Posts Tagged ‘Orcas’
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Our guests have been lucking out lately! Bigg’s Killer Whales, with their erratic diving behavior and extended dives, can be a challenge to view at times. However, observers who are lucky enough to see orcas locate prey and witness the gritty details of a kill easily get their fill of whale watching. Often, killer whales with their prey can be analogous to a cat and mouse. The process can be drawn out and grisly. I get exhausted just watching them!
Today the Transients were working over a Steller’s Sea Lion for 2 hours near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal north of Sidney, BC. When we first arrived on scene, the clever sea lion was trying to position another whale watching boat between itself and its predators. The chosen boat was zigzagging away from the melee with the orcas in hot pursuit. In an act of desperation, seals and sea lions may make a sudden attempt to haul out on a nearby boat to escape their attackers.
One couldn’t help but wonder about the strategizing of the killer whales as they swarmed the sea lion, dispersed in opposite directions, and then returned to deliver another assault. Our hydrophone picked up a great deal of high pitched communication. Several full breaches appeared almost effortless and in slow-motion as they launched themselves out of the water and landed nearly back in the same spot, pummeling the lion in the process. There were several juvenile whales present that may have been receiving some on-the-job-training. These animals lingered on the perimeter and also performed excited breaches. Remarkably, the sea lion escaped, although after such an assault we wonder whether it will be able to survive the day.
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bigg's Killer Whales, British Columbia, Orcas, sea lion, Sidney, swartz bay, Transients
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Monday, May 13th, 2013
The same group of marine mammal-eating Transients (the T49Bs and T65As) that “wowed” us yesterday demonstrated their hunting prowess again today outside of Sidney, British Columbia. Just before coming upon the gang we witnessed several Harbor Porpoise in the area. The orcas began to breach and moved inshore where it appeared that they pinned their prey right up against the beach. Our hardy guests enjoyed the show despite the driving wind and rain and huddled back in our vessel’s heated cabin between viewing. On our return trip we grazed by Mandarte Island to view the exceptionally active nesting colonies of sea birds found there. The herd of sheep and deer on Speiden Island didn’t seem to be phased by the weather either. Several Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures soared in the updraft above Speiden’s ridge.
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagles, British Columbia, Harbor Porpoise, Mandarte Island, Orcas, Sidney, speiden island, Transients, Turkey Vultures
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Sunday, May 12th, 2013
We left the dock again today with very little information about wildlife sightings and a fresh crew full of expectations for the day. Should we go north or south from Friday Harbor in search of wildlife? It’s a question that we sweat over in the business. The Salish Sea is a big place, with animals that roam as they please, and our range limited to just a 3-4 hour time frame.
We decided to go south, as we had rumors of orcas spotted off Victoria earlier in the morning. We also had much luck viewing Minke Whales yesterday on the south end of San Juan Island. We made the right choice!
A few miles south of Lopez Island, we encountered an active pack of approximately 6 Transient Killer Whales. As we approached we witnessed spyhopping, full breaches, and lob-tailing. This type of energetic behavior from Transients is indicative of an attack-in-progress or recent kill. We paralleled their southerly path of travel in the placid waters and low hanging fog bank, with a small window revealing a hint of the Olympic range in the background. Often when Transients are in an excited state, they are very vocal as well; however, with our hydrophone deployed, we picked up no vocalizations.
As the beasts continued to thrash about in the water, they reversed direction and established a course for Whale Rocks in the mouth of Cattle Pass. These barren rocks are a popular haul-out sight for seals and sea lions. As the orcas drew nearer, they stopped breaching and began traveling more tightly. Would they spring an attack on the unsuspecting morsels? Passing up Whale Rocks, they swam north up against the shore of Lopez Island. Near Shark Reef, another haul-out site for pinnepeds, they quickly changed course once more. Their increased activity here indicated another possible kill.
