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J Pod Does The West Side Shuffle On 5/30/13

5/31/2013

After leaving the islands sometime during the night on 5/19/13, J pod was finally seen heading back into the area on the afternoon of 5/28/13. As I looked through binoculars while looking high over the ocean at Land Bank, I could see the orcas as they moved closer to San Juan Island. There were many breaches, tail slaps, spy hops and other playful antics. When they finally reached the island, they remained offshore and headed North into the sunset.

Early the next morning, J pod was right in front of my house on the west side of San Juan Island, but I did not know this because I was sleeping. I woke up to reports of them just passing Lime Kiln State Park up island of me, heading North. Disappointed from missing a close encounter from shore at the park, I went about my morning. Only a few hours later though, I heard reports of orcas near my house again. Confused, I went to investigate. It was Group B of J pod and checking in with a researcher, it had sounded like Group A had continued North, while Group B turned around and headed back South again.

I watched Group B for awhile as they socialized offshore and then all at, once turned around and headed North again. I jumped into my car and headed to a beach a few miles North of me where the orcas sometimes come closer to shore. The first J pod members I saw were Samish J14, her offsrping Hy'shqa J37, Suttles J40, Se-Yi'-Chn J45 and her grandson J49. Eclipse J41 was with them too. Well, these orcas are members of Group A, so that meant that all of J pod had been doing the West side shuffle, not just Group B.

Hy'shqa J37, born in 2001, tail slaps.

Princess Angeline J17 and her family were the next to swim past shore.

Princess Angeline's family.

Princess Angeline's daughter Tahlequah J35, born in 1998, spy hops.

Moby J44, born in 2009 and his mother Princess Angeline J17, born in 1977.

Slick J16, her son Mike J26 and her two daughters Alki J36 and Echo J42 where the ones that came closest to shore, playing in the kelp along the way.

Alki J36, born in 1999, breaches.

Slick J16, estimated to have been born in 1972, holds her pectoral fin in the air before slapping it hard on the surface of the water.

Echo J42, born in 2007, chin slaps.

Mike J26, born in 1991, surfaces with kelp draped over his dorsal fin.

Slick J16 spy hops.

After the Slick and her family passed by, I got into my car again and headed north to Lime Kiln State Park for one more encounter with J pod from shore. I was happy to see that J pod's matriarch, Granny J2, estimated to have been born in 1911, was back in the lead after a few encounters where she been farther back in the middle of the pod. I had been wondering if Granny was finally slowing down at 102 years old but it looks like this was not the case, at least on this day.

Granny J2 leads J pod North past the park.

Hy'shqa J37, born in 2001, cartwheels.

Shachi J19, born in 1979, surfaces with kelp draped over her dorsal fin.

Princess Angeline J17.

Princess Angeline's son Moby J44.

Tahlequah J35.

Tahlequah's son Notch J47, born in 2010, surfaces next to his mother.

Eclipse J41 and her mother Shachi J19.

J49, born August 6th, 2012. His mother is Hy'shqa J37.

J49's older sister Suttles J40, born in 2004.

Hy'shqa J37 lifts her tail flukes into the air.

Samish J14, born in 1974.

Mike J26 and his family.

Oreo J22, born in 1985, with her sons Doublestuf J34 and Cookie J38 and her niece Rhapsody J32.

Welcome back J pod!

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)

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Transient Orcas, Dall's Porpoises And A Humpback On 5/24/13

5/28/2013

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Reports came in of Transient orcas near Kelp Reefs across from San Juan Island in Haro Strait, on the afternoon of 5/24/13. There was also a humpback at Moresby Island, near Stuart Island. Legacy Charters kindly invited me along on one of their trips and just a few minutes later we were with the orcas. It was T020, T021, and the T086As with T124A1 tagging along.

Teenager T086A1 (foreground) born in 2001 and female T124A1 (background) born in 1996.

T086A1 (left) and adult male T020 (right) born around 1963.

