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J, K And L Pod Say Goodbye On 9/19/13

9/19/2013

I'm writing this blog post just after finishing up all the packing for college and am ready to depart for Evergreen State College early in the morning. Today was a day full of goodbyes, including one farewell that I had hoped for, but had not expected. I had wanted to see the Southern Resident orcas one last time before I left on 9/20/13 and it just so happened that all three pods arrived this morning and I was able to see them from shore at Lime Kiln State Park, and from the "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions.

There are a handful of days each season, where such an incredible encounter takes place that it really sticks in your mind for a long time. Every moment, every detail, every emotion felt, will never be forgotten. Today one of those types of encounters took place. Below are some of my favorite photos I took today as almost all eighty one of the Southern Resident orcas were jumbled up together to play, socialize and mate.

Adult male Mike J26, born in 1991, does an aerial scan.

Juvenile females Alki J36, Echo J42. . .

. . .and Eclipse J41 porpoise North.

Adult male Blackberry J27, born in 1991, breaches in front of the Olympic Peninsula.

Females Tsuchi J31, born in 1995, and Skagit K13, born in 1972, taking a stroll.

Later in the day, Tsuchi cartwheeled!

A breach from adult female Shachi J19, born in 1979.

Spirit L22, estimated to have been born in 1971, spy hops!

Adult female Marina L47, born in 1974, spy hops!

Adult male Mega L41, born in 1977, does an inverted tail slap

Spy hopper to the far left with J, K and L pod members.

Joy L119 (the calf I got to name!) pokes her head out of the water near her mother Matia L77, and an adult male named Mystery L85.

I'm so glad I got to say my goodbyes to the orcas! What perfect timing! Now that I'm off to college for marine biology, orca encounters will likely stop until next summer, unless I'm on break back up here on San Juan Island and get to see them. You never know, so keep checking for posts here and I will continue updating the San Juan Orcas Twitter page on cetacean news and the "Remembering The Southern Resident Killer Whales Who Have Passed On" Facebook page throughout my time at college. Thanks so much for following my posts here, see you and the orcas next summer!

NOTE: This was the last time I saw Spieden J8. She passed away soon after this encounter at the estimated age of eighty, but she could have been even older.

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J's, K's And Some L's Head For The Fraser On 9/12/13

9/16/2013

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As the sun rose on the morning of 9/12/13, members of all three Southern Resident orca pods made their way up the West side of San Juan Island towards the Fraser River to the North. Over these last few weeks J, K and L pod have been really sticking to the Fraser, occasionally coming back down to San Juan. At the moment it looks like the orcas are feasting on the Chinook salmon that are heading for the river to spawn. The humungous amount of rain fall recently most likely helped the salmon locate their birth river since we had such dry weather and the fish can't smell the river without some rain water helping to push down sediment. I caught a ride with San Juan Island Whale & Wildlife Tours and San Juan Safaris and was able to see all of J and K pod with some L pod members mixed in there too as they headed for the Fraser.

Ti'lem I'nges J49, born on August 6th, 2012, is still looking good!

Matriarch Granny J2 is still kicking at 102 years old!

Eighty year old Spieden J8 was in the front with Granny.

Onyx L97, born in 1992, was still close behind Spieden and Granny after being adopted by them or maybe it's the other way around!

Sonata K35, born in 2002, is starting to sprout! By time he reaches his early twenties his dorsal fin alone will reach a maximum height of six feet tall, a characteristic of an adult male. Adult female dorsal fins are around two feet in height.

Fluke L105, born in 2004, lined up with Mandarte Island. His mother Racer L72 and grand aunt Lulu L53 were close by.

K pod heads for the Fraser River. Tika K33 with his mother Sekiu K22 are on the far left.

Adult male Scoter K25, born in 1991, with his nephew Comet K38, born in 2004. A barb from Scoter's satellite tag he had in his dorsal fin over the winter can still be seen on the right face of the fin, even though it should have dislodged itself by now.

Ripple K44, born on July 6th, 2011.

It's been so great seeing J, K and L pod on a regular basis recently. My days are winding down to when I leave for my freshman year at Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington, and I hope I get to see these guys one more time so I can say goodbye. Hopefully all of them will be accounted for next summer, plus a few new babies. Crossing my fingers!

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T012A, T041's And The T109's On 9/11/13

9/14/2013

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Members of all three Chinook salmon eating Southern Resident orca pods have still been hanging around San Juan Island but a few different marine mammal eating Transient orca matrilines have been sneaking around too. On this day, some Transient orcas just happened to be closer to us than the Southern Residents. The "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions was soon with the eight Transient orcas at Mandarte Island as they celebrated killing a harbor seal. The eight orcas were members of three different families:

T012 matriline
T012A, M, 1982
*Only living member left in his family.

