August 12, 2009 MORNING J pod in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Departure time: 0958
Vessel: Five Star Charter's Supercat

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

Time: 1122

Start location: mid Strait of Juan De Fuca, 3.5 miles south of Sheringham Point, Vancouver Island
End location: mid Strait of Juan De Fuca, 3.5 miles southwest of Sheringham Point, Vancouver

Behaviour: groups spread, travelling fast westbound
Pods and Individuals identified: J, K and L - J1, J8, J14, J30, J37, J40, J44, J16, J26, J36, J42 (we didn't ID any Ks or Ls but other vessels reported seeing them)

Cool killer whale fact: Like all dolphins, orcas use sophisticated biological sonar, called echolocation (Au et al, 2003 paper on Resident killer whale echolocation).

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

J42, Echo , two year old female travelling with her mother J16, Slick, a female estimated to be born in 1972

J16, Slick

J19, Schachi, a 30 year old female killer whale

J14, Samish, a female estiated to be born in 1974 travelling with her newest calf J45, 8 months old, and J30, Riptide, her 14 year old son

J37, Hysquah, the 8 year old younger sister of J30

Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, the most southerly point on the Pacific coast of Canada. The lighthouse has been getting refurbished over this past summer as can be seen by the mesh covering to protect it.

male Steller sea lion (Eumatopia jubatus) at Race Rocks...they are just starting to return from their northerly summer breeding grounds

Dilapidated house onshore near Sooke Harbour

AUGUST 10, 2009 MORNING All three Southern Resident pods resting off the Victoria waterfront...and a humpback near Race Rocks!

Departure time: 0900
Vessel: Five Star Charter's Fastcat

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

Time: 0916

Start location: right off Beacon Hill Park, Victoria waterfront

End location: 0.5 miles west of Trial Island/Enterprise Channel
Pods and Individuals identified:

J - J1, J2, J8, J14, J30, J37, J40?, J45, J17, J28, J35?, J44, J16, J42, J33, J36, J26, J34, J19, J41

K - K21, K40, K11, K20, K38?, K25?, K26

L - L12, L85, L22, L92, L90, L87, L89, L26, L7, L53, L25

Cool killer whale fact: Like all cetaceans, killer whales are voluntary breathers and are “half awake” when they are resting. Their brain has the ability to split activities; half will 'sleep' while the other half controls breathing and mobility (Lyamin et al. 2008 paper abstract)

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

J1, Ruffles, a male estimated to have been born in 1951

J14, Riptide, a 14 year old 'sprouting' (maturing) male

J27, Blackberry, an 18 year old male

J1, Ruffles, and J2, Granny, estimated born in 1911...these two are probably the oldest members of the Southern Resident community

L92, Crewser, a 14 year old 'sprouting' (maturing) male

Huge milling Southern Resident group off the Victoria waterfront with the cruise ships at Ogden Point in the background

Southern Residents with the Victoria waterfront in the background

J1 and L26, Baba, a female estimated to be born in 1956

L77, Matia, a 22 year old female (1st from left), L53, Lulu, a 32 year old female (2nd from left)and J14, Samish, a female estimated to be born in 1974 (fourth from left) within a group of the Southern Residents

Above 2 photos: large group of Southern Residents tight and travelling slowly off the Victoria waterfront

Sighting #2: Humpback whale (Balaenopter acutorostrata)

Time: 1044

Location: 1 mile East of Race Rocks in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Behaviour: probably foraging, no direction

Cool humpback whale fact: The humpback whale is one of the rorquals, a family that also includes the blue whale, fin whale, Bryde's whale, sei whale, and minke whale. Rorquals take their name from the Norwegian word röyrkval, meaning "furrow whale". All members of the family have a series of longitudinal folds of skin running down their throats.

