We headed south today and kept high spirits through the cloudy, cold weather. It wasn't long before we saw our Harbor Seals and Steller Seal Lion at Cattle Pass! The Stellers never cease to amazing me with their size! These guys are just huge, weighing in at almost two ton.
After watching the seals we headed out to find our black and white friends! When we caught up with them, Emily and I quickly identified the J-Pod members that we were watching. Our "Cookie Clan" was there (Double Stuff, Oreo, and Cookie) as well as Blackberry, a particularly large male with a dorsal fin that demands attention every time you see it! Blackberry surprised us all as he rolled through the water a couple times, exposing his pectoral fins.
Since we didn't see Orcas for a while in June, I am still so grateful to have them back in the Puget Sound and greater Salish Sea area. Every time I see our Southern Resident Killer Whales and get to know their family structures more and more, the more I feel like these Orcas are my family. It's a weird feeling, having such high regards for a marine mammal. No other mammal (outside of homo sapiens) has such a high variability and complexity within their social structure and society; it's no surprise I feel like I can relate to these whales on a deeper level. Such a good day on the water!