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Last Days With The Orcas: From 9/19/14 T0 9/26/14

9/29/2014

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On the 27th, I left home on San Juan Island to head back at Evergreen State College to start my sophomore year! The few days that led up to the 27th were full of goodbyes, both to humans and orcas, and I was lucky enough to encounter the orcas from shore at Lime Kiln State Park, from a friend's boat, and from the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions before I left. Those final days were full of many surprise cetacean appearances too!

On 9/19/14,
all of J pod and K pod (minus the K16's?) were in the area, shuffling up and down the shoreline of San Juan Island. Out on the Odyssey, we saw the J17's and J22's in slow resting mode as they made their way north. Blackberry J27 was also moving slow, maybe resting by himself, while his younger brother, Mako J39, was foraging nearby. Also close by were the J16's (Slick J16, Mike J26, Alki J36, and Echo J42) and NOAA, who was trying to D-Tag someone in the family. The four orcas would split up, re-group and split up again, and when the boat would get within tagging distance, Slick , Alki or Echo would throw agitated tail slaps or spy hop high next to the boat. In the evening, all the orcas turned back South and proceeded back down the shoreline of San Juan Island.

During the night, L pod (minus the L54's?) arrived to the area
. The next day, J and K pod headed North for the Fraser River while L pod stayed at San Juan Island. Out on the Odyssey, the first orca we identified was Mega L41, who was off foraging for salmon. We left him to it and headed over to a group off in the distance, which turned out to be Pooka L106, Surprise L86, and her new calf L120. Surprise was also foraging a bit and L120 would remain at the surface alone while mom was on deep dives.

While mom was down foraging, the calf worked on its first tail slaps and spy hops and also seemed to be figuring out how to move and surface. However, even when Surprise was up at the surface, the calf was acting rather independent, as it surfaced off by itself a few times instead of with mom. L120's older brother Pooka L106 was nearby but he did not interact with the calf. L120's aunt Ophelia L27 eventually made her way over to the other three and together all four headed North. As we headed back for the dock, we saw Mega again, who had joined up with Ocean Sun L25 while we were away. Solstice L89 and Spirit L22 were also close by.
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L120 spy hops! He/she was born during the last few days of August or the the first few days of September 2014.
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L120 has an awesome left saddle patch!
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Surprise L86, born in 1991, and new her son/daughter L120.
Out on the Odyssey the next day, we spotted a minke whale in San Juan Channel before we headed out to see the orcas. Once we got on scene, we could see that the orcas were very spread out for miles. Since all of J pod had gone North the day before, I was expecting to just see L pod members, but there was the J17 matriline, socializing, foraging, and traveling with the L43 matriline. Group B of J pod must have turned around while Group A and K pod continued towards the Fraser River.

As we watched the J17's and L43's mingle, Racer L72 spy hopped, either Polaris J28 or Fluke L105 spy hopped, and Star J46 got very active with multiple breaches, cartwheels, tail slaps, and belly flops. I thought that they might have been excited to see Group A (minus the J16's who were alone up in Georgia Strait) and K pod, who had just arrived back at San Juan Island
from their trip to the North and were not to far away. That evening, J, K, and L pod did end up all meeting offshore of the West side of San Juan Island.

At the end of our encounter, all four orcas unexpectedly popped up next to us and circled around for a bit, possibly looking for salmon. At one point, Fluke arched his back for a deep dive and lifted his tail high into the air, much like a humpback whale. This behavior, called fluking, is one I have rarely seen the orcas do!
Usually when the orcas dive they just arch their backs and disappear beneath the surface.
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Star J46 tail slap! She was born in 2009.
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Racer L72 with her super unique saddle patch. She was born in 1986.
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Star J46 in mid cartwheel. Her mother, Polaris J28, begins to surface to Star's right.
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Fluke L105, born in 2004, flukes!
Just as we were nearing the harbor at the end of our trip, we got another surprise; Pacific white sided dolphins!! Hundreds of them!!! Many of them came over to ride on our stern and bow wake, while others chased fish, and many more played with other boats. Encountering these dolphins, especially this many, is a pretty uncommon sight in the area, but times could be changing!
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Two dolphins ride our stern wake.
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With its mouth open, a dolphin gets ready to catch a airborn fish!
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My all time favorite shot of a Pacific white sided dolphin!
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A fish leaps into the air to escape a dolphin, which can be seen just beneath the surface.
On the 22nd, J pod headed North for the Fraser River, while L pod and almost all of K pod left the area. The three independent K16's stayed at San Juan Island, shuffling up and down the Southwest and West side of the island. Two humpbacks, one called Yogi BCY0409, and the other being an unidentified individual who was seen in Rosario Strait were also hanging out in Spieden Channel. The next day, J pod started their journey back down from the Fraser, while the K16's were down South at Salmon and Hein Bank. The Rosario Strait humpback whale was also still around, doing the "West side shuffle" along San Juan Island, and the huge pod of Pacific white sided dolphins was found out West near Victoria.

