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| February 3, 2014
We are watching and visiting the whales in their home~
Please observe, love and respect them from a distance.
Having trouble viewing this Sightings Report? Archived Reports can be found HERE.
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A typically small group of Transients zig-zagged all around central Puget Sound Saturday and Super Bowl Sunday, while occasionally splashing around in anything-but-stealth-mode. See below for IDs gathered after a accommodating pass by Point No Point. Today there were no reports at all. Other reports have come in from all over, including a fascinating report with photos of an apparent rubbing beach in Sechelt, northern Georgia Strait,a tense interaction between Bigg's whales and gray whales off Oregon, and an orca sighting from Cornwall, in the UK.
Some very interesting photos have come in from near and far.
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Photo of the Day
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 | Airborne! At Edmonds Marina Beach.
Photo by Janine Harles, February 1, 2014. |
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Northern Resident orcas?
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February 211 am - Killer whale sighting. 3 killer whales, 1 mi. west of coho point on Texada island. Traveling north bound. The first sighting of 2 or 3 orcas was probably about 3 miles west of Texada at approx 49 deg 46 min north and 124 deg 43 min west. They were heading north. We had a second sighting of at least 6 orcas about 20 mins later in roughly the same location again heading north.
I know light distortion on the water can play tricks, but it looked like the second group had obviously larger dorsal fins. I have seen this in the past few years where the juveniles travel ahead of the main pod of adults. 2 years ago I had the juveniles come to my boat and lifted their heads straight up out of the water to check me out from a distance of about 100ft. I wish I could have gotten over my shock and taken a picture.
Rusty Kempe
February 1
Pod of 5 orcas seen rubbing just a few feet offshore on pebble beach, west of Sechelt. Behaviour continued for 1/2 hour off Trail Islands, Sechelt, B.C.rubbing on pebbles (just offshore). When they left the beach they continued traveling west towards Sargeants Bay.
Janet Ansell
Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research: With that little nick, I will go out on a limb and guess the male might be A66. Weren't the A42s somewhere in the Campbell River area last month? | Orcas off Trail Islands, Sechelt, B.C.rubbing on pebbles (just offshore).
Photo by Janet Ansell, February 1, 2014. |
 | Orcas rubbing on pebbles.
Photo by Janet Ansell, February 1, 2014. |
 | Orcas off Trail Islands, Sechelt, B.C.
Photo by Janet Ansell, February 1, 2014. |
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Transients/Bigg's killer whales
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February 2
12:43 - Watching them at double bluff.
12:39 heading west towards foul weather bluff.
Elyse Sollitto
February 2
12:20 - Jim Maya reported hearing orcas in the CWR hydrophone.
February 2
I happened to be up at Point No Point when word came that Orca's had been spotted at Eglon. (Just south) They made a close pass at Point No Point - close enough to hear them, and I got this shot of two of the orcas. A huge thanks to the people who called in the Eglon sighting, because I was just about to head home when I saw the post on Orca Network.
12:52 - watching to the north, near a tug and barge. Spyhopping, tail lobs. They may have made a kill, and they seem to be staying more less in the same area.
12:27 - Still headed north, more mid channel now. Almost out of sight.
12:06 - I've got 3 heading this way toward Point No Point now.
11:58 - just spotted them a little south of the point. They are moving fast. Not sure if it's just two or more.
11:52 - Between Kingston and Point no point on the kitsap peninsula.
Connie Bickerton
 | Josh McInnes at The Transient Killer Whale Research Project ID'd them as T124 and T124D, the third whale was most likely T124E. They were tentatively ID'd yesterday with T087, but he wasn't with them this afternoon.
Photo by Connie Bickerton, February 2, 2014. |
February 2
Observed at least 4 orcas at 11:45am heading north, between Eglon and Pilot Point on the east side of Kitsap Peninsula. They were a few hundred yards off shore.
Dianne Edmonds
February 2
I saw 4 whales at Apple Tree Point this AM!
Rachel Hermanson Osborn
February 2
11:25 - Just spotted 2 orcas swimming very close to each other, northbound 1/2 mile off of Eglon.
Rebecca French Gerke
February 1
Ron Bates reports that 12 transients were off Race Rocks...all were female.
February 1
5:24 - Brad Hanson called back with an update - the orcas had (obviously) turned south again after his last report, they found them after they had just made a kill, and he reports 4 orcas total, the male confirmed as T87. Then we had a report from Maia at WA State, of a mom and juvenile orca at 4:24 pm headed south, mid-channel off Tyee, Bainbridge Island.
