Whale Watching

The T18’s are at it again!

Katie — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:49:27 +0000

The T18 subgroup of transient orcas (consisting of two females, T18 and T19 and T19’s offspring - T19b, a very husky and interesting looking male, and T19c, a juvenile) have been seen meandering around the San Juan and Gulf Islands for the past few weeks and we’ve been fortunate to have some fantastic encounters with them. The other day we found them at Henry Island traveling north very slowly for most of the afternoon…UNTIL… The whales reached the west side of Stuart Island and suddenly stopped. There was much erratic surface activity and lots of tail lobbing from all the whales. It was quite clear that had made a kill! Here are some pics from the day’s trip”:

~Katie

Autumn is in the Air

Katie — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:40:01 +0000

I haven’t posted a blog in a little while. It’s not that not much has been happening - its actually been a very interesting week out on the water. Here’s all the latest and greatest news:
The orcas have only been around very sporadically for the past few days which is quite typical for the month of August (back in 2001 the resident orcas left the area for weeks in August). Perhaps the Chinook salmon are not as plentiful as they are in other summer months or maybe the whales just need a change of scenery so to speak. For whatever the reason, the whales have been traveling out west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca intermittently over the past days. They don’t seem to be going far, however. They may be gone for one day and then back the next depending on the tides and their food source. We always miss them when they travel out west toward the huge Pacific, but that’s not to say there isn’t a whole diversity of animals to see when they are not around…
Minke whales seem to plentiful! I have had some of the best encounters with minke whales over the previous 10 days than I’ve had in my entire 10 years working in the San Juans. Minke whales are a small (about 30 feet long max) baleen whale that appear to be found in this area year-round. Minkies are the most plentiful whale specie in the world and can be found in almost any ocean. Sometimes minkies get a bad rep because they are a little bit harder to watch than some whale species - they don’t really have a visible blow when they take a breath, they travel in unpredictable directions (why we often call them “slinky minkies”), they don’t exhibit a lot of percussive surface behaviors (i.e. breaching, spyhopping, tail-lobbing, or fluking), and when they come up to breathe you only see a bit of their back and a very tiny dorsal fin (in other words, if you blink, you will miss them). So now you’re probably thinking, ‘wow, minke whales must not be very fun to watch’. WRONG! Nothing could be further from the truth and we have to show the minkies some love because they are truly wonderful in their own way. One of the most exciting things I have experienced in the past few days was watching a minke whale feed. The south end of San Juan Island is a very exciting place to hang out. This year there have been bait balls (big schools of small fish - minke food) everywhere in this area. You can always tell where these bait balls are because of all the various types of marine birds squealing and squawking in tight groups at the surface of the water. The birds remind me of a group of young kids diving for candy after a pinata has been cracked open. MINE! MINE! MINE! Suddenly all the birds will lift off the water as a giant mouth erupts through the surface engulfing all those tiny fish! A minke whale! Wow, is this ever a neat sight to behold! After this happens the birds always seem to be a bit dismayed. They settle back on the surface of the water and become very quiet.
Lets also not forget that minkies are very curious creatures. I remember one instance last summer where a young minke whale circled our boat for several minutes laying on it’s side staring up at the crowd of people that were thrilled by it’s presence. This summer has been exciting in that I’ve had a few trips where a minke has surfaced very close to the boat almost as if to check us quickly before continuing with the business of feeding.
One other interesting thing I have observed this summer is that I have frequently seen minkies hanging out with our resident orcas. A month ago, L78 “Gaia” was swimming by himself near False Bay and for a while, he had two minke whales swimming on either side of him. A few days after that we were watching the K12 subpod play together off the south end of the island and there was a minke whale in the mix playing right along side the youngsters of the group. Several days ago I watched the J22’s, the J17’s, and the J11’s surf waves in Spieden channel with a minke. Minkies may not be as cosmopolitan, “showy”, or as acrobatic as the orcas, but one thing is for certain - they have their own interesting and carefully guarded secrets. It just goes to show that we humans will never truly figure out what is going on out there.
While it has been an educational endeavor viewing minkies over the past week, our resident orcas were back in the area today and were hanging out on the south end of the island for a good chunk of the day. There is a record-breaking salmon run occurring in the area. Experts say there are 30 million sockeye salmon migrating up the Fraser River this year! This is the biggest sockeye salmon run since 1913! However, having said this, we still don’t know for sure if the orcas feed on sockeye very often. We know that about 95% of their diet is made up of Chinook salmon. Like I always tell our guests on the boat - you can think of these orcas as very picky little kids that only eat macaroni and cheese from a certain restaurant. Our resident killer whales eat primarily Chinook salmon from the Fraser River!
Today we saw most of K pod, the J11’s, the J17’s, the J22’s, and L87 “Onyx” on the south end of San Juan. They were very spread out and there was so much foraging behavior going on it was amazing! Near the end of our trip the whales began to group up near the shore line and started to travel slowly up island. They seemed to be in a frisky mood. Perhaps their tummies were full and it was time to play. We witnessed much socializing. While they were playing together, we put the hydrophone in the water to see if the whales were chatting to each other. A beautiful symphony of orcas calls flooded the speaker on the boat. What I wouldn’t give to understand what they are saying to each other…
Here are some pictures from today’s encounter:

