Orca Whales Near Haro Strait
The Island Explorer 3 is on scene with Orca Whales. Stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes.
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Big Boy of K Pod (Cappuccino K21)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Under the Clear Blue (Common Murre "flying" under water)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Mmmmm....baitfish (Minke Whale)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
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Mmmmm....baitfish (Minke Whale)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
"From the start the day unfolded before us nicely. An hour before our departure the thick fog layer had burnt off almost completely revealing a beautiful blue sky. Departing the marina our guests got their first taste of wildlife with a Harbor Seal balancing atop a rock exposed with the low tide while one of its friend swam happily in the water. Glass calm water was our companion through our quest for wildlife. At the south end of Lopez Island we found more Harbor Seals soaking up the rays and even a mature Bald Eagle perched atop the National Wildlife Refuge sign. Not too long after we found our first whales. Cappuccino (K21), a 23 year old male of K pod, moved smoothly through the water. Searching the surrounding area we spotted what looked like a female, by the size of the dorsal fin. Sure enough it was his sister Raggedy (K40), who he rarely is without. The two ended up meeting up and began moving towards another group of whales up island. Taking it all in we watched not only the whales move throughout the beautiful surrounding, heard their exhalations as they pushed old air out of their blow hole, but also watched Common Murres dive quickly under the water. The visibility of the water was outstanding. You could actually see the murres under the water as they dove! After a great visit with the Orcas we ventured back towards home were we found a very hungry Minke Whale. He made quite the commotion as he surfaced right in a congregation of birds causing them all to take flight quickly! Circuiting back the whale made two more passes at the baitball, before calling it good. " - Naturalist Kate Janes
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 6:29 PM
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