December 9
11 am - WA State Ferries reports a pod of approx.
12 orcas in Haro Strait off Speiden Island, heading north.
December 9
After being alerted by Giles that
orcas could be heard on the Lime Kiln hydrophones, we went out to find them. Sounded like residents on the hydrophones. At about
10:30 am we found them about
3 miles offshore of County Park in Haro Strait. The leaders were approaching the Kelp Reefs marker. We saw
two groups of at least 6 orcas each surfacing about a mile apart, with an adult male between them, about 1/2 mile from each group. Then both groups disappeared, with only 2 males surfacing together. Next, the 2 males disappeared. It was cold, so we left. There could have been 20 plus orcas. They likely are the orcas spotted by the ferry in Haro near Speiden Island at 11 am.
Sharon Grace
December 9
SRKWs on OrcaSound @ 10:00 am. Sounds like a lot of them!
Gayle Swigart
December 8
Sunday dawned cold and bright, becoming even brighter when the
Southern Resident orcas passed Point No Point and headed north up Admiralty Inlet past Whidbey Island. Grace and power merged as they broke the surface breaching, tail-slapping and spy-hopping. Some traveled alone, others in pairs or trios, some grouped together in a spectacular display of family unity, dorsals glinting, vapor from their blows backlit by sunlight as they
maintained a steady pace cutting through the quiet water. What a treat on a frosty winter's day!
Sandy Pollard
December 8
At
1:30 pm we saw approx 10 orca in Juan De Fuca traveling east toward Victoria? We were at
Point No Point on Vancouver Island.
Jana Johnson
Note: no IDs are available for this sighting.December 8
Faint
vocals on Lime Kiln at 22:14. Ship noise is fading so hopefully will get better quality and find out who they are!
John Boyd
December 8
10:14 p.m. - The K pod calls are still on the
Lime Kiln hydrophone now that the ship noise has diminished.
9:32 p.m. - K pod calls are audible on the
Lime Kiln hydrophone!
Meg McDonald, Wild Northwest Beauty Photography
December 8
9:04 Pacific -
Vocalizations at Lime Kiln. Unidentified chatter faint beginning at Lime Kiln.
Suzy Roebling, Key Largo FL
December 8
3:20 - Watching them from ebeys landing now!
Jeff Arbuckle
December 8
2:52 - north of
Port Townsend ferry lane now. Mid channel.
Rachel Haight
December 8
Orca updates - Kit Turner called at
2:20 pm reporting one male orca a little north of Lagoon Pt., heading NW;
at 2:30 pm we got reports from Sandra Pollard & Dick Snowberger that they were seeing the
orcas from Ft. Casey, and Bonnie Gretz called at
2:30 pm to say she was seeing at least
4 orcas from Ft. Casey, heading NW. There is a ship anchored between Admiralty Head & Pt. Townsend laying cable, we have alerted the CG who has relayed the orca reports to the ship to make sure their project will not impact the orcas.
December 8
Happy me....
7-9 Orcas off Ft. Casey between 2:15 and 3:15 p.m, heading north. Nice smooth water, saw a breach, some spy hops, tail slaps...and even heard their blows, faintly, as they were in mid-channel
between Ft. Casey and Pt. Townsend....and not nearly as cold as yesterday, though I was layered up!!!! Big Orca smiles!!
Bonnie Gretz
December 8
Today, from approximately
1400-1445, I watched
a pod of 6 or seven orcas traveling quite steadily from near the boat ramp at the
Coupeville ferry slip, and later, from near the
lighthouse at Ft. Casey State Park, as they moved from the north end of Marrowstone Island, moving northward until I could no longer view them, southwest of Ebey's Landing. There was at least one young animal in the group.
Martin Whittaker
December 8
They went past south end of
Marrowstone Island at about 1 p.m.
Bob Triggs
December 8
We watched the orcas from about
12:30 - 1:15 pm as they continued west toward
Bush Pt. They were out too far for IDs, but hopefully we'll have a photo or two, some of the last groups to go by were coming closer to the Whidbey side. We counted
a minimum of 15 orcas, likely closer to 20, with at least 2 adult males.
Orca Network
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With the Olympic Range as backdrop, those specs are Southern Residents heading north past Bush Point, up Admiralty Inlet. Photo by Susan Berta, December 8, 2013. |
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So. Residents traveling north up Admiralty Inlet. Photo by Howard Garrett, December 8, 2013. |
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From Point No Point. The distortion and quality make me cringe but it's a wild orca and any morning spent in the company of wild whales is a good morning. Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, December 8, 2013. |
December 8
10:49 - I see blows
south of point no point, but can't see much else because of the water distortion.
Connie Bickerton
December 8
10:35 - from atop bluff in
north Edmonds I can see (barely) fins and blows
at about Eglon still northbound.
10:00 - have resighted some still northbound, west of mid channel still
south of Eglon. Earlier spotted at least a dozen blows. At
9:30 they stalled and started lunge feeding.
9:20 - can see them out from
Edmonds due west still moving steadily north.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
December 8
9:08 - Large amount of
orcas heading north right now. Just passed
Kingston. They are in shipping lanes.
At least 8. Appears to be at least one very young one. Probably same ones we saw heading south yesterday.
Ben Abrahamsen
December 7
A most wonderful, frigid, adrenaline rush tells of a dream, some might say an obsession, fulfilled. Kathleen Bean sees orcas from Golden Gardens Park in Seattle, and takes some gorgeous photos.