L87 “Onyx” fishing offshore in the middle of Haro Strait:

K21 “Cappuccino” actively pursuing fish off of False Bay:

Playtime! A youngster rolls at the surface while playing with a friend:

~Katie

Ls in Haro Strait

Monika — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:36:27 +0000

Aside from a 2-3 day absence (which we expect from time to time throughout the summer), the whales have continued to be around a lot. First thing this morning they were reported way out west, but luckily they were heading back east towards San Juan Island. This afternoon I was out on the Western Prince, and we headed south to see who we would meet up with down there.

On the way down San Juan Channel we saw a couple of harbor porpoise. In Cattle Pass there was a lot sea bird activity including Heermann’s gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, a few mew gulls, lots of rhinoceros auklets, a couple rafts of common murres, and some groups of the tiny red-necked phalaropes. We also went over to Whale Rocks where we saw about 10 Steller sea lions. The Stellers returned for the winter early this year (they’ve been around since the last week of July!) but we expect to see more and more of them as we head into the fall. Look at those waves in front of the rocks! The currents were gnarly in the Pass today with the strong flood tide:

We met up with the orcas about a mile off of False Bay. They were very spread out, going on long dives as they foraged, so we would see one or two whales off the boat in one direction, then a couple off in another direction. We eventually just shut down and got some nice looks as they surfaced nearer to the boat.

Getting IDs of the whales proved challenging today, as there were some choppy waves and with the bright afternoon light sometimes the whales were silhouetted making it tough to see their saddle patches. The word was Js and Ks went north and mostly L-Pod whales were down south where we were, but you never know for sure until you see for yourself who is there! We spent quite a bit of time with the same two whales, but I’m still not 100% on their identities.

I was able to positively identify the L72 family group made up of L72 Racer and her two sons L95 Nigel and L105 Fluke. Before we started making our way home to Friday Harbor we got some great looks at Nigel. This 14 year-old male will probably start getting a taller dorsal fin in the next year or so:

Super Pod Glides Toward San Juan Island Shore

Nan — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:43:45 +0000

What to do? Transient Orca whales to the north….Resident Orca whales to the west….hum. What great choices! Captain Hobbes turns the Western Prince toward Cattle Pass and Haro Strait. It is a long run to Canadian waters, but we have high hopes. Sunshine, warm weather and flat seas welcome us to the big expanse of water between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island to the west. The long trip pays off as we see fin after fin gliding toward San Juan shores! First, the excitement of the L-47’s with the newest member of L Pod, little L-115. This calf is barely a week old and the mother and siblings are keeping it tucked tightly between their huge bodies. Midnight, the three year old family member races along side too! What great viewing due to the calm seas and sunshine! All afternoon we cruised from one group of Southern Residents to another, as the Super Pod slowly moved from west to east. There are fins everywhere and the adult male fins seem especially tall today. Can you pick out a little calf poking it’s head up by mom’s fin in the photo above?

