JULY 16, 2009 AFTERNOON Minke whale at Hein Bank and Harbour porpoise and seals

Departure time: 1407

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Supercat

Rhinocerous Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) going for a dive!

Sighting #1: Minke whales (Balaenopter acutorostrata)

Time: 1525
Location: 1 at South Hein Bank marker and another at north Hein Bank marker, Haro Strait, Washington waters

Behaviour: milling and foraging

Cool minke whale fact: the minke whale's life span is believed to be about 50 years

Links

American Cetacean Society minke whale fact sheet

Sighting #2 Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

Time: 1615

Location: 2 miles south of Beaumont Shoals, Haro Strait

Behaviour: milling, slow rolls at surface

Links
American Cetacean Society harbour porpoise fact page

Harbour porpoise surfacing near Beaumont Shoals, Haro Strait

Above 2 photos: Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the Chain Islands, Oak Bay

Sighting #3 Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina)

Time: 1306 Location: Chain Islands, Oak Bay

Behaviour: hauled out and swimming

Links
Vancouver Aquarium harbour seal fact page

In the middle of this photo sits a sea gull with her two little chicks on the Chain Islands Oak Bay!

Harbour seals hauled out in the Chain Islands, Oak Bay

SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP SAVE THE WHALES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT To learn some ways how you can help save the whales and the oceans they live in see the Whale Nerds Unite blogpost for June 27, 2009!

JULY 4, 2009 AFTERNOON J and K pods in Haro Strait and Happy Independence Day USA!

Departure time: 1000

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Fastcat

Sighting #1: Southern 'Resident' fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)

Time: 1446 - 1549

Start location: Andrews Bay, San Juan Island, Washington

Behaviour: travelling north

End location: Battleship Island, Haro Strait, Washington

Individuals identified: J and K pods - K21, K40, J22, J34, K16

Links
Center for Whale Research killer whale fact page, photo ID and matrilines

Orca Adoption Program at Friday Harbour Whale Museum

Orcasound online hydrophone network

Orca Sightings Network

American Cetacean Society fact sheet

K40, Raggedy, a female estimated to be 46 years old and K21, Cappuccino, a 23 year old male who is probably her brother

Members of J and K pod travelling together in Haro Strait, near Henry Island

Members of J and K pod travelling together in Haro Strait, near Henry Island...K21 is on the far right

A Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) at the Chain Islands in Oak Bay, Victoria

SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP SAVE THE WHALES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT
To learn some ways how you can help save the whales and the oceans they live in see the Whale Nerds Unite blogpost for June 27, 2009!

JUNE 23, 2009 AFTERNOON J and K pods northbound in Haro Strait

This afternoon Five Star Charter's Fastcat departed at 1400 from the Victoria Harbour and into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We travelled east across the Victoria waterfront stopping first at the Chain Islands off of Oak Bay were we there was a Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) sitting on the Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) nests at Great Chain and many harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the kelp and hauled out on the rocks.

From the Chain Islands we continued on past Seabird Pt at the south end of Discovery Island and Beaumont Shoals (where we spotted a few harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena) and then on to San Juan Island, Washington. We arrived at the west side of San Juan Island at around 1500 and soon spotted some killer whales (Orcinus orca) travelling slowly just offshore. After looking at some of the individuals in the group I was able to identify members from both J and K pods (Center For Whale Research ID pages). During our sighting J and K pods travelled north and even did some breaches and spyhops for us! We left them at Henry Island just north of San Juan Island still making their way north at around 1600.

Harbour seal in the bull kelp at Chain Islands

Breach!

Breach splash!

J16, Slick, a ~37 year old female and her youngest J42, Echo (2 years old)

J26, Mike, an 18 year old male

Spyhop!

MAY 22 AFTERNOON J POD OFF SAN JUAN ISLAND

Today J pod was still spending time spread out and travelling along the west side of San Juan Island, Washington State. We arrived to the very spread out pod just before 1500. We watched the pod for about 45 minutes and during that time I was able to identify members of the J17s (J17, 32 year old female; J28, a 16 year old female; J35, an 11 year old female and J44 who was just born this past winter around February), the J14s (J14, a 35 year old female; J30, a 14 year old male; and possibly J40, a 5 year old juvenile and J45 who was also born around the same time as J44) and J26, an 18 year old male from the J16 matriline. (Check out J pods matrilines at the Center For Whale Reserch's website here)

J26, Mike, nearly mature 18 year old male

J17, Princess Angeline, 32 year old female who had another calf around February

J30, Riptide, 14 year old sprouting (maturing) male

J30, Riptide travelling along the west side of San Juan Island

J45, J14, Samish's, new calf probably travelling with its older sibling J40 (3 years old)

J30, Riptide (14 years old), travelling with his mother J14, Samish (35 years old)

We left the pod spread out along the west side of San Juan Island just before 1600 to make our way back to Victoria. On the way back to the harbour we saw a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) sitting on the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) nests at Great Chain Island in Oak Bay where they pick out chicks and eggs from the other birds including the cormorants and seagulls nesting on the island.

We finished our lovely afternoon at the Victoria Harbour at 1700...after a lovely day of watching J pod off San Juan Island and and spotting the eagle at Great Chain Island, Oak Bay!

MAY 21, 2009 AFTERNOON J POD TRAVELLING OFF THE WEST SIDE OF SAN JUAN ISLAND

After departing the Victoria Harbour at 1400 Five Star Charter's Fastcat travelled east across the Victoria waterfront toward San Juan Island, Washington State. J pod was reported to be spread out travelling north along the west side of the island.

Lucky for us, en route to San Juan Island we had a not-so-common sighting of a brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in the strait. Although they are seen here occasionally it is definitely not a daily event (more Pelican info)!

