June 27
1930: Likely J pod well spread out and moving northward. Few vocals though some great S-4 calls (that neat growl) and some echolocation clicks.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
zaterdag 27 juni 2009
vrijdag 26 juni 2009
Kelping orca (J35?)
San Juan Island
June 26, 2009
Photo by Jill Hein
June 26
Whales all over today on the west side of San Juan Island, very spread out. We were a mile or two off shore with L78, K16 and possibly J35, who played in a kelp bed, then pushed the kelp over towards us. What a thrill. Attached are 2 photos of the kelp princess.
Jill Hein, Coupeville
June 26th, I was out on the Western Explorer and we met up with J-Pod again heading north in Swanson Channel around 12 noon. They were in nice tight groups and we spent most of our time observing the J14 family group with J1, J2, and J8. We were able to identify every J- Pod family group but the J16s, so they either went undetected or were off on their own somewhere else. When we left them around 1 PM they were just nearing Otter Bay, still traveling north against a flood tide. You can see some photos from this afternoon here.
Monika Wieland, San Juan Island
June 26
We left the Ks last night off the Southern tip of Lopez Isl. Js had gone North in the morning, so they should be back today.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's West Side Charters
June 26
On our afternoon trip, we headed out to meet up with the Orcas reported to be heading north in Swanson Channel. When we arrived, J Pod was in a tight resting formation, drifting past Village Bay on Mayne Island. We knew that would likely change as they approached Active Pass. Sure enough, the tail slaps started just as they rounded the bend at Helen's Point. Was that a response to the strong current pulling them into the pass, or the DFO observer sitting on the point watching the whale watch boats??? In any case, all the commercial boats gave the whales lots of room as they maneouvered across the pass to the shores of Galiano Island, and then to the east. The whales stayed fairly tightly together until they were mid-pass, when the action really got going - upside-down swimming, breaches, tail slaps, pec slaps, spyhops - as they approached the tide rips at the east end of the pass. I've attached one photo (see above) of the multi- action our passengers were fortunate to witness. As they were exiting the pass, the whales did a long dive going through the final large tide rips, and surfaced some distance to the east. Once in the Strait of Georgia, the pod split into matriline groups and spread out for the crossing. The mud plume from the Fraser River had spread all the way across the Strait due to the low tide and earlier winds, and the whales seemed to be doing many more spyhops than we usually see as they exit Active Pass. They might have been surprised by the sudden darkness underwater where it should have been clear blue- green water. We left J Pod shortly after their exit from Active Pass. They were still heading east towards the coal docks. Happily, the DFO boat on scene likely got zero footage of whale watch boats misbehaving as everyone was keeping a very respectful distance. Only one BC ferry entered the pass during the time we were there, and it was at the wider east end, allowing lots of room to stay out of the way of both whales and the ferry. Our passengers enjoyed a very special encounter with these animals, observing not only many behaviours, but also the family togetherness of a resting pod.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
donderdag 25 juni 2009
Yesterday, June 25th, I watched J-Pod off of Land Bank and Lime Kiln on the west side of San Juan Island from about 3:30-4:30 in the afternoon. They headed north very close to shore, then turned and started coming back south before veering to the west to meet in the incoming K-Pod. It was definitely one of those special passbys where most of the pod was just off the kelp beds, and onlookers got nice looks at all the J-Pod family groups! You can see some of my favorite photos from the encounter here.
June 25
OrcaSound hydrophone, 1830: First we heard mewing, like in K-pod, and then we heard S-1's as in J-pod. The whales were spread out and their blows drifted north in the southerly, backlit by the ever-so-slow setting sun - they were headed slowly north. Ethereal.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
June 25
Cool orcas off SJI today most of the day. First, J pod went down island on the ebb, then up island on the flood to Lime Kiln, with most of the pod making close passes to shore with lots of surface active behavior. As J1 and J2, among others, went north, most of the pod seemed to stall out around Lime Kiln, still with lots of surface activity. At the same time there were reports that K pod had passed Discovery Island and other reports further north had J1 and J2 disappearing. Minutes after J1 and J2 "disappeared," the orcas at Lime Kiln started heading at a fast pace off shore and towards Discovery. Within minutes J pod, including J1 and J2, were together making great time and distance against a strong flood tide. Several juveniles breached nearly continuously, until J pod met up with K pod and perhaps more than a few L's about a mile off Hannah Heights at around 5 p.m. There were whales all over, with much active socializing. There appeared to be at least three groups of ten or more whales in close proximity, rolling all over each other, with much switching of whales (at least sprouters) between the groups. About half of K pod headed in close to the shore at Hannah Heights within 10 minutes of meeting up. At Hannah there was a good chop going on. The K pod whales appeared to be surfing, foraging and playing at the same time. A young calf (K42?) tried to copy the older whales and dove aggressively into a large wave before getting bashed sideways by the pretty good sized wave. The calf kind of wriggled like a fish, righted himself and continued on unabashed after his older brethren. As the flood tide began carrying the main group of orcas up island, the K pod whales that had been close in to the beach headed out and joined up with the main group. I left them just after 6 pm still heading up island as a group. On another good note I think I have seen more socializing already this year, than all of last year which seemed to be a continual quest for food. On a bad note, as the whales met up today, they were completely surrounded by boats. (On a good note, DFW and Soundwatch had been out earlier in the day.)
