A grey whale who is visiting the Burrard Inlet is captivating local West Vancouver residents and also whale experts.
Kathleen McCormick, a photographer in West Vancouver, was first alerted about the whale when her mother texted her.
With her camera in hand, she managed to snap hundreds of photographs of the mammal.
“It's really exciting… and it just brings the community together,” said McCormick.
People walking by have been stopping to marvel at the grey whale that is feeding near the shore.
“It's incredible, just to be able to have this in our backyard,” said McCormick. “It’s a lovely way to just chat with people about what’s going on and connect.”
This grey whale spotted off West Vancouver is one of the most famous of its kind, according to Erin Gless, the executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
“It is known as number 53 but the nickname is Little Patch because he has a little white patch on his side,” said Gless.
Cascadia Research Collective out of Olympia, Washington, confirmed the whale's identity.
“He is special because he is one of the very first grey whales that started visiting this area,” explained Gless.
His first recorded visit was back in 1991, and he’s been back visiting nearly every year since. Little Patch was last in Puget Sound on April 6.
“What's really unusual is that he almost always is seen in Washington's Puget Sound,” she said. "I don't know that he's ever been recorded way up in Vancouver.”
Little Patch isn’t the only grey whale nearby. There are at least three other grey whales hanging out off Richmond.
“We've definitely seen an increase in sightings of grey whales over the last few years,” Gless added. "Unfortunately, we think that they might not be getting as much food as they need up in the Arctic, which is where they usually feed."
More grey whales are coming into the Salish Sea to eat their favourite food: ghost shrimp that is buried in the mud.
“Grey whales really love to be close to shore, near river mouths, they like that kind of silty, sandy bottom,” said the whale expert. “If you see a grey whale very close to shore, that is actually not unusual. It's part of their normal behaviour."
Boaters in B.C. must keep at least 100 metres from a grey whale.
Even though grey whales are quite large, they can be hard to see.
"Grey whales are very slow moving, and they don't have a big dorsal fin, so they're hard to spot,” said Gless. “You want to be extra careful if you're boating in an area where there could be a grey whale, which at this time of year, could be just about anywhere.”
Local group keeping watch
McCormick has been adding her photographs to a community Facebook page called Howe Sound and Sea to Sky Wildlife Sightings so everyone can enjoy the massive marine mammal.
McCormick said she recently joined the group and that the community is wonderful.
“It’s really lovely and everybody’s very respectful about leaving the correct amount of space as most of us are on the shore.”
Alex Cole runs the Facebook page and said it keeps everyone accountable for their actions towards wildlife.
“It gives us a voice and direct line of communication to those engaging on best practices and respectful wildlife interactions but also equally important, it allows people to actually see our whales and wildlife,” said Cole.
When not photographing the grey whale, McCormick will take photographs of the other wildlife in West Vancouver, including Pacific white-sided dolphins, orcas and eagles.
"I've just grown up appreciating our surroundings so much and it's of such value to be able to protect it,” she said.
