December 14, 2009
Good afternoon from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
The first real snowfall this afternoon in Campbell River!
Crossing to Quadra Island on the ferry this afternoon we saw a large group of Transient Orca heading south. Not sure of the total number but somewhere between 6 and 8 (possibly more) with 2 young calves in the group. No camera (sorry no picture) or binuculars to figure out who they were but Jared Towers, a researcher from the Port Hardy area, had a similiar group a few days ago.
Lots of playful behavior along the Quadra shore line with a bit of foraging behavior but no signs of a meal. The Orca must be enjoying the "quietness" of the waterways at this time of the year as other than the ferry, there where no boats in sight!
I hope you get to spend some quality time with family over the Christams holidays.
The best of health and happiness in the New year!
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
December 6th, 2009
Good afternoon from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Beautiful day here in Campbell River but very cool next to the water!
Transient Orca seen today heading north in Discovery passage about 1:00 pm. What looked like a group of 6 animals with one small calf, grouped up together and heading north very quickly with the tide. Not sure who they were with only one mature male in the group. (no distinctive markings)
Word from Garret in the reasch vessel to the north of us, near the top of Vancouver Island. He had some Resident Orca, A36's (the 3 mature males) and A12, just north of Port Hardy heading south yesterday. What are the chances that we would see them later this week? Very slim but they may come into Johnstone Strait searching for some of those very late Chum Salmon that I hear are still heading towards their spawning rivers. The weather calls for colder temperatures and calm winds. Perfect for those wildlife enthusiasts or maybe just for some of those wonderful prawns I see coming in lately.
How all is well with the Christmas cheer. I can't believe it is getting so close already.
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Good afternoon from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Beautiful day here in Campbell River but very cool next to the water!
Transient Orca seen today heading north in Discovery passage about 1:00 pm. What looked like a group of 6 animals with one small calf, grouped up together and heading north very quickly with the tide. Not sure who they were with only one mature male in the group. (no distinctive markings)
Word from Garret in the reasch vessel to the north of us, near the top of Vancouver Island. He had some Resident Orca, A36's (the 3 mature males) and A12, just north of Port Hardy heading south yesterday. What are the chances that we would see them later this week? Very slim but they may come into Johnstone Strait searching for some of those very late Chum Salmon that I hear are still heading towards their spawning rivers. The weather calls for colder temperatures and calm winds. Perfect for those wildlife enthusiasts or maybe just for some of those wonderful prawns I see coming in lately.
How all is well with the Christmas cheer. I can't believe it is getting so close already.
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Monday, November 23, 2009
November 23, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
The November storms have been living up to their name over the past few weeks and our Float house has been a'rocking! With record setting snowfall on the mountains and lots of wind and rain, it has not been a time to be out on the water looking for wildlife. Yesterday however in a brief interlude between storms, we had a visit from a group of Transient Orca (mammal hunting). Originally heading south past Campbell River, they turned and began to forage near the mouth of the River. One large male and 3 to 4 smaller fins were seen but I was not able to ID who they were. No visual signs of a kill but they foraged for about 5 minutes and then continued south.
Over the past few weeks we have had a number of Resident Orca (fish eating) in Johnstone Strait feeding on the few remaining Chum salmon in the area. The A36's and A30"s have been the most dominant groups but we did have a "G" Clan group in for a few days.
*Thanks to Jarred from "NIMSA" who braves the wind and rain to give us details of the Orca north of Campbell River.
Hoping you are all well and starting to think about Xmas shopping!
As for us, we are admiring the sheer power of these Pacific storms and trying to stay dry!
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
The November storms have been living up to their name over the past few weeks and our Float house has been a'rocking! With record setting snowfall on the mountains and lots of wind and rain, it has not been a time to be out on the water looking for wildlife. Yesterday however in a brief interlude between storms, we had a visit from a group of Transient Orca (mammal hunting). Originally heading south past Campbell River, they turned and began to forage near the mouth of the River. One large male and 3 to 4 smaller fins were seen but I was not able to ID who they were. No visual signs of a kill but they foraged for about 5 minutes and then continued south.
Over the past few weeks we have had a number of Resident Orca (fish eating) in Johnstone Strait feeding on the few remaining Chum salmon in the area. The A36's and A30"s have been the most dominant groups but we did have a "G" Clan group in for a few days.
*Thanks to Jarred from "NIMSA" who braves the wind and rain to give us details of the Orca north of Campbell River.
Hoping you are all well and starting to think about Xmas shopping!
As for us, we are admiring the sheer power of these Pacific storms and trying to stay dry!
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Year in Review
From the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
May 17th - 2009
With an afternoon falling tide flowing to the north, we found this beautiful brown coated Black Bear on Sonora Island around 2:30 pm. He was spending the afternoon searching for small, soft shelled rock crab under the rocks at low tide. He actually laid down in a seasonal stream to cool off in the warmth of a sunny May afternoon. This was one of about 5 to 7 bears that we continued to see throughout the summer on Sonora. The "brown coat" of this Black bear that is seen mainly on the mainland bears is quite common on this island.
We continued toward the mainland to Jimmy Judd Island where we found a group of male Stellar Sea Lions hauled out on the shore. Migrating north to met up with the salmon, these large mammals have traditional resting areas on their way. Jimmy Judd Island is one such area. They will spend 2 or 3 days resting, feeding and arguing over who has the "best" rock on which to spend the day. Stellar Sea lions can weight as much as 2500 lbs. The fellow in the picture is estimated at around 1500+ lbs.
After coffee and snacks at Stuart Island we headed home through the narrow passages between Sonora, Maurelle and Quadra Islands and picked up a few Dall Porpoises feeding in the tide near Owen Bay. Back to the marina by 5 pm and the 4 hour tour seemed to go by very quickly!
More reviews of 2009 to come!
Take care
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
From the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
May 17th - 2009
With an afternoon falling tide flowing to the north, we found this beautiful brown coated Black Bear on Sonora Island around 2:30 pm. He was spending the afternoon searching for small, soft shelled rock crab under the rocks at low tide. He actually laid down in a seasonal stream to cool off in the warmth of a sunny May afternoon. This was one of about 5 to 7 bears that we continued to see throughout the summer on Sonora. The "brown coat" of this Black bear that is seen mainly on the mainland bears is quite common on this island.
We continued toward the mainland to Jimmy Judd Island where we found a group of male Stellar Sea Lions hauled out on the shore. Migrating north to met up with the salmon, these large mammals have traditional resting areas on their way. Jimmy Judd Island is one such area. They will spend 2 or 3 days resting, feeding and arguing over who has the "best" rock on which to spend the day. Stellar Sea lions can weight as much as 2500 lbs. The fellow in the picture is estimated at around 1500+ lbs.
After coffee and snacks at Stuart Island we headed home through the narrow passages between Sonora, Maurelle and Quadra Islands and picked up a few Dall Porpoises feeding in the tide near Owen Bay. Back to the marina by 5 pm and the 4 hour tour seemed to go by very quickly!
More reviews of 2009 to come!
Take care
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
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