Sharon Grace, SJI
June 25
Late Thursday afternoon as the whales went north past Lime Kiln I was able to get a picture of Gaia L-78 and Wave Walker L-88. I don't know if other L Pod whales were present with J Pod and K Pod, but it was interesting to see these whales with Js and Ks. I would imagine that their mom, Grace L-2 was there, but I didn't get a picture of her. L-2, L-78 and L-88 were seen with J and K pods on Monday June 22nd as they all came south down Haro Strait.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
June 25
OrcaSound hydrophone, 1830: First we heard mewing, like in K-pod, and then we heard S-1's as in J-pod. The whales were spread out and their blows drifted north in the southerly, backlit by the ever-so-slow setting sun - they were headed slowly north. Ethereal.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
June 25
Cool orcas off SJI today most of the day. First, J pod went down island on the ebb, then up island on the flood to Lime Kiln, with most of the pod making close passes to shore with lots of surface active behavior. As J1 and J2, among others, went north, most of the pod seemed to stall out around Lime Kiln, still with lots of surface activity. At the same time there were reports that K pod had passed Discovery Island and other reports further north had J1 and J2 disappearing. Minutes after J1 and J2 "disappeared," the orcas at Lime Kiln started heading at a fast pace off shore and towards Discovery. Within minutes J pod, including J1 and J2, were together making great time and distance against a strong flood tide. Several juveniles breached nearly continuously, until J pod met up with K pod and perhaps more than a few L's about a mile off Hannah Heights at around 5 p.m. There were whales all over, with much active socializing. There appeared to be at least three groups of ten or more whales in close proximity, rolling all over each other, with much switching of whales (at least sprouters) between the groups. About half of K pod headed in close to the shore at Hannah Heights within 10 minutes of meeting up. At Hannah there was a good chop going on. The K pod whales appeared to be surfing, foraging and playing at the same time. A young calf (K42?) tried to copy the older whales and dove aggressively into a large wave before getting bashed sideways by the pretty good sized wave. The calf kind of wriggled like a fish, righted himself and continued on unabashed after his older brethren. As the flood tide began carrying the main group of orcas up island, the K pod whales that had been close in to the beach headed out and joined up with the main group. I left them just after 6 pm still heading up island as a group. On another good note I think I have seen more socializing already this year, than all of last year which seemed to be a continual quest for food. On a bad note, as the whales met up today, they were completely surrounded by boats. (On a good note, DFW and Soundwatch had been out earlier in the day.)
Sharon Grace, SJI
June 25
Late Thursday afternoon as the whales went north past Lime Kiln I was able to get a picture of Gaia L-78 and Wave Walker L-88. I don't know if other L Pod whales were present with J Pod and K Pod, but it was interesting to see these whales with Js and Ks. I would imagine that their mom, Grace L-2 was there, but I didn't get a picture of her. L-2, L-78 and L-88 were seen with J and K pods on Monday June 22nd as they all came south down Haro Strait.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
woensdag 24 juni 2009
Js south of Pt. Roberts
June 24
Well, the Js spent the afternoon South of Pt. Roberts trying to decide whether or not to battle the flood tide and come down to the San Juans. Nope. They decided to ride the flood back to the Fraser, and hopefully come on down tomorrow. The last I heard they were 10 miles North of East Pt. still headed North at 6:30 PM this evening (6/24).
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Island
Well, the Js spent the afternoon South of Pt. Roberts trying to decide whether or not to battle the flood tide and come down to the San Juans. Nope. They decided to ride the flood back to the Fraser, and hopefully come on down tomorrow. The last I heard they were 10 miles North of East Pt. still headed North at 6:30 PM this evening (6/24).
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Island
dinsdag 23 juni 2009
J pod in the San Juans
June 23
We lucked out on our 1pm tour with reports of Residents eastbound near Victoria, BC. A little trip to the south around Cattle Pass and across the Straits (which looked as if it were a pond today) - so calm, clear views of the Olympic Mountains to the south and we met up with the whales crossing to San Juan Island. They had been traveling quite fast according to the other boats and they ended up splitting into 2 or more groups, with some whales moving towards the southern half of the island and others northbound up Haro Strait. The Orcas were quite spread out in all directions - apparently it was J pod and K pod. (I'm still getting back into the swing of identifying these guys.)
We had some wonderful views of 2 younger calves playing in the currents where the kelp was collecting, along with logs and other debris. One even draped a bit of kelp across its dorsal fin!! There was some breaching, tail slaps and just some great looks at the whales. We moved north, from one group to another and left them off of Kellet Bluff, Henry Island as we looped around the north side of San Juan Island.
