Posted by: onboardtourswhales | September 15, 2011

Transient Killer Whales

August 31, 2011 Wednesday

This sunny summer day took us to Vancouver Island, Canada to see 3 families of mammal eating killer whales heading south along the shoreline by D’Arcy Island, against a strong 7’ flooding-incoming tide. From about 3:50 to 4:25pm, we identified T036, 41 years old with her 13 year old T036B, her 21 year old daughter T036A, and 6 year old grandwhale T036A1! Also with them, T099, 27 years old with her 8 year old T099A and 4 year old T099B. At first they were traveling, so exciting to see these females and youngsters go into hunting mode. I saw a glimpse of a very small dorsal fin ahead, thinking at first it was the 4 year old. Then the whales quickly charged, changed directions, made exploding splashes, tail flukes in the air, ‘porpoise’- fast swimming and arching out of the water, tail-lobbing; fluke slapping the water (and prey?), I think it was a Harbor Porpoise they made a meal out of! I also noticed quite a few marine birds and gulls in the area, perhaps waiting for leftovers!

T036 and T036B

T099B, T099, T099A

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | August 25, 2011

Minke Whales

Dejavu-ditto on August 29, 2001 Monday, same time sightings of the same Minke Whales and wildlife, yet no reports of Resident Orcas, a stronger 8’+ flooding tide, and reports of Transient Killers Whales in the south sound of the Salish Sea!

August 24, 2011 Wednesday 

Rumors are of the Resident Killer Whales heading back in from the Pacific Ocean, yet out of our range. A sunny, warm, calm water, despite a 7’+ incoming, flooding tide, is a beautiful summer day! We go south down San Juan Channel, seeing many Harbor Seals, marine birds, and Harbor Porpoise feasting on forage fish. There are large gatherings, indicating large schools of herring, sand lance, or smelt, and Minke Whales! who go after the fish too. We start seeing 2 Minkes out by Salmon Bank at about 3:20pm to 4:00pm. They did their usual “Slinky” dives and unpredictable, yet nice to see many surfacings! One of the whales was quite a bit smaller than the other, so I wonder if it was the juvenile we named “Twinkie” of ‘Christy Heinde-Banks’? – the Minke we thought was a male until she was sighted with her calf!Bald Eagle on Long Island, near the nest, and a dozen or more male Steller Sea Lions in the water and on Whale Rocks. It’s unusual to see them all summer here, they are native to Alaska. Are the Stellers establishing new territory?

Harbor Seal Pup

‘Slinky’ Minke Whale

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | August 25, 2011

Residents West-Transients Visit

August 22, 2011 Monday

An unusually cooler, wetter spring and summer this year brought another rainy day today. The Southern Resident Killer Whales last sighted heading west toward the Pacific Ocean. That’s not unusual, as the summer Chinook Salmon runs finish and autumn runs begin, the whales may be going to meet them. Not surprised to hear Transient Killer Whales are in the Salish Sea! It’s been suggested the communities have a cultural treaty agreement; Residents and Transients rarely share the same water. We were happy to travel in a light ebbing tide toward Sucia Island, one of the marine parks. The rain stopped and we saw T-18 (37 year old female), who travels with T-19 (42 year female) and her son T-19B (16 years old) and T-19C (10 years old). They were close together as they swam near shore, heading northwest around the island, hunting for seals and porpoise, (who all seemed to be gone- hiding out!), although we did see one seal pop out of the water a distance away. Transients tend to be very quiet, stealthily hunting near rocks and shorelines, not wanting to alert their prey. Not sure if they succeeded, but we did see gulls fly in and snatch tidbits of something from the water surface. The last time I saw this family of whales was August of 2009. T-19B had a huge dorsal fin then and it’s even wider and taller now, so heavy it leans back and left! We haven’t seen if T-19C is a boy or girl, but also has a big dorsal, so I suspect male. We were awed from about 3:30pm to 4:15pm, and as we started to head home west, the whales north, T-19B did a half body vertically out of the water spy hop!! It started to rain again, the sun was melting some of the clouds, creating a rainbow!

