Linking killer whale survival and prey abundance: food limitation in the oceans
Linking killer whale survival and prey abundance: food limitation in the oceans
This study came out by John K. B. Ford, Graeme M. Ellis, Peter F. Olesiuk and Kenneth C. Balcomb, all highly esteemed whale scientists.
Here is an except:Â Resident killer whales are primarily salmonid predators that show strong selectivity for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), probably because of this species' comparatively large size, high lipid content, and year-round...
A Guest From Devon, England Writes About Her Tour With San Juan Safaris
San Juan Safaris
Devon_EnglandmaryD 1 contribution Devon, England Sep 1, 2010I did the 'Whale Plane' from Lake Union Seattle. Forty five minutes on a fantastic small sea plane, with wonderful views. Went on smaller boat from San Juan safaris with only 12 on board. We left early as we were all on board to give us the best chance of seeing the orcas.We roared off very fast, which was very exciting. The naturalist aboard was very friendly and...
Over the river and through the woods..........
Map: Active Pass, Canada
Today we ventured to Active Pass in Canada to admire those beautiful black and white creatures known as Orcas.
It is not very often we have to travel this far to see them. Thanks to the gorgeous weather, our guests definitely did not mind the boat ride. The longer boat rides are often very nice because we get the opportunity to know the guests on board a little better and delve into deeper subjects relating to the Orca population. Also we get to see many of...
Banner Runs of Salmon and Steelhead Are Migrating Up Some Northwest Rivers This Summer
This just out regarding Salmon (resident orcas mainstay of food). It is interesting enough that I am putting up on our blog, which is usually reserved for crew to report on their tour experiences.
Here is the link. It is only about a 2 minute piece - give a listen? http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1690183...
NORTH BONNEVILLE, WA (N3) - Banner runs of salmon and steelhead are migrating up some Northwest rivers this summer. Not since dams were...
Watch This Space
Each day as we cruise out of Friday Harbor, with hopes of seeing whales drifting about in our heads, I start the guests of with an introduction to the San Juan Islands and the all the wonders the islands offer. I often mention in this introduction that we as naturalists love questions. Not only do we have a passion to educate, we all have a passion to share the facts that YOU as a guest want to know. As an educator, I feel that people retain information better if it is something they...
What have you guys been up to?
Today was an exceptional day, amazing wildlife everywhere and beautiful weather! The animals seemed to get bigger and bigger as we continued our trip. We started by observing some harbor seals warming themselves on the rocks, these animals weigh about 300lbs as adults. Our next stop was the much larger Sea Lions that we spotted in Cattle pass. They have been hanging out in this area fishing for the past few days and it's been exciting each time to see them. We were now on our way...
Orca Whales Vocalizations off San Juan Island Washington
Click on this link to hear Orcas Vocalizing -The Hydrophone on the MV Sea Lion August 2010
and see part of the whale watching tour
Minkes again!
We saw a minke whale on the west side of Waldron Island today! Although there weren't any reports of orcas, we still managed to see a lot of marine wildlife. We rarely see minke whales this many days in a row. They are solitary travelers and can hold their breathe for long periods. So when they come to the surface for air, you can't help but get excited. Our guests had some spectacular views of the minke today. We spent a while with the whale and then headed towards the Cactus...
Whale Watching
Today, we actually saw whales as opposed to the black and white dolphins known as 'orcinus orca.' Whales and dolphins are classified according to two things; their size, with porpoise being the smallest, dolphins being mid sized and whales being the largest, with the Blue Whale being the largest mammal ever known to exist. The other thing they are classified according to is their feeding apparatus. The only whale that has teeth is the Sperm Whale. So if it has teeth and it's not a...