Then the sunset tour. Wow! It was one of those nights where there was no wind, the seas were like glass, and the clouds cleared so I could finally see Mount Baker in all its glory in the Cascade Range! J pod had covered some ground and was up in the Canadian Gulf Islands. So to Canada we went. We had a small intimate group of people on the boat who got one of the best shows I've seen in a long time! We were able to watch J27 (Blackberry) who at 18 is turning into quite the large male. Along with J27 was his sister J31 and a sprouter male who I believe was J34, and a few others I didn't ID. There were actively spyhopping, rolling, foraging, and moving northbound. The unfortunate part of this experience was a private boater that was much too close to the whales, who continued to pursue the Orcas and park as close as possible to the animals. It is illegal for any vessel to be within a 100 yards of these Endangered Southern Community of Killer Whales. Many folks don't realize that this is law and the point being we want to give the Orcas enough space so that we boaters are not causing them to alter their normal behavior. Hopefully as more people learn this, we will all be more conscience of how we conduct ourselves around the whales.
We were able to also get great looks at J26, the other 18 year old male with his mom J16 and younger sibling J42. Again very active tonight! Breach after breach, even by the little calf! The next family group included J17, J28, and newborn J44? I kept looking for the little one but the glare on the water against the dark rocky shoreline made it difficult. By now we were nearing Active Pass and it was time to head home. What a beautiful and special day in the San Juans.
-Jaclyn, naturalist, Crew At San Juan Safaris Whale Watch Wildlife Tours
We lucked out on our 1pm tour with reports of Residents eastbound near Victoria, BC. A little trip to the south around Cattle Pass and across the Straits (which looked as if it were a pond today) - so calm, clear views of the Olympic Mountains to the south and we met up with the whales crossing to San Juan Island. They had been traveling quite fast according to the other boats and they ended up splitting into 2 or more groups, with some whales moving towards the southern half of the island and others northbound up Haro Strait. The Orcas were quite spread out in all directions - apparently it was J pod and K pod. (I'm still getting back into the swing of identifying these guys.)
We had some wonderful views of 2 younger calves playing in the currents where the kelp was collecting, along with logs and other debris. One even draped a bit of kelp across its dorsal fin!! There was some breaching, tail slaps and just some great looks at the whales. We moved north, from one group to another and left them off of Kellet Bluff, Henry Island as we looped around the north side of San Juan Island.
Then the sunset tour. Wow! It was one of those nights where there was no wind, the seas were like glass, and the clouds cleared so I could finally see Mount Baker in all its glory in the Cascade Range! J pod had covered some ground and was up in the Canadian Gulf Islands. So to Canada we went. We had a small intimate group of people on the boat who got one of the best shows I've seen in a long time! We were able to watch J27 (Blackberry) who at 18 is turning into quite the large male. Along with J27 was his sister J31 and a sprouter male who I believe was J34, and a few others I didn't ID. There were actively spyhopping, rolling, foraging, and moving northbound. The unfortunate part of this experience was a private boater that was much too close to the whales, who continued to pursue the Orcas and park as close as possible to the animals. It is illegal for any vessel to be within a 100 yards of these Endangered Southern Community of Killer Whales. Many folks don't realize that this is law and the point being we want to give the Orcas enough space so that we boaters are not causing them to alter their normal behavior. Hopefully as more people learn this, we will all be more conscience of how we conduct ourselves around the whales.
We were able to also get great looks at J26, the other 18 year old male with his mom J16 and younger sibling J42. Again very active tonight! Breach after breach, even by the little calf! The next family group included J17, J28, and newborn J44? I kept looking for the little one but the glare on the water against the dark rocky shoreline made it difficult. By now we were nearing Active Pass and it was time to head home. What a beautiful and special day in the San Juans.
-Jaclyn, naturalist, Crew At San Juan Safaris Whale Watch Wildlife Tours
maandag 22 juni 2009
J1 & J2
Stuart Island
June 22, 2009
Photo by Andrew Lees
June 22
I thought you might like this picture of J2 "Granny" spy-hopping right next to J1 "Ruffles". This was just south of Stuart Island this afternoon (6/22) . Regards,
Andrew Lees, Five Star Whale Watching
June 22
Got to finally catch up with J pod off Lime Kiln on Monday evening. They started coming by around 17:15 or so. I believe we got to see them all. They were fairly vocal as they swam by, Bob Otis had his radio out there with the hydrophones so we could hear them calling. Was a very windy time out there and the only boats were a couple watches out of Canada. The boats were so far out there, as the pod was very spread out. Take care!
Vickie Doyle, Kent, WA
June 22
Center for Whale Research received a report from Soundwatch of 40 plus whales traveling south from East Point on Saturna Island, B.C. at 12:25 p.m. At 2:00 p.m. Center staff Erin Heydenreich, Emma Foster and Basil Von Ah encountered J's and K's in mixed tight groups traveling at a fast pace southwest through Boundary Pass(48° 43.930 N; 123° 09.584 W). The whales continued to travel past Turn Point and spread out across Haro Strait (48° 36.568 N; 123° 14.784W). All members of J and K pod were confirmed present as well as the L2's and L87. The rest of L pod reportedly went west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca earlier that morning.
Center for Whale Research,
Js, Ks and Ls together
June 22
Jeff Hogan reported Js, Ks & some L's (at least L2 & L87) off the west side of San Juan Island today.
June 22
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!
Caroline Armon, San Juan Excursions
June 22
At 17:58 I can hear whales at Orca Sound hydrophone. Great clarity! No vessel noise!
Celia Barroso
June 22
They're there again (orcas on OrcaSound) right now - 5:08pm!
