Nov. 22 '09 10:23 am: 2-3
adult orcas and a smaller one heading south from the Fauntleroy ferry
terminal. Last seen heading south past Brace
Point! orcas, including a mom
and calf, at 3 pm between Vashon Island and the Fauntleroy ferry dock,
spread out across the channel heading south, milling and foraging. Orcas from Alki at 1 pm -
there were two groups, one closer to Alki and another further out, mid-
channel, including an adult male. Nov. 21 '09 Whales off Lincoln Park,
south of Seattle, at 1:30 pm. Later found between
Lincoln Park and north Vashon Island at 3 pm, milling and foraging in calm waters. At 3:20 pm the whales were
off Dilworth, N. Vashon Island, heading south, and at 4:30 pm the leaders of
the pod were near Three Tree Pt. heading south. at least 15 orcas. Orcas were south of Alki
Pt, mid-channel heading south at 1:25 pm. 3 adult males and a calf with the pod. 12:30 pm from the Winslow-Seattle ferry reporting a pod of orcas heading south. 8:55 am to report 6+ orcas, near Pt. Wells,
south of Kingston heading south. 3 were close in, more were in the
distance. Pod of 5 - 6 orcas off
the Edmonds-Kingston ferry at 7:30 am, heading south. This morning, at 11:15, there was a groups of
transients who went slowly through Blackney Pass without any calls. The
disappeared in the direction of Johnstone Strait without disturbing the
hauled out sea lions.
Nov
16 '09 6 or perhaps 7 Orca on
Monday November 16, 2009 about 1/2 mile NNE of Race Rocks, British
Columbia. The Orca were all female with 1
yearling calf. When first contacted the
Orca were swirling in a feeding
pattern but I did not see any
sign of mammals on the surface so I am assuming these animals were
residents: they
were only 5 Orcas and they were the T46 pod.
Had the T046's
this afternoon east bound along the shoreline of Vancouver Island west
of Race Rocks. Strong
south-west winds and heavy rain made for a brief encounter.
Nov
15 '09
J28
and J46 Possession Pt, J's
and K's again on Sunday
afternoon south-east of Race Rocks. They
were last seen headed
west south of Race. New calf J46 - named "Star"
Northern Residents distant
calls on the Parson Island hydrophone. Sounds like at least the A36s
are in Johnstone Strait. A12 calls are still off the entrance to Blackney
Pass but with the horrible boat noise gone. Sounds like they are about
to use Blackney Pass, moving in. Stormy night out there.
Nov
3' 09: Orca
in Aruba a Coast Guard, Gino
Werleman on Superrib#1, photographed on Nov 3, 2009, an Orca pod
in waters between the South -coast of Aruba and Paraguana, Venezuela.
These pictures made it possible to create a dorsal fin identification
data base of orcas in the Caribbean waters, because 3 orcas in this
group are
now recognizable . 'The Guardian'-Orca
family consists of at least one adult male,
1 adult female, and 3 calves/juveniles. Nov
14 '09 J46 possibly a boy? (from Orkamad) J Pod
whales and especially with Polaris J-28 and the newest baby J-46 south
of Race Rocks. They
were with new
Grandma Princess Angeline J-17 and her youngest offspring J-44. J-17's
other offspring, Tahlequah J-35, was traveling with the J-16s. Go to my
blog for
more of the story. J's
and K's this morning at 8:30 foraging east of Race Rocks. They turned
north towards Victoria for a while before they turned to the south and
grouped up . Last
seen south-east of Race Rocks westbound with the outgoing ebb Nov
13 09 0945
am a least 10 Orcas whales at 2 miles East of Blakely Rock (of
bainbridge island).they were scattered
in 4 small groups , but definitely traveling north all together, i saw
at least 2 males 1 big +1 smaller one female with a baby.
