J Pod Does The West Side Shuffle On 5/30/13

5/31/2013

After leaving the islands sometime during the night on 5/19/13, J pod was finally seen heading back into the area on the afternoon of 5/28/13. As I looked through binoculars while looking high over the ocean at Land Bank, I could see the orcas as they moved closer to San Juan Island. There were many breaches, tail slaps, spy hops and other playful antics. When they finally reached the island, they remained offshore and headed North into the sunset.

Early the next morning, J pod was right in front of my house on the west side of San Juan Island, but I did not know this because I was sleeping. I woke up to reports of them just passing Lime Kiln State Park up island of me, heading North. Disappointed from missing a close encounter from shore at the park, I went about my morning. Only a few hours later though, I heard reports of orcas near my house again. Confused, I went to investigate. It was Group B of J pod and checking in with a researcher, it had sounded like Group A had continued North, while Group B turned around and headed back South again.

I watched Group B for awhile as they socialized offshore and then all at, once turned around and headed North again. I jumped into my car and headed to a beach a few miles North of me where the orcas sometimes come closer to shore. The first J pod members I saw were Samish J14, her offsrping Hy'shqa J37, Suttles J40, Se-Yi'-Chn J45 and her grandson J49. Eclipse J41 was with them too. Well, these orcas are members of Group A, so that meant that all of J pod had been doing the West side shuffle, not just Group B.

Hy'shqa J37, born in 2001, tail slaps.

Princess Angeline J17 and her family were the next to swim past shore.

Princess Angeline's family.

Princess Angeline's daughter Tahlequah J35, born in 1998, spy hops.

Moby J44, born in 2009 and his mother Princess Angeline J17, born in 1977.

Slick J16, her son Mike J26 and her two daughters Alki J36 and Echo J42 where the ones that came closest to shore, playing in the kelp along the way.

Alki J36, born in 1999, breaches.

Slick J16, estimated to have been born in 1972, holds her pectoral fin in the air before slapping it hard on the surface of the water.

Echo J42, born in 2007, chin slaps.

Mike J26, born in 1991, surfaces with kelp draped over his dorsal fin.

Slick J16 spy hops.

After the Slick and her family passed by, I got into my car again and headed north to Lime Kiln State Park for one more encounter with J pod from shore. I was happy to see that J pod's matriarch, Granny J2, estimated to have been born in 1911, was back in the lead after a few encounters where she been farther back in the middle of the pod. I had been wondering if Granny was finally slowing down at 102 years old but it looks like this was not the case, at least on this day.