February 1
4:30 - off Alki, southbound, mid-channel.
Susan Marie Andersson
February 1
4:34 - south of alki headed south, but kind of milling. Mid channel or east of mid channel.
4:20 - they are almost to Alki.
4:02 - they are off Discovery Park, south of west point.
Connie Bickerton
February 1
4:01 - They're just to the north of the Bainbridge ferry lanes.
Aviva Weiss Grele
February 1
3:45 pm - Chris Slye of Bainbridge Island called to report the orcas are off Yeomalt Pt, heading south.
February 1
3:21 - Looks like NOAA went in. Orcas are still southbound, mid channel, in front of Magnolia Bluff.
Jessica Pagan
February 1
3:15 pm - a call from Story Williams, on the Kingston Ferry, reports seeing an orca headed south from the Kingston/Edmonds ferry - sounds like they are continuing their direction changes!
February 1
3:06 - Really close to the BI side.
3:05 - I can see them from above shilshoe... There's 3 or 4 and definitely still southbound.
Brad Johnsen
February 1
2:40 pm - Brad Hanson of NOAA called to say the Transients had done a 180 and turned north, off the NE side of Bainbridge Island, closer to the Bainbridge side.
February 1
2:37 - NOAA is south of FB just saw the whales with them.
2:06 - they seem to be heading into Agate Passage/port Madison I've lost sight from my vantage, moving to Suquamish.
1:54 - now they are headed south again just south of the tank farm. They don't seem to be going any where in particular...
1:33 - slightly north of fay Bainbridge - orcas heading north now. Saw three dorsals.
1:29 - I'm at the north end of Fay Bainbridge looking east. I see NOAA due east of me. They look to be heading northwest. Haven't seen any orcas yet.
Connie Bickerton
February 1
2:35 - They are heading towards Eagle Harbor and the Bainbridge ferry lane.. already south of fay bainbridge.
Jay Burkett
February 1
2:30 - Small group of 3 Orcas along the coast of Bainbridge Island near just south of Fay Bainbridge park. A small boat was following just behind the group.
Andy Harrah
February 1
2:20 - Now they have slowed center of Bainbridge fay park mid channel.. eyesight views from beach
Jay Burkett
February 1
About 2 pm the orcas (Transients) were heading into Port Madison toward Suquamish, after doing a lot of hunting in the area between Mukilteo/N. Kitsap and the Edmonds area since early this morning.
Orca Network
February 1
1:58 - north again. Still east side of mid channel, but trending west towards Kitsap side. Very clear look at 4 dorsals that time. Maybe heading towards Jeff Head?
1:41 - It looks like they are just approaching Innis Arden (?) Still heading north. NOAA is still with them. They were moving rapidly, going down for long dives, and coming up far from where they were last seen.
Connie Bickerton
February 1
1:30 - Just left carkeek about 10 min ago. Looks like they turned west towards Bainbridge Island.
Jill M Rotset
 | Off marina beach in Edmonds this morning!
Photo by Jill Rotset, February 1, 2014.
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February 1
Bigg's killer whales in Puget Sound today. I managed to get on film just about every surface behavior, with an awesome breach at 3:10. An amazing day shared with so many awestruck humans and a pod of majestic whales in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
 | Bigg's killer whales (w/T087) Puget Sound.
Video by Alisa Lemire Brooks, February 1, 2014 |
February 1
2:00 - left Carkeek watching NOAA due west, in southbound shipping lanes mid Port Madison. Had no coverage at Carkeek but when we arrived about 1pm, the pod turned west and continued to Kitsap, many directional changes.
11:35 - they have been hanging out for the last hour...200 yards from shore circling, tail slapping, breaching. Most likely on a kill...anticipating the thrust of finality here soon.
10:58 - they turned out before Marina Beach. The have stalled slightly before Marina Beach, Edmonds and Kingston ferry.
10:00 - just spotted fins, in Brown's Bay Edmonds, southbound.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
February 1
12:22 - Right off Richmond Beach now.
Dave Haas
February 1
8:43 - Just saw 2 from my deck south of the ferry not quite to Glendale toward the Mukilteo side.
Christina Martin Swan
February 1
8am - Just saw two or three whales while crossing to Whidbey on the Mukilteo ferry.
