MAIACETUS

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

AUGUST 9, 2009 MORNING L pod whales in the fog in Haro Strait

Departure time: 1003

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Supercat

Sighting #1: 'Resident' fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)Time: 1823
Start location: somewhere in the fog off San Juan Island, Haro Strait
End location: still somewhere in the fog off San Juan Island, Haro Strait
Behaviour: spread, foraging

Pods and Individuals identified: L and K - L5, L100, L108, L74, L87, K11?

Cool killer whale fact: The brain of an adult orca may weigh 12-15 pounds, or about four times the size of human brains

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

Swimming inverted or belly-up!

L5, Tanya, a female estimated to be born in 1964

Inverted tail lob!

...and some chin slapping!

L108, Coho, the 3 year old son of L54, Ino

L87, Onyx, a 17 year old 'sprouting' (maturing) male

AUGUST 8, 2009 EVENING L pod whales in Haro Strait

Departure time: 1743
Vessel: Five Star Charter's Fastcat

Sighting #1: 'Resident' fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Time: 1823

Start location: 2 miles west of False Bay, San Juan Island

End location: 1 mile west of Hannah Heights

Behaviour: groups spread, foraging
Cool killer whale fact: Southern Resident orcas rely on salmon, specifically chinook in the summer and chum in the fall, fortheir survival. Chinook salmon constitutes over 70% of their diet (Ford and Ellis, 2006 paper)

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

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

L78, Onyx, 20 year old male and Baba's son

L26

L90, Ballena, a 16 year old female

Above 3 photos: L74, Saanich, a 23 year old male

AUGUST 8, 2009 AFTERNOON T100s and T101s, harbour porpoise and humpback whales in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Departure time: 1354

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Fastcat

Sighting #1: 'Transient' mammal eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)

Time: 1445
Start location: in the Strait of Juan De Fuca, south of Becher Bay, Vancouver Island
End location: 2 miles southwest of Becher Bay
Behaviour: tight and travelling/foraging while heading in a southwesterly direction

Cool killer whale fact: An adult killer whale consumes 100-300 pounds of food a day, depending on size and energy needs. That is approximately 1 - 2 harbour seals per day per adult Transient killer whale.

Links