Posts Tagged ‘Orcas’
Thursday, August 16th, 2012
We spent our afternoon near Victoria (48°25.3N, 123°09.5W) where we saw Southern Resident Killer Whales. At least 15 members of J-Pod were traveling east, separated into 3 groups. In the largest group 8 individuals were porpoising in close proximity with one another. The whales were cruising at a fast clip, around 11 knots. This larger group also performed some surface displays: breaching, lobtailing, and rolling around at the surface. We just love these whales (well, okay actually dolphins but you know what I mean).
Amy, Naturalist, Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Tags: j pod, killer whales, Orcas, Southern Resident Killer Whales
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Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
As we left Friday Harbor there were no reports of Orca Whales so we motored south where a few Minke Whales had been seen. Along the way we stopped for harbor seals resting on Turn Island and Steller Sea Lions sunning themselves on Whale Rocks. We then cruised to Salmon Bank to look for the Minke Whales. We only had to wait a few minutes before a Minke Whale surfaced 200 yards from the boat! At that same time the Captain received a call on the radio that Orca Whales had been seen in East Sound. It was clear the word had spread as the handful of boats viewing the Minke Whale all turned and headed north.
When we arrived in East Sound we saw 7 Transient Killer Whales traveling south down the middle of the sound (48°37.366N, 122°52.303W). Generally Transient Killer Whales travel in small groups, 3-5 individuals, and are stealthy and elusive as they are hunting marine mammals. However, this pod was very surface active: spyhopping, lobtailing, cartwheeling and rolling around at the surface. We were all excited to witness the variety of behaviors and had excellent views as the whales changed direction and surprised us by cruising against the shore. Just goes to show that there is always a chance to see Killer Whales even if there are no reports at the beginning of the tour.
Amy, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Tags: Harbor Seals, killer whales, orca whales, Orcas, Steller Sea Lions, Transient Orcas
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Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
Herb Hartman, photographer, has gone out whale watching with us so many times that he is considered an honorary staff member.
Here are photos from his two tours, one at 1:30 and one at 5:30 from August 13, 2012.
Tags: friday harbor, orca whales, Orcas, san juan island, san juan islands, seattle whale watching, Southern Resident Killer Whales, whale watching near seattle, whale watching tour
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Monday, August 13th, 2012
Killer Whales from both K- and L-Pods were headed north along the westside of San Juan Island. The whales were reported heading north from Lime Kiln State Park. We caught up with the leaders near Open Bay (48°34.824N, 123°11.685W) who were mostly members of K-Pod. We traveled with these whales to Kellett Bluff where we waited for the rest of the group to travel north. We saw over 15 whales as they cruised by. At times we were surrounded by whales as a few individuals were traveling further offshore as well as the whales that were seen ahead and behind us; we didn’t know in which direction to look! It was wonderful. Since the seas were flat calm, we even had a chance to turn off the engine and just enjoy the sunshine and the whales, listening to them exhale as they surfaced. Sigh. It was marvelous.
Amy, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Tags: killer whales, Orca whale, Orcas, san juan island, Southern Resident Killer Whales
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
Fantastic wildlife viewing today! Caught up with Southern Resident Killer Whales off East Point, Saturna Island, BC (48°27.25N, 123°02.35W). Viewed a large group of tightly packed members of J Pod, with J-37 (Hy’Shqa) and new baby tucked in between, moving westerly off Saturna Island at a slow pace. Lots of tail slapping, lob tailing, breaching, spy-hopping. Saw Bald Eagles in the trees and sitting on the rocks off Cactus Island. Guests witnessed a breathtaking dive bomb to the water by an eagle, who successfully emerged with a fish, then landed on a rock and started eating. Excellent wildlife viewing, warm weather, and mellow seas made for another amazing day on the Salish Sea.
Shelly, Tara, and Jenny, Naturalist for San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagle, Bald Eagles, Cactus Islands, friday harbor, Harbor Seals, j pod, killer whales, Orca whale, orca whales, Orcas, salish sea, san juan islands, Saturna Island, Southern Resident Killer Whales, whale watching near seattle
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Monday, August 6th, 2012
Exciting day on the water! Leaving the harbor under rainy skies, we traveled north around San Juan Island. Happily, the skies dried and the sun soon came out just as we caught up with members of the Southern Resident Killer Whales in Haro Strait. Traveling along the west side of Stuart Island and milling in the Turn Point area (first sighted at 48°40.67N 123°14.92W) were: Onyx (L87), along with Slick (J-16) and her calf, Echo (J-42), Mike (J-26) and Alki (J-36). Our next sighting include Granny (J-2) along with Tsuchi (J-31), and Mako (J-39). The orcas were active and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave the area. Plenty of shots of tails waving, pectoral fin slaps and the occasional spy hop. On the way back, we heard a rumor that there might be a new calf in J Pod?