Ruby Keefe, Culver City, CA
June 22
Heard some GREAT orca calls on the OrcaSound hydrophones beginning at about 4:30 pm, then at 5:43 pm on the Lime Kiln Hydrophone, so they must have been heading south along the west side of San Juan Island.
Susan Berta, Orca Network, Whidbey Island
June 22 Hearing our friends at 12:17am June 22nd on the orcasound hydrophone!
Ruby Keefe, Culver City, CA
June 22
Sounds like party time for the 'Superpod boys and girls' right now at 12 .15am June 22nd on the Orcasound hydrophones. Makes my heart sing! What magical sounds.
Marie O'Shaughnessy, Victoria B.C.
June 22
On our morning trip from Steveston, we had heard a rumour that the whales were headed south from the Roberts Bank Coal Dock. Sure enough, we spotted some whales travelling along the shores of Point Roberts, as they occasionally do when in the area. Initially, just a few whales were seen, then offshore, we started to see more fins. The whales were spread out over an area that was several square miles. They were travelling alone, or in very small groups, slowly drifiting with the tide, with no obvious direction of travel, and often doing long dives. We were fortunate to observe K26 (Lobo) spending some quality time with younger brother K42, even doing some side-by-side foraging. Further out in the Strait, we encountered J1 and J2. At one point, J1 lunged, presumably after a fish, and following that, J2 (Granny) breached twice - one a forward arch, and then one standard up in the air breach. Our passengers were so impressed when they heard that she may be approaching 100 years of age and still had that kind of energy and flexibility. Surprisingly, vocals were very sparse, and with almost no boat traffic, we would have been able to hear them for miles. It was an amazing morning, with flat calm waters, and whales meandering by from every direction.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
Jeff Hogan reported Js, Ks & some L's (at least L2 & L87) off the west side of San Juan Island today.
June 22
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!
Caroline Armon, San Juan Excursions
June 22
At 17:58 I can hear whales at Orca Sound hydrophone. Great clarity! No vessel noise!
Celia Barroso
June 22
They're there again (orcas on OrcaSound) right now - 5:08pm!
Ruby Keefe, Culver City, CA
June 22
Heard some GREAT orca calls on the OrcaSound hydrophones beginning at about 4:30 pm, then at 5:43 pm on the Lime Kiln Hydrophone, so they must have been heading south along the west side of San Juan Island.
Susan Berta, Orca Network, Whidbey Island
June 22 Hearing our friends at 12:17am June 22nd on the orcasound hydrophone!
Ruby Keefe, Culver City, CA
June 22
Sounds like party time for the 'Superpod boys and girls' right now at 12 .15am June 22nd on the Orcasound hydrophones. Makes my heart sing! What magical sounds.
Marie O'Shaughnessy, Victoria B.C.
June 22
On our morning trip from Steveston, we had heard a rumour that the whales were headed south from the Roberts Bank Coal Dock. Sure enough, we spotted some whales travelling along the shores of Point Roberts, as they occasionally do when in the area. Initially, just a few whales were seen, then offshore, we started to see more fins. The whales were spread out over an area that was several square miles. They were travelling alone, or in very small groups, slowly drifiting with the tide, with no obvious direction of travel, and often doing long dives. We were fortunate to observe K26 (Lobo) spending some quality time with younger brother K42, even doing some side-by-side foraging. Further out in the Strait, we encountered J1 and J2. At one point, J1 lunged, presumably after a fish, and following that, J2 (Granny) breached twice - one a forward arch, and then one standard up in the air breach. Our passengers were so impressed when they heard that she may be approaching 100 years of age and still had that kind of energy and flexibility. Surprisingly, vocals were very sparse, and with almost no boat traffic, we would have been able to hear them for miles. It was an amazing morning, with flat calm waters, and whales meandering by from every direction.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
zondag 21 juni 2009
Superpod Sunday
June 21
Howard Garrett, calling from the Center for Whale Research on west San Juan Island reported the L12s heading north off Eagle Pt. and J pod off Iceberg Pt. heading south at 10:30 am. Orcas also reported off Salmon Bank at 10:55.
At 1:10 pm, J pod & the L12s were passing the Center heading north. At 2:30 pm the Center received reports that the orcas up north were now in Active Pass, heading south, so it looks like a Superpod is in the making!
Update: Howard joined Ken Balcomb and the Center for Whale Research staff in heading up to see the superpod - they encountered them at approx. 4:10 pm off the NW tip of Stuart Island, and left them at about 6:25 pm south of Saturna Island, as all three pods headed north toward Boundary Pass. More details and photos coming tomorrow!
