AND SO ARE THE WHALES!
The salmon must be satisfying, because we have been seeing our Southern Residents for weeks now, on both trips! Today around 3:00 PM we met up with at least 10 members of J and L pod just south of Mosquito Pass, traveling north in Haro Strait (48°35.66N, 123°12.61). They too, seemed to be enjoying the sun, surfacing multiple times and playing around in the water. They were definitely not shy, and we were able to identify, in plain sight, Spieden (J8), Slick (J16), Onyx (L87), and Racer (L72).
Moving at a steady pace, it appeared as if they had no reservations. Every now and then we would see a member stop for a snack, arching its back in preparation for a deep dive, and raising its fluke (tail) out of the water to gain that extra push needed for the way down (typical foraging behavior). To our surprise, we even got to see one adult female breach fully out of the water, two times in a row. Usually we only see this with calves but maybe, just maybe, this mama was showing the youngâuns how itâs really done⦠heck, we are all kids at heart!
Another beautiful day out on the water!
Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris