Yesterday the M/V Sea Lion had an amazing encounter with three family of Bigg’s killer whales, also known as transient killer whales, traveling in San Juan Channel. It was such a treat to have such active whales so close to the harbor, and definitely not an everyday occurrence!
Captain Mike, Emily, and I left Friday Harbor with a full boat of guests under sunny skies. We headed north as the whales had been reported earlier in the morning by members of the Pacific Whale Watching Association spotting from land on Orcas Island. The whales were found transiting south through Presidents Channel, slowly socializing and hunting along the way. As we arrived on scene the IDs were made on the individuals: T036s, T046s, and, as we arrived on scene a third family, the T099s, joined the party.
Transient killer whales are a bit different than their cousins, the residents. Residents are salmon eating whales, while transients are marine mammal eaters. These two ecotypes are estimated to have been separate populations for about 200,000 years… not only genetically, but also behaviorally developing different languages and patterns of behavior.
We were treated to some very active whales with lots of hunting and food-sharing behavior, potentially witnessing a half dozen kills followed by celebration. The whales continued their southerly travel, and we peeled away to look for some other species of wildlife that call the Salish Sea home. We were lucky enough to find some bald eagles, Steller’s sea lions, and harbor seals. As we headed back to Friday Harbor we got a bonus whale encounter with the same group of orcas!
