Over these last few weeks of December, I have had two unexpected encounters with marine mammal eating Transient orcas. On 12/12/13, I was at Evergreen State College when I heard that a large amount of orcas had been seen just a few miles away. Some friends and I hurried to Burfoot Park and spotted about fourteen orcas, consisting of adult females, juveniles and an adult male. They were gradually making their way out of Budd Inlet but had just made a kill as seagulls were feeding on scraps and the orcas were being very active with spy hops, back dives, tail and pectoral fin slaps. This Transient superpod was probably made up of the T035, T037 and T075 matrilines, which means the adult male we saw may have been T075A.
A juvenile spy hops in Budd Inlet.
On 12/22/13, I was on a Washington State ferry when a group Transient orcas surrounded the boat right off the Lopez Island landing as we docked. It looked like they were in the process of making a kill or had just made one because they were full of breaches, pectoral fin slaps, both regular and inverted tail slaps and head stands as they milled about. I was unable to get ID shots as the sun had just gone down and the flash from my camera wouldn't reach them. Luckily, researchers had encountered them a few hours before hand and had identified them as the T49A's & T49B's. As we were about to leave the dock, another ferry went past and in the light cast over the water by the boat, I saw who I think was T049A's back lit dorsal fin as she surfaced.
Have a fantastic New Year everyone!
Have a fantastic New Year everyone!