T-18 and T-19’s Transients

T-19B (16 year old Big Boy!!)

T-19C

T-18 and T-19’s Transients

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | August 25, 2011

Mistical Orcas

August 19, 2011 Friday

Very foggy this morning, limited visibility that even delayed the ferry boats! We had a special group of people; a couple marrying the next day, with family, children, and friends. Reports were the Orcas had been heading north so we slowly made our way toward Turn Point off of Stuart Island. A light ebbing tide, the water seemed like a pond. We could hear the whales breathing long before we saw any! And many passed that we didn’t see, only heard breathing out there, like J-8 Spieden, a 78 year old female who has a raspy sound. Our hydrophone picked up the delightful communicating with each other whale vocalizations! We thought we spotted J-26 Mike in the fog, J-30 Riptide, and J-2 Granny with the trailing group. There were many whales, all of J-Pod and some L-Podders! They were slowly traveling north, passing Stuart Island from about 10:30am to 11:35am. When I looked at my pictures, I saw one of L-25 Ocean Sun, 83 years old and thought to be the mother of Lolita- the last survivor of Orcas captured from this community. Lolita is still in the Miami Seaquarium, check out Orca Network to find out more about the plan to bring her home. I mention this, again, because I had just read an article about a couple, where the man used Lolita and the Miami Seaquarium, to participate in his asking his wife to marry him 25 years ago. They recently brought their children to the Miami Seaquarium to see Lolita and celebrate their engagement event. The article seemed as if the family had no knowledge of Lolita’s or wild Orcas stories, natural history, or healthy ecosystems… So it was magical today for this couple and group, to experience the wild Orcas in their natural habitat!

L-92 Crewser

L-87 Onyx

L-94 Calypso

L- 94 Calypso’s daughter L-113 Molly 2 years old!

L-25 Ocean Sun

 

 

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | August 25, 2011

Weather and Whales!

August 17, 2011 Wednesday

A sunny yet windy summer day! The Strait of Juan de Fuca bumpy this afternoon, (when I was a child crossing the strait, I called it the ‘strait of I wanna puka’!). A fairly strong flooding tide and wind stirred up choppy water. The passengers, a few seasick, a few wet from catching a rogue wave out on the bow, were great adventurers, rewarded seeing L-Podders west of Salmon Bank from about 3:20pm to 4pm. The Orcas were spread out in small groups, with a group of 3 most visible to us, seeming to mill about, many direction changes hunting for salmon in the rock and roll conditions. The 3 whales dove about 400 yards away from us, then several minutes later surfaced by our port side! L-53 Lulu, L-95 Nigel, and L-85 Mystery all swam under the boat! Interesting that all these orphans, (34, 16, and 20 years old), were traveling together.

L-53 Lulu

L-95 Nigel

L-85 Mystery

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | August 9, 2011

Orcas and Humpback!

Historically, Humpback Whales have been in the Salish Sea! A surprise to see one out at Hein Bank in the Strait of Juan de Fuca Monday August 8, 2011, around 3:30pm. The whale was intent on traveling southwest, surfacing to breathe and swim on in the slack water, minimal ebbing tide!

This morning, Wednesday August 3, 2011, at about 10:20am to 11:00am, great to see the Orca K-13 family off of False Bay, with reports of J-Podders coming from Middle Bank toward Haro Strait, swimming against an ebbing tide! They all joined up and used the next strong flooding tide to get to Swanson’s Bay by Pender Island, Canada, where we saw 2 very large, tightly together, groups of J-Pod & K-Pod killer whales (at least 31!), at about 3:30pm to 4:00pm. They swam near shore, very actively spy hopping, tail-fluke and pectoral fin slapping the surface! A few young whales did cartwheels and swam upside down- sunning their bellies?!

