01 May 2007, Cetacean lab reports:

Well if this first day of May is any indication of what lies ahead, then this will be a fabulous season. It started for us in the dark, close to midnight, a few faint A5 Resident Orca calls on the hydrophone station in Whale Channel. The calls continued for 45 minutes fairly faint. Just as the tide changed to a flood the calls faded and we assumed the whales must have turned and taken advantage of the free ride the flow the water now provided. The next morning at 9am we could hear very faint calls once again in Whale Channel. The calls were getting closer and closer and soon we could determine that we were listening to A5 and A1 calls. At the same time we received an email from Coast Guard and they reported 18 orcas near the top end of Grenville Channel the day before. They were able to take some pictures which we would take a look at later. For now we focused on the acoustic information as this group of whales moved south in Whale Channel, hoping we would soon hear calls on the Home Station. So far lots of A5 calls, then a series of N47-A1 calls, we were so excited as this would mean the A30s were in this group!! Then silence, not a single call, Hermann went to the point to look, I stayed inside hoping to hear even a resting call. Oddly enough after 15 minutes that is exactly what I did hear, one resting call, then an explosion of calls, all on the Home Station. Next Hermann called on the hand held that I should truly run out to the point. This I did and just in time. Out front there were blows and dorsal fins spread out from us to the little island across the way. We counted at least 15 orcas, vocally we knew we had an A5 group, the A30s and possibly an A4 group as there were definitely a few A4 N4 type calls. Some of the calls were so close, others distant with a beautiful tin like echo that seems to vibrate with the exact rhythm of the water. To our amazement, at the same time as this orca parade, the plumpest male sea lion we have ever seen swam by just a few feet from shore. With out a doubt this male could hear both the calls from these orcas and the blows but showed no interest what so ever. How interesting that they know the difference from a resident to a transient orca so precisely, though for survival purposes this does make sense. This group of orcas continued towards Fawcett, vocal the entire way, then a sudden turn and south they all went. We came back inside to take good look at the pictures sent to us by Coast Guard and sure enough they had the same group yesterday close to Rupert that we were seeing today, the A30s, A42s, A51s plus an A4 group.

10 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

Some of the A5s are still around. We recently heard their calls off the entrance to Blackney Pass in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
10 Feb 2007 15:16:39 PST

No orcas present.

Around 5pm the whales went past Robson Bight and out of range to the east.
Helena
10 Feb 2007 23:10:06 PST

09 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

No orcas present.

A rather late post: Yesterday around 20pm we heard, ever so briefly, A5 calls once again. The event was too short lived for us to locate where they were. Today it has been just typical boat noise punctuated by quieter times.
Helena
09 Feb 2007 17:25:25 PST

06 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

After a day break, we are again hearing the A5s in Johnstone Strait. They are not far from the entrance to Blackney Pass. Last night we briefly heard dolphins in the area.
Helena
06 Feb 2007 11:28:48 PST

04 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

No calls but orcas nearby

Today we again heard A5 calls in Johnstone Strait. They were first heard off the entrance to Blackney Pass and then a while later off Robson Bight. We believe they went to the east around 1pm.
Helena
04 Feb 2007 19:12:37 PST

03 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

We thought that the whales might have left as yesterday we got reports of a large group heading out past Alert Bay and Port McNeill between 1 and 2pm. But just now we are again hearing A5 calss in Johnstone Strait. Wet and windy here today.
Helena
03 Feb 2007 15:37:54 PST

31 January 2007, Orcalab reports:

Orcas near mics.

Now it is the A8s turn! We just started hearing A5 call near to Robson Bight.
Helena
31 Jan 2007 14:48:10 PST

02 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

No calls but orcas nearby

We have heard the I31s and A5s once again this morning in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
02 Feb 2007 13:01:50 PST

01 February 2007, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

Ans now they have joined forces. The A5s and the I31s are travelling together in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
01 Feb 2007 10:50:38 PST

No orcas present.

The A5s (the A51, A43s confirmed) and the I31 group headed east past Robson Bight a while ago.
Helena
01 Feb 2007 14:36:32 PST

28 January 2007, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

Well here they are! A short while ago we started hearing A5 calls in Johnstone Strait. We are still trying to figure out exactly where.
Helena
28 Jan 2007 09:12:13 PST

No orcas present.

