September

A family of coastal wolves comes together on an island in Clayoquot Sound. Wolf activity was heightened for a period due to the presence of a carcass that had washed ashore close to where this image was taken.

Big White (CSG27) diving off Rafael Bay. There is a possiblility that in this particular place the grey whales have been feeding on a type of jelly. Grey whales are known to be opportunistic and can adapt to a certain amount of dietary change every year. It's a trait that has seen the species stand the test of time.

This female grizzly bear emerged from a creek-side trail, stood up and used this tree to scent mark. Her two offspring, who looked to be third year cubs, looked on and inspected us as we watched the three of them.

T100 (female with the smaller fin) and her son, T100C pass Ahousat on Flores Island. They were two animals within a large group of Bigg's killer whales that were travelling together. There were over 20 individuals present as they circled the largest island in Clayoquot Sound.

A humpback whale exhales of the coast of Tofino on a glassy calm day on the Pacific.

T109C combing the kelp forests around Tibb's Island. T109C has visited Clayoquot Sound multiple times this season with her sibling T109B and there offspring. They have been travelling independent of their mother, T109 (Big Momma), when we've seen them this season.

A merlin perches and scouts for prey atop a snag around Lake Helen Mackenzie. This appears to be a "black merlin", one of multiple sub-types of merlin found in North America, and the only one known to spend its summers on Vancouver Island.

CS629, first documented in 2013, lunges in Junction Passage. This whale repeatedly lunge fed as it made its way from Rainy Bay towards Imperial Eagle. We've had sightings of this particular whale out of both Tofino and Ucluelet this season. It has been present in Barkely for a couple of months now.

The scales of a chinook salmon.

The cause of the wildlife spectacle here on the Pacific coast each fall - salmon eggs. Salmon return from the ocean to freshwater rivers and creeks to spawn. Their return fuels our ecosystem, with everything from bears and wolves right down to plants and trees benefiting from their return. A poor year for the salmon can have huge impact across the foodweb.

A grizzly bear in Bute Inlet makes its way upstream. Drawn to the rivers to feed on the spawning salmon, these bears are looking to fatten up before heading to higher elevations to hibernate through the winter.

Domino, the grey whale with the curious habit of lifting its eye out of the water when taking its terminal dive, has returned to Clayoquot this month. Here you can see the scarring, barnacles and mottled skin pigmentation that are characteristic of grey whales.

An as yet unmatched humpback whale, temporarily known to us as "2019 Humpback 35", dives in Sarita Bay in Barkley Sound. This whale has been recorded in the area a handful of times in September. We haven't managed to match the tail to a previously documented individual. If found to be a "new" whale is will be given a code by local researchers.

The world within the rainforest world is pretty spectacular.

Her are two of the youngsters that formed part of the twenty-plus strong group of Bigg's killer whales that circumnavigated Flores Island. Killer whales are born around two metres in length and will grow to be around 6 metres long if female, or 8 metres if male.

Glassy views of Lake Helen Mackenzie in Strathcona Provincial Park. The largest peaks on the island are in this provincial park, and those peaks funnel water down into crystal clear lakes like this one here.

This orb weaver had constructed this beautiful web as we watched. The previous day had been particularly windy and with the calmer conditions this spider got to work constructing its trap.

A coastal wolf, who I believe is the alpha male and father of the pups, howls on an island in Clayoquot. Howling is one behaviour, along with scent marking, used to create the boundaries to a pack's territory. The alpha animals are the most likely to scent mark and howl.

Sandhill cranes making their southward migration to their wintering grounds. These beautiful birds winter as far south as Mexico and Cuba. It's a long journey from breeding grounds as far away as North-East Siberia.

A grizzly pauses to check us out using its incredible sense of smell. These animals, like all bears, rely heavily on this sense to fond food, find a mate, recognise territory and avoid conflict.

A side view of CS629 lunge feeding in Junction Passage. The mouth can hold 20,000 litres at once. An incredible volume of water considering the throat is only about the size of the palm of your hand!

Domino (CSG1023). This whale is, at the time of writing, the newest grey whale to receive a CSG code. CSG refers to a Clayoquot Sound Grey, and 1023 means this is the 1023rd individual to receive a code in this area.