Shelly and Tara, Naturalists for San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagle, Bald Eagles, Cactus Islands, friday harbor, Harbor Seal, Harbor Seals, Haro Strait, j pod, killer whales, L pod, Orca whale, orca whales, Orcas, San Juan Channel, san juan island, San Juan Safaris, Southern Resident Killer Whales, whale watching near seattle
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Saturday, July 28th, 2012
We had calm seas and a bright sunny day, perfect for wildlife watching! We departed Friday Harbor heading south, stopping to view harbor seals in the water and hauled out, as well as a bald eagle perched high in the tree tops. There were more seals around Goose Island, plus cormorants, gulls, and a large stellar sea lion playing in the bull kelp. Then, around whale rocks we saw three massive male steller sea lions hauled out on the rocks. One even started growling! It was awesome to hear.
Not much further south, between Lopez and San Juan Island we spotted three killer whale dorsal fins. It was the K-13’s. Not too far from them was a large male, who we recognized as L-87 or Onyx. The whales started traveling along the west coast of the island. We got spectacular views of them, especially when one spy hopped! They were spreading out along the coast, giving us the opportunity to see whales all over. As they continued on, we turned back and took another look at whale rocks, where six steller sea lions were now soaking up some sun. We realized one was a juvenile male who was significantly smaller than the others. What a beautiful afternoon with lots of wildlife!
~Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagle, friday harbor, Harbor Seals, K Pod, killer whales, L pod, Lopez Island, Orcas, san juan island, Steller Sea Lions
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Thursday, July 26th, 2012
The bright and glorious sun was out for our wildlife tour this afternoon. In addition to the warm sunshine, we enjoyed sights of Mt. Baker, seen through clouds off in the distance, and calm waters. Right away we spotted harbor seals and two bald eagles on the northeast side of San Juan Island. As we approached Whale Rock, three Northern Sea Lions (also known as Stellar Sea Lions) were observed. Two females were hauled out on the rock and another was swimming around the kelp bed. It is unique to see them this time of year, when so many are up north in Canada and Alaska. We travelled west near Eagle Point (48°26.7577N, 123°00.5170W) when a large dorsal fin appeared belonging to J27 “Blackberry”. Two other males were nearby, J26 “Mike” and J34 “Doublestuff”. These members of J-pod were actively hunting, circling through the water. We saw slapping of pectoral fins and flukes and could hear the splashes. J35 “Tahlequah” and her male calf J47 “Notch” were also foraging for food. It was incredible to see the orcas surface in synchronization and hear their exhalations. As we returned to Friday Harbor, we got another good view of the massive Northern Sea Lions. They looked quite comfortable lounging on the rocks. Many great photos and memories from today!
SJS Naturalist Jenny
Tags: Bald Eagles, Harbor Seal, j pod, Orcas, San Juan Safaris, Steller Sea Lions
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Monday, July 23rd, 2012
Lots of wildlife today! First we saw about a dozen harbor seals just south of Friday Harbor, hauled up on the rocks. Then, at whale rocks we came across some pelagic cormorants, more harbor seals, plus a huge male stellar sea lion, a very rare sight for this time of year!
Continuing around towards the west side of San Juan Island, we came across at least seven killer whales. Both members of J and L pod were around. We identified L-86 “Onyx,” J-16 “Slick,” and L-92 “Crewser.” The whales were milling about, not in a hurry to go one direction or the other. We had amazing views of their white saddle and eye patches, especially when one orca spy hopped, bringing its head out of the water!
We then continued to circumnavigate the island, slowing just outside Roche Harbor where we saw a harbor seal aggressively foraging for food, two bald eagles, a great blue heron, and a turkey vulture! Not a bad way to end an amazing trip.
~Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagles, friday harbor, Harbor Seals, j pod, killer whales, L pod, Orcas, san juan island, Southern Resident Killer Whales, Steller\'s Sea Lion
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Friday, July 20th, 2012
In my post yesterday, I mentioned how I could not find words to describe how amazing our Orca encounter was. Well, surprisingly everything that I said yesterday can be applied to our afternoon trip today! There was another super pod of killer whales, but we didn’t realize this right away.
We departed Friday Harbor heading north, and did not have to travel far. We caught up with three killer whales just on the north side of Henry Island (48°36.720’N 123° 12.300’W). We watched for a while before seeing blows off in the distance. Three, four more killer whales were in the area. They changed direction, so did we. Then, all of a sudden we saw at least twenty dorsal fins slice through the surface of the water, all less than a body length from each other! We also noticed there was a large group near shore. The sky was full of their misty exhalations. I got to see my second greeting ceremony in two days when the two large groups came towards each other. They seemed to synchronize their surfacing as they lined up. But, as they met I saw something different from yesterday: the whales circled each other once before moving off in the same direction they came from! It was spectacular!
All in all there were at least thirty whales, from all three Southern Resident pods. Again, they were being very active, lob tailing, breaching, and spy hopping. It was difficult to identify individuals since fins and saddle patches were everywhere, but we were able to distinguish J-27 Blackberry, J-14 Samish, L-87 Onyx, L-86 Surprise, and K-21 Cappuccino out of the wave of dorsal fins in the groups. Plus, cheery on the top of the trip was being able to view three bald eagles, soaring in the sky, as well as harbor seals (plus pups!), muflon sheep, and fallow deer.
~Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagles, Fallow Deer, friday harbor, Harbor Seals, henry island, j pod, K Pod, killer whales, L pod, Mouflon Sheep, Orcas, san juan island, Southern Resident Killer Whales
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