It's been fairly quiet for whale and wildlife reports in the Puget Sound the last few days. Our Southern Resident Community of Killer Whales visited South Puget Sound (think Seattle area!) many times the previous two weeks. However, we haven't had a SRKW report in about five days or so. Not surprising though! Â During late autumn and winter, the Resident Orcas occasionally travel between the outer coast, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and South Puget Sound. Our Resident Orcas will eventually make their way along the Washington, Oregon, and California coast in January and February.
We did, however, receive reports of a small pod of Transient mammal-hunting Orcas traveling on the west side of San Juan Island earlier this week. The same day, reports came in of a pod of over 200 Pacific white-sided dolphins in the Salish Sea! You'll remember from an earlier blog post that we do encounter Pacific white-sided dolphins occasionally in the late autumn and winter.
Here are some Transient mammal-hunting Killer Whale photos by San Juan Safaris Naturalist Kevin Culmback from the summer 2013 season.
Transient Orcas, San Juan Island, WA. Photo by Kevin Culmback.
Transient Orcas, San Juan Island, WA. Photo by Kevin Culmback.
Transient Orcas, San Juan Island, WA. Photo by Kevin Culmback.
Transient Orcas, San Juan Island, WA. Photo by Kevin Culmback.
Enjoy!
Brittany Office & Reservations Manager San Juan Safaris