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Whale Sighting Report  
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Photo of the Day
Transients/Bigg's killer whales
Coastal orcas
Gray whales
White-sided dolphins
Find a wide range of books related to orcas at the Orca Network Amazon store.
Orca Network recommends:
The Lost Whale, by Michael Parfit and Suzanne Chisolm  
An intensely personal story...but this person is a young orca.  

Lost Whale book...ver scaled  

 To learn more about orcas: 

Orcas in Our Midst, volume 3, by Howard Garrett

Orcas in Our Midst,

Vol. 3: Residents and Transients, How Did That Happen?

Click here  

to order YOUR copy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bestseller about orcas in captivity.

Death at SeaWorld, by David Kirby 

DeathatSeaWorld


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March 24, 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.
A group of up to nine Transients/Bigg's whales slipped away from a multitude of would-be watchers this morning. They were seen heading south for about a half hour between Point No Point and Eglon, at one point catching and eating a seal. The sighting was posted on the Orca Network facebook page, NOAA researchers were notified, and many eyes scanned the water under sunny skies for the next few hours, but none found the whales. They eventually showed up, five hours later and about 20 miles to the north in Saratoga Passage. At least five of them did, the rest may have gone elsewhere. Transients can be sneaky like that.

At the same time these mammal-eating Transients were in the 4-mile wide Saratoga Passage, three gray whales were also stroking their way north toward Penn Cove. No altercations were observed. At least six of the Saratoga Grays have moved in to their accustomed feeding flats between Crescent Harbor and Possession Point. Others can be expected in the next few weeks.

Orca Network and the Langley Main Street Assoc. will be aboard Mystic Sea Charters March 30 to look for gray whales and benefit the new Langley Whale Center. We'll serve wine, hors d'oeuvres and the spectacular sights of Saratoga Passage. You can book your reservations by clicking HERE. There are still some tickets available, but seating is limited.  

The Stillaguamish River empties into Port Susan, about 15 miles north of Everett. The horrific landslide east of Oso buried a mile-long stretch of the riverbed about 25 miles upstream. Sediments from the slide will likely wash into Port Susan and Possession Sound for weeks or months to come. 
Photo of the Day
#49 "Patch."  The sun brought out the bright white patch on his back.
Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, March 22, 2014.
Transients/Bigg's killer whales
March 24
7:23 - watching them right now from Camano Island State Park. They are close to Whidbey.
Sharon Szekely

March 24
7:15 pm - Watched them from Hidden Beach (Greenbank) over towards Camano State Park, still heading south.
Sandy Pollard

March 24
6:30 - Connie Barrett saw 4 or 5 orcas headed south in Saratoga Passage, south of Cama Beach, now headed toward the Camano Island State Park.

March 24
5:38 - FOUND THEM! About 3 miles north of Cama Beach, Camano Island side. Milling, spyhopping, no real direction but they may continue north. Will update when they move along .....yahoo!
Jill Hein

March 24
5:20 - Guessing about 5 Orcas continuing north through Saratoga Passage in Hidden Beach area. Out of sight now. Closer to Camano Island.
Cindy Dean Prahl

March 24
4:35 PM - Orca Pod Sighting!!! There's a pod of orcas heading north between Camano and Whidbey in Saratoga passage, heading north toward penn cove! They're sticking pretty close together.
Wendy Nelson

March 24
Orca pod traveling through Saratoga Passage. I spotted six or seven orcas traveling North through Saratoga Passage from Camano Island State Park around 4:30 pm today. Two were leading, possibly a few hundred meters ahead. One of the two leaders was noticeably bigger than the rest. There appeared to be three juveniles (about half the size of the adults) in the group trailing behind.
Guthrie Schrengohst

March 24
3:21 pm - 5 orcas heading through Saratoga Passage right now. We are on our Eyes over puget sound flight and just spotted them.
Christopher Krembs

March 24
10 am - 9 Transient orcas reported south of Pt. No Pt. and north of Eglon, heading south. Reported by Mike Millard and Brian McLaughlin of WA Fish and Wildlife, who said they witnessed the take down of a seal.
One of the Transient orcas seen between Point No Point and Eglon just after 10 am.
Photo by Brian McLaughlin, March 24, 2014.

March 23
1:00 PM - I was on Lantzville beach (just north of Nanaimo), watching a pod of 5 to 6 Ocras in a tight group, traveling north. They were between the beach and Maude island about 800m from the shore. 1 male and 5 -6 smaller Orcas, too far away to guess at gender. There were sealions closer to shore who were being very quiet
Duncan Etridge

March 23
12:30 PM - Orca sighting in Departure Bay - Nanaimo: Four orcas were slowly swimming around Departure Bay in Nanaimo today for about a half hour - One male, two females and a small one. This is the second time this year that whales have been swimming in Departure Bay - have live here most of my life and have never seen them come into the bay!
Lori Jones

March 23
Departure Bay, Nanaimo, BC - A pod of 5 Orca spent at least the morning in Departure Bay, possibly fishing for herring. The first I saw them was 8:30 and at 11:30 am when I last went by they were still working the shallows. I shared a video on your Facebook page yesterday. One male with larger fin tipped to the right.
Lisa Munro
Killer whales March 23 2014
Killer whales - Departure Bay, Nanaimo.
Video by Lisa Munro, March 23, 2014.