On the 24th, I headed out with some friends to see if we could find orcas for one of my last encounters before I headed back to college. On my way out to the dock, I spotted a North bound humpback whale known as Split Fin BCZ0298 from shore at Lime Kiln State Park. Another humpback, probably Yogi BCY0409, was up in Spieden Channel too. Once on the boat, we aimed for the South end of San Juan Island, pausing to watch Split Fin for a few minutes. He/she had turned South after I left the park, but was now headed back North again. Soon we were with all of J pod and the K16's offshore of South Beach as they headed North. Granny J2 was in the lead along with Shachi J19, Eclipse J41 and Blackberry J27. Onyx L87 was there too but far off inshore by himself. Next came the J17's, then the J14's, Opus K16 and Sonata K35, Cappuccino K21 and Mike J26, and the J22's. We saw a a spy hop from Granny, a breach from Doublestuf J34, a cartwheel and lots of inverted tail slaps from Cappuccino K21, and lots of tail slaps from Sonata K35.
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Granny J2, born around 1911, spy hops in front of American Camp on San Juan Island.
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From left to right: Doublestuf J34, Oreo J22, and Cookie J38.
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Cappuccino K21 does an inverted tail slap. He was born in 1986.
We then headed back to the front of the line to see how far Granny had made it to and if J pod was splitting into Group A and B. Granny J2, Shachi J19, and Blackberry J27 were now North of Lime Kiln State Park. Surfacing in the middle of the orcas was Split Fin the humpback, who was now heading back South. Cappuccino K21 and Mike J26 had made it to the front and Onyx L87 had pulled offshore but was still near the leading individuals. We were seeing evidence that both Group A and B were heading North, not just Group A.

Near Open Bay, the other orcas slowed down, while Granny J2 continued North. Before long she was a few miles ahead of everyone else, leading the way for the Fraser River.
This is a common occurrence, but it makes you realize that she spends a good part of her time alone while in the lead at times. We joined her for a bit before we headed back for the dock. Along the way, we passed all of J pod again and they began to catch up with Granny J2. Just outside Snug Harbor, Split Fin the humpback appeared again, obviously having turned around and headed North from Lime Kiln where we last saw him/her. Split Fin did lots of feeding before turning back South.
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Cappuccino K21 surfaces.
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Granny heads for the Fraser River.
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Siblings Tsuchi J31 and Blackberry J27. The other sibling, Mako J39, was off socializing with other J pod members.
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Echo J42, born in 2007, flukes while diving.
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The humpback whale named Split Fin BCZ0298, born in 2006.
In the end, we saw each member of J pod, as well as the three K16's. The next day, while J pod and the three K's were making their way down from the North, we got to see Yogi BCY0409 in Spieden Channel on the Odyssey. Towards the end of our encounter, Yogi did something I had never seen from the Odyssey or ever manged to photograph anywhere. He/she breached clear out of the water twice!! Amazing!! Split Fin was still around too, shuffling up and down the Southwest and West side of San Juan Island.
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Yogi is one large humpback!!
My last orca encounter took place on the 26th, while sitting on the rocky coastline at Lime Kiln State Park during sunset. All was quiet and calm, and a rainbow even appeared nearby. Offshore of me, I could see Granny J2, Shachi J19, Eclipse J41 and Onyx L87 as they headed South together. J pod and the three K's had been shuffling up and down San Juan Island all day. Further South, Blackberry J27, Polaris J28, Star J46, Tahlequah J35, and Notch J47 foraged for salmon. On this day, both Yogi and Split Fin were still in the area (amazing!). Yogi stayed at San Juan Island while Split Fin hung out up at Stuart Island. What an extraordinary end to the season!
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Eclipse J41 in the sunset. She was born in 2005.
Now that I'm at college, orca encounters will likely slow down until next summer, but when I'm back up on the island during breaks, I'll hopefully catch up with some Southern Resident or Transient orcas again. 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!