Lance Leasure
 | Identified as T-87 and T-86 At Edmonds Marina Beach.
Photo by Janine Harles, February 1, 2014. |
 | At Edmonds Marina Beach.
Photo by Janine Harles, February 1, 2014. |
 | At Edmonds Marina Beach.
Photo by Janine Harles, February 1, 2014. |
 | At Edmonds Marina Beach.
Photo by Janine Harles, February 1, 2014. |
February 1
We were send photographs of the transients in Puget Sound yesterday. Confirmed Identification of T087, and what looks like T124E in the following photograph provided by Janine Harles. T124E is a sprouting male we (Josh McInnes and Nick Templeman) encountered earlier in 2013 off Campbell River BC. T124E associates with T124 and T124D. It cannot be 100% confirmed on the ID from photos alone.
Josh McInnes, University of Victoria.
February 1
12:25 - I believe the male is T087, so probably T086's passing Richmond Beach Saltwater park southbound in glassy calm water. NOAA in their presence.
10:35 - nice spyhop directly out from Edmonds dive park. Pod was in tight group. they are just north of Ferry dock still southbound.
10:10 - there are four orcas, adult male and three females/younger.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
February 1
7:45 am - Robert Turkel, a WA State Ferry worker, reports three orcas in the middle of the Clinton/Mukilteo ferry lane, just playing, no direction of travel.
 | T037A and T037A2 in the Juan de Fuca Strait.
Photo by Mark Malleson, February 1, 2014. |
February 1
Rush Dalziel and I came across transients in the Juan de Fuca Strait. They were in 3 groups spread over a mile traveling east.
Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales
January 31
5:20 pm - off Fox Spit on south Whidbey Island across from Camano Island state park: one large male and a few smaller females (?) spotted! Very cool!
Ann Brockenbrough
January 31
3 pm - After cruising a lap around Holmes Harbor, we headed north and east around Baby Island and then south toward Fox Spit. Just before passing Fox Spit we saw a lone Orca emerge with an erect dorsal fin that seemed to have a broken tip. He was very large and he didn't come up enough to see any white on him. We slow to watch but keep our heading. Shortly after, once we passed Fox Spit, two more orcas emerged. These two were more lively, coming higher out of the water and blowing water over and over. These orcas were swimming together about 1/4 mile behind the first, but in the same exact direction toward Baby Island. They appeared to be traveling and unfazed in direction by our presence. They moved leisurely, but at a pace where they were out of site within 7 minutes or so. We didn't follow as we didn't want to scare them.
Travis Coursey
January 31
4:12 - Killer whale - two maybe in Admiralty Inlet. Just south of Keystone heading south.
Mary Hulbert
January 30
5:13 pm - Sighted the pod of three orcas off President Point Road, Kingston, yesterday afternoon.
Becky Yee Perry
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Coastal/Global orcas
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February 2
Noon Sunday, from Cape Meares, OR. Watching southbound Grays from good vantage with excellent viewing conditions, nine Grays in view all vanished. We expected to see them again but they seemed to go into stealth mode.
In distance to southwest, the 12 or so Orcas appeared moving rapidly toward the north giving us a good view as they passed three or four miles out. They spent a minute or so delighting us with numerous high breaches.
Jim Border
 | These orcas were spotted in the Gastineau channel of Juneau, AK yesterday. They are resident orcas, correct?
Photo by Jennifer Quinto, January 30, 2014.
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February 1
UK possible orcas?
My boyfriend and I saw two shiny fins about 50-100 m from shore - a large and a small - definitely orca shaped (and moved at speed) on Harlyn bay, Cornwall UK (1 feb 2014) between aprox 12.30 and 13.30. The larger fin had some white at the base. We didn't have a camera as we had intended to go surfing! It almost looked like a mother and calf in terms of size although they were swimming apart. They were only about 100 m from shore (if that).
Sarah Thornton
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Gray whales
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February 2
Anyone else see what appeared to be a mama and calf whale (not orcas) swimming through Colvos Passage northbound closer to Southworth side around 2pm today? Heard blowing, then caught them a few times as they swam through. Very nice surprise today! Bigger and slower than dolphins. Gray, maybe?
Amanda Lund
January 31
5:00 - Two gray whales out front of my house. Heading north. Posted on the ON FB page. Currently TWO gray whales heading north out of Eld Inlet (Olympia) toward Hunter Point and Squaxin Island and Hope Island.
Kim Merriman
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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.
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