Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
We saw lots of mating behavior from many of the males, but we won't know if any of them were successful for seventeen months! There were also many breaches, spy hops, cartwheels, tail slaps, inverted tail slaps, pectoral fin slaps, dorsal fin slaps, aerial scans, and back dives. Please don't use my photos without permission. Just ask :)
0 Comments
On the day that my last encounter took place (the 13th), J pod exited the area during the night and was no where to be seen the next day. However, early in the morning on the 15th, I woke up to reports of orcas at Sooke, BC and that they were headed East for San Juan Island. These orcas turned out to be J pod, ALL of J pod! It took a few hours for them to make their way to Discovery Island and cross Haro Strait and end up on the West side of the San Juan (partly because they were swimming against the ebbing tide) but I eventually picked them up in my binoculars as I sat on shore. As J pod crossed Haro, they nearly swam right into two transient orca matrilines known as the T065A's and T124A's . The T124A's ended up turning around and quickly heading the opposite direction once (maybe because they figured out that the residents were nearby) while the T065A's ducked into Oak Bay, near Victoria. There seems to be a rule between these two different species of orca, which is that they do not interact with each other in any way. They continued to stand by this rule. As J pod made their way across Haro Strait, they became very active with tail slaps, breaches, cartwheels and other behaviors. Once they were at San Juan Island, the pod settled down and split into Group A and B. This splitting into two groups began a few years ago. Normally this is how the groups are made up, but this year has been a little different.
This year, the J22's (Oreo, Doublestuf, Cookie, and Rhapsody) and sometimes the J11's (Blackberry, Tsuchi, and Mako) have switched to traveling with Group A, while the J17's (Princess Angeline J17, Polaris J28, Tahlequah J35, Moby J44, Star J46, Notch J47) have gone off on their own. The J16's (Slick, Mike, Alki, and Echo) have been almost exclusively with Group A too. On this day, Group A was the J14's (Granny, Onyx, Samish, Hy'shqa, Suttles, Se-Yi'-Chn, and Ti'lem I'nges) and J19's (Shachi and Eclipse) as usual, but Blackberry was with them, specifically traveling beside Samish. I saw him doing this on the 13th too! Group A swam North up the West side of the island, while Group B (the J16's, J17's, and J22's) headed South down the island. I caught up with Group A at Lime Kiln State Park as they came close to shore. I was unable to catch up with Group B as they continued South but I did manage to listen and record them as they vocalized on the live streaming hydrophones in the evening. I should also note that most of L pod was also spotted near Sooke on this day but they turned around and exited the area. Still, maybe a visit from L pod is in the near future?
Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask :) In just a few days I will heading back home to San Juan Island for the summer after a great first year at Evergreen State College. During fall quarter, I took a class called Ocean Life and Environmental Policy where I learned much about marine life taxonomy/identification and dramatically increased my lab skills. In winter quarter, I took a continuation of the Ocean Life class called Our Changing Oceans: Bringing Together Science and Policy. We dove deep into climate change, ocean acidification, algal blooms, bacteria, policies, and legislation. For spring quarter, I chose to take Cities, Sustainability and Foreign Policy, and I'm really glad I did. I now have this vast amount of information that makes me look at the world differently, in ways I could never have even imagined before. Next year, I will start off with an ornithology class. Now, as I'm beginning to pack up all my things for the move back to the island, I wanted to give some updates on the recent sightings of J and L pod. The residents had been pretty scarce until the morning of 5/31/14, when J pod was spotted off the west side of the island. However, it was not all of J pod, two matrilines called the J11's (Blackberry J27, Tsuchi J31, Mako J39) and the J17's (Princess Angeline J17, Polaris J28, Tahlequah J35, Moby J44, Star J46, Notch J47) were unaccounted for. That afternoon, I recorded J pod as they vocalized over the live streaming OrcaSound hydrophone. To listen to this hydrophone recording or any of the ones I mention, visit my SoundCloud page here. One question that was on everyone's mind was if J pod would stay around or leave as soon as they arrived, which has become quite a common occurrence now. However, it did seem like they were actually finding some salmon out there. Friends of mine got multiple pictures of orcas with salmon in their mouths, and it was reported that they were doing some major foraging! The next morning, I could hear them back on the hydrophones! It sounded to me like they were still