It’s awesome to see all the families in a pod, also to see a family together, like we did Monday August 1, 2011, at about 3:30pm to 4:30pm. L-41 Mega with sisters L-77 Matia and L-94 Calypso, and 2 year old niece Molly Cousteau. L-25, 83 year old Ocean Sun was with them too. She is thought to be Lolita’s mother. Lolita is the last surviving whale of the 45 that were captured from the Southern Resident Killer Whales. She is still in the Miami Seaquarium and needs our help to bring her home… I also wonder if L-25 Ocean Sun might be grandmother, or closely related to L-41 Mega and his sisters, as she is so often sighted with them… L-12 Alexis is the estimated grandmother, but has not been seen with them for a couple of seasons now. L-22 Spirit and her sons L-79 Skana and L-Solstice, and adopted? orphan L-85 Mystery sighted too! These 2 L-Pod families were heading southeast past Pile Point, False Bay to Eagle Point, then turned back, as the orcas often do in this area off San Juan Island, and the way the strong flooding tide moves here in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was like they were intent on scanning and fishing the area. One spy hopped on this calm water, sunny day! On the way past Whale Rocks, we saw Harbor Seals and Steller Sea Lions hauled out, thermo-regulating their warm mammalian blood. In 15 years, I don’t remember Steller Sea Lions here in July, usually here in the spring and fall, are they taking up residency?

Humpback Whale!

L-41 Mega 34 years old and now the oldest male of Southern Residents

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 31, 2011

Orcas off San Juan Island Daily!

The Southern Resident Killer Whales are foraging, hopefully finding lots of Chinook Salmon, daily off the south end of San Juan Island! They are spending hours, spread apart in small groups milling about back and forth, doing the “west side shuffle” or dance I say, in the strong flooding tides, between Salmon Bank, Eagle Point, False Bay, and Hannah Heights. This is a historical feeding area, a future whale sanctuary?

Spotted from Hannah Heights on Thursday and Friday, July 28 and July 29, 2011, from about 3:20pm to 4:05 pm. Sunny and Friday’s land tour supported by the Whale Museum, under a NOAA grant!

New moon Wednesday July 27, 2011, showed that almost 9’ flooding tide used by J-27 Blackberry (a 20 year old orphan male), with his 16 year old sister J-31 Tsuchi, and little 8 year old brother J-39 Mako, foraging off of South Beach from about 2:50pm to 4:00pm. They were traveling southeast at first, as though scanning the area, then turned back southwest, further out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We could see other groups of Orcas spread out toward False Bay, delighted to see big boy 16 year old J-30 Riptide swimming southeast, with 26 year old K-16 Opus and her 9 year old son K-35 Sonata. They also changed directions and headed back southwest. They were swimming tight together, touching each other, when we saw J-30 Riptide roll and his ‘pink floyd’ flashed above the surface! Recent paternity results indicate the females choose the fathers and usually the older more mature males… We’ll have to see if K-16 Opus has a calf in about 15 to 18 months, or maybe they were playing, practicing, J-30 Riptide feeling frisky! We also saw a juvenile Minke Whale by Salmon Bank on our way back to Friday Harbor!

Storm front coming in from the southeast on Monday, July 25, 2011, reminded me of October weather! We headed to False Bay and saw Orca dorsal fins at about 3:20pm, but it was getting bumpy out there in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the wind opposing the last of a strong flood tide, so couldn’t ID the whales and headed back to the calmer San Juan Channel. It was great the whales were still out here fishing!

Cattle Point Lighthouse

 

J-27 Blackberry

 

J-30 Riptide and K-16 Opus and K-35 Sonata just starrting to surface!

