Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 13, 2009

Rockin & Rollin with K’s and L2’s, L-78 Injured?

L-78 Gaia - marks on dorsal fin

L-78 Gaia - marks on dorsal fin

 

Lunging

Lunging

July 13, 2009
Rockin and rollin through wind and waves out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca today, to get where we saw K’s and the L2’s heading east with the flooding tide between the entrance to Victoria Harbor and Trial Island, Canada. They were all bunched up together, milling, foraging, some directional changes. A few spy hops, lunges, a side roll, and flukes in the air, and at times they all surfaced together, still amazing to see all those whales and fins shoulder to shoulder, making the long trip memorable. We identified K-13, K-34, K-40, K-21, K-14, K-26, L-2, L-78, and L-88. L-78 Gaia had fresh propeller or rake marks on the right side of his dorsal fin. My first thought was it reminded me of the rake- teeth marks I have seen on gray whales that have survived a Transient Orca attack. Very unusual! Photos are being sent to the Center For Whale Research,  so I’ll keep you updated on what the scientists think the marks are from.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 10, 2009

Orcas and Tufted Puffins!

July 10, 2009
J’s, K’s and L’s really spread out from Salmon Bank heading toward Cattle Point to Eagle Cove all the way to Turn Point, foraging with the strong flooding tide. Today, from 2:14pm to 3:40pm, we got a nice looks at J-27 Blackberry, one of the new J babies, and K-20 Spock with energetic K-38 Comet who breached 3 consecutive times! The air was rich with that bait fish smell. We are seeing more marine birds than last summer, and I am thrilled to report my first sighting in 2 years of 3 Tufted Puffins, all dressed up in their beautiful breeding colors!!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 8, 2009

Orcas from J-K-L Pods Foraging and Vocalizing

J-16 Slick & son J-26 Mike

J-16 Slick & son J-26 Mike

L-105 Fluke

L-105 Fluke

July 8, 2009
Salmon Bank seems to be the place for whales, seals, and marine birds- hopefully providing a buffet! From 2:10pm until 3:25pm, during a flooding tide and calm summer waters, we watched orcas from J-K-L Pods mill and forage. J-26 Mike is easy to spot with the way his dorsal fin leans left, he was lunging, making many directional changes and breached! He didn’t stray too far from mom J-16 Slick. L-72 Racer with very active 5 year old son Fluke went back and forth too. We saw another group with some bellies up- mating? We listened to vocalizations, some of the K calls remind me of cats mewling!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 3, 2009

Orcas-Minkes-Marine Birds

P1050071July 3, 2009
Sunny, warm, pond-like conditions, at the end of the flooding tide, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off Salmon Bank, from about 2:40pm to 3:40pm. We watched 2 or 3 orcas foraging and going on very long dives With the bright sun glinting off their backs and unpredictable surfacings, couldn’t get a positive ID- did anyone else? Same 2 Minkes foraging with hundreds of marine birds, the auklets were sitting on the glass surface with bait fish draped in their bills!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | July 1, 2009

J-Pod on Canada Day

July 1, 2009
We went to Canada on Canada Day! Well, Canadian waters- Boundary Pass to see J-Pod traveling east past North Pender toward Saturna Island, between 2:25 and 3:15pm, with the last of the flooding tide. Nice to see J-Pod in familiar family groups, with J-2 Granny and J-1 Ruffles leading the way. They were spread out quite a ways from the leaders to the trailers, with some tail lobbing, pectoral slapping, and breaches as they passed Plumper Sound. J-44 and J-45 looking well with the trailing families!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 29, 2009

L’s & K’s Heading West

L-41 Mega & sister L-94 Calypso

L-41 Mega & sister L-94 Calypso

P1050021P1050049June 29, 2009
Reports were of L’s off Salmon Bank, when we got out there at about 2:15pm, there were many whales, at first appearing to forage with the minor ebb tide, then the orcas all came together heading toward the west. There were so many we wondered that there were more than L’s. Sure enough some K’s were with them as they went on a long dive, and surfaced northwest toward Eagle Cove. Another group of orcas approached from the southeast, looking like they were going to join the first big group, did a few tail lobs, then turned back to the west. The large group then turned and all the whales were joining up and speed swimming! toward the west when we left them at about 3:25pm.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 26, 2009

K’s and Minke Whales!!

