[7/14/17- M/V Kestrel- 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM]
M/V Kestrel had two trips today leave from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. On our 10 AM and 2 PM departure we saw the same group of transients, a combination on a few families of transients, totaling in 12 whales!
It is always great to see this large amount of transients hanging out together. Generally, when we see the mammal-eating orcas we only see one family at a time, averaging at about 4-5 individuals. Today we saw three different families, the T36’s, the T46’s and the T99’s. This grouping of animals ranged in ages from fifty-three years old all the way down to two years old. There were also two large males in the group, T46D and T49E. Both of these guys are still in that growth spurt age so their dorsal fins are getting bigger and bigger every time we see them.
All of the families were intermingling together and varying in behavior from feeding to socializing. We didn’t see any mating behavior while were on scene but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening another time. Transient orcas breed between pods, rather than within pods, to avoid inbreeding. They were hanging out around the same area throughout the day, near Davidson Rock inside Rosario Strait. Thankfully, because of their location we had a great view of Mt. baker when the whales started traveling North.
On our way back towards the dock we saw some harbor seals hanging out in a variety of different places. We were even lucky enough to spot a few of the pups on the shoreline! These pups will only spend about 6 weeks with their mom before heading off on their own. Both of our trips were great whale and wildlife viewing and we were thankful to have some great weather as well!
Naturalist, Rachel
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