Strathcona Provincial Park

If you are heading north from Victoria don’t miss Strathcona Provincial Park situated in the centre of the central part of the island. It’s the largest park of Vancouver island and also the oldest protected area. You can access to the park from Courtenay where you’ll find very nice trails in the area called The Forbidden Plateau or either access from Campbell River. I took the second option because of the time but if possible explore both sides of the park, I’m sure it’s worthwhile. From Campbell River there’s a road that cuts along Buttle Lake district where you’ll come across a couple of campgrounds. I stayed at the furthest one from Campbell River and it’s called Ralph River Campground. It has first-come-first-served sites very well situated along the lake and the place is just gorgeous, wild and peaceful. One of the things it really surprised me is that every site has it’s own fireplace (very common in Canada but not in Spain!) which makes the stay even more splendid. Once there, you can  hike different trails and look for wildlife like black bears. Also, the Park has a big deer population, a significant number of Roosvelt elks and rarely sighted white wolves and cougars. As for birds inhabiting the area, we find the gray jay, Steller’s jay, winter wren and kinglet, chestnut-backed chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, , band-tailed pigeon and numerous blue grouse, ruffled grouse and a limited number of unique Vancouver Island white-tailed ptarmigan.  A high percentage of the park is covered by Western red cedar, Douglas fir, grand fir, amabilis fir and western hemlock which makes it even more grandiose.

On the road to the Ralph River Campground I had a surprise when I saw a small black bear, possibly a cub, eating fruits on a tree. And the best of all is that I could take pictures of it! So, with this sighting I had more than enough for the rest of the stay at the park.

BC Killer Whales (Orcinus orca)

 

One of the best places of the world to see orcas in the wild is British Columbia.  These orcas have been studied for 38 years and although many aspects about their lives remain unclear, some of them are well known. Thanks to Dr. Michael Bigg who first used the photo-ID technique to identify whales individually by their dorsal fin shapes and back patches, scientist have been able to distinguish different populations, lifestyles and social structures. Also, we can distinguish different killer whale populations by their vocalisations. These vocal variations are known as dialects and are used by the whales for communication and as acoustic indicators of group identity and membership. This last function could serve to preserve the integrity of the social unit and also to prevent consanguinity. 

In BC waters we can find three distinct populations of orcas: Residents, Transients and Offshores. Resident orcas feed predominantly on fish with a clear preference for salmon (mainly chinook) during spring through fall. Their primary range is the coastal region of Washington, British Columbia and southeastern Alaska distinguishing between the Northern and the Southern Resident Community. While the Southern residents are mainly found off the southern half of the Vancouver Island and Puget Sound, the Northern residents are primarily found from the northern half of Vancouver Island to Frederich Sound in Alaska.  These orcas live in groups that are organized along lines of maternal relatedness. Taking this into account, we can organize their societies into a series of social units, from small to large, on the basis of these genealogical relationships.  The matriline is the smallest unit formed by closely related whales linked by maternal descent. The next unit is the pod  which is a group of related matrilines that possibly have a common maternal ancestor in a recent past. Then comes the clan formed by pods  with similar vocal dialects and finally the top social level, the community  consisting of pods that normally associate with one another.  Though, this social structure is not static, it can change slowly but constantly.

Transient orcas feed on marine mammals and sometimes seabirds. Their known distribution goes from coastal areas from Southern California to the Auletian Islands in Alaska. Compared with residents, transients have a very fluid social order, and they mix with each others within the community. A whale that is born in a group does not necessarily stay with that group for life and they tend to travel in small groups of two to six or occasionally alone. They also hunt in small groups so they keep in touch in silence to avoid detection by their preys. So, transients are very quiet compared to residents but they do vocalize in certain situations. This vocalisations are very similar in structure and function to those used by resident orcas.

This is a video I recorded of a group of transient orcas near Alert Bay.

 

 Offshore orcas are normally found in large groups of 30 to 60 whales and rarely seen in protected coastal waters. As for their diet, it is not clear if they feed on fish or either marine mammals. They prey on salmon for at least a part of the year and vocalize quiet frequently so we could think they are fish eaters.

Although the ranges of the three populations overlap, DNA studies indicate these populations are  distinct. Transients are very distant from residents and offshores, likely representing thousands of years of reproductive isolation. Offshores are closer to residents but are anyway distinct.

If you’d like more information about BC killer whales I would recommend two books which apart from general information include catalogues for individual whale identification (Available in Amazon):

- Ford, J.K.B., G.M. Ellis, and K.C. Balcomb. 2000. Killer Whales. Second Edition. UBC Press.

- Ford, J.K.B., and G.M. Ellis. 1999. Transients: Mammal-Hunting Killer Whales. Second Edition. UBC Press.

Also, you can download updated catalogues and information from this website: http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sa/cetacean/default_e.htm.