T041 matriline
matriarch T041, F, 1973
T041A, F, 1988
T041A1, unknown, 2011
T041A2, unknown, August 2013

T109A matriline
matriarch T109A, F, 1990
T109A2, unknown, 2005
T109A3, unknown, 2009
T109A4, unknown, 2012

As they were playing and socializing after their meal, they went into a bull kelp bed off of Mandarte Island and began rolling around, dragged the kelp around with their bodies and poking their heads above the water.

Somebody does an aerial scan while a young one tail slaps.

Somebody breaches!

T012A does an aerial scan in the bull kelp bed.

After a good half hour of playing in the kelp, all the orcas formed a line and slowly moved on to another small island nearby called Halibut Island.

T041A with her new calf! This little one was born in early August of 2013.

Adult male T012A. He may have been traveling with the T041's and T109A's for mating purposes or maybe he's in search of a mother figure.

T109A's son or daughter T109A2.

Matriarchs T109A and. . .

. . .T041.

T041A with her new little calf again.

T109A between her offspring T109A3. . .

. . .and T109A4.

T041A tail slaps.

T109A2 does an inverted tail slap.

T109A2 does an inverted tail slap again.

T109A2 rolls on his/her side, showing of a nick in her pectoral fin.

One they got to Halibut Island and hit some of the kelp beds around it, they stopped to play and roll around some more.

T012A with kelp draped over his dorsal fin.

T012A, T041 and T109A4 surface in another kelp bed.

We left them a little while later as they continued to fool around in the kelp. Besides this encounter being super sweet with active Transient orcas, it was also very exciting to me because I had never seen any of these orcas before and got to see a T041As new calf! Extraordinary!

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

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A Blast From The Past On 9/8/13

9/9/2013

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Since 9/3/13, most, if not all of the members of the Southern Resident orca pods, J,K and L pod, have been around San Juan Island. To have the Southern Residents, especially a superpod gathering, here for more than one day is amazing for this season. This is what it used to be like when there was more Chinook salmon around for these orcas. Historically, they would all be in the area every day through out the summer as they dined on the once plentiful Chinook. When you saw one pod, for instance J pod, you would see all the matrilines that make up that pod traveling together. Now when we see J, K or L pod, it's usually just a one or two families hanging out together.

On this day, I got to see a blast from the past aboard the "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions. All of L pod was together, every single matriline, every single member (36 individuals), moving as one, tightly together, in resting mode. I can't remember the last time I saw this happen because L pod has been so split up in recent years. It's not that they don't get along, they just have spread out and look for their dwindling prey.

All Orcas In L Pod

Spirit L22, F, est.1971
Ocean Sun L25, F, est.1928
Ophelia L27, F, est.1965
Mega L41, M, 1977
Marina L47, F, 1974
Lulu L53, F, 1977
Ino L54, F, 1977
Nugget L55, F, 1977
Racer L72, F, 1986
Matia L77, F, 1987
Kasatka L82, F, 1990
Moonlight L83, F, 1990
Nyssa L84, M, 1990
Mystery L85, M, 1991
Surprise L86, F, 1991
*Onyx L87, M, 1992, travels with J pod.
Wave Walker L88, M, 1993
Solstice L89, M, 1993

Ballena L90, F, 1993
Muncher L91, F, 1995
Crewser L92, M, 1995
Calypso L94, F, 1995
Nigel L95, M, 1996
Indigo L100, M, 2001
Lapis L103, F, 2003
Fluke L105, M, 2004
Pooka L106, M, 2005
Coho L108, M, 2006
Takoda L109, M, 2007
Midnight L110, M, 2007
Cousteau L113, F, 2009
Mystic L115, M, 2010
Finn L116, M, 2010
Keta L117, Unknown, 2010
Jade L118, F, 2011
L119, F, 2012

Twelve of the thirty six L pod members, the rest of them are right beneath these twelve as they surface to breathe.

From left to right: Ophelia L27, Racer L72, Crewser L92, Ballena L90, Fluke L105 and Indigo L100.

From left to right: Lulu L53, Racer L72, Nugget L55, Crewser L92, Ballena L90, Fluke L105, Takoda L109, Moonlight L83, Midnight L110 and Wave Walker L88.

L119, L pod's youngest member, can be seen between her Mother Matia L77 and her uncle Mega L41.

During the night of 9/8/13, I believe most, if not all of L pod left for the open ocean but J and K pod were still around on 9/9/13, sticking very close to the Fraser River, as they have been for the last few days, which historically had a lot of Chinook salmon in it. I wonder if they will still be around tomorrow?

