Warm, sunny skies and glassy calm waters welcomed us as we cruised past the M5, the world’s largest single-masted sailboat moored at the Port McNeil marina. Our expectations were high as we headed south with Mackay Whale Watching in search of orcas, humpbacks, and other aquatic wildlife, and it didn’t take long for captain Bill Mackay to deliver. Just a few minutes after leaving port we encountered a pod of transient or Bigg’s Killer Whales just offshore from Alert Bay. While Bill deployed the hydrophone to capture the vocalizations of the orcas while most of us were busy taking photos. The monster dorsal fin of a male beckoned to our right, but so was the slapping and splashing near the shoreline. For almost an hour we were treated to the fascinating display of orca activity – breaching, spyhopping, lobtailing, pec-slapping, and even peduncling (I think).
After the fantastic Bigg’s show we headed south in search of the Northern Residents. On the way we stopped at a kelp patch where there was raft of sea otters which I failed to see, but I did catch up with one while observing the Northern Residents. It popped up right beside the boat but disappeared before I could focus my camera. I saw it a few seconds later about 30 meters behind the boat.
Meanwhile, the Northern Residents weren’t as active as the Bigg’s but it was a pleasure just to observe them cruising effortlessly and majestically with the mainland mountains in the background. At one time there a small group of White-sided Dolphins swam fearlessly by knowing the Northern Residents were not mammal-eaters like the Bigg’s.
Next on the list were Humpbacks and it didn’t take long to find a couple the were swimming by. We also found one that was logging (sleeping) and were amused to see a sea lion wake it up causing it to roll over and dive.
After waking the humpback the sea lion decided to chase a Common Murre that frantically scrambled to safety.
The Common Murre was one of the most common pelagic birds on the water, but there were many others including the Sooty Shearwaters which have started to migrate through the inside passage in the last couple of years.
Two other migrating pelagics that were fun to encounter were the Fork-tailed Storm Petrels and Red-necked Phalaropes.
Overall it was a wonderful, fun-filled, and productive trip for wildlife viewing thanks to the knowledgeable and capable guidance of Captain Bill and his assistants, Nicole and Donna.
The Broughton archipelago is a fantastic wildlife viewing area, and I highly recommend Mackay Whale Watching for their expertise and reasonably priced tours.
Mike Yip, Nanoose Bay