T086A (front foreground) born in 1988 with her calf T086A3, born in 2011. T124A1 dives on the other side of the calf.

The Transients continued from Kelp Reefs to Andrews Bay on West side of San Juan Island where they headed North to Open Bay. They then started milling around the bay and I wondered if they had found a marine mammal to eat. After a few minutes though, it looked like they had given up and had started heading North again so we decided to go check out the humpback.

About half way to the humpback I spotted some Dall's porpoise who are known to bow ride on occasion, unlike the shy harbor porpoise. Suddenly the porpoises were zooming over to the bow, creating explosive rooster tails each time they surfaced.

The porpoises rode the bow for about five minutes before disappearing under the surface again. Soon after, we were with the humpback. Historically there were many of these whales around the islands but whaling caused them to become commercially extinct here. In recent years though, humpbacks are beginning to return to the area. Since 5/25/13 and as of 5/28/13, there has been one to five humpbacks in the area every day. This particular humpback was the biggest one I had ever seen here.

After spending time with the humpback as he/she milled around Moresby Island, we headed back to see the Transients again. They had moved from Andrews Bay to Spieden Island.

T020 at Spieden Island.

Adult female T021, born around 1968.

T124A1 and T086A.

We left the Transients as they angled toward Flattop Island. As we drove back to the dock on San Juan Island, I thought about how great it was to see T020 and T021 again. I saw them for the first time on June 11th, 2012 and since then T020 has been one of my favorite Transient orcas. Later, I found out that right after we left the orcas in Andrews Bay to see the humpback, they made a kill and to celebrate, T021 spy hopped, T020 tail slapped and someone breached. Until next time T020 and friends!

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J Pod Group A Encounter On 5/19/13

5/20/2013

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After two encounters with J pod on 5/18/13, the orcas were found the next morning at Henry Island again and continued South down the West side of San Juan Island until they reached False Bay. Once the "Odyssey" (the San Juan Excursions boat I work on) met up with them, we spent the entire encounter with members of Group A of J pod.

Group A contains:

Granny J2, F (est. 1911)
Spieden J8, F (est.1933)
Samish J14, F (est.1974)
Hy'Shqa J37, F (2001)
Suttles J40, F (2004)
Se-Yi-Chn J45, M (2009)
J49, M (2012)
Shachi J19, F (1979)
Eclipse J41, F (2005)
Onyx L87, M (1992)

Slick J16, F (est.1972)

Mike J26, M (1991)

Alki J36, F (1999)

Echo J42, F (2007)

These orcas are known to switch between Group A and B.

The orcas were very spread out so the only members we saw were Slick, Mike, Echo, Granny, Spieden, and Eclipse.

Mike J26.

Granny J2, estimated to have been born in 1911.

Mike J26 does an inverted tail slap.

Eclipse J41 surfaces unexpectedly near the boat. We had not seen her at all during the encounter until she popped up next to us.

Slick J16 shows her unique dorsal fin shape and saddle patch.

There are days when the orcas are active, with breaches, spy hops and other above water behaviors. Other times they are focused on, resting, traveling or looking for salmon to eat. Sometimes they are very spread out over miles of ocean, and sometimes they are all just feet from each other. During this encounter they seemed to be in travel mode and were very spread out.

We had met up with them as they were heading south but right before we left, Mike, Granny and Spieden tail slapped a few times and Slick breached. Once this happened everyone turned around to head back North, even the J pod members farther up the coast of the island. But how did the orcas farthest North know to turn around? I saw that when the Group A members we were with tail slapped and breached, other orcas began to do it as well, first closer orcas, then big splashes from breaches far away could be seen as these behaviors were passed up the island like that telephone game but between the orcas. Were the breaches and tail slaps used as signals to turn around? It's definitely possible and they could have also used vocalizations paired with breaches and tail slaps to tell the other members of J pod it was time to do a U turn.

J pod was last seen heading South again past Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island around 4:00 that evening and had disappeared on 5/20/13.