It was the A8s who we heard this morning. After disappearing past Critical Point they returned this afternoon. By evening they were eastbound again. Alex morton was hearing G clan calls once again.
Helena
28 Jan 2007 23:56:26 PST

24 January 2007, Orcalab reports:

Superb sounds!!

Around 1pm some of the A5s and I33s travelled south into Johnstone Strait via blackney Pass. The groups stalled off the entrance to Blackney Pass for a very long time. They seem to have finllay made the move towards the Ecological Reserve. The A5s are in the lead.
Helena
24 Jan 2007 17:48:37 PST

16 January 2007, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

We just began to hear A5 calls in Blackfish Sound.
Helena
16 Jan 2007 12:46:14 PST

Distant calls audible.

We have been hearing G clan resting calls along with the A5s. All in Blackfish Sound.
Helena
16 Jan 2007 14:08:33 PST

02 January 2007, Orcalab reports:

Multiple pod calls audible.

good morning! Once again we are hearing A5 and I31 type calls in johnstone Strait. They seem to have connected with A4s. All these groups, travelling together, may be heading west for the moment.
Helena
02 Jan 2007 10:47:16 PST

01 January 2007, Orcalab reports:

Multiple pod calls audible.

A good start to the New Year! A short while ago we were startled by loud A5 calls on the Parson Island hydrophone. We probably missed the first A5 group, but there were other whales in sight in Blackney Pass headed for Johnstone Strait, by the time we got to the Lab. As the first A5 group passed close to CP, the rest of the groups were negotiating the last part of Blackney Pass. As they neared Johnstone Strait, we heard I31 type calls along with other A5 calls. They now sound like they are slowly going east in the Strait. They are still calling frequently.
Helena
01 Jan 2007 15:49:11 PST

24 December 2006, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

We began to hear A5 calls once more in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
24 Dec 2006 13:45:07 PST

Distant calls audible.

And A4s as well!
Helena
24 Dec 2006 14:26:27 PST

Distant calls audible.

The A4s and a5s who wer in Johnstone Strait moved around to Blackfish Sound perhaps taking the ebbing tide out to Queen Charlotte Strait.
Helena
24 Dec 2006 19:19:18 PST

23 December 2006, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

Sorry we have not posted that the A4s and the A5s were both heard this morning as they travelled east towards the Ecological Reserve and beyond. We are again hearing calls as at least some of the A4s travel back to the west. There is also heavy boat noise in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
23 Dec 2006 21:28:44 PST

No orcas present.

It is possible the whales went back to the east. We only heard a few calls and a little bit of echo location and then nothing. Another stormy night!
Helena
23 Dec 2006 23:20:32 PST

22 December 2006, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

They are still there. Just a short while ago we started to hear "As" in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
22 Dec 2006 12:13:40 PST

Distant calls audible.

The A4s and the A5s are continuing to call. They are still in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
22 Dec 2006 18:39:26 PST

20 December 2006, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

The A5s are back! Possibly heading west towards Cracroft Point. Hopefully, the A4s are still there as well.
Helena
20 Dec 2006 13:40:14 PST

Distant calls audible.

On this very dark and very stormy night the A4s are calling in Johnstone Strait. We have been hearing calls on and off since the afternoon.
Helena
20 Dec 2006 18:45:08 PST

19 December 2006, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

Tonight, around 9pm we again heard distant "A" calls in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
19 Dec 2006 00:01:06 PST

Superb sounds!!

The a4s and the A5s are off the entrance to Blackney Pass in Johnstone Strait!
Helena
19 Dec 2006 10:57:57 PST

Superb sounds!!

The A4s and the A5s have moved east into Robson Bight.
Helena
19 Dec 2006 12:02:21 PST

17 December 2006, Orcalab reports:

Distant calls audible.

We began hearing distant "A" calls (probably A5s) on the Critical Point hydrophone around 8:30pm. The Strait was been very noisy because of the storm as well as boats, but we continued to hear calls until a little after 9pm. We think the orcas were probably headed east but aren't sure. We are waiting.
Helena
17 Dec 2006 22:41:35 PST