June 21
The day started off very cool and rainy. I thought to myself "Wow, summer/Father's Day is starting off pretty soggy." But after having whales in the area yesterday, my hopes were high that they would stick around. So we left aboard the Explorer and the day got progressively sunnier, and sure enough--we heard J-Pod was slowly working their way north near Kellett Bluff. Along the way, we got sidetracked by 6 bald eagles feasting on a harbor seal carcass near Davidson Head (north end of San Juan). That should have been a clue to let me know what kind of special day we were in for! Soon (1330) we were watching J-Pod actively working the tide rips in search of salmon near Kellett Bluff. Lots of direction changes as the whales did their thing, sometimes maintaining their position by swimming into the current. We saw several spyhops, tail slaps, and I was especially excited to see my "buddy" J1 Ruffles (it's been too long since my last sighting!) We also saw J30 Riptide, and one of the new moms (her saddle was hidden by the waves in the riptide). But the day suddenly got even better. We had heard reports of a group of unidentified whales passing Campbell River last night around 1800. So we figured maybe late tonight/early tomorrow we'd have them down here and could ID them. Well, we got a report from a friend that a large group of "maybe Transients" had just made it through Active Pass. So off we went (the advantage of having a fast boat!) Soon (1430) we were off of Prevost Island and saw fins. LOTS OF FINS. Hmmm, we thought--this is too many for Transients, right? Well, before we knew it, whales started breaching everywhere! Not acting like Transients, we soon thought--Residents?? And that's when we began to make some IDs--L78 (Gaia), L72 (Racer), L7 (Canuck), K26 (Lobo), K16 (Opus), K21 (Cappucino), and K40 (Raggedy). Haven't seen these whales yet this year and we were the first to make the ID!! As a naturalist, it's always extra special to be the first to see a group of whales. Just when we thought we'd seen all the whales pass, we'd hear a blow or two and yet more whales would come by! We left the whales heading South in Swanson Channel near Thieves Bay at 1500 and made our way back to Friday Harbor. One of the best father's day gifts a naturalist could hope for!
John Boyd (JB), Marine Naturalist, Western Explorer, Friday Harbor
June 21
Very loud calls on Orca Sound hydrophones. Sounds like Jpod. There are clicks also. Time is 1326.
Cathy Bacon, Texas
June 21
1430: J pod widely spread out and moving north. Nice vocals (calls and clicks) on the OrcaSound hydrophone.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
June 21
Aboard the Island Adventurer out of Anacortes with Capt Carl we saw an incredible display by J Pod at 145 to 215pm. We first spotted the dorsals just North of American Camp on the West side of San Juan. The pod was moving north, in small group of 3 or 4 spread out along maybe a 1/4 quarter mile. Whales were close to shore, sometime within 10 feet just south of False Bay.
The males and some younger whales really put on the show with dual spy hops, cartwheels, full breaches by the younger whales and lots of tail slapping. Mike, Alki and Blackberry were identified by the naturalist on aboard. Very interesting was the identification of a male, Mega, from L Pod and the naturalist thought there may have been some mating outside of False Bay. First hand viewing seemed to confirm this may have been the case. J Pod continued North toward Lime Kiln when we left and turned South.
Jennifer Parker, Seattle
June 21
What a day, what a day! Sunday morning started with a morning downpour, but by 1 pm it was sunshine with clearing skies! On our way around the island we stopped for magnificient views of Bald Eagles, both mature adults and immature subadults all in trees near a washed up Harbor Seal carcass. The eagles really are scavengers first, predators second. Then we spent our afternoon on the northwest corner of San Juan Island in Speiden Channel with Southern Resident Orcas from J & L pods!! These are the fish-eating pods that frequent the area in the summer months to feast on salmon that travel through our waterways. So if we're seeing these Orcas, hopefully it means they are finding enough salmon here and will stick around for the rest of the season! (Currently our 3 pods that make up this Southern Resident Community of Killer Whales are endangered, one threat being decreasing salmon populations.) J pod was just passing Henry Island and playing in a rip or current where presumbably they were fishing. They were very active - changing direction, tail slapping, and even some logging at the surface by 1 or 2 whales. They continued north forming tight groups and picked up speed with a few Orcas porpoising out of the water with force. Then slowing again - more activity - even a few breaches! The L12 subgroup was not far behind also traveling north. I didn't identify the 2 K pod animals, K20 & K38, but other boat captains said they were also in the mix, traveling with the J pod. Very interesting - I think we're all still wondering where the rest of K pod is and why these 2 animals have been without them lately. Either way it was a truly beautiful sight to observe them. We were also able to drop our hydrophone in and pick up some clicks (echolocation used in hunting) and hear a few squeals and whistles (communication between the whales). After viewing the Killer Whales we had some extra time to tour through the islands on our way back to Friday Harbor. More eagles, interesting currents, and harbor seals swimming in kelp were all a part of our safari! A perfect Sunday afternoon.
-Jaclyn, naturalist, Crew At San Juan Safaris Whale Watch Wildlife Tours
June 21
Wow---2 days in a row of all three pods of Southern Residents! At 1500, we observed the whales making the turn around Turn Island, and they really started pouring on the speed as they headed down Haro Strait. First came members of J Pod. We observed J1 Ruffles, J2 Granny, J30 Riptide as they porpoised past the boat (technically I guess you could say they dolphined past the boat!). Then the breaches began as one and then another whale began breaching one after the next. Then came a mixture of J's & Ls as they tried to play "catch up" to the leaders. I heard that there were members of K Pod as well, but I didn't observe any from our location. As they are known to do, as the whales made their way south, they began to spread out in smaller matriline groups. At 1600, the whales were approaching Kellett Bluff and the waves and wind began to pick up, so we decided to head up Speiden Channel and enjoyed bald eagles, sunning harbor seals, quite a few Mouflon Rams (12 to be exact), and a harbor porpoise. Oh how I hope the whales hang around for awhile longer-- maybe that will indicate some salmon are returning after all!