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)

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Two J Pod Encounters On 5/18/13

5/19/2013

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J pod arrived at San Juan Island on 5/15/13, but were nowhere to be seen the next day. On 5/17/13 they appeared off the South end of the island and continued north up the shoreline in a resting line into the sunset. On the morning of 5/18/13 they were found at Henry Island, a small island at the north end of San Juan Island. They continued south down the coast of San Juan Island until they were in front of a waterfront neighborhood called Hannah Heights and that is where the "Odyssey", the San Juan Excursions boat I work on, found them.

Star J46 (belly up), born in 2009, is lifted into the air by her friends while playing.

Star J46 spy hops.

Polaris J28, born in 1993, tail slaps.

Spieden J8, estimated to have been born in 1933, surfaces with kelp draped around her dorsal fin.

Star J46 (right), spy hops with a piece of kelp in her mouth while playing with by her friends. See her little teeth?

Star J46 rolls around while goofing off with her friends.

Adult male Blackberry J27, born in 1991.

Adult female Princess Angeline J17, born in 1977.

Juvenile females Echo J42, born in 2007 and Star J46 surf a stern wake.

Notch J47, born in 2010, shows his unique saddle patch and notched dorsal fin.

Adult male Mike J26, born in 1991, shows his unique saddle patch and dorsal fin shape.

Granny J2, estimated to have been born in 1911, with eelgrass draped over her dorsal fin. She wore the eelgrass for the entire encounter.

Granny J2 tail slaps.

Moby J44, born in 2009, spy hops.

Moby J44 thrusts his fluke.

Star J46 backdives.

After returning to the dock in Friday Harbor, I hurried out to Lime Kiln State Park on the west side of San Juan Island to have a another close encounter with J pod from shore. They had turned around and headed back north right as the Odyssey had left them. Just like the evening before, they went into resting formation and slowly made their way past shore.

Here they come!

Females Tahlequah J35, born in 1995 and Rhapsody J32, born in 1996.

Granny J2.

Oreo J22, born in 1985, swims just feet from shore.

Tahlequah J35 and her son Notch J47 just feet from shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Blackberry J27 just feet from shore.

Sprouting male Doublestuf J34, born in 1998 surfaces close to shore.

Hy'shqa J37, born in 2001 and her son J49 born on August 6th, 2012.

Onyx L87, born in 1992 with Spieden J8. Spieden and Granny adopted Onyx after his mother passed away.

What an amazing day filled with orcas! If you want your own orca encounter aboard the Odyssey, check out San Juan Excursion's website here.

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)

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We're Back! J Pod Returns on 5/15/13

5/18/2013

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Reports of J pod, part of the Southern Resident orca community, came in suddenly around 12:30 PM on 5/15/13. The orcas were heading for San Juan Island from the Strait of Juan De Fuca, so I quickly drove to Lime Kiln State Park on the west side of San Juan Island to wait for them to swim past. Lime Kiln is the best place on the island to watch the Resident orcas because they often come within just feet of shore. After waiting over four hours as the orcas slowly made their way over to the island and up it's coast, they were finally coming into view! In the lead, but far offshore, was a female called Spieden J8. Close behind was Shachi J19 and her daughter Eclipse J41. Even farther offshore was Onyx L87, a male born in 1992.

Now, you may wonder why Onyx L87, an L pod member would be traveling with J pod. His story is quite an interesting one. After Onyx lost his mother, Olympia L32 (est.1955-2005), he was adopted by an elder female in K pod called Lummi K7 (est.1910-2008) and he switched from L to K pod. When Lummi passed away in 2008, Onyx was left without a mother figure again, but not for long. Georgia K11 (est.1933- June 2010), Lummi’s probable daughter, took up raising Onyx until she passed away in 2010. Luckily Spieden and Granny J2 were there for Onyx and he switched pods again, from K to J pod. To this day he can still be seen with Spieden and Granny.

Females Shachi J19 born in 1979 (left) and Spieden J8, estimated to have been born in 1933 (right).

