Orca Network recommends:
The Lost Whale, by Michael Parfit and Suzanne Chisolm
An intensely personal story...but this person is a young orca.
To learn more about orcas:
Orcas in Our Midst,
Vol. 3: Residents and Transients, How Did That Happen?
Click here
to order YOUR copy!
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The bestseller about orcas in captivity.
Death at SeaWorld, by David Kirby
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Click here
to learn about L pod
orca Lolita/Tokitae,
captured in Penn Cove,
Whidbey Island, WA
in 1970, somehow surviving in a small tank at the Miami Seaquarium ever since.
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| September 23, 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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So many great photos in this report. You'll find a time lapse sequence of a rocket-hopping minke, a horizon full of Pacific white-sided dolphins across the seascape and in radiant portraits, a gray whale makes an appearance, humpback acrobatics, stalking Transients and frolicking Residents, and of course more beautiful L120 baby pics. Residents have been in and out every day the past week, while Transients have been a little less prevalent but still around most days. The waters of the Salish Sea are alive with whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Howard Garrett and Susan Berta, Orca Network
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Photo of the Day
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September 21
 | Am very excited to share a photo of L120 with her mom in some lovely glassy conditions.
Photo by Carrie Sapp. |
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Southern Residents
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September 23
Brad Hanson reports he is with part of K pod off San Juan Island.
September 22
 | J27 Blackberry's silouette in from of the Vancouver BC skyline.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya.
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September 22
 | Near Point Roberts in Georgia Strait.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya.
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September 22
 | J19 Shachi, east of Active Pass.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya. |
September 22
 | J2 Granny and her adoptee L87 Onyx, just east of Active Pass.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya.
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September 22
J pod in the Strait of Georgia were all separated into ones and twos but it was really different because each little group was very social! We spent a long time with J22 and J38 rubbing and vocalizing above the surface. We moved on to J27 and J31 after, who were acting very similar.
Gary Sutton, Wild Whales Vancouver
September 22
 | J22 Oreo pec slapping in the Strait of Georgia.
Photo by Gary Sutton.
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September 22
 | J27 Blackberry tail-lobbing.
Photo by Gary Sutton. |
September 22
9:30 - reports of resident killer whales way out west.
Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch
September 21
 | L120 and L86 off the south end of San Juan Island!
Photo by Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research. |
September 21
 | L-89 Solstice looking beautiful in mirror like conditions - Sunday - near HEIN Bank!
Photo by Jill Hein. |
September 21 | L41 "Mega" with San Juan Island, and Mt Baker in the background.
Photo by Traci Walter, Western Prince Whale Watching. |
September 21 | |
In open waters between Victoria and San Juan Island.
Photo by Carrie Sapp.
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September 21 At 3:30 PM I watched about 15 spread out whales slowly heading south past Land Bank and Hannah Heights. A bit later, some of them were heading back north, but then they turned offshore and went towards another group heading east across Haro Strait. After a couple days of being very spread out between Eagle Point and False Bay, it seems like all the residents finally met up in a large group. There were easily 60 whales out there, and it could have been everybody! They all grouped up about 5:45 PM offshore of Hannah Heights, where they were milling but generally trending south.
Monika Wieland
September 20
 | A different perspective of J34 cruising along the side of the boat, seemingly looking around (for a salmon?).
Photo by Monika Wieland. |
September 20
 | Little L120 with mom, L86. Off the False Bay area of San Juan Island.
Photo by James Gresham. |
September 20
 | J27 Blackberry about to make a breathtaking close approach as we sat quietly. On his next breath he was 10-15 feet away. Off the False Bay area of San Juan Island.
Photo by James Gresham. |
September 20
 | An inverted tail slap with both pecs in the air by Turn Point where there were J', K's and L's I believe present.
Photo by Dick Snowberger. |
September 19
Whales...Lime Kiln 10:35am.
Alisa Lemire Brooks
September 19
 | K25 and K13 about to prey share. The salmon is underwater in front of K13 on the right.
Photo by Heather MacIntyre. |
September 19
 | K13 pushing a salmon.
Photo by Heather MacIntyre. |
September 19
 | That is not a dreamscape you're looking at, my friends. THAT is a little thing we like to call September around these parts. Incredible day on the water...
(And THAT is J26 Mike...naturally).
Photo by Katie Jones. |
September 19
From 3:15 to 4:15 this afternoon we had a mixed group of Js and Ks slowly heading north past Lime Kiln. Another group had already passed by and were further north, and there were more whales well to the south.
Monika Wieland
September 18
10:27am L12s (L87 Onyx) vocalizations.
10:00am vocalizations and echolocation on Lime Kiln
Alisa Lemire Brooks
September 18
Everyone says it was J pod group A and Onyx yesterday. And 3 Lags.
James Gresham
September 18
7:45am - Could hear many blows but couldn't see them in the fog. Traveling east to west.
Sally Reeve, Flint Beach, Lopez Island
September 18
 | L87 Onyx near False Bay.
Photo by Sarah McCullagh, San Juan Safaris. |
September 18
 | L87 Onyx.
Photo by Sarah McCullagh, San Juan Safaris. |
September 17
Nothing beats a flat calm, overcast day for whale photography! What a day with J pod (group A) at the T10 buoy north of Sand Heads (mouth of the Fraser River). Lots of socializing and J49 was being a little goof bouncing around playing with everyone but lots of time with mom, J37, rolling around on top of her. Here are a few shots. The first is the J14's, second is L87, J19 and J2 and the last two are of J49 goofing around.
Gary Sutton, Wild Whales Vancouver
September 17
 | J49 was being a little goof bouncing around playing with everyone but lots of time with mom, J37, rolling around on top of her.