~10
orcas heading north, with some foraging. This is likely J & K
pods
from yesterday, but no confirmation on ID's at this time. several
small pods of orcas spread out, mid-channel between Edmonds and
Kingston, between Jeff Head & Edward Pt. at 2:05 pm, heading
slowly
north and appeared to be foraging. a male, female & small calf,
another group of 4 swimming abreast, and another 10+ beyond them. a pod of orcas in
AppleTree Cove, off Kingston at 1:45 pm. A couple of Transients
snuck through Oak Bay today.
Northern
Residents A12s
(in particular) offshore of the eastern end of the Ecological
Reserve. A12s
are there too, with the A36s, and are now in Robson Bight. A36s
in Johnstone Strait since about 7:40am, and also heard them earlier,
around 1am
Nov
12 '09 confirming
it was J & K pods in Puget Sound today. They left them at
sunset off Possession Pt, SW Whidbey Island - the whales were milling
so direction of travel is uncertain after that, but they may have been
heading up into Possession Sound.
small
groups of orcas spread out and milling in the distance between Edmonds
and So. Whidbey Island at 3:20 pm.1
large male and
a breach. At 1:35
pm orcas
between Scatchet Head, SW Whidbey Island, and Point No Point, N. Kitsap
Peninsula, spread out in small groups, mid-channel and heading SE
toward Edmonds. 2:45
pm, as the leaders
were nearing the Edmonds/Kingston ferry lanes, foraging and continuing
south. 2:23
pm to
report she was seeing orcas in the distance from Edmonds, they appeared
to be between Pt. No Point and South Whidbey. least
20 orcas from Hansville, Kitsap Peninsula, just north of Double Bluff,
SW Whidbey Island, heading SE toward Double Bluff at noon. The
pod included several
large males and at least one juvenile. In
the same vicinity as the orcas he saw
about a dozen porpoise as well. 11:30
am reporting MANY
orcas (20 - 30+) off Bush Pt, west Whidbey Island, heading south. Nov
11 '09 J28 / Polaris has been
seen with a calf
Ken Balcomb of the Center
for Whale Research called at 4:53 pm to report that Js, Ks & L87 had
turned north and just swam by the Victoria waterfront, where he saw and
confirmed the new J pod calf, J46! Js and Ks on the west
side with a new baby At about 2 PM, Js and Ks head
south, very spread out across Haro Strait. 8:30
am to
report 2+
orcas off Mouat Pt., North Pender Isand heading south down Swanson
Channel toward Moresby Island.
Ken Balcomb of the Center
for Whale Research: Js, Ks & L87 off
Landbank, west San Juan Island at 2:40 pm, heading south. Nov. 4 '09 island
towards Campbell River and the central strait from Mitlenatch
Island (about
6 miles South of Campbell River.)
Nov.
3 '09 No
photos yet from today, so instead here are links to some great videos on Seattle News
websites: * 1620
today and they were off Bainbridge Island going North. Mark Sears and
Brad Hanson have collected a few fecal Pod of 20+ (could have
been more) Orcas going South past
Vashon - Fauntleroy ferry passage at 10am on
10/22/09. There were at
least 2 large males (one seemed to have a bent large fin). They
were hunting
off our home for about an
1/2 hour - circling and moving in what appeared hunting patterns
- zig zagging and surfacing in close proximity to one another. Some
tail slaps and a few breaches. They were 400 yards off Vashon.
Orcas at 10:10 am,
heading south passing through the Vashon ferry lanes. At 11:03 am they were at
Dilworth, N.Vashon, heading south. By around 12:30 pm they were midway
between Dilworth and Pt. Robinson.
10:26 am: Now
there are more splashing around in the distant wake of the ferry
heading to Vashon. Lots of splashing and fins/tails popping up. Some jumping. Now heading towards
Southworth.
One male, one
female orca, spread out between Blake Island and Fauntleroy at 10am.
1000 am see group
milling around Lowman beach just north of Lincoln park west Seattle.
9:27 am orcas between Bainbridge
and Blake Islands. At 9:35 am, at
least 6, including an adult male and juveniles, spread out down to
Fauntleroy - they were milling, with no direction of travel. At 10 am, they headed south,
some were at the Vashon ferry dock, others still up near Blake Island.