Not far behind Spieden, Shachi, Eclipse and Onyx, and still offshore was Samish J14, her children Hy'shqa J37, Se-Yi'-Chn J45 and grandson J49. Samish's daughter Suttles J40 and grandmother, Granny J2, was somewhere farther behind them but I was excited to see that J49, who had been born on August 6th, 2012, was still alive.

It is often that first borns, like J49, don't survive their first year of life because of high loads of toxins like PCBs, PBDEs and DDTs that they obtain while developing in the womb and through their mother's milk while nursing. These toxins attach to fat tissues, moving up the food chain until they reach the orcas. The orcas receive the highest loads and this can severely affect their immune and reproductive systems. Sometimes calves can get such high loads of the toxins that they simply can not survive.

After a few minutes, more dorsal fins were coming around the corner but this time, the orcas were within just feet of shore! It was the Slick J16, her son Mike J26, and her two daughters Alki J36 and Echo J42. Suttles was there, hanging out with Alki.

Echo J42, born in 2007, spy hops.

Mike J26, born in 1991, swims within just feet of shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Suttles J40, born in 2004, swims within feet of shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Alki and Suttles side by side underwater.

Alki J36, born in 1999, swims within feet of shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Echo J42 swims past shore.

Mike J26 swims on his side just feet from shore.

After the Slick's family and Suttles passed by, Granny finally came around the corner and made a close pass by shore. I was surprised Granny was not with Spieden and in front of J pod as she seems be the matriarch of J pod and is almost always in front of everybody, leading the way.

Granny J2, estimated to have been born in 1911, surfaces close to shore.

After Granny was out of view, the last of J pod appeared, with three matrilines traveling closely together. They were Blackberry J27's family, Princess Angeline J17's family and Oreo J22's family. These three families are also known as Group B of J pod while Group A consists of the Granny's family, Shachi's family, Spieden, Onyx and sometimes Slick and her family, who will switch between both groups.

Blackberry's family is made up of adult male Blackberry, his younger sister Tsuchi J31 and his younger brother Mako J39. Thier mother, Blossom J11, passed away in 2008 at an estimated age of just thirty six years old.

Princess Angeline's family consists of Princess Angeline, her daughters Polaris J28, Tahlequah J35 and son Moby J44 and her grandchildren Star J46 and Notch J47.

Oreo's matriline is made up of Oreo, her two sons Doublestuf J34 and Cookie J38 and her niece, Rhapsody J32.

Here they come!

Blackberry J27, born in 1991, tail slaps.

Blackberry's younger sister, Tsuchi J31, born in 1995.

Princess Angeline J17, born in 1977, surfaces close to shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Tahlequah J35, born in 1998, swims just feet from shore.

Cookie J38, born in 2003, surfaces close to shore.

Mako J39, born in 2003, swims just feet from shore.

Polaris J28, born in 1993, swims past shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Doublestuf J34, born in 1998, Notch J47, born in 2010 and Moby J44, born in 2009, swim within feet of shore at Lime Kiln State Park.

Oreo J22, born in 1985.

Blackberry J27 exhales.

Blackberry J27 tail slaps.

Headstand from one of the juveniles!

The entire time the orcas were passing shore, a Steller and California sea lion were nervously gazing at the them, closely hugging the rocky shore just in case they had to quickly jump out of the water to escape being dinner. The sea lions had nothing to worry about though as the Southern Resident orcas only eat salmon, specifically Chinook salmon. The sea lions were mistaking the Residents for Transient orcas, which instead of eating salmon, eat only marine mammals.

As I watched J pod head farther North up the island and disappear from view, I wondered if they would stick around for a few days (meaning there is enough salmon for them to eat), or at some point during the night, turn around and head back out the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Either way, they looked super happy to be back in the islands, and it seemed like they were saying we're back!!

The next day, J pod was nowhere to be seen but on 5/17/13 they appeared off the South end of the island and swam past Lime Kiln State Park again, with all of the pod far offshore in a resting line. I can't wait for K and L pod to show up!