March 22
11:30hrs - Transient Orcas T30, T30A and T30C heading West from Brethour Island BC (due west of Stuart Island, across Haro Strait).
David Howit skipper on Peregrine for Mayas westside charters
T30A, about 28 years old, in Haro Strait.
Photo by David Howit, March 22, 2014.
T30A in Haro Strait.
Photo by Melisa Pinnow, March 22, 2013.
Whales in Active Pass about 6 pm.
Photo by Karoline Cullen, March 22, 2014.

Whales in Active Pass.
Photo by Karoline Cullen, March 22, 2014.

Whales in Active Pass.
Photo by Karoline Cullen, March 22, 2014.

Whales in Active Pass.
Photo by Karoline Cullen, March 22, 2014.

March 15
The Ts that attacked the Pacific white sided dolphins were the T060s, open water porpoise hunting specialists. 5 whales in the T060 group. They were accompanied by T002Bs.
Josh McInnes
Coastal orcas
March 20
Orcas off Neah Bay this morning! I got a call around 11am reporting at least 6 killer whales east of Neah Bay travelling west (towards Neah Bay). Unfortunately we were unable to get out to locate them.
Adrianne Akmajian, Marine Mammal Technician III, Makah Fisheries Management

March 19
Shari Tarantino spotted some disturbance in the water on at 4:10PM off of Saunders Reef (south of Pt. Arena, CA). She quickly shot off some pictures and discovered at least one, possibly two killer whales harassing a grey whale. The animals were ~3/4 mile offshore and last seen moving north. Another sighting that day (with likely the same killer whales) was reported by S. Albert. Earlier in the afternoon at the north end of Sea Ranch she saw 3-4 animals heading north between 1/4-1/3 mile offshore.
Gray whales
March 24
4:30 - Connie Barrett in Greenbank reports three gray whales headed north in Saratoga Passage off Cama Beach.

March 23
These two were close together or side by side most of the time.
Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, March 23, 2014.

Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, March 23, 2014.

Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, March 23, 2014.

March 23
6:08 - whale scout seeing two more gray whales north of Clinton. No clear direction
4:28 - at Howarth park in Everett seeing at lease two grays southeast of hat island.
Whitney Neugebauer with Whale Scout

March 22
7:06 - They just headed out. Maybe around to Maylor point. It definitely looked like two whales feeding, maybe mother and calf.
Two gray whales in Crescent Harbor (Oak Harbor) right now, near the navy exchange.
Janna Harmon

March 22
3:00 - update on two Grays mid channel sightline between east end of Hat Island spit and Port of Everett pier that is east of the Mukilteo ferry dock. Last near a larger pleasure boat and a couple of smaller.
2:10 - from a bench near Mukilteo Community Center, Ed and I watching 2 Grays mid channel between Muk ferry terminal and Gedney/Hat Island heading east towards Everett.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
A gray whale's blow rains droplets.
Photo by James Gresham, March 22, 2014.

#53 Little Patch was very friendly today. Multiple close approaches to us and another boat.
Photo by James Gresham, March 22, 2014.
Saratoga Passage Gray Whale #383 in Possession Sound between Everett and Hat Island Saturday afternoon.
Photo by James Gresham, March 22, 2014.

March 22
12:15 - Spotted #723 & #56 south of Gedney Island (Hat Island) just north of the ferry crossing.
Liz Fincher

March 21
Just learned there was a gray whale in Penn Cove, could have been the Crescent Harbor gray. He was seen leaving Penn Cove around 4:30 pm. It could be #44 Dubknuck - since he seems to spend time each year in Penn Cove, although usually for longer than a few hours. He's easy to identify with that chunk missing amongst those "knuckles".
Jill Hein

March 21
Dave Davenport called in a report of one Gray whale headed north at Neketa Beach, mid-channel heading toward the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry lanes at 6:30 pm.

March 21
6:30 - Connie Barrett of Camano Island called in a report of two Gray whales, sighted from Cama Beach, between Baby Island, Whidbey and Camano Island State Park.

March 21
5:48 - There are two grey whales feeding off camano island state park near the boat launch right now. Watching from fox spit of whidbey.
Ann Brockenbrough

March 20
5:45 pm. - One possibly two grays feeding at Kayak Point Co. Park (Port Susan). Appeared to be moving north.
Bruce Henson
White-sided dolphins
March 21
While in Race Passage admiring the sea lions Rhonda happened on a small group of Pacific white-sided dolphins.
Prince of Whales Whale Watch
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.