Links

American Cetacean Society humpback whale fact sheet

Center for Whale Research online humpback catalogue of humpbacks seen in the Salish Sea

Department of Fisheries and Oceans humpback catalogue

Above 2 photos: Humpback whale

AUGUST 9, 2009 AFTERNOON J, K and L pod whales in Haro Strait

Departure time: 1355

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Fastcat

Sighting #1: 'Resident' fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Time: 1450 - 1520 (leave whales to check Hein Bank for minke whales - none), 1550 - 1615
Start location: 2.5 miles south of Beaumont Shoals, Haro Strait

End location: 1 mile west of False Bay

Pods and Individuals identified:
J - J1, J2, J26
K - K21, K12, K22, K37

L - L72, L105, L7, L53, L83, L110, L95, L74

Cool killer whale fact: Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family, or delphinidae

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

L83, Moonlight, a 19 year old female and her 2 year old son L110, Midnight, travelling with J1, Ruffles a male estimated to have been born in 1951

L72, Racer, a 23 year old female probably being followed by her 5 year old son L105, Fluke

L83 and L53, Lulu, a 32 year old female

L95, Nigel, a 13 year old 'sprouting' (maturing) male killer whale

J26, Mike, an 18 year old male travelling with L74, Saanich a 23 year old male

L74, Saanich

JULY 19, 2009 AFTERNOON J pod in Haro Strait

Departure time: 1401

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Supercat

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

Time: 1128 - 1202

Start location: 1 mile west of False Bay, San Juan Island, Washington

Behaviour: groups spread and milling

End location: west side of San Juan Island, Washington

Pods and individuals identified: J pod - J31, J27, J39, J1, J32, J28, J32, J17, J44

Cool killer whale fact: Newborn orcas are 7-8 feet long, 3-400 lbs.; adult females are 17-24 feet, 5-9,000 lbs; adult males are 22-30 feet, 8-12,000 lbs

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

J32, Rhapsody, a 13 year old female

Above 4 photos: J27, Blackberry, an 18 year old male Southern `Resident` fish eating killer whale

J17, Princess Angeline (32 years old) with her new calf J44 (7 months)

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 19, 2009 MORNING J and L pod in Rosario Strait

Departure time: 1005
Vessel: Five Star Charter's Supercat

Sighting #1: Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Time: 1104
Location: 0.5 miles west of Salmon Bank
Behaviour: surfaced quickly off the bow of the boat as we travelled through Salmon Bank...so no photos!
Cool minke whale fact: The minke is a fast swimmer, capable of reaching speeds of 18-24 knots (16-21 mph)

Links
American Cetacean Society minke whale fact sheet

A minke whale at Hein Bank just south of Salmon Bank on July 16, 2009

Sighting #2: Southern 'Resident' fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Time: 1128 - 1202
Start location: 3 mi South of Bird Island, Rosario Strait, Washington
Behaviour: groups spread and travelling
End location: Colville Island, off south end of Lopez Island, Washington
Pods and individuals identified: J and L pod - J19, J35, J17, J44 and possibly J30, J37
Cool killer whale fact: killer whales are found in all the oceans of the world

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

J19, Schachi, a 30 year old Southern 'Resident' fish eating killer whale

J19 travelling with her another female who appears to be J35, Tahlequah, an 11 year old female

J17, Princess Angeline (32 years old), the mother of J35 and the newest calf in J pod, J44 (7 months)

Above 3 photos: spyhop! Probably J17

J17 travelling with her youngest J44 (7 months old)

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 15, 2009 AFTERNOON J, K and L pod in Rosario Strait

Departure time: 1402
Vessel: Five Star Charter's Supercat

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

Time: 1530 - 1604

Start location: 1 mi east of Bird Island, Rosario Strait, Washington

Behaviour: groups spread and travelling, taillobs

End location: 1.5 mi southeast of Bird Island, Rosario Strait, Washington

Pods and individuals identified: J, K and L pod - L87, K11, L55

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

L87, Onyx, an 17 year old male killer whale with a US Coast Guard ship in the background

L55, Nugget, a 32 year old female killer whale

Above 3 photos: L87

Above 3 photos: K11, Georgia, a female estimated to be born in 1933

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!