John Boyd (JB), Marine Naturalist, Western Prince, Friday Harbor
June 21
After watching several whales pass by the Center and receiving various reports of more whales up north, Ken Balcomb, Howard Garrett, Erin Heydenreich, Emma Foster and Basil Von Ah of the Center for Whale Research, departed onboard both Orca and Starlet. At approximately 4:10 p.m. both vessels encountered J, K, and L pods travelling in tight groups up Boundary Pass (48° 44.495 N; 123° 07.195 W) . It appears that all members of the three pods were present, totaling 86 whales. The encounter ended at 6:30 p.m. The whales were traveling tight in two groups and continued north up Boundary Pass (48° 44.877 N; 123° 05.293 W) .
Center for Whale Research,
Howard Garrett, calling from the Center for Whale Research on west San Juan Island reported the L12s heading north off Eagle Pt. and J pod off Iceberg Pt. heading south at 10:30 am. Orcas also reported off Salmon Bank at 10:55.
At 1:10 pm, J pod & the L12s were passing the Center heading north. At 2:30 pm the Center received reports that the orcas up north were now in Active Pass, heading south, so it looks like a Superpod is in the making!
Update: Howard joined Ken Balcomb and the Center for Whale Research staff in heading up to see the superpod - they encountered them at approx. 4:10 pm off the NW tip of Stuart Island, and left them at about 6:25 pm south of Saturna Island, as all three pods headed north toward Boundary Pass. More details and photos coming tomorrow!
June 21
The day started off very cool and rainy. I thought to myself "Wow, summer/Father's Day is starting off pretty soggy." But after having whales in the area yesterday, my hopes were high that they would stick around. So we left aboard the Explorer and the day got progressively sunnier, and sure enough--we heard J-Pod was slowly working their way north near Kellett Bluff. Along the way, we got sidetracked by 6 bald eagles feasting on a harbor seal carcass near Davidson Head (north end of San Juan). That should have been a clue to let me know what kind of special day we were in for! Soon (1330) we were watching J-Pod actively working the tide rips in search of salmon near Kellett Bluff. Lots of direction changes as the whales did their thing, sometimes maintaining their position by swimming into the current. We saw several spyhops, tail slaps, and I was especially excited to see my "buddy" J1 Ruffles (it's been too long since my last sighting!) We also saw J30 Riptide, and one of the new moms (her saddle was hidden by the waves in the riptide). But the day suddenly got even better. We had heard reports of a group of unidentified whales passing Campbell River last night around 1800. So we figured maybe late tonight/early tomorrow we'd have them down here and could ID them. Well, we got a report from a friend that a large group of "maybe Transients" had just made it through Active Pass. So off we went (the advantage of having a fast boat!) Soon (1430) we were off of Prevost Island and saw fins. LOTS OF FINS. Hmmm, we thought--this is too many for Transients, right? Well, before we knew it, whales started breaching everywhere! Not acting like Transients, we soon thought--Residents?? And that's when we began to make some IDs--L78 (Gaia), L72 (Racer), L7 (Canuck), K26 (Lobo), K16 (Opus), K21 (Cappucino), and K40 (Raggedy). Haven't seen these whales yet this year and we were the first to make the ID!! As a naturalist, it's always extra special to be the first to see a group of whales. Just when we thought we'd seen all the whales pass, we'd hear a blow or two and yet more whales would come by! We left the whales heading South in Swanson Channel near Thieves Bay at 1500 and made our way back to Friday Harbor. One of the best father's day gifts a naturalist could hope for!
John Boyd (JB), Marine Naturalist, Western Explorer, Friday Harbor
June 21
Very loud calls on Orca Sound hydrophones. Sounds like Jpod. There are clicks also. Time is 1326.
Cathy Bacon, Texas
June 21
1430: J pod widely spread out and moving north. Nice vocals (calls and clicks) on the OrcaSound hydrophone.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
June 21
Aboard the Island Adventurer out of Anacortes with Capt Carl we saw an incredible display by J Pod at 145 to 215pm. We first spotted the dorsals just North of American Camp on the West side of San Juan. The pod was moving north, in small group of 3 or 4 spread out along maybe a 1/4 quarter mile. Whales were close to shore, sometime within 10 feet just south of False Bay.
The males and some younger whales really put on the show with dual spy hops, cartwheels, full breaches by the younger whales and lots of tail slapping. Mike, Alki and Blackberry were identified by the naturalist on aboard. Very interesting was the identification of a male, Mega, from L Pod and the naturalist thought there may have been some mating outside of False Bay. First hand viewing seemed to confirm this may have been the case. J Pod continued North toward Lime Kiln when we left and turned South.
