Out of the blue, my mom and I decided to head up to Canada and see what the Northern Resident orcas were like. Along the way we would also see a lot of other awesome wildlife! We caught the Sidney ferry from San Juan Island to Vancouver Island and drove all the way up to Telegraph Cove at the North end of the Island. There we went on a whale watching trip and a grizzly bear tour which took us to the mainland of Canada and up into a salmon spawning river where the bears were. After that, we spent two nights at Orcalab!
I had never seen the Northern Resident orcas before so this whole trip was very exciting for me. Currently at 265 members, the Northerns have been doing a lot better than our Southerns, who are at only 81 members now. Although these two resident populations are very similar, eating only Chinook salmon, and their ranges can sometimes overlap, they still do not mate with each other. We were able to see four matrilines from the Northern Resident population; the A8's, A23's, A25's and A30's.
The A8 family is from A5 pod and named after Licka A8, who was estimated to have been born in 1953 but passed away in 2001. Now this matriline is made up of Licka's two daughters Havannah A28, born in 1974, and Sonora A42 who was born in 1980. Sonora now has four offspring; son Surf A66, born in 1996, Current A79, born in 2004, daughter Cameleon A88, born in 2008 and a new calf born this year.
The A23 matriline from A5 pod, is named after Stripe A23, who was thought to have been born in 1947 but passed away in 2000. Now the family is made up of Ripple A43, born 1981, her brother Fife A60, born 1992, Ripple's daughter Midsummer A69, born 1996, and Midsummer's calf named Fern A95, who was born in 2009. On July 27th, 2003, Fife was injured by a boat propeller. The prop scars along the right side of his body can still be seen. Corky A16, currently at Seaworld San Diego, was captured from this matriline on December 12th, 1969. She is the last remaining Northern Resident in captivity. She was about 3 years old when captured and has experienced seven unsuccessful pregnancies, with no calf surviving more than forty six days. No orca has lasted longer in a tank than Corky. Lolita, captured in 1970 from L pod, and the last remaining Southern Resident in captivity, has spent one year less in captivity than Corky but is the oldest orca in a tank.
The A25 matriline, also from A5 pod, and named after matriarch Sharky A25 (1971-1997), has just two members left; Surge A61, born in 1994, and his niece/nephew Codero A85, who was born in 2005. In the summer of 2011, Surge's sister Nodales A51, along with her baby born in 2010 called A98, had passed away. Surge and Codero now travel with the the A23's. Hopefully Codero is a female so the matriline can be continued on.
The A30's, from A1 pod, are named after the matriarch Tsitka A30, who was estimated to have been born in 1947, but passed away this year. The family is now made up of Tsitka's son Blackney A38, born in 1970, his younger brother Pointer A39, born 1975, their younger sisters Clio A50, born in 1984, and Blinkhorn A54, born in 1989. Both females have offspring of their own now. Clio has a daughter named Bend A72, born in 1999, Klaoitsis A84, born in 2005, and Alder A99, born in 2011. Blinkhorn has a daughter named Cedar A75, born in 2002, Cutter A86, born in 2006, Cypress A93, born 2009, and a new calf born in 2013. Blinkhorn also became a grandmother in 2012 when Cedar had her first calf.
We headed out on a whale watching boat in the early morning to go see the Northerns. It was sunny but fog covered most of the area. Through the fog, I could occasionally see tiny islands appear and then get absorbed back in. Dall's porpoise darted in and out of it too, some of them even bow rode! I could also see the tails of humpback whales as they fluked all around through the mist as well. Then suddenly we were with orcas! It was the A30's! Blackney A38, the male I had always wanted to see since I first became interested in the orcas, appeared through the fog and came right over to us!
I had never seen the Northern Resident orcas before so this whole trip was very exciting for me. Currently at 265 members, the Northerns have been doing a lot better than our Southerns, who are at only 81 members now. Although these two resident populations are very similar, eating only Chinook salmon, and their ranges can sometimes overlap, they still do not mate with each other. We were able to see four matrilines from the Northern Resident population; the A8's, A23's, A25's and A30's.
The A8 family is from A5 pod and named after Licka A8, who was estimated to have been born in 1953 but passed away in 2001. Now this matriline is made up of Licka's two daughters Havannah A28, born in 1974, and Sonora A42 who was born in 1980. Sonora now has four offspring; son Surf A66, born in 1996, Current A79, born in 2004, daughter Cameleon A88, born in 2008 and a new calf born this year.
The A23 matriline from A5 pod, is named after Stripe A23, who was thought to have been born in 1947 but passed away in 2000. Now the family is made up of Ripple A43, born 1981, her brother Fife A60, born 1992, Ripple's daughter Midsummer A69, born 1996, and Midsummer's calf named Fern A95, who was born in 2009. On July 27th, 2003, Fife was injured by a boat propeller. The prop scars along the right side of his body can still be seen. Corky A16, currently at Seaworld San Diego, was captured from this matriline on December 12th, 1969. She is the last remaining Northern Resident in captivity. She was about 3 years old when captured and has experienced seven unsuccessful pregnancies, with no calf surviving more than forty six days. No orca has lasted longer in a tank than Corky. Lolita, captured in 1970 from L pod, and the last remaining Southern Resident in captivity, has spent one year less in captivity than Corky but is the oldest orca in a tank.