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

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Superpod, Day 2 On 9/4/13

9/5/2013

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As the sun went down on the night of 9/3/13, I was wondering if J, K and L pod would leave for the open ocean, as they were certainly acting like they might. In the morning though, I looked out my window to see the L54's, as well as other orcas who were all heading North up the West side of San Juan Island.

L54 matriline members Keta L117, Ino L54 and Indigo L100 heading North. Nyssa L84, Wave Walker L88 and Coho L108 were not far behind.

Soon after, I was aboard the "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions, as we left Friday Harbor and headed North up to Henry Island. J pod, and a few K and L families had made their way up to Henry, but others had decided to stay along the lower West side of San Juan Island. During the encounter we were with a socializing group made up of the J11's, J14's, J16's, K14's and L54's.

Lobo K26, born in 1993. He is from the K14 matriline.

Lobo does an aerial scan!

Keta L117, born in 2010, with adult male Blackberry J27, born in 1991. Blackberry is from the J11 family.

Lobo K26 again.

Coho L108, born in 2006,. He is part of the L54 matriline.

A female does an inverted tail slap.

Echo J42, born in 2007, swims on her side with her pectoral fin in the air.

At this point a large school of Pink salmon came around to the boat, many of them jumping. All those matrilines we had been watching disappeared underwater and a few minutes later popped up were the salmon had been. Many seagulls began to gather like they were trying to pick up scraps, as if the orcas actually had been feeding. There also seemed to be some prey sharing going on between two orcas; Echo J42 and her older sister Alki J36, born in 1999.

Now, the Southern Resident orcas don't eat Pinks, only Chinook salmon. We have always hoped that they would began to eat Pinks though as there are so many of them and we have depleted the Chinooks so much, leaving the orcas with almost nothing to eat anymore. Instead of schooling together now, Chinook here tend to hide in schools of other types of salmon. Maybe that is what was happening and the orcas found a few Chinook and left the Pink alone, or maybe, just maybe, they went after that school of a few hundred Pinks and are learning to be less picky. One can only hope!

One of the Pink salmon from the large school jumps into the air!

Samish J14, born in1974, with a couple of seagulls.

Samish is grandaughter to 102 year old Granny J2.

It's not a party. . .

. . .until Samish get active!

Ti'lem I'nges J49, born August 6th, 2012. He is great great grandson to Granny J2.

Echo J42 plays with some bull kelp. Echo is from the J16 family.

Wave Walker L88, born in 1993. Originally from the L2 matriline, he now calls the L54's family home after becoming the last surviving member of the L2's.

As we were leaving the orcas, we saw male Indigo L100, born in 2001, begin to mate with female Eclipse J41, born in 2005. At their ages, they both are still a little too young to be mating but for the first time ever, I could actually see thrusting! Glad Indigo wants to help repopulate the Southern Resident population though, we need all the calves we can get and hopefully in the future he can help us out with that!

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

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Very Active Superpod Calves On 9/3/13

9/5/2013

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On the morning of 9/3/13, J, K and most of L pod returned to the inland waters around San Juan Island. Hearing that the orcas were aiming for my house, I went out onto the rocky shoreline and down close to the water. Thinking that all the orcas (around 70 members out of 81 in the entire population) were still a few miles out, I sat my backpack down and starting going through it when I heard a loud exhale and vocalizations close by. Startled, I looked up and was very surprised to see Kelp K42 spy hopping just feet in front of me! He had made some little chirping vocalizations as he had been coming out of the water too! Other orcas then surfaced around him, including his mother Lea K14, older brother Lobo K26, older sister Yoda K36, Shachi J19, her daughter Eclipse J41, Racer L72, her son Fluke L105 and cousin Lulu L53. I was too shocked to get a photo of Kelp spy hopping but did get photos of the others as they passed by.

Lulu L53, born in 1977, with a strand of kelp draped around her dorsal fin.

Left to right: Racer L72, Eclipse J41 and Yoda K36.

Soon after my encounter from shore, it was time to board the "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions, to
teach guests about the orcas and have another extraordinary encounter! A short time later we were with a socializing group made up of J and L pod members off the South end of San Juan Island at Salmon Bank. We hung out with this super active group the entire time of our encounter but other groups were spread out far and wide. Our group was made up of six matrilines: the J14's, J19's, L26's, L47's, L55's and L72's.

J14 family:
Granny J2, F, est.1911
Samish J14, F, 1974
Hy'shqa J37, F, 2001
Suttles J40, F, 2004
Se-Yi'-Chn J45, M, 2009
Ti'lem I'nges J49, M, 2012
*Onyx L87, M, 1992
*Spieden J8, F, est.1933
*unrelated to the J14's but travel with them.