2009 June 26 Orcas & Minkes 013

K's

Minke Whale

Minke Whale

Minke Whale

Minke Whale

Minke Whale

Minke Whale

June 26, 2009 

A special day as we were privileged to have 4 year old Colin, his family, supporters, and the Make a Wish Foundation aboard. Colin had become fascinated with Orcas that he saw in the ocean scenes at the hospital he has spent many days at in the last 2 & 1/2 years. Hopes were high as we headed west of Salmon Bank. We were all delighted to watch K-11, K-13, K-25, K-27, K-34, K-20, and K-38, from 2:10pm until 3pm, in close family groups foraging as they headed northwest toward Eagle Cove, and two groups of other whales along the shoreline. It was that wonderful time of slack ebb tide, calm water, great visibility, sunshine, and hearing the powerful blows of the whales carry across the water as they swam past. We were all so happy Colin got his wish, when we came across two Minke whales foraging at Salmon Bank! The first Minke looked like an adult, the second a juvenile with a very curvy-hooked dorsal fin and a small white spot on the left flank. Both whales surfaced more often than we normally see, and close distance to each surfacing, so not so elusive and everyone saw them, along with rafts of marine birds! Topped off the trip with Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Oystercatchers, harbor seal sightings at Long island and Whale Rocks, and harbor porpoise in San Juan Channel. A truly magical trip and the diversity of wildlife a reminder of what a unique place is the Salish Sea, an honor to share and experience through visitor’s eyes!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 25, 2009

Orcas at Lime Kiln Point

June 25, 2009 

All the people on land, on the westside of San Juan Island enjoyed seeing Orcas swimming north, near shore, with the flooding tide, from about 3:30 to at least 4pm. The whales were spread out from Lime Kiln Point south about a mile. All the boats appeared to maintaining the 1/2 mile from shore, no boat zone.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 22, 2009

Superpod Porpoising, Spy Hopping, & Breaching!!!

Porpoising

Porpoising

J-1 Ruffles at 58 years old still breaches!!

J-1 Ruffles at 58 years old still breaches!!

Breach!
Breach!
P1040851

Power swimming-porpoising!

P1040881June 22, 2009

  All of J-Pod with some L’s and K’s porpoising, power swimming, against the strong flood tide, from Saturna Island southwest across Boundary Pass toward Stuart Island, from 2:20pm to 3:25pm. They were traveling quite fast, in tight knit family groups. As we watched the first group approach Turn Point and the tide rips, one whale spy hopped, then 2 in unison, then the breaches started. There were 4 to 5 orcas in each group, 8 groups total, in that time period, heading around the point into Haro Strait. In every group, whales spy hopped, breached, lunged, cartwheeled, back flipped, pectoral slapped, or tail lobbed as they closed in on Stuart Island! Words can’t describe the fantastic, countless breaches, percussive and surface behaviors!! Even J-1 Ruffles joined the party and breached!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 19, 2009

J-Pod’s back!

June 19, 2009

We were all heartened to hear of reports of J Pod with L’s & the 2 K’s back in our waters, although too far north and out of range for our tour. We saw a dozen or more harbor porpoise in San Juan Channel, looked like they were actively foraging. I am also starting to see more marine birds out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and around the islands, this last week. However the sight that really pleased me was the rescue tug attached by line behind, to an oil tanker all the way up Haro Strait and Boundary Pass! A long 12 years to get that escort tug, many thanks to Fred Felleman and all who worked to have a year round rescue tug! It is also my understanding that the oil companies have to fund the tug.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 17, 2009

Resting Orcas

 

L-12 Alexis

P1040744June 17, 2009

A group of 5 of the L-12, L-22’s in a fairly close formation, slowly swimming from the Salmon Bank buoy northwest toward San Juan Island, from 12:55pm to 1:50pm. At first they seemed to be traveling in 2 groups, then all 5 came together, and appeared to be resting in the slack flood tide with little tidal exchange. I could ID L-12, L-89 (Solstice near the Solstice!), and not sure, but think the other male was L-85, along with 2 other females. The sun glinting off their backs and through the spray of their exhalations, the 2 males shoulder to shoulder coming up together, was beautiful, but made it difficult to ID.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 12, 2009

Humpback Whale!