~Nan

Whale Fireworks….Right Past Lopez Ferry Landing!!

Nan — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:29:20 +0000

What a sight! Whale fins cut through the water’s surface and blows fill the air. Whales! They head directly for the Lopez Island ferry landing and present quite a show for all the ferry passengers who line the decks! Many, many L Pod whales, males, females, then some K Pod whales…breach and cartwheel their way down Upright Channel. The small ones seem to take on the challenge of multiple breaches…could it be a contest?

Splash, smack, tons of whale bellies hit the water! Ohhh, Ahhhh, whale watcher voices fill the air!

Down by Whale Rocks, Steller sealions cruise out to Haro Strait. All the way back up San Juan Channel, whale blows stand out along the shoreline. More speed swimming, more porpoising, more and more groups of whales all pointing to the west.

What an outstanding day!

~ Nan

Canada….Eh???

Nan — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:17:31 +0000

A Tufted Puffin!!! My eyes lock on to the white dot bobbing on the water in the one o’clock direction. Could it really be….a Tufted Puffin??? Yes! This is my first sighting this season, and only my third sighting ever. The Rhinocerous Auklet is seen frequently in these waters, but this “relative” is a rarity. What a great start to the trip today!

We head out into Haro Strait and to the north fins appear. Then surprise….more fins to the starboard side, one nice mother and off spring pair moving toward Canada. A few large male fins draw us further up the strait as we watch the whales cross the international boundary with ease.

The afternoon trip brings us to the same area. More and more whales move to the north toward the Fraser River. The news flows that whales from every pod are there. A Super Pod might mean that the water is rich with salmon….enough for many whales at once. I hope so.

Along the way back we check out a wildlife refuge island and find Harbor seals as they bask in the late afternoon sunshine and two Adult Bald eagles on a low tree branch survery the water. Time to turn for home….

~ Nan

Mystery Solved

Nan — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:16:30 +0000

Finally, a morning without fog! Yippee! But are the whales? We pull out of the dock right on time and head south as that was where the whales were last night. On our way we notice two fledgling Eagle chicks, as they perch on the edge of their nest, an adult Bald eagle near by. Harbor seal pup heads dot the water off Goose Island. Once into Haro Strait we stop to scan the water. News comes in that the whales are out of our range and we hope they will continue in our direction. Suddenly a Steller sealion surfaces carrying a huge Skate in his mouth! He swims around the boat and tears the Skate into pieces with his powerful jaws. Then a Minke whale surfaces in the distance. We watch for a long time as the whale surfaces near big congregations of birds and finally makes a lunge right through the birds! Bird for breakfast anyone? Another Steller pops up off the stern and a few Harbor seals glide by. The Orca whales remain out of our range this morning, but we find more Harbor seals on rocky shores and another adult Bald eagle as we motor back to Friday Harbor. What an incredible morning!

Our hope for the afternoon is high. The tide is about to turn to a flood and that might sweep the Southern Resident Orca into our range. As we head out of Friday Harbor, with news that the whales are inching our way, Captain Pete decides on the long run toward Victoria. No stops to scan for Minke whales this afternoon, but with flat water and sunshine we head across Haro Strait. Finally, the black fins and blows appear as small dots on the horizon. We watch Grace and Wavewalker and Gaia slip silently through the Strait of Juan de Fuca waters. Then to the shoreside we spot many, many J,K and L whales…as they head toward San Juan Island. Mystery solved…and…the whales we found off to the port side of the boat? Mystery and Alexis, two L pod whales!

~Nan

Cruising South!