L47 family:
Marina L47, F, 1974
Moonlight L83, F, 1990
Muncher L91, F, 1995
Midnight L110, M, 2007
Mystic L115, M, 2010

J19 family:
Shachi J19, F, 1979
Eclipse J41, F, 2005

L55 family:
Ophelia L27, F, est.1965
Nugget L55, F, 1977
Kasatka L82, F, 1990
Surprise L86, F, 1991
Lapis L103, F, 2003
Pooka L106, F, 2005
Takoda L109, M, 2007
Finn L116, M, 2010
Jade L118, F, 2011

L26 family:
Ballena L90, F, 1993
Crewser L92, M, 1995

L72 family:
Lulu L53, F, 1977
Racer L72, F, 1986
Nigel L95, M, 1996
Fluke L105, M, 2004

There were many breaches, backdives, aerial scans, spy hops, cartwheels, tail slaps, inverted tail slaps, pectoral fin slaps, dorsal fin slaps, even a backflip, above water vocals and raspberrys, mostly from the calves and juveniles!

Cartwheel!

No different than a person cartwheeling!

Crewser L92 in front of the Salmon Bank marker.

Granny J2's great great grandson, Ti'lem I'nges J49, breaches!

A juvenile spy hops!

Pooka L106 with Ti'lem I'nges J49 breaching next to him.

Ti'lem I'nges. . .

. . .just kept on breaching!

Ti'lem I'nges breaches again!

Guess who's breaching? Yep, Ti'lem I'nges!

Jade L118 breaches past Opehelia L27.

Jade L118 pec slap!

Pooka L106 and Suttles J40.

Eclipse J41, with a new little scrape above her eye patch.

Shachi J19, Eclipse's mother.

Estimated eighty year old, Spieden J8. Besides her unique saddle patches and dorsal fin shape, she can also be identified by the wheeze she has when she inhales.

Estimated 102 year old, Granny J2.

What a crazy awesome superpod day!! As we were leaving the orcas, they looked like they ready to leave the area during the night. I was pleasantly surprised in the morning though. . . :)

Please do not use these photos without permission. Just ask.

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The T137's And T185's On 9/2/13

9/2/2013

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Over the last few days, two unrelated Transient orca called the T137's and T185's have been traveling around the area together. Today, aboard the "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions, we departed Friday Harbor and headed for an island super close by called Lopez Island. The orcas were heading right in our direction too, so it was not long at all before we were with them. Transient orcas eat only marine mammals, unlike the Chinook salmon eating Southern Resident orcas. These two different orcas ecotypes to not mate or socailize with each other at all, and besides having contrasting diets, they have different languages, genetics, cultures, body shapes and sizes too.

For our area, these three marine mammals are the most common prey for the Transient orcas.

Harbor seal. Seaweed can be seen draped over this ones head.

Steller sea lions.

Harbor porpoise.

These two Transient orca matrilines traveling together consisted of these members:

T137 family
matriarch T137, born in 1983
son T137A, 2002
T137B, 2006
T137D, 2012

*T137C passed away shortly after being born in 2010.

T185 family
matriarch T185, 1983
probable son T186, 1995
T187, 1999
T185A, 2007

The orcas were mostly in travel mode during the trip, but towards the end, they did seem to find some prey, probably a harbor seal, and they most likely caught it by the way they were acting. During the time when the two families were chasing their lunch, who I presume to be T185A, shot off at top speed to the North! We all watched as he/she porpoised (sped swam) far into the distance before turning around and slowly zigzagging its way back to the others, who were all still hunting. There was another family of Transient orcas called the T030's just to the North, and I had wondered if T185A had heard them and wanted to meet up! One thing is for sure though, I have never seen a behavior like that from a Transient, or even a Resident orca.

Six of the eight orcas come to surface at the same time!

Sprouter male T137A. Look at those two nicks in his dorsal fin!

T185 with her probable son T186. He's gonna get a lot bigger before he becomes an adult!

The newest edition to the T137 family, T137D!

Just another prefect day on the water! Next time we see orcas, will they be Transients or could the Southern Residents make an appearance? We shall see!

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

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J, K And L Pod Say Goodbye On 9/19/13

J's, K's And Some L's Head For The Fraser On 9/12/13

T012A, T041's And The T109's On 9/11/13

A Blast From The Past On 9/8/13

Superpod, Day 2 On 9/4/13

Very Active Superpod Calves On 9/3/13

The T137's And T185's On 9/2/13

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