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Breaching, lob-tailing, Lopez Island, minke whales, Orcas, san juan island, Shark Reef, Spyhopping, Transients, Whale Rocks
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Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
Today we observed another pair of Transient Orcas in the Straight of Juan de Fuca, off Victoria. Spotting two giant, black triangles from quite a distance, we confirmed that we were dealing with two mature bulls. When male orcas come into puberty in their early teens, they are known as “sprouters,” as their dorsal fin begins growing dramatically from about 3 feet to 5, even 6 feet! At first they exhibited the typical erratic diving behavior of hunting Transients, and then settled in to what appeared to be a resting pattern of slow movement, synchronized surfacing, and predictably-timed dives. These animals are believed to be T93 and T97 and were last seen traveling together near Kelp Reef in November 2012. When we left the Killer Whales they were headed southeast, affording our guests some great photos of the beasts against the backdrop of the snow-capped Olympic range.
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Kelp Reef, killer whales, Olympic, Orcas, Straight of Juan de Fuca, Transients, Victoria
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Friday, April 26th, 2013
At this time of year, it’s not unusual to leave the dock without a whale sighting to direct our course. The relatively predictable Southern Resident Killer Whales may not return to their summer feeding grounds in the Salish Sea for quite some time yet. Fortunately, the San Juan Islands harbor an abundance of life year-round, especially during the spring.
Today we passed by Yellow Island and saw sprays of color from spring wildflowers. Speiden Island is also looking oddly verdant. It won’t be long before the heavily grazed hillside turns a parched brown; but for a few more weeks we will see lush green grass and the pink hew of wildflowers. The bighorn sheep and deer were certainly out enjoying the fresh forage. Several ewes were supervising their fuzzy, energetic kids. Eagles also occupied their stately positions atop newly leafed maple and oak. On our first pass by Green Point, we were surprised to get only a fleeting glimpse of a Steller’s Sea Lion. Usually, they are a familiar fixture here in the spring. Just ten minutes later we returned to Green Point to find several impressive male sea lions milling about. Our patience was rewarded as we watched a few lions begin to haul their incredible bulk onto the rocks. This is a great time to watch for unusual migratory birds as well. Buffleheads, Surf Scoters, Brants, and large flocks of the black-headed Bonaparte’s Gulls were among the migrants that we observed today.
Mid-way through the trip we learned of a Transient Orca sighting north of East Point on Saturna Island, B.C. It can be a tough call to decide whether to press on even further from our home port so late into a trip. But after getting the go ahead from our enthusiastic guests, we extended the trip another hour in hopes of seeing whales. And were we glad we did! Near Active Pass we encountered two Killer Whales, T-20 and T-21, a mature male and female. In typical Transient fashion, their dives were unpredictable and hard to follow. But with Brian (the “Whale Whisperer”) as our captain, we had some great, up-close looks before heading home.
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bonaparte\'s Gull, Brants, Bufflehead, killer whale, Orcas, Saturna Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion, Surf Scoter, Transients
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Friday, October 5th, 2012
The Transient Killer Whales were all business today. A group of approximately 6 individuals were taking their sweet time below the surface, typical foraging behavior. They kept us guessing as to where they were going to pop up for a few breaths before their next long dive. Meanwhile we drifted in the calm, sunlit waters in sight of downtown Victoria (48°21.21N, 123°18.01W). On our way back in, we came across porpoises, murres, cormorants, loons, seals, sea lions, and a Minke Whale. All present and accounted for! We’re savoring every last bit of this lingering summer with the knowledge that the fall rains, high winds, and rough seas could be right around the corner.