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
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L54's And More On 9/16/14

9/18/2014

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On the 15th of September, Group B of J pod, K, and L pod were inbound far out in Juan De Fuca Strait, headed for San Juan Island. Group A of J pod (including the J16's) was also inbound, but much closer. Group A had come back down from the Fraser River during the night, swam past San Juan Island, headed West and had made it to Trial Island in Juan De Fuca before they turned around and aimed for the island again. Once Group A made it to San Juan Island, they continued North for the Fraser River.

The next day, Group A was up at the Fraser River, while lots of orcas were reported off of Eagle Point, San Juan Island.
Soon, I could see J, K, and L pod members spread out offshore of my house, and that there were others to the South of me as well. In the afternoon, aboard the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions, we headed out to Hein Bank to catch up with J, K and L who were all exiting the area for the open ocean again. Escorting us out to the orcas for about thirty five minutes was the same lone Pacific white sided dolphin that has been harassing the orcas on and off this season.

The first orcas we saw were the J16's ( made up of Slick J16, Mike J26, Alki J36, and Echo J42) and L43's (Racer L72, Nigel L95, and Fluke L105). Fluke and Alki were goofing off together for awhile until Racer spy hopped and breached. Fluke then joined back up with her and they headed towards other L pod members, which turned out to be the L54's (Ino L54, Nyssa L84, Wave Walker L88, Coho L108, and Keta L117) and Ballena L90 (from the L26 matriline). Right about this time, it looked like everyone else also turned around and began heading back for San Juan Island.


This was just my third time seeing the L54's this entire season and I was very excited to see how they were doing! Coho was very active during our entire encounter, spy hopping and tail slapping multiple times! Wave Walker also tail slapped a few times! Keta did not show its belly again, so its gender is still unknown.
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Our friendly Pacific white sided dolphin!
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Slick J16, born around 1972, and her son Mike J26, who was born in 1991.
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Coho L108 spy hops! He was born in 2006.
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Ballena L90, born in 1993.
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Wave Walker L88, born in 1993, and Coho L108 split off for a bit and traveled together.
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Nyssa L84, born in 1990, and Keta L117, born in 2010. Ino L54, born in 1977, was there too.
That evening I could see some orcas far offshore of my house, and I wondered if Group B of J pod, K, and L pod would stay in the area. By morning, they had all left for the open ocean, west bound in Juan De Fuca Strait. However, Group A of J pod (minus the J16's now) were still up at the Fraser River. On the 18th, Group A was back down at San Juan Island, doing their "West side shuffle". Out on the Odyssey, we watched as Granny J2, the J14's, J19's, and Onyx L87 traveled North up the Southwest side of the island. With them, of course was our friendly Pacific white sided dolphin again. He appeared to be trying to catch up with Onyx, who had encountered this energetic dolphin before and did not feel the same way. Possibly to avoid or loose the dolphin, Onyx even made a very close pass by our boat. Maybe he wanted to "scrape" the dolphin off on our bow so it would start bow riding and leave him alone?
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Samish J14, born in 1974, and her daughter Suttles J40, born in 2004.
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Onyx L87, born in 1992. He didn't want anything to do with the dolphin.
What will happen next??

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
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J, K, And L Pod On 9/11/14

9/14/2014

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On the morning of the 11th, I woke up to see orcas heading North outside my window. Curious to see who they were and to get some ID shots for the Center for Whale Research, I headed to some cliffs overlooking the water near my house for a close orca encounter from shore. First to pass by me was matriarch Granny J2, the oldest known orca in the world. She was in lead per usual. Next was Hy'shqa J37, Muncher L91, Shachi J19, and Eclipse J41. Further offshore I could see a few others, including Rainshadow K37. Then came Ophelia L27, which meant that the new baby was nearby. Soon, Surprise L86, newborn L120, Pooka L106, and Suttles J40 swam past. It was just about time for me to head out on the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions so I quickly collected a few more ID's. Last to pass me was Marina L47, Mystic L115, Moonlight L83, Midnight L110, Samish J14, Se-Yi'-Chn J45, and Tika K33, but I could see a lot more orcas South and offshore of me. After I left, all the orcas turned around and headed back South.
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Granny J2, born around 1911.
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Sprouter male Tika K33, born in 2001.
Aboard the Odyssey, we met up with all of J and K pod, and almost all of L pod offshore of the South end of San Juan Island. We were absolutely surrounded by at least sixty five if not all seventy nine of the Southern Resident orcas. I did not see the L12's or L54's but they could have been there. Some of the orcas were in resting mode, lining up in individual matrilines to "snooze", while others socialized together.
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Adult male Mike J26, born in 1991.
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Adult male Scoter K25 in mid tail wave.
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Newborn L120!
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Ophelia L27 in mid inverted tail slap.
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Ophelia L27 tail slaps.
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Newborn L120!
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The K14 matriline surfaces together.
During the night all three pods began to exit the area. The next day, they made it far out into the lengthy Strait of Juan De Fuca before they decided to turn around and head back for San Juan Island. They reached the island by nightfall. On the 13th, Group A of J pod (including Onyx L87) headed North for the Fraser River while K, L, and the rest of J pod hung out offshore of San Juan Island. The L12's may have been present. The next day, Group A made their way back down from the Fraser River, while everyone else exited the area through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. What will happen next??