Photo by Gary Sutton.
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September 17
 | J49 being goofy.
Photo by Gary Sutton. |
September 17
 | Three generations of the J14's.
Photo by Gary Sutton.
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September 17
 | L87 Onyx, J19 Shachi and J2 Granny.
Photo by Gary Sutton. |
September 17
Mark went out west to find resident killer whales as they headed out towards to the Pacific. There were also some Residents near Vancouver. Ocean Magic picked up a few members of J-pod, most notably Granny's family! Her grandkids were enjoying excellent fishing.
Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch
September 17
 | Southern Resident orcas heading west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Photo by Sooke Coastal Explorations. |
September 12
 | L120, taken off of Sooke, BC.
Photo by Brooke Nelson, Island Adventures Whale Watching. |
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Transients/Bigg's Whales
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September 22
3:30 - 3 transient killer whales! The T010's, a small family consisting of a mother and two sons. They were hanging out in the same bay around the corner from Race Rocks where we had the PWS dolphins, which were nowhere to be found. Smartly so, as they could have been on the menu otherwise! Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch September 15
My first ever orca sighting....right place, right time...happened to have my camera. Quite the blessing. 12:45 PM - Susan Skubina suggested I contact you. I was in my rowboat on the south side of the Dungeness Spit when I sighted first one, then two orcas cruising eastbound inside the bay. After passing by the light house and the tip of the spit they exited to the east. They appeared to be traveling (I like to think they were exploring). Kip Tulin Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research: It's T11 and T11A.September 15
 | My first ever orca sighting....right place, right time...happened to have my camera. Quite the blessing.
Photo by Kip Tulin.
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September 15
 | T11 and T11A inside Dungeness Spit.
Photo by Kip Tulin. |
September 15
6:30 PM - Approx 5 Orcas in Baynes Sound near Union Bay, B.C. (NW Georgia Strait) a small pod of orcas ravelled up Baynes Sound. First observed a mother and calf, then they were joined by others include a large male, traveling, then feeding on a seal. Saw a fantastic spy hop. :-) Tons of seals in the shallows trying to avoid the carnage. Bruce Evans  | Orcas in Baynes Sound, Sept 15th 2014.
Video by Bruce Evans.
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Coastal orcas
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September 19
Orca mother and juvenile spotted off Grayland, WA. My husband reports that yesterday while he was just off the Washington Coast, motoring in his sport fishing boat back to Westport, WA, on his way back from salmon fishing off the Long Beach peninsula, fairly close to shore he saw one female Orca and what he described as a "baby." He said it was noticeably smaller than the female. He is sure that the larger Orca was a female (curved dorsal), not a male (straight-edge dorsal). I don't know how common Transient juveniles are, so I thought I would report this sighting. They were traveling northbound. He saw both of them surface several times, before his boat outdistanced them.
Andrea Grad
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Humpback whales
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September 23
A humpback whale was feeding in the shallows off of San Juan Island! This animal went unidentified, we didn't recognize him/her, but it was a small individual, doing short dives and fluking repeatedly!
Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch
September 22
 | Underside of the fluke, BCY0409, Yogi!
Photo by Western Prince Whale Watch.
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September 22
 | A humpback taken from cottage deck on Cliffside Rd (near E Point, Saturna); whale was diving in Boundary Pass from about 3-6 pm on sunday, sept 21. I think it is rare to see a humpback in this vicinity.
Photo by James McLarnon, Vancouver. |
September 22
 | Near East Point, Saturna.
Photo by James McLarnon. |
September 22
Split Fin, one of our favourite humpbacks was feeding in a massive bait ball off of Trial Island. And while we're waiting for him to resurface, what should appear, but a Minke whale!
Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch
September 21
 | Take your pick, 3 different humpbacks were going crazy with tail splashing and throwing, what a show!
Photo by Carrie Sapp. |
September 21
 | | Photo by Carrie Sapp. |
September 21
 | | Photo by Carrie Sapp. |
September 21
 | Humpback BCY0409 (Yogi) near Kelp Reef.
Photo by Mark Malleson taken under permit # MML-001. |
September 17
 | Yesterday I spent a calm, still morning with a Humpback Whale in Rosario Strait. It was so lovely out, good thing whales don't care about rain.
Photo by Traci Walter. |
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Gray whale
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September 19
7:44am - Sitting in Rosario Strait, between Blakely Island and Cypress Island watching a gray whale play and eat.
Peace Corey
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Pacific White-sided Dolphin
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September 23We saw around 100 Pacific white-sided dolphins today! I remember the first time seeing a killer whale, or a humpback for the first time; you never quite look at the ocean the same way again. These dolphins have shifted my paradigm again. To see a mass of animals move with such speed, agility, and cohesion is something that will give me shivers when I think about it for a long time to come. Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch September 23
 | Lags lags, everywhere.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya. |
September 23
 | More lags.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya. |
September 23
 | | Photo by Capt. Jim Maya. |
September 22
 | A Pacific white-sided dolphin. We encountered about 100 of these charismatic creatures in San Juan Channel onboard the Victoria Clipper III!
Photo by Justine Buckmaster. |
September 22
Pacific white-sided dolphins! A reported 40 dolphins, feeding in a bay just around the corner from Race Rocks! And a HUGE pod of harbour porpoise (Jeff thinks over 100). Jennifer Dickson, Prince of Whales Whale Watch September 20
 | There were 80-100 Pacific white-sided dolphins outside of Friday Harbor this afternoon. Screw football. Dolphins are WAY more awesome!
Photo by Katie Jones. |
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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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