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December 22

11:31 am - ORCAS on the Port Townsend Hydro!!!!!
Jamie Grundhauser

11:30 - Hearing faint calls on the Port Townsend hydrophones.
Orca Network

11:25 - Calls starting on the Port Townsend hydros.
Pam Ren

Thanks Pam for posting the few I saw, maybe 4-5 at most, saw them mid channel and closer to Marrowstone Island side just approaching Bush Point bend. they were moving quickly. Dropped down to the boat launch and you could see them very far away and this gal fishing with her husband was so excited! she turned to her husband and said, ok, this just made my day.
Marilyn Armbruster

10:10 AM - Marilyn Armbruster reports that the orcas are now at Bush Point.
Pam Ren

A 9:55 call from Alisa Lemire Brooks alerting us to the presence of orcas in Admiralty Inlet near us drew my eyes to the water, where even in less than a mile visibility in the fog, three orcas appeared a minute later, in steady procession northward toward Bush Point.
Howard Garrett

9:45 - Many Orca off Windmill Heights (1.5 miles south of Bush point, in Admiralty Inlet). Heading north, maybe 1/2 mile offshore, moving fast.
Mike Meyer

9:30 - orca spotted in Mutiny Bay.
Raymond Bigelow

8:57 - Victoria Clipper reports 5 orcas northbound at Double Bluff, midchannel.
Stephanie Raymond

Through thick fog and chilly drizzle I stood watching for orca swimming past Bainbridge Island yesterday in the waning light. Orca Network had been posting most of the afternoon that a pod was making its way south in Puget Sound. Around 3 pm, reports brought them close to nearby shores and I finally gave up trying to make headway on my Christmas decorating and grabbed a rain jacket and binocs and headed out. I made it to a favorite lookout spot on the southeast shore of the island within 10 minutes, and within 2 minutes had them in sight. My teeth were chattering, and holding the binoculars still was a bit of a challenge. I promised myself I'd throw on more layers next time I go running for the door after hearing "they're back." I was soon joined by a couple of fellow orca watchers, and while we were rewarded with only a few fleeting glimpses from our roadside perch at Rockaway Beach, the sight of the tall, black dorsal fin breaking the surface of the steely gray waters of Puget Sound never fails to quicken the pulse. Once you see an orca in the wild, you will know that is where these magnificent belong. Forever wild and free.
Susan Marie Andersson

4:50 - Maia of WA State Ferries called to report a single orca heading north near the Fauntleroy ferry dock.

4:02 pm - Just saw them off Alki Beach Park heading towards Vashon.
Leslie Holsopple

4 pm - Jamie Grundhauser reports J2 Granny is among those breaching and spyhopping off West Seattle, just south of Alki.

Maia of WA State Ferries called at 3:20 pm to report 3 - 4 orcas headed south in the middle of the shipping lanes, just NW of Alki.

Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn, Connie Bickerton, and I watched two large male Orca slowly moving south bound, spread out Bainbridge side to mid channel, between 3 & 3:15 pm this afternoon. No idea if Ts or Rs, but there were several harbor seals grouped up near the shore looking a but nervous.
Susan Marie Andersson

2:36 - Rolling Bay Walk... huge male & at least 2 others. Moving south.
Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn

1:48 - they are passing Golden Gardens Park now. Two groups. One group is already off the Shileshole North entrance the other group is still a tiny bit north west of Meadow Point.
Hays Clark

1:43 - They're mid-channel, so halfway between Carkeek and Bainbridge (roughly)...
1:37pm - group is still making their way south. Folks at Fay Bainbridge and Carkeek, you're up next!
1:29pm - spotted at least three dorsal fins, slowly making their way south, roughly along the line between Richmond Beach Saltwater Park and Jefferson Head.
Dave Haas

