The Wild Life of Clayoquot Sound.

Grey Whale Near Rock Garden, Siwash Bay

In Ahous and Cow Bays we were fortunate enough to be entertained by the Grey Whales, circling inside the bays. Every evening they came to perform for us as we ate our gourmet dinners.

We had numerous encounters with the Grey Whales during our trip, in fact we almost became blasé about sighting them, but we always stopped what we were doing to watch them.

On the first day as we rounded the east side of Wickinninish Island Gill spotted a Racoon on the rocks, startled by our presence it bolted before we could reach for our cameras.

Bald Headed Eagle On Rocks Off Bartlett Island

Bald Headed Eagles and Ospreys were sighted almost daily, magnificent birds of prey, they are majestic in flight and soar almost effortlessly high in the sky watching for their prey.

Sea Otters were only re-introduced into the Sound within the past 30 years and are critical to the whole eco system. It was encouraging that we spotted a number of them, and  at a rock garden off Blunden Island, we saw a colony of at least nine playing and feeding.

Although I still can't tell the difference between them, we did have numerous sightings of Seals and Sea Lions, usually in the rock gardens as they hunted for food.

In Australia, there are a number of creatures on land that can be very dangerous, but none that will try and eat you.  In the wilderness areas of this part of Canada it is important to be aware of creatures that can threaten you. We had already encountered a Wolf at Ahous Bay, Vargas Island, very close to our camp site, but at Cow Bay, Flores Island we were aware that a Cougar had stalked a female hiker at the other end of the beach, the day before our arrival. Even a bear banger had only temporarily frightened the creature, and it returned to stalk her, only backing away when she screamed at it. The Park Wardens had posted warning notices and did visit one afternoon to check on the situation, they carried a loaded rifle ..................

Bears are living in these forests, although we didn't encounter any, it is important to take precautions at the camp site, and never have food in the same area as you sleep.  All our food was locked in the forward hatches of the kayaks, well away from our tents and we ate at least 50 metres away from the tents. Food caches are provided in a lot of areas to enable campers to lock food away in metal cabinets, otherwise it is necessary to suspend food from trees out of reach of the bears.
 

Early Morning In Ahous Bay.

Two Ospreys were climbing over the bay, gaining height and then circling, watching out for their prey.

A  Bald Headed Eagle was perched high on a branch of a fir tree at the end of the bay, just watching us.

The bay seemed to sweep for miles, fringed with pine trees, the mountain rose above them. clouds gathered in the distance.

The early morning sun was rising, it's warmth increasing and clearing the haze.

I searched for signs of the Grey Whales we'd sighted last night but the bay was empty.  Perhaps they would return later and perform for us?

No sign either of the lone wolf, that had come to the edge of the forest to investigate his new neighbours, but he may have been watching from the bushes, unseen.

The only sound was the crash of the shore break, far louder than its size, as the sea was flat and there was little wind. It promised to be another superb days paddling.

The only smell was that of the sea, it refreshed everything.

The islands beckoned beyond the bay, inviting us to once more get into our kayaks and paddle to investigate them.

A truly majestic scene.

A Scene From The Moore River

                                         The local wild fowl take fright at our approach.