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 21, 2011

Orcas Fishing

Wednesday July 20, 2011

The time the Orcas are spending off the south end of San Juan Island, by False Bay, showing classic foraging, fishing behavior, makes me hope they are feasting on the Chinook Salmon! Today, with the tides settling down, the beginning of a flood tide, L-Pod and K-Pod whales were going back and forth, in 3 large groups, in different directions, then joining up.  Rumor was J-Podders too, although I wasn’t able to ID or photograph the group over by Eagle Point. From about 2:55pm to 4:20pm, we watched the L-12’s, which includes L-25 Ocean Sun and L-41 Mega!, and K-20 Spock with her 7 year old son K-38 Comet and others. Again they did a lot of tail-fluke slapping the water. I have noticed this prevailing behavior this season, is it helping to stun the fish? A few spy hops, then some resting groups, with a male by himself offshore. Then they all went on very long dives, hopefully with full stomachs!

L-Podders Lunge Fishing!

K-20 Spock and 7 year old son K-38 Comet

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 21, 2011

J-2 Granny and Families

Monday July 18, 2011

J-Pod and the K-12 family traveling north with an 8’+ flooding tide! From about 3pm to 4:15pm, they were spread out in 6 groups, then came together in 3 groups out in Haro Strait, with a trailing group near the shore of Stuart Island. Lots of tail lobbing- fluke slapping going on in the strait! Fishing? A few breaches, spy hops, pectoral fin slaps, then rolling over each other and socializing! ID’d the males; J-30 Riptide, J-26 Mike, and J-27 Blackberry. Wonderful to see J-2 Granny with her family, in the lead, looking like she decided they were heading to the shortcut of Active Pass, to Georgia Strait. The sun came out, glistening on the whales and Harbor Seals with pups on Spieden Island!

The boys and calf

 

J-2 Granny and Family

 

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 15, 2011

J-Pod and Minke Whales

Wednesday July 13, 2011

Heard reports of Orca Whales by Anacortes at 9am, then in Rosario around 1pm, then heading west, south of Lopez at 2pm, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where we watched groups of J-Pod going by Cattle Pass at about 2:45pm! They slowed down as they hit Salmon Bank, as they typically do, spreading out, milling about, tail fluke slapping, rolling, and foraging in the strong 10+ flooding tide. Young whales breached passing Cattle Point Lighthouse! Mom-calf pairs stayed closer to shore, as they often do. I ID’d J-27 Blackberry, J-31 Tsuchi, J-22 Oreo and her kids J-38 Cookie and J-34 DoubleStuf, J-28 Polaris with 2 year old daughter J-46 Star. We thought we spotted J-26 Mike, by his left leaning dorsal fin, up with a group off of Granny’s Cove. The sun came in and out, the water was like a pond. Now 4:15pm, a juvenile Minke whale (Christy Hynde-Bank’s calf?? Minke calves spend about 6 months with mom) foraging by Salmon Bank! I wonder if the Minke socialized with J-Pod, like the one did last season? Marine birds, Bald Eagles on Long Island, Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoise in San Juan Channel, showed all the ‘stars’ of the Salish Sea!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 15, 2011

More L-Podders

Monday July 11, 2011

Some of L-Pod that had been traveling up the west side of San Juan Island decided to turn back southeast off of Hannah Heights, as we arrived at 3:37 pm. Slack water and light ebb tide may have spread them out foraging for fish. We ID’d L-41 Mega and L-53 Lulu, with female-calf pairs near shore. A couple of breaches and then a group out in a resting line completed a wonderful viewing at 4:30pm.

 

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 14, 2011

Resting L-Pod

Wednesday July 6, 2011

One of my favorite Orca sightings is when they are resting. Shoulder to shoulder, synchronizing their breathing and movements is beautiful. Today, from 3:32pm to 4:20pm, a fog bank was lifting we saw 2 very large and 1 smaller groups of L-Pod clan sleeping; resting one hemisphere of their brain at a time. (They are not automatic breathers like humans, they would drown if fully asleep, I admire their adaptation!) They were slowly heading south down Rosario Strait, against the strong flooding tide. This may have helped them basically stay in place with very little energy expenditure while resting. Able to ID L-41 Mega (so elegant and stately now that he’s the eldest male, 34 years old, in the Southern Resident Community of Killer Whales), L-72 Racer, and L-77 Matia. As we left the area, heading away from the whales, they woke up, spread apart, turned toward Whidbey Island, and breached twice like a goodbye!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 14, 2011

