Marcus spotted something in the water – a huge dorsal fin, then another, and we could not believe our eyes as we saw five killer whales, possibly Bigg’s killer whales.
We even spotted a little one with a much smaller dorsal fin.
This was the second time we saw them today which felt somehow surreal.
We came to see harbour porpoises and did absolutely not expect to see killer whales that close, especially as we had seen them at Stanley Park earlier today.
Such a fascinating experience!
A killer whale at Whytecliff Park
Five killer whales at Whytecliff Park
Can you spot the small killer whale in the middle of the pod?
An older killer whale and a younger one at Whytecliff Park
In between our morning and evening commitments, we spent a lovely afternoon at Whytecliff Park where we saw lots of harbour seals and various birds, among them seagulls and several majestic bald eagles.
But after a while all wildlife seemed to be disappearing. Everything became eerily quiet, and we had no idea why…
(to be continued…)
A bald eagle flying towards Whytecliff Park
A bald eagle seen at Whytecliff Park
A bald eagle flying over Whytecliff Park
A beautiful view from Whytecliff Park
Amazing water and sky colourations at Whytecliff Park
Marcus was lucky to be among all the early ones that ran down to the seawall to see a pod of killer whales swim by. Luckily he found me a bit later, and we tried to follow them on their way towards Lions Gate Bridge and past that.
Unfortunately, they were pretty far away, and with only a phone we could not get a decent picture…
But we saw them which was so amazing! Simply unbelievable!
Our view of the killer whales from Stanley park’s seawall
The killer whales are somewhere between the two boats
In the late afternoon we went to Whytecliff Park, our new favourite location to spot harbour porpoises. We invited some friends to come along in the hope to show them some harbour porpoises in the wild.
After some waiting we finally spotted some dorsal fins – but these looked different.
And yes, we saw three Pacific white-sided dolphins swimming by and foraging.
This was the first time we had seen dolphins in that area. Wow!
As a special treat, a single harbour porpoise came swimming along some time later as well which was pretty amazing.
We all had a fantastic time and will come back to spot more porpoises – hopefully.
Two Pacific white-sided dolphins at Whytecliff Park
Two Pacific white-sided dolphins spotted from Whytecliff Park
A Pacific white-sided dolphin swimming along Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise spotted from Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise at Whytecliff Park
A blue heron flying along Whytecliff Park’s cliffs
View from Whytecliff Park
An evening view from Whytecliff Park
The sun has set behind Bowen Island as seen from Whytecliff Park
In the late afternoon we went to Whytecliff Park in the hope to see some harbour porpoises – or at least a single individual – at around sunset.
Luckily for us, they really showed up! We spotted about four or five of them, foraging not too far away from our viewpoint.
Later, after sunset, we could still hear their puffing sounds when breathing but it became more and more difficult to spot them in the water. They are so well-camouflaged!
Harbour porpoises are such amazing animals. I simply cannot get enough of them!
A harbour porpoise and a harbour seal at Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise at Whytecliff Park
We saw a harbour porpoise at Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise in a beautiful setting at Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise – seen from Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise rolling out of the water at Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise – spotted at Whytecliff Park
The gentle rolling movement of a harbour porpoise at Whytecliff Park
Two harbour porpoises at Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise spotted at Whytecliff Park – thanks to the flat sea
One of the harbour porpoises rolling out of the water at Whytecliff Park
A harbour porpoise gently rolling out of the water at Whytecliff Park
A typical harbour porpoise sighting at Whytecliff Park
Can you still spot the harbour porpoise? – Seen at Whytecliff Park