Katie — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:56:57 +0000

A true “fogust” day today. We had an incredible encounter with L pod in the morning. There’s something about watching whales in the fog that just invokes a feeling of mystery. Most of L pod was together. Imagine 40 whales packed into a tight group taking a nap and then emerging from the fog like ghosts. WOW! On our second trip, the fog had lifted, but we had all lost track of L pod. Thankfully J and K pods were flying down south at incredible speed. It was amazing to watch such a large group of orcas stay at top speed for such a long period of time. I suppose someone rang the dinner bell off the south end of the island…

~Katie

Fishing Lessons

Katie — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:47:59 +0000

This afternoon was just gorgeous! It was nice and calm on the west side of San Juan Island and there were whales spread out everywhere. We saw primarily L pod whales - some were fishing and some were taking a rest. The first group we came upon included L41 “Mega”, L77 “Matia”, L82 “Kasatka”, L94 “Calypso”, and little L113. All the orcas were in a line and appeared to be taking a nap in the warm afternoon sun. Near the end of the trip we found L105 “Fluke”, L106 “Pooka”, and little L112 together. Fluke and Pooka are both five-year-old males. Little L112 is about a year old and is Pooka’s kid sister. The two boys seemed to be trying to teach L112 how to catch fish. There was a lot of rolling around at the surface and spyhopping. At one point both boys were pushing the little one around and then all three of them spyhopped at once! I love hanging out with the kids. The antics never stop!

~Katie

Minke Whales, Steller Sea Lions, and Sea Birds

Monika — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:07:49 +0000

This morning the orcas were all way up north by the city of Vancouver, BC and heading north (away from us), so we decided to go south to see if any might have stayed down there and to see what other great wildlife we could find. On our way down San Juan Channel we came across a big Steller sea lion in the water, which actually came right at us and checked us out! We also saw several harbor seals, including this one which also popped up close to the boat:

The seas were a little bit rougher out where Haro Strait meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca but we decided to give it a good circle about four miles offshore to see if we could find any orcas or minke whales. At first, all we saw were lots and lots of birds. There were a couple of bait balls where multiple species of gull were foraging, and we also saw several rafts that probably totaled at least a couple hundred rhinoceros auklets. There were a few groups of common murres, and several red-necked phalaropes. The phalaropes are so tiny but they never seem to skittish of boats, so I was able to get this shot of one in flight:

After adding only a single bird to my species year list (the Heermann’s gull) in July, I knew I would be hard-pressed to add any more species in August. But I had some success today, and there was no better way to do than with the sighting of a single Cassin’s auklet (215)! I only had the briefest of looks, but there’s no other small, stocky charcoal-colored sea bird that it could have been. What a great find! I’ll have to look for more of them next time I’m out there.

As we looped back towards San Juan Island we were successful in picking up a minke whale, but it was living up to it’s name as a slinky minke and we didn’t get the best of looks as it zig-zagged around in the choppy water. After watching it for three or four sets of surfacings, we headed back towards Cattle Pass where a half-dozen Steller sea lions were hauled out on the rocks. We have now been seeing these guys regularly for the last week, so it appears they are “back” for the winter - a good month earlier than normal! I wonder if these are some males that weren’t as successful breeding this year and decided to hit the foraging grounds early? Or perhaps with the increase in the sea lion population they are simply expanding their range - that would be nice! Whatever the reason, it is good to see them.

By the way, check out that water in front of the sea lions! The waves in Cattle Pass were pretty impressive on the incoming flood tide, looking more like river rapids than anything else as they often do in that area.

Before heading back to Friday Harbor we got a report of another minke whale, this time in the calmer waters of San Juan Channel. We got much better views of this animal, which was also larger than the first minke whale we saw.

On its last surfacing before we had to leave, the minke came up just off the port side of the boat, close enough that we could hear it breathe! It’s not often you get this view of a minke, looking from behind it directly at its dorsal fin - cool!

Today was one of those days where the orcas were just out of reach for us, but on the other hand we saw lots of other great birds and marine mammals so it was still a fantastic trip.