9:50 am to report 10 - 15 orcas, including
several adult males, off Carkeek Park/North Beach, north of Seattle,
heading south.
21 Nov 2009 18:06:49 PST
Northern Residents
The A12s and A36s just vanished on us just after
6am on the 15th. But considering the tide was in full ebb we imagine
that they left the area. We heard from CetaceaLab that the A30s, I31s
(both recently here) and the A5s were in their area. Always nice to
think that the whales can be tracked over the large area. The heavy
rains here abated and we actually have fine weather at the moment which
is almost as exciting as whales.
16 Nov 2009 15:59:17 PST
Whidbey
Island.
15 Nov 2009 05:14:47 PST
15 Nov 2009 06:07:54 PST
3
orcas including one male, between West Seattle and
Bainbridge Island headed north in heavy seas at 9:45 am.
1305: Killer Whales heading
south in Haro Strait "pretty far out,
near the Kelp Reef marker." Recorded S1 and S16 calls suggest it's J
and K pods. Hearing faint S4 calls on
Lime Kiln hydrophone at 13:20.
1152: S1
calls on Orcasound hydrophone getting louder.
Northern
Residents
The
A34s began the day by coming west from east of the eastern end of the
Ecological Reserve. Their timing was perfect for incoming from
Blackfish Sound were the A30s and I31s. A12 might have been there too
(she is seen later with the other orcas). The A30s and the I31s rushed
into Johnstone Strait via Blackney Pass on the last of the flooding
tide to meet up with the A34s. They did not linger long and before we
knew it the whales were booting it north through Blackney Pass.
Possibly, the A34s were in the lead. The A30s and the I31s. By 2:30pm
they were all well into Blackfish Sound and on their way to Queen
Charlotte Strait where Jared Towers confirmed that all the
A12s,A30s,I31s were present. In addition, he saw the G25s (part of the
G17s). encountered the groups off the Penfold Islands. There
had
been dolphins with the orcas as they travelled north.
Helena
11 Nov 2009 15:24:13 PST
Oct 17
'09(New)
New
Zealad Orca East Coast, North
Island, NZ
Two
orcas that came up to the boat at White Island (volcano) off the east
coast of the North Island of New Zealand The orcas
came right up to the boats it sat there with the engines off and went
right underneath us in front of me
Nov.
10 '09 (Updated)
three
transients (one female and two juveniles) at Double Bluff,
west side of Whidbey Island, heading north.
1:40
pm to see at
least one - an adult male, possibly two orca whales - in these blustery
seas off Eagle Cove, W. San Juan Island, heading east.
U38 and U39 were off of Victoria
again all day today taking out seals. Least 7 seal
kills throughout the day. T103 and the T049A's who
were in the process of digesting a
prey item themselves.
Nov 9
'09 (Updated)
Monterey, Ca. 10-12
Orcas., Transients. First
came upon a
large, dorsal fin male. Beautiful. Just traveling
along with a female. Then the
female took off, porpoising out of the water. Then a female and
a youngster, older calf headed towards the male. Group of Orcas,
approx 9 feeding on something. There was a total
of 3 calves.
2 definitely very small, youngsters,
Northern Residents
"A1"
calls on the Parson Island hydrophone.
09
Nov 2009 00:14:36 PST
A12s
and A1 calls
on the Critical Point hydrophone as well as Parson Island, so it's
likely the whales have entered Johnstone Strait via Blackney Pass
&
are now heading east.
09
Nov 2009 00:31:10 PST
The
calls are closer to the Critical Point hydrophone now, so the orcas are
in or near Robson Bight. Sounds like the A30s may be there too.
09
Nov 2009 03:25:28 PST
Sounds
lie the A30s have moved back westward. We were, for a while hearing A1
calls offshore of the eastend of the Ecological Reserve. Earlier than
that the whales had been moving east after their entry (via Blackney
Pass) around midnight.
09 Nov 2009 11:30:47 PST
We believe that A12 just went by, by herself,
heading north into Blackfish Sound!