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J, K, And L Pod On 9/6/14 And 9/7/14

9/10/2014

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On the evening of September 5th, it was reported that all three Southern Resident pods, J, K and L, were headed for San Juan Island after being gone from the area for a few days. The next morning, I could see orcas heading North past my house so I went to see who they were. The water was flat calm and besides the orcas, there was no sound. As I stood along the coast line, the closest orcas to me were members of the J17 matriline. Princess Angeline J17, Tahlequah J35, Moby J44, and Notch J47 inched their way North and while I wasn't quick enough to get a picture, Angeline did do a big, slow motion spy hop as I was getting my camera ready. However, I was able to catch Moby tail slapping and some good ID shots of the four of them for the Center for Whale Research. Offshore I could see the K14's and I could hear exhales from orcas further South, North and Offshore of me.
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Princess Angeline J17, born in 1977.
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Moby J44 tail slaps. He was born in 2009.
In the afternoon, aboard the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions, we met up with the K16's and L pod off of False Bay on San Juan Island as they headed South. J pod and the rest of the K's had headed North for the Fraser River to look for Chinook/King salmon to eat. At the beginning of our encounter, we spotted Mega L41 off in the distance as he foraged. Up ahead we could see a larger group of orcas, which turned out to be the L43 and L47 matrilines socializing together. There was an occasional tail slap from them and then suddenly a bunch of spy hops ensued. I have never seen so many spy hops in such a short time!
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First it was Fluke L105. . .
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. . .then Moonlight L83. . .
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. . .then came Moonlight's son, Midnight L110, who can be identified by a healed wound he got on his lip after he was born in 2007. . .
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. . .then Racer L72 spy hopped. She is mother to Fluke. . .
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. . .and Fluke closed with another spy hop!
Soon afterword, the two matrilines split up and the L43's went off to forage, while the L47's went into resting mode and lined up shoulder to shoulder together for a "snooze". We left the L47's to their resting and headed off to see some other orcas in the distance, who had a NOAA research boat with them. The NOAA researchers had attached a D-Tag to a young female named Cousteau L113, who was born in 2009. To attach a D-Tag, the researchers have to get close enough to press the suction cup tag on to the orca's body with a pole. Thus, they must follow the orcas around at an extremely close range, sometimes taking hours, until they are finally have the right orca and position to deploy the tag. Cousteau was clearly upset as she sped shakily away from the research boat, which of course, had to continue following her at close range to keep track of the tag until its detachment hours later. Ocean Sun L25, born around 1928, was also swimming quickly away from the research vessel. When she neared our boat, she slowed down and seemed to be regaining her breath.

It was a very upsetting for me to see the orcas so distressed by the presence of the NOAA vessel, which I have almost always seen when they are deploying the tags. These tags gather depths that the orcas are diving to and also have a hydrophone to gather boat noise and vocalizations. While this science is interesting, at this point in time, with so few Southern Residents, I think it would be better for the orcas if NOAA turned to improving their Recovery Plan so the orcas actually start recovering, making the Critical Habitat a little bit more than just a word, and finding a solution to the Chinook/King salmon situation at the Fraser River so these orcas actually have some food and stop miscarrying their calves due to low nutrition. Wouldn't it be great if these orcas could actually manage stay here all year long like they used to historically and be well fed the entire time? These are my thoughts. . .
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L47's in their resting line.
After our trip, we learned that a new L pod calf had been discovered by Center for Whale Research staff, a little miracle tucked between aunt Ophelia L28 and mom Surprise L86, members of the L55 matriline. The calf, designated L120, is thought to have been about a week old. Not since August of 2012, had we seen a living calf. L120 puts the Southern Resident orcas back at seventy nine individuals instead of seventy eight, a step in the right direction.

