JUNE 25, 2009 J pod in Haro Strait; K pod cross Victoria Waterfront

Today Five Star Charters had a morning and an afternoon trip. We departed the Victoria Harbour in the Supercat at 1000 and headed out into the cloud and drizzle. We started by making our way east across the Victoria waterfront towards San Juan Island in Haro Strait. Once we reached Haro Strait we headed towards the north end of San Juan Island, Washington and continued on to Stuart Island where we heard there was a report of some killer whales (Orcinus orca) coming our way.

We arrived to Stuart Island, also in Washington State, around 1100 and soon spotted the fins and blows of the group of killer whales. Once they reached where we had stopped (in some pretty lumpy water!) I noticed the oldest male member of our Southern Resident killer whales community J1, Ruffles (estimated to be in his late 50s). I could tell it was him because his dorsal fin is twice as tall and straighter than the females in the pod and quite wavey (hence the name Ruffles!). I identifed some other members of J pod, including the J17s, as they travelled quickly, southbound, towards San Juan Island (Center For Whale Research ID pages and Matrilines, Friday Harbour Whale Museum Orca Adoption.

J17, Princess Angeline, is a 32 year old female with two daughters, J28, Polaris (16 years old) and J35, Tahlequah (11 years old). She also had one of the newest calves in J pod, J44, who is about 6 months old. In addition to the J17s we also saw J31, Tsuchi (14 years) who is from the J11 matriline (J11 is deceased since 2008) travelling with J28 who is a couple of years older than her. After a watching J pod for about an hour we left them just off Henry Island at around 1200.

J17, Princess Angeline, a 32 year old female and the mother of one of the the newest calves in J pod (J44, 6 moths old now)

J35, Tahlequah, J17's daughter and the older (11 yr old) sister of the new calf, J44

Above 2 photos: J31, Tsuchi, 14 year old daughter of J11 (deceased, 2008) travelling with J28, Polaris, J17's other daughter (16 years)

J17, Princess Angeline

And from the afternoon trip...

We departed at around 1400 and after hearing that another group of killer whales was coming in from west of Victoria we headed south out of the Victoria Harbour towards Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. Shortly after we arrived at Race Passage we spotted more fins and blows and after getting a better look we saw members of K pod, another one of the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods, travelling east towards Vcitora. During this sighting I was able to identify members of the K13s and K12s.

The K13s include K13, Skagit, a 37 year old female and her offspring including: K20, Spock, her 23 year old daughter; K25, Scoter, her 18 year old son; K27, Deadhead, her 13 year old daughter; and K34, Cali, her 8 year old son. K13s grandson, K38, Comet also travels with this matrilineal family group. The K14s include K14, Lea, a 32 year old female and her offspring K26, Lobo, her 16 year old son; K36, Yoda, who is 6 years old and K42, her calf from last year.

K37, Rainshadow, the 6 year old son of K12, Sequim, a ~37 year old female

K12, Sequim

K14, Lea (32 years) travelling with her offspring K36, Yoda (6 years old) and K26, Lobo (16 years old)

JUNE 23, 2009 K pod (travelling with J pod) off Victoria waterfront

It was yet another beautiful sunny day when we departed Victoria Harbour on Five Star Charter’s Fastcat and headed into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We headed almost due south out of the harbour to see what we could find in the middle of the Strait; both Resident ‘mammal eating’ and Transient ‘mammal eating’ killer whales (Orcinus orca) travel through these waters and we have also had increased sightings of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) over the past decade in this area. We travelled as far as Constance Bank, where the cargo and container ships will wait to pick up or drop off pilots and wait until they head to Vancouver, and then continued on to Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

Although most of the sea lions have left Race Rocks, to go to their breeding colonies in California and Alaska, we had a nice sighting of 2 Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) swimming in the kelp just off the rocks. We also saw quite a few harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) hauled out...and we had a quick scan for seal pups because we are almost in the pupping season for the harbour seals.

From Race Rocks we travelled through Race Passage back towards the Victoria harbour as there was a report of Resident 'fish eating' killer whales travelling east just off of William Head (also known as Club Fed!). How nice it was to have the whales so close to the harbour...when we arrived we saw members of K pod and some of the other boats told us they were watching some members of J pod (Center for Whale Research ID pages, Whale Museum Orca Adoption). We watched the whales for about an hour and then left them (just south of the Victoria Harbour entrance!) and finished the trip at the Chain Islands in Oak Bay. At Great Chain we had a nice look at a juvenile Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flying right over the boat and probably checking out all the nesting birds for a potential meal!

Container ship at Constance Bank

Stern of a container ship at Constance Bank

Mount Olympus as seen from Race Rocks Marine Protected Area with seals hauled out on the rocks

Above 2 photos: Steller sea lion at Race Rocks...not the ear flap on the side his head (feature to help identify it as a sea lion)

K14, Lea, a 32 year old female

K26, Lobo, K14's 16 year old son

K34, Cali (8 years old) travelling with his mother K13, Skagit (~37)

K27, Deadhead, a 15 year old female, named in honour of Gerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead!

K34 and K13

K25, Scoter, 18 year old son of K13 and older brother of K27 and K34

K20, Spock, the oldest offspring of K13 (23 years) and mother of K38, Comet. At one point K20 was believed to be a male because of her large dorsal fin and the late birth of K38!

K13

K13 (far right) with her offspring from left to right: K20, K25 and K34

Saturday May 16, 2009 J POD IN HARO STRAIT

This evening we headed from Victoria harbour with cruise ship passengers on the last leg of their Alaska cruise. Tomorrow they're back in Seattle and headed home and this evening was a nice grand finale to the cruise!

We departed just before 1900 on Five Star's Fastcat and headed east in the Strait of Juan De Fuca towards Haro Strait. When we arrived to a report of J pod they were spread out in Haro Strait from the False Bay area of San Juan Island to Beaumont Shoals on the Canadian side of the Strait. We were fortunate enough to watch J pod travelling with a few K pod whales. Upon arriving we found the whales very spread out and foraging.

K25, Scoter in Haro Strait

K25 on a foraging dive under the boat

K25, Scoter

The first two whales I was able to identify were K25, Scoter, and J33, Keet. We were even fortunate enough to see K25 doing some cartwheels and being very active at the surface as he was hunting a salmon! After watching those two animals for a while we made our way from the San Juan side of the strait to Beaumont Shoals where our other vessel, the Supercat, told us there were many more animals. When we arrived we saw a whale do some half breaches in the distance and then we saw J27, Blackberry, an 18 year old (nearly mature!) male foraging with K20, Spock, and her calf, K38. It was very interesting watching this group of Ks foraging with J pod!

J pod member with the Olympic Mountains, Washington State

Sunset!

Cruise ship off the west side of San Juan Island

Above three photos are J27, Blackberry

K20, Spock, a 23 year old female who was believed at one time to be a young male

Just before 2100 the sun was starting to get low in the sky at so we had to leave the whales and start to make our way back to the harbour. It was a lovely ride back in the sunset and we were very pleased to have had such a nice evening trip!