Naturalist Andrew
San Juan Safaris Whale Watching
Tags: cormorants, Loons, minke whale, murres, Orcas, porpoises, Sea Lions, seals, Transient Killer Whales, Victoria
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Monday, October 1st, 2012
We found transients again today! They were nearly in the same area as they were 2 days ago, but this time it was a different group. We encountered them off Portland Island, just outside of Sydney, British Columbia. When we left them near Coal Island (48°41.83N, 123°22.19W), they were still traveling south. At first the animals were breaching and churning the surface of the water. At one point we saw the underside of a “sprouter” (pubescent) male as he rolled around on the surface. They settled down as the BC ferry blew by within 200 yards from the group. The light was perfect for photography, especially when the sun silhouetted their tall, misty blows as they prepared for a dive. The smoke from the forest fires has lifted at last, revealing stunningly clear vistas in all directions. It’s a perfect time to be wildlife watching in the San Juans. On top of the great weather and smaller crowds, whales are still around, Steller’s sea lions and Dall’s Porpoises can be found in greater numbers, and many new species of birds are traveling through on their southerly migration. Watching orcas is always a pleasure, but the highlight of the trip today came when a small group of Dall’s Porpoises surfed our bow wake right alongside the boat. They’re so fast!
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris
Tags: British Columbia, Coal Island, Orcas, Porpoise, Portland Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion, Transient Killer Whales, whales
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Saturday, September 1st, 2012
Southern Resident Killer Whales were spread out over 2 miles and traveling south through Boundary Pass today.
In total we spent time viewing 15 Killer Whales, but many other individuals were observed surfacing in the distance. It didn’t matter in which direction you looked there were Orcas! It was absolutely fan-tastic!
In the first group, there were 8 individuals including a mature male and also a young calf. Initially these whales were traveling in two smaller groups, one behind the other, when they joined together and became more surface active. One female turned onto her back and was slapping her tail against the surface of the water while upside down. Then the large male rolled onto his side and was hitting the surface with his pectoral fin. Other whales were throwing their tails sideways as if performing cartwheels, while another whale spyhopped to take a look around.
The second group had another 7 individuals including two large males. These whales dove and changed direction, deciding to come towards us. What an amazing surprise! As we backed away from the whales we had the most EXCELLENT views
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Boundary Pass, killer whales, orca whales, Orcas, Southern Resident Killer Whales
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Monday, August 27th, 2012
The weather was perfect: high around 70 degrees, clear blue sky, and very light breeze. The only thing that could make it better would be a day with the Orcas. Did you order up Orcas?
Yes, a large order, please!
Coming right up.
We ran north – through beautifully calm water, enjoying the spectacular scenery. Mount Baker was a clear and crisp as I’ve ever seen it. Along the way, we saw harbor porpoise, common murre, pigeon guillemot, and harbor seals swimming about.
As we got nearer to our destination, members of J & K Pods showed themselves. Plenty of porpoising, a breach, a spy hop, another breach – lots of activity. We identified K-25 (Scoter), K-27 (Deadhead), J-27 (Blackberry), and a host of other gorgeous Orcas. The boat rang out with ohhhhs and aahhhhhs, as the animals were all around us!
We had to “go the extra mile” today, because that’s where the action was. It’s what we do. 48 47.91N, 122 46.7436W. Lots of happy guests aboard!
Happy Whale Watching to You!
Captain Jim (Captain, Naturalist, all ’round fun guy)
Tags: friday harbor, Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seal, j pod, K Pod, killer whales, Orcas, salish sea, san juan island, San Juan Safaris, Southern Resident Killer Whales, whale watching near seattle
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Sunday, August 26th, 2012
Today we were watching a variety of wildlife on the south side of San Juan Island. We observed between 10-15 members of L pod that were spread out south of False Bay and heading to the southeast (48°25.25N, 123°05.87W). Five to six orcas were surfacing in a tight-knit group. Three other individuals were at least 500 yards away to the south and east, but traveling in the same direction. One orca breached twice; what an incredible splash! We believe we spotted the L85 “Mystery” in the group, and two-year-old L116 with mother L82 “Kasatka”. After spending some time observing these large mammals we passed by Whale Rock to see 17 Steller’s sea lions relaxing under partly sunny skies. Two bald eagles were looking out over the water for their next meal; one was near its nest on Long Island, the other on Turn Island. We caught glimpses of harbor porpoise and harbor seals too! Great day to be on the water.
SJS Naturalist Jenny
Tags: Bald Eagle, Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seal, L pod, Orcas, san juan island, Steller Sea Lions
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