The next morning, I headed out with some researcher friends of mine to explore the Strait of Juan De Fuca. As we headed back towards San Juan Island, we suddenly spotted Cappuccino K21 a few miles offshore of South Beach, which surprised me because I thought that the K16's and L's left the area the night before. Soon, members of L12's started popping up to the South of Cappuccino. First Mega L41 and Ocean Sun L25, then Solstice L89, Spirit L22, Matia L77, Joy L119, Calypso L94, Cousteau L113, and Mystery L85.
I noticed that Cousteau didn't have her D-Tag on anymore but Solstice L89 had acquired one. With my 500 lens, I got a good shot of his tag.
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Ocean Sun L25, born around 1928.
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Solstice L89, born in 1993, with his D-Tag.
I scanned and scanned but there was no sign of the rest of L pod. Had they left while the L12's and K16's stayed? As we were about to head back to the dock, I noticed that Mystery L85 had a Pacific white sided dolphin harassing him. Each time he would surface, the dolphin would dart across his face or be right behind him. Mystery tried to loose the dolphin with couple of deep dives, and he eventually surfaced far off in the distance while the dolphin was left confused and alone over by us. The dolphin then came over to us a few whale watching boats nearby to play.
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Mystery L85 gets harassed by the Pacific White sided dolphin.
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Let's play!
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Pretty sure this the same lone dolphin that has been harassing J and L pod off and on this season.
Later in the day, I spotted more orcas heading North past my house. Was it still the L12's and K16's? I'm glad I checked! As I stood on the rocky coastline, Kasatka L82, Finn L116, and Muncher L91 passed me and then turned back around to head South again. To the North of me, I could see more orcas heading towards me. As they got closer, I realized that I was looking at little L120, who was surfacing with its mom and aunt. It was my first ever encounter with the new edition to the family! I hope for many more encounters over the coming years. Close behind was Opus K16, Cappuccino K21 and Sonata K35 and off in the distance, I could also see Crewser L92. My question to whether the rest of L pod was still around had been answered, and I later found out that the L54's had been seen that day as well. Not too often do you get all of L pod together!
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Week old L120 surfaces next to aunty Ophelia L27.
That evening J and the rest of K pod came back down from the Fraser River and the next morning (the 8th), all three pods were exiting the area. While the Residents were gone, we had three other pacific white sided dolphins around, minke whales, and two active humpbacks called Split fin BCZ0298 and BCY0523. On the night of the 10th, J, K, and L pod returned to San Juan Island after sunset.

Please don't use my photos without permission, just ask :)
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L12's And T060's On 9/2/14

9/4/2014

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On the morning of September 2nd, I could see a lone male orca outside my window from my house on San Juan Island. Upon peering through my binoculars, I could that the male was Onyx L87, a salmon eating Southern Resident orca. The day before, the entire Southern Resident community, J,K, and L pod (just 78 individuals), were headed slowly for San Juan Island and did not arrive until later that night. I wondered if all of them had made it to the island or if some had decided to turn back for the open ocean again. I knew Onyx wasn't alone, there had to be others. Soon, reports came in that many orcas were scattered along the West side of the island and it wasn't long before the identities of the orcas were known. From what I heard, it sounded like all of J and K pod's matrilines were in, the possible exception being K16, K21, and K35, who are pretty independent and will travel away from the rest of K pod. For L pod, it seemed like just the L12 and L54 matrilines were in.

In the afternoon, aboard the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions, we met up with the L12's (which includes the L22's), who had made it to the South end of San Juan Island. I could see all nine of the orcas spread out in our vicinity as they traveled towards Salmon Bank. Joy L119, the young female I was lucky enough to name last summer, approached the boat with her mother Matia L77 and the two wouldn't leave us alone! Joy was being her usual active self and for our entire encounter with the two, she pectoral fin slapped, tail slapped, tail waved and even did one big spy hop.
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Mega L41, born in 1977. He is the oldest male in the Southern Resident community.
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Joy L119 in mid tail wave. She was born in 2012.
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One of the many tail slaps from Joy.
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One of the many pectoral fin slaps from Joy.
As low, dark clouds gathered over us, thick rain began to pour and the booms of thunder began. Then, reports of more orcas reached us. Not to far away, marine mammal eating Transient orcas had been found. Surprise! We said goodbye to Joy and Matia and saw Mega chasing a salmon off in the distance as we departed. After we left, the L12's began to head offshore for Hein Bank. We came upon the Transient orcas near Whale Rocks as they headed for Salmon Bank. It was the T060 matriline with one or two extra orcas, one possibly being a female known as T002B. Once we started watching them, the rain stopped, the sky began to clear up and a double rainbow formed. The orcas zig zagged on over to Salmon Bank, occasionally resting at the surface. We left them once they arrived at the bank and started making our way back to the dock, amazed that we had seen both Resident and Transient orcas during the same trip! This rarely ever happens!
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The T060's head for Salmon Bank, passing the Cattle Point light house on the South end of San Juan Island.
That night, J, K, the L12's and the L54's left for the open ocean through the Strait of Juan De Fuca. I wonder when they will be back?

