CWR Encounter #55 | Bigg’s Killer Whales

EncSummary: Upon departing the T041s and aiming for “home”, Mark and Joe were pleasantly surprised to happen across a killer whale crossing the mouth of Pachena Bay. As they neared the young bull, it seemed he was travelling alone, as several in the population are known to do from time to time. A photograph as they slowed confirmed his identity as T069E!

The entire T069 matriline is most well-known from the west coast of Vancouver Island and throughout the central coast of BC, with this male and his natal group (mother T069, brothers T069C and T069F) being more common visitors to our regular study area within the Salish Sea than the rest of the line (T069As, T069Ds). Recently, he has begun spending more time wandering alone, only infrequently encountered with the rest of his family over the last year or so. Mark and Joe encountered all four early this year near Sooke (see Encounter #11), but when T069E returned to the Salish Sea early this summer, he was on his own.

The Mike 1 team watched T069E approach and lap Seabird Rocks, off the mouth of Pachena Bay…the research team observed only sea lions on the rocks, likely too big a prey for a single Bigg’s killer whale; perhaps in search of harbour seals, T069E left empty-handed and angled north toward Cape Beale as the guys ended the short encounter and continued on to Bamfield themselves.