Jennifer Parker, Seattle
June 21
What a day, what a day! Sunday morning started with a morning downpour, but by 1 pm it was sunshine with clearing skies! On our way around the island we stopped for magnificient views of Bald Eagles, both mature adults and immature subadults all in trees near a washed up Harbor Seal carcass. The eagles really are scavengers first, predators second. Then we spent our afternoon on the northwest corner of San Juan Island in Speiden Channel with Southern Resident Orcas from J & L pods!! These are the fish-eating pods that frequent the area in the summer months to feast on salmon that travel through our waterways. So if we're seeing these Orcas, hopefully it means they are finding enough salmon here and will stick around for the rest of the season! (Currently our 3 pods that make up this Southern Resident Community of Killer Whales are endangered, one threat being decreasing salmon populations.) J pod was just passing Henry Island and playing in a rip or current where presumbably they were fishing. They were very active - changing direction, tail slapping, and even some logging at the surface by 1 or 2 whales. They continued north forming tight groups and picked up speed with a few Orcas porpoising out of the water with force. Then slowing again - more activity - even a few breaches! The L12 subgroup was not far behind also traveling north. I didn't identify the 2 K pod animals, K20 & K38, but other boat captains said they were also in the mix, traveling with the J pod. Very interesting - I think we're all still wondering where the rest of K pod is and why these 2 animals have been without them lately. Either way it was a truly beautiful sight to observe them. We were also able to drop our hydrophone in and pick up some clicks (echolocation used in hunting) and hear a few squeals and whistles (communication between the whales). After viewing the Killer Whales we had some extra time to tour through the islands on our way back to Friday Harbor. More eagles, interesting currents, and harbor seals swimming in kelp were all a part of our safari! A perfect Sunday afternoon.
-Jaclyn, naturalist, Crew At San Juan Safaris Whale Watch Wildlife Tours
June 21
Wow---2 days in a row of all three pods of Southern Residents! At 1500, we observed the whales making the turn around Turn Island, and they really started pouring on the speed as they headed down Haro Strait. First came members of J Pod. We observed J1 Ruffles, J2 Granny, J30 Riptide as they porpoised past the boat (technically I guess you could say they dolphined past the boat!). Then the breaches began as one and then another whale began breaching one after the next. Then came a mixture of J's & Ls as they tried to play "catch up" to the leaders. I heard that there were members of K Pod as well, but I didn't observe any from our location. As they are known to do, as the whales made their way south, they began to spread out in smaller matriline groups. At 1600, the whales were approaching Kellett Bluff and the waves and wind began to pick up, so we decided to head up Speiden Channel and enjoyed bald eagles, sunning harbor seals, quite a few Mouflon Rams (12 to be exact), and a harbor porpoise. Oh how I hope the whales hang around for awhile longer-- maybe that will indicate some salmon are returning after all!
John Boyd (JB), Marine Naturalist, Western Prince, Friday Harbor
June 21
After watching several whales pass by the Center and receiving various reports of more whales up north, Ken Balcomb, Howard Garrett, Erin Heydenreich, Emma Foster and Basil Von Ah of the Center for Whale Research, departed onboard both Orca and Starlet. At approximately 4:10 p.m. both vessels encountered J, K, and L pods travelling in tight groups up Boundary Pass (48° 44.495 N; 123° 07.195 W) . It appears that all members of the three pods were present, totaling 86 whales. The encounter ended at 6:30 p.m. The whales were traveling tight in two groups and continued north up Boundary Pass (48° 44.877 N; 123° 05.293 W) .
Center for Whale Research,
zaterdag 20 juni 2009
J Pod near the hydophones
June 20
Just tuned in, hearing clicks and faint calls on OrcaSound Hydrophones at 1148 am amogst vessel noise.
Cathy Bacon, Texas
June 20
1130 am - J-pod spread out moving slowly northward fairly close to shore, off OrcaSound hydrophone area, NW San Juan Island.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
June 20
Hello, I am writing to report possible vocalizations on the Lilm Kiln Hydrophones. June 20, 11:00 am.
Rolando Chavez
June 20
Sandy Buckley of San Juan Island saw/heard lots of whales headed south close to shore off west San Juan Island around 5:30 am.
June 20
Js and K20/38, going N at Coal Docks, 6:30 PM today.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Island
June 20
Saturday 6-20-09 J Pod traveled north up San Juan Island, past Turn Pt. continuing to head north. Ruffles J-1 and Granny J-2 were in the lead and they had company - Spock K-20 and Comet K-38! more of the story and pictures on my blog.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
June 20
I was out with Mystic Seas today and we saw LOTS of orca. These were all in the vicinity of Stuart Island, between 1:45 and 2:15 pm. Photos submitted (see above) included shots of the J14s & J16s, confirmed by Dave Ellifrit of the Ctr. for Whale Research.
June 20: On the afternoon trip again, J Pod plus K20 & K38 were observed crossing the Strait of Georgia from the East Point of Saturna Island to the Point Roberts/Tsawwassen area. What a day to forget my camera! It was one breach after another as the whales made the crossing, with some individuals repeating the behaviour up to 5 times in a row. One whale managed to get his entire body clear of the water by flicking his tail flukes to the side at the height of his breach! Our passengers could not believe their good fortune - calm waters, groups of whales passing by plus a most amazing aerial display.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
J1 Breaching
June 20, 2009
Photo by Marie O'Shaughnessy,
Orca Magic
June 20
Saturday June 20th at Turn Point the Prince of Whales zodiac met up with members of J Pod around 1pm. The whales were so active with numerous breaches etc.They were slowly heading toward the Strait of Georgia. Several family groups were swimming together, however I never saw the tiny ones, J 44 and J 45. They must have been tucked in tight close to mom. I had never seen Ruffles, J 1 breach before, so managed to get a distant picture (see above). His huge pectoral fins were impressive.
