Whales Galore

Mon June 12th

Biggs Killer Whales - Outside Gibsons Harbour

As forest fires ravage large parts of Quebec and BC, spreading smoke and particulates as far afield as Europe, a couple of bits of good news have emerged.

Whale numbers are looking increasingly healthy for all but the resident killer Southern Whale. A recent news article carried by CBC reports on the work of marine naturalist Tasli Shaw who this year has recorded nearly 800 individual humpbacks in the Salish Sea compared with 400 last year. Link here. Biggs Killer Whales, also referred as Transient whales, one of the two ecotypes or sub-species in the Salish Sea, have also seen a revival with 1221 identified in 2022, more than double that of five years ago. They feed on other marine mammals. The Southern or Resident Orca, whose main food source is Salmon, have been in decline mainly as a result of reduced salmon stocks. We have seen both Humpbacks and Orca while out sailing, most recently a couple of weeks ago when three Biggs Killer Whales cruised past us, just a stone's throw from the boat, as we headed back into the marina after the Sunday race. They were identified as the T101 family.

While much of the reportage of the forest fires covers the property damage, destruction and health risks, ecologists see some benefits. Another CBC article here reports on the way that forest fires can add nutrients to the soil, improve the growth of deciduous species which in turn provide an improved food source for forest living critters. Having walked in some coniferous forests, the forest floor can be devoid of greenery where the canopy blocks out sunlight.

Sailing on Mandala has come to an end sadly as the boat has been sold. I shall miss it. It was not great in light winds, but in a blow or heavy sea it felt very safe. One of our last races was around Keats Island and we were doing fine until we got the spinnaker wrapped around the forestay - again! The replacement, smaller boat, does not arrive until the end of the month, but we hope to be racing in the Sunday races by early July and then the GIbsons Regatta at the end of July. This was from our last outing. The new boat, a Martin 242, is much faster and we will run it as a syndicate, sharing the running costs.

Fred has made it back to the tennis court three months after the hip reengineering though has decided not to enter for the Wimbledon seniors! 😀 So far she has just been knocking a ball across the court with friends and practising serves with the Coach's training basket of 100 balls, but will be back in competitive tennis in the next couple of weeks, much to her delight.

Local wildlife is much in evidence, just not when I have my camera with me. A cougar with two cubs has been seen in our area, though the cubs are thought to be last year's as they are quite large.

A black bear has also been down our road with two young cubs. We think it might be the bear that used to transit our section of road last year between the two creeks, one at either end. We've not see either the Cougar or Black Bear family, in fact we've not seen any bears yet this year. It's probably only a matter of time.

Departing Langdale Ferry Terminal with Soames Hill behind

I've been over to Vancouver a few times recently for some dental S&M sessions. With the 'younger branch' now living in North Vancouver (Lynn Valley) it's much more convenient to drop in for some Seb time as they are only 20 minutes from the ferry terminal.

Aside from this last weekend, it has been warm with blue skies, so the ferry crossings have been particularly enjoyable. Rain was much needed though!

Sebby, who is now nearly 14 months old continues to delight and is almost walking. It's clear his first word is 'Jack', with whom he has a lovely relationship. His first year has flown by. He likes his food! It reminds me of those cartoon characters who strip a corn on the cob in seconds, like a typewriter carriage moving along.

Some more pictures below from recent activities, including my contribution to the local 'make something from a lump of 2" x 4" x 8' wood competition. They were harder to make than most of my bigger wood projects! One is for Sebby, the other goes to the local toys and gifts programme run by Community Services.