Slinky Minkes

Tuesday July 5, 2011

Minkes being slinky out east of Salmon Bank, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca! From about 3pm to 4 pm, 2 or 3 Minkes on long dives, unpredictable surfacings, (that’s why I say slinky; hard to ID individuals, know where they may come up to breathe again, or get a photo!) Their movements make sense if you imagine them chasing the fish. Another sunny day, waters calm even with strong flooding tide! The skies were so clear we could see Mt Rainier behind Seattle, more than 90 miles away!

Mt Rainier

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 14, 2011

Fourth of July :)

Monday July 4, 2011

A sunny, wonderful holiday shared with J-Pod and L-87 Onyx, foraging from False Bay to Eagle Cove, in another strong, almost 11’ flooding tide. From about 2:50pm to 4pm, three spread out groups, yet tight together in the groups, heading northwest, turning southeast at Eagle Point. The classic ‘shuffle’ of swimming back and forth in this area (hopefully full of Chinook salmon!) We ID’d J-26 Mike, and J-28 Polaris with her 2 year old daughter J-46 Star. L-87 Onyx was very close to J-22 Oreo, flashed his ‘pink floyd’! Maybe J-22 Oreo will have a calf in 15 to 18 months!!

 

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 14, 2011

J-Pod and L-87

Thursday June 30, 2011

Nice to see 100 year old J-2 Granny with L-87 Onyx and J-30 Riptide over in Rosario Strait, by Allan Island. From 3:42pm to 5:00pm, we watched 6 groups of J-Pod heading west across a 10’ flooding tide, toward the south end of Lopez Island. They were very active, foraged for salmon, socialized; rolling over each other, swam on their backs, and headstands; tail flukes in the air!

 

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 12, 2011

Minkes and Orcas

Wednesday June 29, 2011

A strong 9 feet of flooding tide perhaps brought salmon along Eagle Cove and South Beach, where we found J-Pod Orcas, spread out and near shore foraging at about 3:10pm to 4pm.  We ID’d J-2 Granny in the lead as usual. J-30 Riptide fluke slapped the water and breached, traveling with a calf!

Monday June 27, 2011

Found us visiting 2 adult and 1 juvenile Minke Whales! They were spread out around Salmon Bank, from about 2:45pm to 3:45pm, during the middle of a flooding tide. They seem to like this area, foraging for fish, keeping us guessing where they would surface to breathe. We gave them lots of space, so couldn’t identify if it was Christy Hynde-Bank and her calf-fast becoming a juvenile! We rarely see Minke calves in the Salish Sea. They have about 6 months with their mom, then on their own!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 12, 2011

Bird Day

Tuesday June 28, 2011

Black Oystercatchers nesting on the rocks off of Sentinel Island. Bald Eagle on the ground of Spieden Island. Whales out of our range, but a lovely, sunny, calm, summer day lead us to Stuart Island, the most northwestern part of the lower 48 states! There on the cliff called Lovers Leap, we saw and heard Peregrine Falcons!! As suspected, there are 2 fledglings who were peeking out of the cliff nest. One of the falcon parents’ was further up vocalizing. So I’ve included the short video I took. They blend in well with the cliff colors, but you can hear the adult falcon! 