hunting and catching salmon. It was day three and J pod was still around! They continued to do what we call "the west side shuffle", which is when the orcas travel up and down the coast all day long as they hunt for salmon. It felt just like the old times again. Day four (June 3rd) was when things got really interesting! The L12's (Ocean Sun L25, Mega L41, Matia L77, Mystery L85, Calypso L94, Cousteau L113, and Joy L119), the L22's (Spirit L22 and Solstice L89), and the rest of J pod had all arrived during the night. I recorded their rather boisterous reunion over the hydrophones. However, by the next day, the L12's, L22's, J11's, and J17's had all left again. The J14's (Including Granny J2 and Onyx L87), J16's, J19's, and the J22's all remained in the area just as before, until the morning of 6th, when they were seen exiting the area through the Strait of Juan De Fuca. I wonder when they will be back? Besides the residents, there has also been a lot of marine mammal eating transient orcas scattered around the area recently. Some of the transient families spotted include the T010's, T036A's, T049A's, T065A's, T086A's, T093 and T097, the T100's, T101's, T124A's, and the T137's. Who knows who I'll see once I get back on the island!
Expect for more blog posts soon and let the summer begin! On the morning of 11/28/13, I heard a report that lots of orcas had been seen off the West side of San Juan Island, usually an indicator for one or more Southern Resident orca pods. I looked out my window to see a few orcas milling offshore, acting more like a small group of Transient orcas, who instead of eating only salmon like the Residents, prey specifically on marine mammals. The orcas began moving North so I drove that direction as well and once I was at a higher vantage point, I could see many, many more orcas and it was obvious that I was looking at Residents. I headed to Lime Kiln State Park and got there just in time as J, K and L pod, minus two matrilines called the L12's and L22's, passed by shore, some just a few feet away. They were very active! Best Thanksgiving EVER!!
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. 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. 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. 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!
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
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 :) 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. 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. 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! 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 :) 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. 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.
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! 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. Before the sunrise on the morning of 8/16/13, J, K and L pod left San Juan Island through the Strait of Juan De Fuca for the open ocean. One matriline, the L54's, turned around mid-way and made their way ever so slowly back. By the morning of the 17th, they had returned to the West side of the island. Aboard the "Odyssey" of San Juan Excursions, we watched the L54's as they foraged for Chinook salmon throughout the day, with males Wave Walker L88 and Coho L108 hanging out and fishing together off on their own. That night, J, K, and the rest of L pod sneaked back into the area, so when I looked out my window in the morning (the 18th), I was confused when I saw orcas everywhere! At that point, I had not idea what pods or matrilines were around, so I walked over to the coastline nearby to try to see who was around and ended up having a close encounter with a matriline from K pod known as the K12's! I could see J and L pod members off in the distance too. Definitely another superpod! Soon after, I was aboard the "Odyssey" and we headed for Eagle Point on the West side of San Juan Island where we saw orcas spread out for miles in socializing groups. The orcas we saw first were adult female Lulu L53 and sprouter male Crewser L92 traveling together. Not to far away was Surprise L86, Pooka L106 and Suttles J40, who were all doing some serious spy hopping. Then along came Ocean Sun L25, trailed by Mega L41. Ocean Sun seemed to want to catch up to a large group of J's, K's and L's off in the distance, and seemed to be telling Mega, who was swimming pretty slowly behind her, to hurry it up! Ocean Sun, estimated to have been born in 1928, surfaces to take a breath. This elder female is thought to Lolita's mother or close relative. Lolita is a captive orca who was captured from L pod in 1970 and is that last Southern Resident orca alive in captivity. To learn more about Lolita, click this photo.
All three pods mingled with each other into the night and by morning all had left for the open ocean. I wonder when they will be back?
Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask :) |
AuthorMelisa 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. Archives
October 2018
|