09 Nov 2009 15:18:35 PST
Nov. 8 '09 (Updated)
10:20
am small pod of orcas in case inlet (So. Puget Sound - across from
Allyn, N. of Olympia) small pod of about 4+. Orcas are following a sail boat back out of inlet.
3:15
pm to
report they were with California Transient orcas U38
& U39, 2.5 miles east of Race Rocks. The
whales were heading
NE toward Victoria, B.C.
Had Transient
orcas U38 and U39 once again off of Victoria (see
below photo) on
Sunday afternoon (11/8). They took
out at least 5 seals within 2 hours.
Nov 7
'09
T103 and his group of
T49's were off Race Rocks at 1550 Nov.07 going S.W
Possible
transient calls, around 12:20PM, in Johnstone Strait.
07
Nov 2009 14:19:03 PST
Nov 6 '09
Large
pod of Killer Whales still in Strait of Georgia NW of Mitlenatch Island
as of 0900 Nov. 6. Well offshore, but estimated to be 10 to 15 animals and likely
the same group seen there Nov. 4, 2009. Currently
moving in circles, but may be drifting NW. Wind and whitecaps, and too
far from Saratoga Beach/Oyster River for ID.''
Nov 5
'09
The A30s
were in the lead all together followed by all the
A34s
andA12 might have been in amongst them. Both groups were in Blackfish
Sound.
05 Nov 2009 07:43:30 PST
A36s
& A12s are back in Johnstone Strait & are getting close
to Robson Bight
05 Nov 2009 03:58:36 PST
At
1309 at least 5 Males and maybe 20 other orcas going up (Vancouver)
Report
of orcas off Vashon Island with this additional
information:
the orcas were between
the Southworth Ferry dock
and the point to the north of it from 11 am
until 3 pm,
then they moved north to the west side of Blake Island
and then out of sight, presumably futher north.
Nov
3 '09:
* Transients: U38 &
U39 spotted at Race Rocks
swimming towards T103 and T49A group
* orcas between Vashon
and Blake Islands
Nov 2 '09 (Updated)
4-7
orcas in Puget Sound, heading South
past Anderson Island/Longbranch toward Olympia. #
5-7
Orcas, sighted Mon. Nov 2 about 9-1
1am off Gig
Harbor, WA.
Nov 1 '09
Found T103
with the T049A's again today (11/1),
this time on the American side of the Juan de Fuca west
of
Crescent Bay east bound
Oct 31 '09
T49
pod with T103 spotted at Race Rocks
Oct 27 '09
T103
spotted at Race Rocks
Oct 26 '09
L
pod spotted inc. L7 & L73 at Boundary Pass
The
matrilines observed were L26's, L37's,
L4's, L21's, L9's, and L35's
Oct 24 '09
Transient
Orcas Bowen
Island.
T36,
T36B, a calf that surfaced consistently
beside T36B, T46B plus a calf that surfaced
with T46B, T46B1, T99, T99A and T99B.
Oct 22 '09
KOMO 4 TV
News - click
here for
video. KIRO 7 TV News -
click
here for
video
* 8
-10 orcas between Bainbridge Island and Seatte at 3:30
pm, heading north. * J
and K pod, with L87 in the Seattle area today: 4:04 pm: J
& Ks northboundbetween West
Pt. and Eagle
Harbor (Bainbridge Island).
3:26 pm: Still N/NW bound, but slow with
occasional direction
changes. Leadersin central basin are approaching
West Point.
2:38 pm: J
and K pod now crossing Elliott Bay,
some 1km
NW of Alki, others spread out to
WNW with leaders approaching
Eagle Harbor. 2:20 pm: J & Ks 1 - 3 miles Kilometers
off
Alki Pt, traveling NW.
1:05 pm: J
& Ks, traveling slowly
northward, spread out a bit less. Leaders
nearing the ferry dock at Fauntleroy.
Oct 10 '09
Southern
Residents, Pt. Wilson, Port
Townsend with L73 & 41
Oct '09
Orcas
spotted in Sea
of Cortez,
Baja
