June

A coastal wolf, prowling the shoreline at low tide. A pair of wolves was seen reliably over a 10 day period, during which we experienced some of the lowest tides of the year.

Humpback whale "CS480" humps its back and prepares to dive, offshore of Lennard Island Lighthouse.

Just some of the many sea caves found up the coast from Hot Springs Cove.

Orange Crush (CSG589) lifts its fluke in Cow Bay. This whale was first seen this season in March, and has been seen every month of the year so far. Orange Crush was first photographed in Clayoquot Sound in 1977.

Looking offshore from Estevan Point on a beautifully calm day on the West Coast.

An unusual surfacing method from Metallica, a grey whale known to us but without a code as of yet. Metallica was given the name due to its habit of raising its rostrum high out of the water, giving it a "head-banging" appearance. Here you can see the sand being forced out of Metallica's mouth - a sign that it was benthic feeding.

CS480, a humpback whale last recorded in Clayoquot Sound in 2011, lifts its tail as it dives 5 miles from shore.

A bald eagle on a navigational marker around Tofino. It takes 5 years for the birds to look like this. They go through multiple moults to gain the white head and tail. Their bill and eye also change colour as they age, becoming bright yellow from a dull brown.

Jagger (CSG722), named for a marking on the underside of the tail that looks similar to the Rolling Stones' logo. This whale was recorded as a calf in 2009, and has now returned and been recorded 10 years later. At the time of writing this whale was last seen in exactly the same bay that it was seen with its mother a decade prior.

These two coastal wolves foraged together, rested together and eventually had a nap in the sun together. The wolves on this island used to be a more "resident" pack, with an established alpha male and female. Around the year 2000 a male, presumed to be the alpha, was euthanised. Since then there have been no recorded births on the island, and the wolves are more "transient": single individuals and pairs rather than an established pack.

Despite the calm appearance, this coastal wolf is still on high alert. Their hearing and sense of smell and incredible, and this wolf is aware of its surroundings even as it rests.

Lasso (CSG1007) takes a dive in Ahous Bay. Note the white/silver around the tail stock. This young whale, seen since 2017, was likely entangled at some point during its early life. The scratches and scarring make this whale's tail extremely identifiable.

In addition to the usual marks used to ID whales, Lasso (CSG1007) has this letter "M" on the right side of the tail stock. Although a little harder to to make out than it was in 2017 and 2018, the mark is still present and an additional way to ID this animal.

Fog settling in over Felice Island, just outside of Tofino's harbour.

A minke whale heads towards a flock of sooty shearwaters. These animals average 7.5 metres in length, and are known as one of the fastest cetaceans. Unlike some larger baleen whales like humpback whales or grey whales that are known as "fight whales", minke whales are "flight whales". When faced with a threat they will use their speed to escape, rather than standing their ground.

Minke whale ID is more difficult than many other species. They spend little time at the surface and move quickly, so getting an ID shot is tough. In the hope that this encounter will benefit the research in the area I've submitted these images to the relevant researchers.

A cedar waxwing seen in the hedgerows around Tofino. These birds feed on berries and insects, switching their diet to mostly insects around the time that they raise their young, giving the chicks the protein boost they need to grow quickly.

There are multiple collective nouns for these beautiful birds. A group of tufted puffins can be known as a burrow, a puffinry, a colony, an improbability or my favourite - a circus. These guys are the clowns of the sea, and a circus seems to fit perfectly!

The blue mountains, with Lone Cone in the centre, seen from a few miles offshore on a calm day on the Pacific.

Cow and calf grey whales. The mother here is CSG199, an individual born here in 1994. That makes her calf a 3rd generation Clayoquot Sound grey whale. It's a bittersweet sight, as the mother is exceptionally malnourished. Thankfully she is feeding well, but it appears that she headed down to Baja underweight, and as such with the additional strain of producing milk for the calf, is visibly malnourished.

The scuffed up, scratched up rostrum of CSG199's calf. Young whales can be quite curious and this animal drifted over and circled the boat. Part of the bonding process between mother and calf is for the youngster to rub its head on the mom. The mother is also covered in sharp barnacles which may create these marks on the calf.

One of the Bigg's killer whale gangs with a long history of visitation in Clayoquot Sound, the T069s. The matriarch of this gang, T069, is the second from the left. On the right of the shot here is her oldest son, T069C. Check the next image to see how large that fin is when he surfaces fully.

Born in 1995, T069C (central killer whale here) is a large male killer whale. Males of this ecotype average 7.32 metres in length, with the largest being almost 8 metres.

The view from the back of Deer Bay, in Tofino Inlet. These jagged peaks are visible from the back deck at Jamie's Tofino office. It was great to get a little closer to them as we headed back there on an exploratory trip.