Southern Gulf Islands and Victoria

You can reach Vancouver Island by plane or ferry. Obviously the last option is the cheapest and maybe you have the chance to see wildlife on your way. I chose the 1hour 35 minutes BC ferry to Victoria so I could have a quick look at the Gulf Islands and maybe find some of the 88 Southern Resident Comunity orcas on the way. Unluckily, that day was very foggy and I coudn’t see any orcas around but the presence of several comon seals resting on the islands rocks saved the day! 

 

 

But don’t worry if you don’t see whales while in the ferry because Victoria is full of whale watching companies that make daily trips with a high percentage of sightings everyday. Here you have a list of some of them:

- Orca Spirit, 5Star Whale Watching, ocean explorations,   SpringTide Whale Watching Tours, Eagle Wing Whale Tours, Great Pacific Adventures, Seafun Safaris and Wildcat Adventures.

All these companies are associated members of the Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest that garantees responsible wildlife viewing. Together with researchers they have developed several practical guidelines for operating vessels around wildlife.

Apart from that, Victoria is a very clean and lovely city full of hanging flower baskets eveywhere and views of the islands.

Vancouver city

Vancouver is surrounded by water on three sides and you have mountains views from almost everywhere. This gives the city a special clear atmosphere that together with it’s huge green spaces makes it a very pleasant place to stay. It is also a very cosmopolitan city full of people and businesses from around the world and a mild climate ideal for outdoor activities.

Because the duration of my trip was limited I could only spend  two days exploring the city. The cheapest and more comfortable option was to stay in an International Youth Hostel situated in the heart of Downtown and with free breakfast every morning!. Although I visit other parts of the city I’ll focus on  Stanley Park and Vancouver Aquarium, two places with a wildlife interest.

Stanley Park is a 400 hectares park surrounded by the natural west coast and close to Downtown. It is an ideal place for naturalists as it is rich in wildlife and majestic trees. More than once you forget you’re in a big city park because of it’s grandeur. As I said the place is so huge that renting a bike or taking the free Shuttle Bus are not bad ideas. Once there, you have a long list of possible wildlife sightings as well as plant observations. Among the most common mammal species are: The Douglas’, Grey and Flying squirrel, the Raccoon, the American Mink, the Little Brown Bat, the Striped Skunk, the Harbour seal and less common  but still possible the Coyote and the River otter. It is also a perfect place for bird watching with sightings of bald eagle, Double-Crested and Pelagic Cormorant, Guillemot, Great Blue Heron, Canada goose, American coot, Wood Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup and much more (See Stanley Park website for a complete list). For plant fans there is a good variety of giant coniferous trees such as the Western Red Cedar, the Western Hemlock, the Douglas and Grand Fir, the Wsteren Yew and the Sitka Spruce and also various species of decidous trees, shrubs, herbs and wetland. During my short stay in the park I got to see the underlined animal species above so I think that if you stay a bit longer you would get to see much more!.

Vancouver Aquarium is situated within Stanley Park and is a good educational starting point before exploring the Vancouver Island wildlife. But why am I talking about an aquarium in a wildife blog? Well, because this one is totally different from the ones we are normally used to. The shows are short and made just for educational purposes as there are talks in every one. Furthermore, you’ll find  different marine British Columbia regions very  well represented in separate aquariums and lots of kid talks and shows.  Once there, you’ll see belugas (a newborn calf), Pacific White-sided dolphins, otters, Stellar sea lions, Harbour seals, salmons, sharks, tropical frogs, snakes, cocodriles and much more.

Apart from what it’s displayed, the Vancouver Aquarium carries out different research and conservation programs in collaboration with renowned scientists such as Dr. John Ford and Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard among others.  So, I strongly recommend visiting the aquarium webpage so you can decide if it’s worthwhile!

 

 

The Trip

Because in Canada distances are quite big the trip is reduced to Vancouver Island, a perfect base for wildlife viewing. Here you have a brief explanation of the tour I did and recommend. Arriving in Vancouver city by plane, take a couple of days to explore Stanley Park and the Vancouver aquarium among other things. Then, you can catch the BC ferry from the city to Victoria so you have a quick look at the Southern Golf Islands and maybe see Orcas on the way. Once in the island, drive up to Strathcona Provincial Park and camp there for some days of wilderness and black bear watching. Afterwards, go north to Port McNeill and take a BC ferry to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. It’s a place  with a rich native community “The Namgis” and a great spot for orcas, humpback whales, porpoises and sunsets. Before heading south, stop at Telegraph Cove where you’ll find the Whale Interpretative Centre and the British Columbia’s first Whale Watching company called Stubbs Island. Then you can explore the west part of the island, Tofino and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve where you can see grey and humpback whales, orcas, sea lions and also go storm watching.