07.03.21
Double Trouble were in the hotspot today. Nibbles, Digby and their pods were moving together, working the hotspot. The animals worked as one as the two ever-growing males led the charge. With an ominous haze moving over the southern ocean we experienced light sprinkles of rain but we didn’t need to look far into the drizzle to see orca. They cruised along without appearing to be in a rush to get anywhere!
The waters surface looked sticky as the orca rose each time. We held our breath when we could see them just below the surface and exhaled with them once they broke through. However magnificent this was it did not make up for the STINKY BREATH!! We were downwind of them but the light breeze was enough to carry the stench towards us. Maybe the orca had been feeding this morning as a sulphuric odour lingered around us. Typical teenage boys amirite?!
It’s interesting to note that a female that was with Nibbles was not able to be identified in the Project Orca Catalogue…. Where has she come from? We do not know… Maybe she is just visiting and in 18 or so months time a new calf will come into this pod…
Small pilchards were busting up as skipjack tuna were sighted bounding out consistently after the orca moved through an area. No obvious oil slicks but there was plenty of bait around! The calves here were very busy staying in the pod and not getting distracted or bored. They appeared to be doing a great job at keeping focussed on the task at hand. A calf couldn’t help itself and did flip on its side ONCE before it was soon turned up right by an older female.
We couldn’t help but giggle at our resident chucklesome fellow, Ando as he couldn’t hold in “Ahhhhh Nibbles with Nibbles” as afternoon tea was handed. The weather was pretty wet but we like to keep our jokes dry…
The brand new sea lion pup has not been sighted since its first hour or so of life… although there was a female perched at the very top of Glasse Island, we hope she and her newborn have moved higher to safe ground and will be taking the next week or so very easy.