Peregrine Falcons
Bald Eagle
Black Oystercatchers

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 23, 2011

Summer Solstice Orcas

Tuesday June 21, 2011

J-Pod Orcas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, heading northwest from Whidbey and Smith Island toward Lopez and Salmon Bank with calm, flooding tide. At 2:50pm, I noticed J-34 DoubleStuf by himself, and many small groups really spread out. One whale breached closer to South Beach, then many whales breached all over the place! I lost count of how many breached! A calf stuck its little head up as though trying to spy hop! Some tail lobs and whales rolling around showed active behaviors! The groups came closer together as they reached Salmon Bank, slowed down swimming toward Eagle Cove, as they often do. The sun reflected off their backs, and we give them lots of room when they are spread out like that, so hard to identify. We enjoyed watching all the active behaviors until about 4:15pm and were able to ID that last group; J-16 Slick with her daughters J-36 Alki & J-42 cute little Echo, and my personal favorite- her son J-26 Mike.

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 23, 2011

K’s with J’s

Monday June 20, 2011

Many J-Pod Orcas with K-20 Spock (for a second I thought it was J-26 Mike- with her similar saddle patch & tall dorsal fin! Maybe they have the same dad?!) and her son K-38 Comet formed 2 tight groups traveling north in Haro Strait, seeming to rest a bit, swimming slowly with the flooding tide. At about 3pm, they were off of Henry Island, taking their time heading to Stuart Island, then into Boundary Pass at 4:15pm. Their leisurely pace and breathing enabled us to identify J-22 Oreo with sons J-34 DoubleStuf & J-38 Cookie, J-17- Princess Angeline with granddaughter J-46 Star, J-27 Blackberry with siblings J-31 Tsuchi & J-39 Mako, and J-19 Shachi & her daughter J-41 Eclipse. Also J-28 Polaris, and J-35 Tahlequah with son J-47 Looker, the newest J-Pod calf! Nice to see the families all together.

 

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 18, 2011

Week of Whales- Transients

Friday June 17, 2011

Canadian Salish Sea waters today, by Sidney Island! Another group of 4 Transient Killer Whales using the strong flooding tide, heading north, at about 1:45pm. They were swimming slowly in a fairly tight group, taking long dives,  and like the ones yesterday, I wonder if they were resting a bit, letting that tide move them along? We indentified T-10 with her son T-10A, and youngster T-10C. We also identified T-26, but I did not see her 21 year old T-26A, who was sighted the day before with this group. The Center for Whale Research was out there, hopefully got photos to verify the group. As we left at 2:30pm we noticed Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoise in Spieden and San Juan Channels, while not a one by Sidney or in Haro Strait- they must have got the word about the Transients! A wonderful week of whale, wildlife, marine bird sightings and encounters!

Thursday June 16, 2011

No Resident Orcas today, yet around 1:35pm we come across another group of 4 Transient Killer Whales! A male T-56, with a female, juvenile and calf. He is an orphan, so hard to ID who he was with. They are swimming fairly slowly with that strong flood tide, in a tight group on long dives, north then east around Sucia Island. As we left at about 2:45pm, across from Sucia Island and the whales we noticed Harbor Seals on a large rock! They had their heads up, bodies arched, all alert, aware they might be prey. There was also a Bald Eagle sitting there viewing as well!

Wednesday June 15, 2011

Apparently the Resident Orcas headed west toward the ocean. Today we encountered 5 Transient Killer Whales. I have rarely seen both residents and transients in the same area, ignoring each other, but I wonder if they do have a cosmic agreement in sharing the range? Ironic that so often, when the residents are out of range, then here come the transients! The transients are much less frequent, so harder to identify individuals. T-65A with a calf, juvenile, and 2 others off of Wasp Passage at about 12:30pm. I noticed at least 1, maybe 2, had what appeared to me to be an open saddle patch; dark pigment going into the lighter patch. I wonder if anyone else saw and/or photographed that. I mention this, as a distinction of Transients was a closed saddle patch- no dark pigment, solid light patch on all of them… The whales headed west into San Juan Channel, staying closer to Orcas Island, although erratic surfacings after long dives in the pass, then they seemed to be hunting in the channel with circling, arching dives, and youngster tail flukes in the air! At 3pm they were still in San Juan Channel closer to Spieden Island.

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