1:11 - Passing south of Kayu kayu actually park mid channel
Jamie Grundhauser

2:20 - atop Shilshole Marina have resighted just two individuals mid channel nearing West Point/Rolling Bay, traveling well apart from one another. Had really clear visibility for a few minutes, now fog moving in. I think we are done for the day.
1:53 - seeing adult males and more spread out southbound Faye Bainbridge and south. from Carkeek. gonna move to Ballard.
1:10 - orcas were passing yellow mid channel marker heading southbound, a little east of mid channel, so probaby equal to Jefferson Head/Richmond Beach by 1:20.
12:56 - post and they show up ...see one fin gliding in calm but low visibilty waters, mid channel just south Kingston, southbound at steady pace.
12:53 - group of us at Kayu Kayu (north Shoreline) and have not seen them yet.
Alisa Lemire Brooks

12:06 - At least 5-6 orcas headed south off Richmond beach! Could be more but a little foggy:)
Toby Black

12:15 pm - 4 or 5 orcas off Edmonds. They must of hung around Edmonds for a bit because they are right in front of Edmonds again heading south.
11:20 - Orcas off Edmonds heading south right now. Saw 4 or 5 myself.
Ben Abrahamsen

We got a call from Donna Walker reporting 1 female orca heading west, seen from the Bainbridge Island 10:25 ferry, at about 10:45.
Jamie Grundhauser

5:25 - Just watched a group of about five transient orcas aboard a WA State ferry right off the Lopez Island landing. They were full of breaches, pec slaps, both regular and inverted tail slaps and head stands! This was my fourth time ever seeing orcas from a ferry in the twenty years I have lived on San Juan Island. Made my day.
Melisa Pinnow

Thanks again to Alan Hobbes Buchanan for the call about whales in Harney Channel and for waiting for us to get there! Nothing like a last minute boat ride and whale watch to make your day. Calm water, gray skies, green shorelines, and the sound of blows made for a beautiful afternoon. So much family social time too!All the kids playing together and chasing T49A1 (the male), and T49B3 (less than 6 months old) was so cute.
Ivan Reiff

The T49A's & T49B's, at least ten Transients in West Sound, Orcas Island. Photo by Ivan Reiff, December 22, 2013.

The T49A's & T49B's in West Sound. Photo by Ivan Reiff, December 22, 2013.

The sprouter (adolescent male now sprouting a tall dorsal fin) is T49A1, born in 2001. Photo by Ivan Reiff, December 22, 2013.

Photo by Ivan Reiff, December 22, 2013.

Photo by Ivan Reiff, December 22, 2013.

Photo by Ivan Reiff, December 22, 2013.

12:37 - Capt. Alan Hobbes called to say he was with T49A's & T49B's, at least ten Transients in West Sound, Orcas Island.

9:14 am - Maia of WA State Ferries called with a report of 4 or 5 orcas in Upright Channel, between Orcas and Lopez Islands.

4:30 - Maia reports a single orca seen at Frost Island, just east of the north end of Lopez Island.

ABOUT ORCA NETWORK  
Orca Network is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization, dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats.
Orca Network's Whale Sighting Network involves citizens in helping researchers track the movement of whales, and encourages people to observe whales from their homes, businesses, ferries, and beaches.
Whale reports are sent in to our Sighting Network and emailed out to researchers, agencies, and citizens on our network, and posted on our website (MAP of sightings also on website). Whale reports and observations are sent in by a variety of sources, and Orca Network does not guarantee the accuracy of any report or whale identification.

 

TO REPORT WHALES, CALL: 1-866-ORCANET (1-866-672-2638), email info@orcanetwork.org, or post sightings on our Orca Network Facebook page.

 

*BE WHALE WISE! BOATERS - NEW FEDERAL REGULATIONS IN EFFECT AS OF MAY 16, 2011:

 "The new rules prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer than 200 yards and forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or positioning the vessel in its path. This doubles the current approach distance of 100 yards. The rules go into effect May 16 and apply to all types of boats, including motor boats, sail boats and kayaks, in Washington"

 

For more information on the new Federal Regulations, visit the NOAA Fisheries website. 

 

 
To report harassment of whales in US waters, call NOAA Enforcement: 1-800-853-1964;

In Canadian waters, call DFO's Observe Record and Report (ORR) Violations Hotline: 1-800- 465-4336

Report the boat name &/or a description of the boat, & get photos if at all possible.