December 7
About
3:30 this Saturday afternoon, there were
a number of orcas spread widely between Seahurst (Burien) and Vashon Island. They were moving south bound. Dorsal fins and blows.
Tom Benedict
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Off Alki. This was my first time seeing them. Absolutely incredible! Photo by Barbara Bonner, December 7, 2013. |
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K34 Cali (born 2001) passing Dilworth, Vashon Island, today. The rest of Cali's family was beyond that waterline, close to Three Tree Point, as they passed Dilworth. Thanks to Melisa Pinnow for confirming Cali's ID! Photo by Meg McDonald, Wild Northwest Beauty Photography, December 7, 2013. |
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They got unusually close to West Seattle, where there were happy crowds (human) at both Lowman Beach and Lincoln Park. I never saw more than about 5-6 orcas at once. Photo by Trileigh Tucker, December 7, 2013. |
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Passing close to West Seattle. Photo by Trileigh Tucker, December 7, 2013. |
December 7
2:45 - upwards of 6 just south of
Lincoln Park by the Vashon ferry.
Michelle Jensen Rau
December 7
2:38 - Orcas off the port bow on Fauntleroy ferry going south
Noelle Morris
December 7
2:20pm - Numerous, active orcas spotted from the ferry Issaquah leaving Fauntleroy; heading south!
Karen Davis Smith
December 7
1:47 - Lots of southbound orcas between West Seattle and Blake Island right now!
Stephanie Raymond
December 7
1:30 - I happened to be at the
whale view walk (go figure!)
south of the aki lighthouse near alki beach in west seattle and
at least four orcas passed by there apparently heading towards Vashon Island. I couldn't estimate the number but presumably it was the same pod your reports indicate was in Ballard a few days ago. I didn't have a good zoom lens but took a few pictures that I'm attaching. The time is approximate. I have a couple more photos, although all of the same quality from a distance.
vinay krishnaswamy
December 7
12:31 - They're
directly west of the magnolia bluff... Saw fins and water spouts... About mid channel.
Brad Johnsen
December 7
12:43 - They are still
north of the ferry lanes mid channel heading south. I'm watching from creosote on
Bainbridge.
Connie Bickerton
December 7
11:10 - Pod sighted this AM near Meadow Point off Golden Gardens. About 6
near Shilshole Marina. Moving Southward.
Walt & Nan Spady
December 7
11:07 - They were just
off north beach neighborhood a few minutes ago...definitely heading south by golden gardens.
Robin Reinhart Harnish
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Southern Resident killer whales Puget Sound Video by Alisa Lemire Brooks, Dec 7, 2013 |
Short video of
K pod (and possibly others) traveling southbound through Puget Sound. Most of the video is
from Golden Gardens/Shilshole Marina (Seattle) where 2 of the adult males and a few females swam and foraged near the buoy just out from the point. An icy-frigid beautiful Northwest day with the whales. Enjoy.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
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Cropped perspective of K pod male orca closing in on lucky sailors. Photo by Alisa Lemire Brooks, December 7, 2013. |
December 7
1:15 - leaving still seeing them steadily southbound spread out the channel
off Restorration Point/Alki.
12:48 - mid channel tho spread out, steady southbound out from
Eagle Harbor/Elliot Bay approaching ferry lanes. I am on Magnolia Bluff they are south of me. So pretty.
11:54 - leaders passing
West Point/Discovery Park...others spread out foraging mid channel between WP/DP and Shilshole still trending southbound.
11:01 - there's at least a dozen, many passing
Golden Gardens with others approaching.
10:45 - saw first big boy from
Golden Gardens...here they come out from green buoy off the point.
10:15 - lead
orcas nearing Carkeek.
10:12 - Residents for sure..spread out mid and east of mid channel in small groups. at least a dozen, including 2 adult males, passing
Richmond Beach southbound.
9:50 - Saw 1 fin
north of Richmond Beach Park. Looking to see if others are trailing.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
December 7
10:16 - Okay so I have
at least 6 that are headed southbound just past Richmond beach (Shoreline) now.
10:03 - I have them right now straight out from
Richmond beach.
Jamie Grundhauser
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Orcas heading south past Richmond Beach. Photo by Jamie Grundhauser, December 7, 2013. |
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Orcas heading south past Richmond Beach. Photo by Jamie Grundhauser, December 7, 2013. |
December 7
9:44 - Definitely
two Orca off Pt. Edwards now. No idea if they are same or different ones than the blows we saw about 10 mins ago.
9:32 - Blows off
Pt. Edwards in Edmonds. Only saw blows....nothing else...heading South...looked like only one.
Dave Golner
December 7
9:30 - It was pretty amazing. We were stopped a ways out from the dock waiting for the other ferry to leave and they swam real close. One was only about 50 yards off our stern. It was best view I had of them in long time.
9:01 - There is
at least 5 orcas right now heading south right in front of
Edmonds ferry dock.
Ben Abrahamsen
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K25 south of Oak Bay. Photo by Mark Malleson, taken under permit # MML001, December 6, 2013. |
December 6
I went out on the morning of December 6th to confirm which killer whales were spotted from shore south of Trial Island.
I came across the K13's northeast bound
south of Oak Bay and could see several more animals to the south but conditions wouldn't allow me to get any other ID's. Thanks to George and Gord for initially spotting them.
Mark Malleson