The A25 matriline, also from A5 pod, and named after matriarch Sharky A25 (1971-1997), has just two members left; Surge A61, born in 1994, and his niece/nephew Codero A85, who was born in 2005. In the summer of 2011, Surge's sister Nodales A51, along with her baby born in 2010 called A98, had passed away. Surge and Codero now travel with the the A23's. Hopefully Codero is a female so the matriline can be continued on.
The A30's, from A1 pod, are named after the matriarch Tsitka A30, who was estimated to have been born in 1947, but passed away this year. The family is now made up of Tsitka's son Blackney A38, born in 1970, his younger brother Pointer A39, born 1975, their younger sisters Clio A50, born in 1984, and Blinkhorn A54, born in 1989. Both females have offspring of their own now. Clio has a daughter named Bend A72, born in 1999, Klaoitsis A84, born in 2005, and Alder A99, born in 2011. Blinkhorn has a daughter named Cedar A75, born in 2002, Cutter A86, born in 2006, Cypress A93, born 2009, and a new calf born in 2013. Blinkhorn also became a grandmother in 2012 when Cedar had her first calf.
We headed out on a whale watching boat in the early morning to go see the Northerns. It was sunny but fog covered most of the area. Through the fog, I could occasionally see tiny islands appear and then get absorbed back in. Dall's porpoise darted in and out of it too, some of them even bow rode! I could also see the tails of humpback whales as they fluked all around through the mist as well. Then suddenly we were with orcas! It was the A30's! Blackney A38, the male I had always wanted to see since I first became interested in the orcas, appeared through the fog and came right over to us!
Looking off the sterm of the boat with Vancouver Island in the distance as we head out into Johnstone Strait.
Dall's porpoise bow riding!
 Here . . . |  . . . comes . . . |
Blackney A38!! Look at that towering dorsal fin!!
Cedar A75 does an aerial scan!
As the fog began to lift the A8's, A23's and A25's came into view! We had been hearing all their exhales echoing all around us but had not been able to see them until now.
Fife A60, from the A23 matriline.
Fife's propeller strike scars can still be seen across his saddle patch.
Surge A61, from the A25 family.
From left to right: A25 members Surge A61, and his nephew or niece Codero A85, with A23 member Fern A95.
All the members of the A23 and A25 matrilines (total of six) swim together through the fog.
As we were heading back to the dock we came upon a few humpbacks; two of them were named Muppet BCY0711 and Argonaut BCY0729.
 Muppet lifts her flukes into the air next to Argonaut. |  Argonaut flukes. |
It was then time for some grizzly bears!
A young grizzly eats some grass.
 Wrestling with mom! |  Play time! |
Mom teaches her young one how to fight.
After that, my mom and I to headed over to Orcalab, a center for Northern Resident orca research. Each night, we fell asleep to the A30's as their calls echoed through the night over the hydrophones. Hydrophone speakers were set up in every building and even in the forest around the lab so it was impossible to miss out on their vocalizations. Each morning we would also wake up to steller sea lions and a few humpbacks outside the window, usually one named Guardian BCZUK2011 #4.
While standing on a cliff near the lab on the 24th, my mom and I could hear one of the many wonderful volunteers we met yelling "ORCAAA ORCAAAAAA!!" Around the cliff right beneath our feet came the A30's, the water so clear we could their entire bodies under the water.
While standing on a cliff near the lab on the 24th, my mom and I could hear one of the many wonderful volunteers we met yelling "ORCAAA ORCAAAAAA!!" Around the cliff right beneath our feet came the A30's, the water so clear we could their entire bodies under the water.
Sunrise at Orcalab.
Pointer A39 comes around the corner!
Bend A72, easy to identify because of the nick on the front of her dorsal fin.
Clio A50's teeth can be seen underwater as she tugs kelp around with her mouth.
Close up of Clio's mouth and teeth. The kelp can be seen floating from the corner of her mouth.
Cedar A75 with her calf who was born last year.
Blackney right beneath my feet!!
He was playing with kelp right up against the cliff!
 Cutter A86. |  Cutter A86. |
Pointer A39, his sister Blinkhorn A54, with her new calf born this year!
On the morning we were packing up to leave Orcalab, a pod of a few hundred pacific white sided dolphins appeared right in front of the lab and kept zigzagging back and forth, the mist from their exhales and splashes illuminated in the rising sunlight. As we were saying goodbye to all the newly made friends of Orcalab and jumping on a boat to leave, we were able to go over and watch the dolphins momentarily before heading off.
Here they come!
Look at all the dolphins!
The dolphins ride our wake.
A dolphin exhales with the surface tension unbroken.
We will never forget out time at Orcalab, we met so many kind people there, and experienced so many amazing things. I still miss everyone up there, human and cetacean. While I was up in Canada, both Transient and the Southern Resident orcas came and left San Juan Island multiple times. J,K and L pod formed a few superpods, the last one being taking place on the 25th. They all left that night and have not been back to San Juan Island since, as of the 29th. With lots of rain falling over these last few days, the Southerns may come back sooner, than later.
Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
