Stalking Orca in The Patch today as Cookie, Queen and Kidji led their family pods on a search for breakfast. It was Cookie and her family who first greeted us this morning as they pushed up towards the edge of the shelf in search mode. The Shearwaters and Albatross soared as they followed the Orca and their every move in hopes of food scraps. El Notcho was helping the family by spreading out the search envelope and covering as much ground as possible to open up the Orca net. Moving back into the centre of The Patch was Queen and Kidji along with their families as both matriarchs led the way in search of opportunities. A large oil slick was sighted early in the morning and continued to linger throughout most of the day as it appeared to perhaps be an old slick from a Beaked Whale hunt, perhaps predawn.
Being an apex predator is not always easy, the Orca must be the ones to initiate the hunt and that means putting in effort to search. The Orca can spend many hours foraging for little reward with maybe a small squid or two being found. It is always worthwhile once a larger prey item such as a Giant Squid or Beaked Whale is located and the family can celebrate the result of many hours of effort into that particular meal. The families kept busy today with constant stalking Orca profile displaying their incredible persistence. The calves enjoyed a quick zoomies in the afternoon as family members regrouped and covered ground. Another fascinating day with the Orca and it is always a fantastic opportunity to Join The Pod’s and learn some of their hunting pathways.