View of Mount Baker through the Oak Bay Chain Islands

Mount Baker with cargo ship

Brown Pelican

When we arrived at San Juan Island we sighted J pod members travelling north along the shoreline. I was able to identify members of many of the matrilines of J pod including the J22s (J22, J34, J38 identified), the J17s, (J17, J28, J35, J44 identified) and the J14s (J14, J30, J45) and the eldest members of the pod (J1, J2 and J8). Check out the Center for Whale Research's whale ID page to learn more about these groups http://www.whaleresearch.com/orca_ID_pods.html

J pod travelling off San Juan Island

J27, Blackberry, travelling with J14, Samish

J14s (J27, Blackberry; J35, Tahlequah; and J14, Samish)

Matrilineal group from J pod (probably J22s) travelling alongside San Juan Island

J34, Doublestuff (11 year old male) travelling with his younger sibling J38, Cookie (6 years old)

J27, Blackberry

J17, Princess Angeline (32 years old) with daughters J28, Polaris (16 years old) and J35, Tahlequah (11 years old)

J28, Polaris (from the J17s) travelling with J22, Oreo and J34, Doublestuff

J28, Polaris, and J27, Blackberry

J28, Polaris, J31, Tsuchi (14 years old) and J35, Tahlequah

J22, Oreo (24 years old) and her son J34, Doublstuff (11 years old)

We left J pod around 1600; they were still northbound in groups spread out just off of Andrews Bay, San Juan Island (where the Center For Whale Research is located!) and started to make our way back to the Victoria Harbour. On the way back to the harbour we stopped in the Chain Islands in Oak Bay too look at the seals and seabirds. We had a nice look at some harbour seals in the water and the double-crested cormorants.

The Oak Bay Chain Islands with the Olympic Mountains in the background

Harbour Seal (phoca vitulina) in the kelp at the Chain Islands

Double Crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) at the Chain Islands

We arrived back at the dock in the Victoria Harbour at 1700...after a lovely day seeing a brown pelican, the matrilineal groups of J pod travelling together, seals and the cormorants!

T40 aka Captain Hook travelling with the T124s and T90s in Haro Strait April 20th!

Finally we are starting to get some warmer weather...and calm seas! We departed at 2 pm this afternoon and, fortunately for us, already had a report of a group of Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in Haro Strait. We travelled east across the Victoria waterfront, taking in the amazing views of the Olympic Mountains to the south of us, past Oak Bay and Chatham and Discovery Islands and into Haro Strait where the border between Canada and the US runs north toward Vancouver City.

Olympic Mountains and Chatham and Discovery Islands

After travelling for just over an hour we reached the north side of Henry Island, near Battleship Island, in the north end of Haro Strait and spotted some other whale watching vessels travelling with two Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales (Orcinus orca). In addition to the whale watching vessels we also spotted the Center For Whale Research vessel conducting a photo-ID survey on the two Transients.

Center For Whale Research staff doing photo ID on transients T40 and T124C

Our reports from earlier in the day indicated that there was a group of about 8 animals travelling together but when we arrived we found there were only two animals. The group had split and we found we were watching a mature male,T40 aka Captain Hook, travelling with a female T124C who is a member of the T124 group. We soon spotted another small cluster of whale watching boats. The rest of the T124 group was travelling with the T90s on the other side of Haro Strait near Halibut and Sidney Islands. Due to the nature of the border here (it runs up the center of Haro Strait) T40 and T124C were travelling in US waters while the rest of the T124s and T90s were travelling in Canadian waters...but I'm sure they didn't know they were travelling in two different countries!

T124C and T40 travelling northbound in Haro Strait

T40 in Haro Strait

Transient killer whale T40

Transient killer whale T40

Transient killer whales T40 and T124C

After having a nice look at Captain Hook and T124C (and the Center for Whale Research researchers!) we decided to cross back into Canadian waters and see the other group. We watched this group who were pointed in a northerly direction but not making much movement up the strait. Just before we reached this group of 5 animals we spotted a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) not far from them. Not sure if the seal was aware of their presence but shortly after we started watching the second group of animals they looked like they were hunting in the area where we saw the seal. In addition to their milling around in one spot for a few minutes we saw a couple sea gulls come to pick scraps i.e. Transient crumbs, from the water...a good indicator that Transients are feeding!

member of T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

member of T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

member of T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales with Stuart Island, WA in background

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales with Stuart Island, WA in background

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales with Stuart Island, WA in background

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

T124 and T90 groups of Transient killer whales

After a wonderful sighting of the T124 and T90 Transient killer whale groups we left them just after 4 pm as they continued their northerly direction in Haro Strait and started to head back towards Victoria.

Mount Baker and Shuskan, WA with San Juan Islands in foreground

Heading home after watching T40 and T124s in Haro Strait

On the way down Haro Strait we made a stop at Kelp Reefs where we saw three Steller sea lions (Eumatopia jubatus) hauled out on the ledge of the marker. They also seemed to be enjoying the sun, warmth and calm seas!

Kelp Reef, Haro Strait and amazing flat calm waters!

Steller sea lions hauled out on the Kelp Reef marker

On the way back to the Victoria harbour we made one last stop in the Chain Islands near Chatham and Discovery Islands near Oak Bay. We took a quick look at the harbour seals also affectionately known as `rock sausages` by local whale watchers because they are one of the main prey of the Transient killer whales. We also spotted some seabirds including Pelagic cormorants (Phalacrocorax kenyoni ), double crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) and Black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani). It was a great way to end a wonderful sunny and calm day on the water!

Double Crested cormorant (identifiable by kink in neck in flight) in the Chain Islands, Oak Bay