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)

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Extremely Active Transient Orcas On 5/12/13

5/13/2013

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By eight in the morning there were already reports of Transient orcas in the area, but once the "Odyssey", the San Juan Excursions whale watching boat I work on, was departing Friday Harbor, the orcas had disappeared. We decided to head South down San Juan Channel and out to Salmon Bank on the West side of San Juan Island to look for minke whales while we waited to see if other boats would find the group of Transients.

Just as we were exiting San Juan Channel through Cattle Pass, we received a report of a different group of Transients and they were only a few minutes away, near Iceberg Point on Lopez Island. Transients, unlike the salmon eating Resident orcas, eat marine mammals and this group had just made a kill and seemed to be celebrating, even before we got on scene. I identified the orcas as two of the three matrilines we encountered on 4/27/13 attacking a Steller sea lion, called the T049Bs and T065As, plus a juvenile from the T049A matriline: T049A2.

It looks like this whale watching boat is closer than 200 yards but distance on water is deceiving. They were actually the appropriate distance away.

T049B's calf T049B2, born in 2010, spy hops.

There were eight animals altogether. The adult females, T049B and T065A, were slowing swimming South from Iceberg Point, while their offspring breached, half-breached, spy hopped, cartwheeled, pectoral fin slapped, pectoral fin waved, chin slapped, tail slapped, inverted tail slapped, tail waved, dorsal fin slapped, rolled, back dived, belly flopped, above water vocalized, porpoised, lunged, and aerial scanned behind them.

T049B's calf T049B1, born in 2006, cartwheels.

T065A's calf T065A4, born in 2011, breaches.

Half breach from one of the juveniles.

A full breach from one of the juveniles!

T065A and T049B led their offspring South for a little over half an hour when T065A suddenly cartwheeled and slapped her pectoral fin hard on the surface of the water. Once T065A did this, everyone turned around and followed her as she headed towards Cattle Pass, the entrance of San Juan Channel. The offspring continuing to breach and do other playful activities all the way there.

Adult female T065A lifts her pectoral fin into the air to slap it hard on the water's surface. Note how tattered her fin is.

Adult female T049B (left), born in 1992 and T065A2 (right), born in 2004.

Adult female T065A, born in 1986.

Juvenile T065A4, born in 2010, porpoises out of the water.

Juvenile Transient orca T049B1 porpoises out of the water.

Juvenile T049A2 born in 2007, porpoises toward Cattle Pass.

T049B1 is a boy!!!

T049B1's tail fluke.

T049B1 about to show his belly again...

... and T049B1 is still a boy!

Either T065A2, T049A2 or T065A3 breaches, revealing one of them is a girl!!

T049B1 belly flop!

T049B1 belly flop! He definitely seemed to be the most playful of the offspring!

T049B1 exposes his entire body while porpoising.

A little over twenty minutes after turning around, the orcas entered the channel, escorting us back towards the dock in Friday Harbor. They then went into hunting mode, which meant no more playful antics were allowed. Transient orcas must be stealthy and silent in order to catch marine mammals like seals or porpoises that will hear them coming. Within a few minutes they had made another kill (probably a harbor seal) and began celebrating again, with spy hops and tail slaps but it was time for us to head back and let them enjoy their meal.

A Spy hop in fog before entering Cattle Pass.

I have never seen Transients acting this happy after a kill before, and this encounter definitely tops all my other Transient encounters. They were active for over an hour before they went into hunting mode in San Juan Channel, and just to emphasize how active they were, I have many more breach, belly flop etc. shots that I did not include in this blog and I also missed a bunch. This is pretty much a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of the encounter. What an amazing day!!

Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask :)

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J Pod Does The West Side Shuffle On 5/30/13

Transient Orcas, Dall's Porpoises And A Humpback On 5/24/13

J Pod Group A Encounter On 5/19/13

Two J Pod Encounters On 5/18/13

We're Back! J Pod Returns on 5/15/13

Extremely Active Transient Orcas On 5/12/13

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