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
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J And K Pod On 8/30/14

9/1/2014

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Early in the morning of the 30th, I heard the Resident orcas breathing out in front of my house at False Bay, San Juan Island. They were all spread out offshore and were continuing to head offshore towards the Strait of Juan De Fuca. In the afternoon, on the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions, we headed for the same area. Just like the day before, we were lucky enough to see Dall's porpoise, but this time one of them rode our bow and stern wake!! Soon after, we met up with the orcas a few miles off of False Bay. It was everyone from the day before; the J14, J22, K12, K13 and K14 matrilines, meaning Group A of J pod (minus L87, plus J22's) and K pod (minus the K21 crew). I did not see J16's, but I did see the J19's this time. Where are those J16's??

The orcas had gathered closer together than when I had seen them that morning and they stayed in the same general area for our entire encounter.
Some of the orcas were occasionally active but many of them were resting quite a bit too. It also seemed to me like they were purposefully wasting time, almost like they were waiting for something. Could they have heard other Resident orcas inbound or were they just waiting for the tide to change? Maybe they were even thinking about leaving for the open ocean.
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One of the Dall's porpoise heads for the bow!
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Sprouter male Cookie J38 in mid inverted tail slap.
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Cookie J38 slaps his pectoral fin on the surface of the water, just like the day before!
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Siblings Suttles J40 and Se-Yi'-Chn J45 rest at the surface together.
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Adult male Scoter K25, his satellite tag wound visible in the middle of his dorsal fin.
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Skagit K13 or Deadhead K27 spy hops.
That night, Group A and the K's began to leave for the open ocean through the lengthy Strait of Juan De Fuca and by morning had already made good progress. Interestingly, the J16's were with them. I wonder if they were with Group A all along or if they met up with them in Juan De Fuca? However, on September 1st, they were slowly making their way back, seemingly all 78 of the Southern Residents too. By sunset, they were all still far away from San Juan Island. It will be interesting to see which orcas stick around over these next few days.

Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
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Active J And K Pod Members On 8/29/14

8/29/2014

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On the morning of the 28th, Group A of J pod (including the J22's) and all of K pod (minus K16, K21, and K35, who are off with Group B and L pod) were back at San Juan Island after their trip to Campbell River and did their "West side shuffle" all day long. Although Group B (including L87), K16, K21, K35 and some L's returned to San Juan Island on the 27th, I believe they (maybe including L87 again) left that night or sometime the next day. I'm not sure where the J16's fit in to all of this, but they supposedly went North to Campbell River with the others.

It should be noted that two Transient orca matrilines known as the T037A's and T137's were also around San Juan Island on the 28th and were within a few miles or less of the Resident orcas at certain times, but they did not interact of course.
The T018's, T034's, T036A's, T065A's, T101's, and T124's have all been seen around the area recently too.

On the morning of the 29th, I could see the Resident orcas heading North past my house. Soon after, the orcas turned around and headed back South. Classic "West side Shuffle" again, which they continued to do into the night. So, aboard the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions on the 29th, we headed for the South end of San Juan island. When we arrived on scene with the orcas, I identified the J14's, J22's, K12's, K13's and K14's. I did not J16's, but they could have been there. I found out later that the J19's were there too but I didn't see them. The orcas were all being quite social and there were many spy hops, back dives, tail slaps, inverted tail slaps, pectoral fin slaps, and dorsal fin slaps, along with a few breaches, cartwheels, and flirtations. Adult male Lobo K26 surprised us with a close pass by and so did sprouter male Cookie J38, who blew a raspberry and slapped his pectoral fin twice before swimming past us.
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Adult male Lobo K26 passes the Odyssey. He was born in 1993.
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Adult male Scoter K25, born in 1991, tail slaps.
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Adult female Spock K20 breaches high into the air. She was born in 1986.
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Sprouter male Cookie J38 in mid pectoral fin slap after blowing a raspberry. He was born in 2003.
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Saturna K43 spy hops. She was born in 2010.
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Oreo J22, born in 1985, spy hops.
As we were heading back to the dock, we were lucky enough to spot a few Dall's porpoise as they surfaced to breathe! I think they were my first Dall's porpoise aboard the Odyssey this season. Here's hoping they eventually return to being plentiful in the area like they once were years ago.

