride home on the top deck

...And keeping warm in the cabin

Trial Island with Mount Olympus in the Olympic Mountains in Washington State

T40 aka Captain Hook travelling with the T124s and T90s in Haro Strait April 20th!

Finally we are starting to get some warmer weather...and calm seas! We departed at 2 pm this afternoon and, fortunately for us, already had a report of a group of Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in Haro Strait. We travelled east across the Victoria waterfront, taking in the amazing views of the Olympic Mountains to the south of us, past Oak Bay and Chatham and Discovery Islands and into Haro Strait where the border between Canada and the US runs north toward Vancouver City.

Olympic Mountains and Chatham and Discovery Islands

After travelling for just over an hour we reached the north side of Henry Island, near Battleship Island, in the north end of Haro Strait and spotted some other whale watching vessels travelling with two Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales (Orcinus orca). In addition to the whale watching vessels we also spotted the Center For Whale Research vessel conducting a photo-ID survey on the two Transients.

Center For Whale Research staff doing photo ID on transients T40 and T124C

Our reports from earlier in the day indicated that there was a group of about 8 animals travelling together but when we arrived we found there were only two animals. The group had split and we found we were watching a mature male,T40 aka Captain Hook, travelling with a female T124C who is a member of the T124 group. We soon spotted another small cluster of whale watching boats. The rest of the T124 group was travelling with the T90s on the other side of Haro Strait near Halibut and Sidney Islands. Due to the nature of the border here (it runs up the center of Haro Strait) T40 and T124C were travelling in US waters while the rest of the T124s and T90s were travelling in Canadian waters...but I'm sure they didn't know they were travelling in two different countries!

T124C and T40 travelling northbound in Haro Strait

T40 in Haro Strait

Transient killer whale T40

Transient killer whale T40

Transient killer whales T40 and T124C

After having a nice look at Captain Hook and T124C (and the Center for Whale Research researchers!) we decided to cross back into Canadian waters and see the other group. We watched this group who were pointed in a northerly direction but not making much movement up the strait. Just before we reached this group of 5 animals we spotted a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) not far from them. Not sure if the seal was aware of their presence but shortly after we started watching the second group of animals they looked like they were hunting in the area where we saw the seal. In addition to their milling around in one spot for a few minutes we saw a couple sea gulls come to pick scraps i.e. Transient crumbs, from the water...a good indicator that Transients are feeding!

member of T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

member of T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

member of T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales with Stuart Island, WA in background

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales with Stuart Island, WA in background

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales with Stuart Island, WA in background

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

After a wonderful sighting of the T124 and T90 Transient killer whale groups we left them just after 4 pm as they continued their northerly direction in Haro Strait and started to head back towards Victoria.

Mount Baker and Shuskan, WA with San Juan Islands in foreground

Heading home after watching T40 and T124s in Haro Strait

On the way down Haro Strait we made a stop at Kelp Reefs where we saw three Steller sea lions (Eumatopia jubatus) hauled out on the ledge of the marker. They also seemed to be enjoying the sun, warmth and calm seas!

Kelp Reef, Haro Strait and amazing flat calm waters!

Steller sea lions hauled out on the Kelp Reef marker

On the way back to the Victoria harbour we made one last stop in the Chain Islands near Chatham and Discovery Islands near Oak Bay. We took a quick look at the harbour seals also affectionately known as `rock sausages` by local whale watchers because they are one of the main prey of the Transient killer whales. We also spotted some seabirds including Pelagic cormorants (Phalacrocorax kenyoni ), double crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) and Black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani). It was a great way to end a wonderful sunny and calm day on the water!

Double Crested cormorant (identifiable by kink in neck in flight) in the Chain Islands, Oak Bay