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

June 12, 2009

A report of a humpback whale sent us into the Strait of Juan de Fuca off of Pile Point from about 1:10pm to 2pm during slack ebb tide. We watched the whale surfacing, taking 4 to 5 breaths, then diving from 4-6 minutes. The juvenile, about 40′? in length, seemed to be zig zagging as it was slowly working it’s way west-northwest, as it would surface offshore, then the next surfacing would be inshore, repeating this transecting pattern. Only saw the flukes once, it showed the arching of it’s body- the humped back- on every last surfacing before it dove! On our way out in the Strait we saw 2 groups of 3 Dall’s Porpoise, the sun glinting off that dorsal fin white edge!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 10, 2009

L’s & K’s Foraging & Percussives

June 10, 2009

From 1:15pm to 2:05pm, we were delighted to watch L-41, L-77, K-20, and K-38, actively foraging off of False Bay. They headed west-northwest at first, then made directional changes and milling as the flood tide picked up. Lots of percussive behaviors- tail slaps, pectoral slaps, and breaches! L-41 was upside down, repeatedly slapping his curled tail flukes back on the surface! Nice to see the K’s with the L’s, and familiar behavior- hope they got some salmon.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 8, 2009

K-20 and K-38 all by themselves…

K-20 Spock & K-38 Comet

K-20 Spock & K-38 Comet

June 8, 2009

Today we made the long trip across the Strait of Juan de Fuca (it was calm and beautiful!), to see K-20 and K-38 off of Ediz Hook from about 2:15 to 2:30pm. They were traveling southeast with the flooding tide at a fair pace. In my 12 years of observing the SRKW community, I have not seen just 2 whales without the rest of their family, pod, or other community members reportedly in the general area!? We have made many trips these last few weeks, into Haro Strait and I have noticed a lack (not one sighting) of Dall’s Porpoises, although we have seen harbor porpoise in all the channels and straits around San Juan Island. Mysteries abound!

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | June 1, 2009

Gray Whale!

June 1, 2009

We saw one small gray whale, slowly traveling south off of NAS Whidbey Island, last Monday, from about 2 to 2:20pm. On our way out, just south of Lopez Island, a California sea lion came partway out of the water vertically, shook his head, then dove rapidly, so we only really saw his head and hind flippers, repeating several times. Behavior I have not seen before.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | May 25, 2009

Porpoising with the Flood Tide

May 25, 2009
J-1 with maybe 6 other whales porpoising fast to the southeast around Eagle Point, with a strong flooding tide, at 1:13pm They all slowed down around False Bay, going on long dives, appeared to be foraging. Pretty bumpy out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so we left them at about 2pm.

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | May 20, 2009

J-Pod & K’s in Haro Strait

2009-May 033May 20, 2009
J Pod with some K’s traveling north against an ebbing tide in Haro Strait from 1:15pm to 2:30pm. The family groups were loosely spread out diving and foraging, then showed an array of behaviors as they closed in on Stuart Island; fluke and pectoral slaps, a few breaches, lunges, and flashes of male parts! (It’ll be interesting to see if there are any new calves, in about a year and a half, from those K-13/ K-20 girls!!)

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Posted by: onboardtourswhales | May 15, 2009

New Babies in J-Pod!

J-44

J-44 & Family

May 15, 2009
A lovely, calm, sunny day on the water! From about 1:15pm to 2:15pm, we watched J-Pod very slowly swimming north across Open Bay, off of San Juan Island, against the ebbing tide.  They were bunched up into 2 close, tight groups. A beautiful sight to see all those fins coming up together and one after another, with glimpses of J-44 & J-45 tucked in the middle. Their yellowy-orangey patches really stand out! The Orcas seemed to be resting, almost treading water in the same area for quite awhile, then there was some tail lobbing from a few trailing whales and a surprise flash of a  “pink floyd”! Reports were of a few of K-Pod with J-Pod…
At about 2pm they seemed to wake up, changed direction heading fairly fast south, then they all dove for a few minutes, came up, turned back north, picking up speed as they swam toward Stuart Island. I can only imagine the ‘conversation’ that took place in deciding the directional changes! Lots of rotund harbor seals sharing space with 3 adult & 2 young eagles- feeding on a fish- on Sentinel Rocks, further awing our visitors with the diversity of wildlife that call the Salish Sea home!

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