Orca Whales North of Stuart Island
Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales - check back for a full report from Naturalist Kate Janes.
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Granny's Grace (J2)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Showing Off White BellyPhoto by Naturalist Kate Jane
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Naval High Spy Hop
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Side-Dive (Matia L77)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Moonlight & Midnight in the Sunlight (L83 & L110)
PM: " Our afternoon started out similarly to this morning for we navigated through the inner islands to find whales. However, no two trips are alike and usually we don't find the whales in the same place as they are constantly moving. We found members of L pod near Salmon bank as they proceeded to move off island and further south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Mega (L41) stayed closest to the shoreline as his grandmother Alexis (L12) hung just a bit farther out, and his sister Matia (L77) was the furthest offshore and the most active of the three. She breached, did a graceful side dive and flashed us a couple of looks at her fluke as she taillobed. We also got to visit with Moonlight (L83) and her firstborn calf Midnight- who just turned 2 years old this summer and is growing like a weed! We saw some remarkable mother/calf bonding as the two rolled about for a moment before carrying on. We even were able to hear the sound of their exhalation as they swam on by." - Naturalist Kate Janes
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Naval High Spy HopPhoto by Naturalist Kate Janes
AM: "Through the heart of the San Juans we set off this morning in search of Orcas. Along the way we found a couple of Belted Kingfishers, Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Pigeon Guillemots, and lots of beautiful scenery. We found the whales near Stuart Island rounding the western edge by the Turn Point Lighthouse. None other than Granny (J2) and her son Ruffles (J1) along with a handful of other whales made their way southward on the flukes of Blackberry (J27) & Georgia (K11) that were cruising at a pretty good clip. In the dark water near the island the whales exhalations and white caps they created as they surfaced were accented against the color of the water and the basalt rock! In total we saw at least 20 spyhops, numerous taillobes, one whale went upside down and proceeded to taillob, a side dive and a couple of close passes as the whales abruptly changed direction without warning and began to mill mid-channel."
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Side-Dive (Matia L77)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Moonlight & Midnight in the Sunlight (L83 & L110)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
PM: " Our afternoon started out similarly to this morning for we navigated through the inner islands to find whales. However, no two trips are alike and usually we don't find the whales in the same place as they are constantly moving. We found members of L pod near Salmon bank as they proceeded to move off island and further south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Mega (L41) stayed closest to the shoreline as his grandmother Alexis (L12) hung just a bit farther out, and his sister Matia (L77) was the furthest offshore and the most active of the three. She breached, did a graceful side dive and flashed us a couple of looks at her fluke as she taillobed. We also got to visit with Moonlight (L83) and her firstborn calf Midnight- who just turned 2 years old this summer and is growing like a weed! We saw some remarkable mother/calf bonding as the two rolled about for a moment before carrying on. We even were able to hear the sound of their exhalation as they swam on by." - Naturalist Kate Janes
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 2:27 PM
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