Marie, Orca-Magic, Prince of Whales
Just tuned in, hearing clicks and faint calls on OrcaSound Hydrophones at 1148 am amogst vessel noise.
Cathy Bacon, Texas
June 20
1130 am - J-pod spread out moving slowly northward fairly close to shore, off OrcaSound hydrophone area, NW San Juan Island.
Val Veirs, San Juan Island
June 20
Hello, I am writing to report possible vocalizations on the Lilm Kiln Hydrophones. June 20, 11:00 am.
Rolando Chavez
June 20
Sandy Buckley of San Juan Island saw/heard lots of whales headed south close to shore off west San Juan Island around 5:30 am.
June 20
Js and K20/38, going N at Coal Docks, 6:30 PM today.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Island
June 20
Saturday 6-20-09 J Pod traveled north up San Juan Island, past Turn Pt. continuing to head north. Ruffles J-1 and Granny J-2 were in the lead and they had company - Spock K-20 and Comet K-38! more of the story and pictures on my blog.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
June 20
I was out with Mystic Seas today and we saw LOTS of orca. These were all in the vicinity of Stuart Island, between 1:45 and 2:15 pm. Photos submitted (see above) included shots of the J14s & J16s, confirmed by Dave Ellifrit of the Ctr. for Whale Research.
June 20: On the afternoon trip again, J Pod plus K20 & K38 were observed crossing the Strait of Georgia from the East Point of Saturna Island to the Point Roberts/Tsawwassen area. What a day to forget my camera! It was one breach after another as the whales made the crossing, with some individuals repeating the behaviour up to 5 times in a row. One whale managed to get his entire body clear of the water by flicking his tail flukes to the side at the height of his breach! Our passengers could not believe their good fortune - calm waters, groups of whales passing by plus a most amazing aerial display.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
J1 Breaching
June 20, 2009
Photo by Marie O'Shaughnessy,
Orca Magic
June 20
Saturday June 20th at Turn Point the Prince of Whales zodiac met up with members of J Pod around 1pm. The whales were so active with numerous breaches etc.They were slowly heading toward the Strait of Georgia. Several family groups were swimming together, however I never saw the tiny ones, J 44 and J 45. They must have been tucked in tight close to mom. I had never seen Ruffles, J 1 breach before, so managed to get a distant picture (see above). His huge pectoral fins were impressive.
Marie, Orca-Magic, Prince of Whales
vrijdag 19 juni 2009
J pod in front of BC Ferries
J pod whale breach
and BC Ferry
Active Pass
June 19, 2009
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya
June 19
We got word from our friends, Jim and Brenda, that they had seen Orcas this morning at Turn Pt. coming back from their latest Canadian adventure. So at 10 this morning we headed for Active Pass and got there in time to see them come out of the Pass headed East. As usual they were very active as they came out of the Pass. I got this shot (see above) as the BC Ferry passed by. (I always wonder why the BC Ferries are so big and run on schedule and are up to date, and ours are so rinky dinky!!!).
We left Js headed south this evening at 7:00 PM at Pt. Roberts. We should see them near San Juan Island on Saturday.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Island
June 19:
On our afternoon trip, J Pod was spread out along Sturgeon Back, Strait of Georgia, from the South Arm to the North Arm of the Fraser River. There was obviously alot of foraging going on, but also a fair amount of socializing. We were priviliged to observe J27 (Blackberry) and little brother J39 (Mako) engaged in some playful behaviour. Photo of J39 doing a teasing spyhop is attached (see below) . On the other boat, Sue (the Naturalist) reported J42 (Echo) and little J45 performing alternating spyhops, while the remainder of their matrilines milled nearby. It's fantastic to have J Pod back, foraging and socializing once again.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
donderdag 18 juni 2009
Jpod together with L12s and K20&K38
June 18
Jim Maya of Maya's Westside Charters called to report J pod, the L12s and K20 & K38 looking happy in Race Passage at approx. 7:10 pm. They had been spotted earlier in the day off Jordon River, S. Vancouver Island, heading east.
June 18
Yesterday (6/18) we saw members of J Pod, members of the L-12s subgroup, and we saw Spock K-20 and Comet K-38. Since the L-12s and J Pod have gone separate ways today - 6-19-09 - I am interested in knowing if anyone spotted K-20 and K-38 and if so who were they with - J Pod or the L-12s? Would be interested in finding out. More on my blog post.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
Jim Maya of Maya's Westside Charters called to report J pod, the L12s and K20 & K38 looking happy in Race Passage at approx. 7:10 pm. They had been spotted earlier in the day off Jordon River, S. Vancouver Island, heading east.
June 18
Yesterday (6/18) we saw members of J Pod, members of the L-12s subgroup, and we saw Spock K-20 and Comet K-38. Since the L-12s and J Pod have gone separate ways today - 6-19-09 - I am interested in knowing if anyone spotted K-20 and K-38 and if so who were they with - J Pod or the L-12s? Would be interested in finding out. More on my blog post.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
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