Which orcas will I see next?


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Resident Orcas From 8/19/14 T0 8/27/14

8/27/2014

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I've got some catching up to do! On the 19th, J and K pod headed North up the West side of San Juan Island for the Fraser River in Canada, a good place to hunt for salmon. Accompanying them, especially the K12's, was the Pacific white sided dolphin that has seemingly adopted the resident orcas. While J and K pod swam North, all of L pod (minus the L12's) kept to San Juan Island, shuffling up and down the West side and South end.

The next day, J and K pod were at the Fraser River but began to make their way back South again. L pod started to head for the open ocean through the Strait of Juan De Fuca but then the orcas changed their minds and turned around, aiming back for San Juan Island. On the 21st, J pod was back at the Fraser, while K pod had split off from J and returned to San Juan Island. L pod then decided to officially leave for the open ocean.

The next morning,
J pod was not at the Fraser, but in Swanson Channel, headed right back to the Fraser. However, that night, the pod turned around again and headed South. On the morning of the 23rd, J pod was headed out the Strait of Juan De Fuca for the open ocean but the orcas turned around and were back at San Juan Island a few hours before sunset.
That evening, I headed to some cliffs near my house to see the orcas as they socialized and hunted for salmon along the coast line. Two females named Alki J36 and Tsuchi J31 were closest to me, while Rhapsody J32 was a little further out, breaching occasionally, and Mike J26 was really far offshore. At one point Alki did a big spy hop.
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Alki J36 spy hops. She was born in 1999.
On the 24th, I spent almost my entire day watching the orcas from shore. At about eight in the morning, I heard loud exhales as the orcas headed South past the house. At twelve, I saw Group A of J pod (plus the J22's, minus J16's and L87) and nearly all of K pod (just missing the K21 crew) swim North past the house in a big resting line. But where was Group B of J pod, the J16's or L87? Soon after, I watched the same orcas from Lime Kiln State Park for about an hour as they continued North. In the lead was matriarch Granny J2, born around 1911.
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Granny J2 in the lead!
At around four, I returned to Lime Kiln and saw Group B (including the J16's and L87), the K21 crew, AND L pod (probably minus the L12's and L54's) swim North. Had L pod come in the night before?? Then, the orcas then all turned around and came back South, except for Group A of J pod and K pod. They were headed for the Fraser River.

One unfortunate thing happened during this Lime Kiln encounter: the behavior from private boaters and purse seiners was pretty bad. Nearly every vessel literally drove right over/through the orcas at a good speed or was within the 200 yard restriction, which applies to all vessels (including kayaks). Whether the operators knew the laws or not, who knows. Luckily, no J, K, or L pod member was harmed. I hope that next time these people are on the water, they view the orcas from the correct and respectful distance. To learn more about how to watch the orcas respectfully out on the water, click here.

Towards the end of the encounter, the J17's and L47's came right up to the shoreline and played in the kelp just a few feet away. I returned home a few minutes before seven and had ended up seeing around sixty four of the seventy eight Southern Resident orcas.
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Princess Angeline J17, born in 1977, spy hops as a private boater approaches at speed (just out of frame).
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Notch J47, born in 2010, dives as a private boater comes close to driving right over him.
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Mystic L115, born in 2010, pokes his head out of the water close to shore.
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Marina L47, born in 1974, tail slaps while playing with kelp, which is wrapped around her dorsal fin.
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Marina with kelp wrapped around her dorsal fin.
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Polaris J28, born in 1993, surfaces close to shore.
On the 25th, Group B of J pod (plus L87) and L pod left for the open ocean, while Group A of J pod (plus the J22's and maybe the J16's) and K pod stayed far North. The next day, Group A and K pod were surprisingly even further North, all the way up near Campbell River in Canada. However, they were headed South and could reappear around San Juan Island during the next few days. On the 27th, Group B of J pod (plus L87) and L pod (probably minus the L12's and L54's) returned to San Jan Island. Back on the cliffs near my house I could see the J17's and L43's foraging and socializing together. At one point, sprouter male Nigel L95 was showing off his sea snake to Polaris J28!

This is the second time that Onyx L87 has split from Group A and traveled with other Southern Resident matrilines.
I wonder if this will turn into a regular thing for him?


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Transient And Resident Orcas From 8/16/14 To 8/18/14

8/18/2014

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On the morning of the 16th, the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions had an early morning charter. Heading South, we arrived at Salmon Bank where we found a minke whale named Trotsky II. After watching Trotsky for a few minutes, we got a call that orcas had been sighted not too far away. Off we went and came upon two marine mammal eating Transient orca matrilines known as the T036A's and T037's as they had some brunch. We even heard them talking to each other with our underwater hydrophone!
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Trotsky II, my favorite minke whale!
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T037A, born in 1994, does an aerial scan.
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T036A, born in 1990. Blood from prey can be seen in the water beside her.
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One of the T037 or T036A kids spy hops.
On our afternoon trip, we caught up with Group A of J pod (including the J16's) as they traveled North up the West side of San Juan Island for the Fraser River. Accompanying them was a lone Pacific white sided dolphin (also known as a lag). The lag harassed one orca in particular, adult male Onyx L87. Onyx didn't much like the lag buzzing around his head, and first tried ignoring it, and then eventually started porpoising (speed swimming) away. However, he couldn't shake the lag until she/she decided to approach the whale watching boats for some bow riding.
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The lag surfaces in front of a diving Onyx.
On the 17th, Group A of J pod slowly made their way down from the Fraser River and didn't make it back to San Juan Island until the next day, just in time to welcome K pod, L pod, and the rest of J pod back into the area, They had returned some time early in the morning or late the night before. Out on the Odyssey, we met up with the superpod as the orcas slowly made their way North along San Juan Island, resting along the way. I have never seen such a calm and collected superpod! Maybe they had partied the night before and were completely exhausted by morning. I identified the members from the J11, J22, K12, K13, L4, L43, and L47 matrilines but I'm sure there were more matrilines around. Later on, I heard that the L12's and L54's were seen heading West, exiting the area. I should also note that a lag sighted in vicinity of the superpod on this day, maybe the same lone one that keeps associating with the Residents. Maybe he/she will be adopted??
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Family portrait of the K13 matriline!
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Adult male Blackberry J27, born in 1991.
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Sprouter male Nigel L95, born in 1996.
Will the superpod still be around tomorrow, and when will the L12's and L54's be back? We'll just have to wait and see!

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Resident Orcas From 8/12/14 To 8/15/14

8/15/2014

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On the 12th, we headed to limits of our range on the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions to see a Southern Resident orca matriline known as the J16's. The family of four (Slick J16, and her three offspring; Mike J26, Alki J36, and Echo J42) were over near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station for some reason, possibly foraging for salmon. I thought they would be scared away by all of the aircraft that were flying low above them, but the orcas stayed in the area for a few hours before swimming over to San Juan Island

The next day, the J16's joined up with Group A of J pod (and the K14's?) to the North up in Canada and together they headed down Boundary Pass for San Juan. Aboard the Odyssey, we saw some occasional porpoising from Hy'shqa J37 and her son Ti'lem I'nges J49, while Onyx L87 did a cartwheel, dorsal fin slap, and tail slap. Towards the end of our encounter, we joined the J16's as they brought up the rear of Group A.  As they slowly passed a fog covered Stuart Island, I was reminded of the stronger and healthier Northern Resident orcas up at the North end of Vancouver Island and my encounters with them last summer. I hope to see the Northern Residents again one of these days. I was then reminded that they have had a few new babies over these last few years, as well as the Transient orcas, while our Southern Residents haven't had a surviving calf since August of 2012. . .and with less than eighty Southern Residents left as they continue to loose individuals and gain zero babies, we need seriously some new calves.
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Hy'shqa J37, born in 2001, porpoises along.
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Granny J2, born around 1911. She is presumed to be great grandmother to Hy'shqa.
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Onyx L87, born in 1992. Looking for a mother figure, he travels closely with Granny.
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Mike J26, born in 1991, travels past a foggy Stuart Island.
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Slick J16, born around 1972, passes the Turn Point light house on Stuart Island.
On the 14th, fog engulfed San Juan Island, concealing Group A of J pod. It wasn't until later that evening that the orcas were sighted as they headed North for the Fraser River, and apparently the J16's and K14's were no where to be seen. They could have exited the area or were just off somewhere else around the islands. They are both pretty independent matrilines. On the 15th, the Group A was headed back down to San Juan Island from the Fraser River. Where will they pop up next?

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    Melisa Pinnow grew up on San Juan Island in Washington State. She attended The Evergreen State College from 2013 to 2017, receiving a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and ornithology. She has been a certified marine naturalist at San Juan Excursions since 2010. It is her hope that sharing her orca encounters will inspire others to love and protect these magnificent creatures for generations to come.

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