April 15

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Bigg's Killer Whales with a new calf in the middle!  Not sure who the new one belongs to yet! Photo by Traci Walter

Photo by Traci Walter

Good morning! As if we weren't having enough fun watching those cute little J pod babies...we were able to spend time with a new transient orca baby! We had two wonderful encounters with the T65A's, T65B's, T75Bs, and T75C as they cruised in amongst the San Juan Islands. We were able to view several kills, but the highlight of the day was the new little kiddo in the group - likely belonging to T75B.
Katie Jones

T65A's, T65B's, T75Bs, and T75C  as they cruised in amongst the San Juan Islands. Photo by Katie Jones

It felt like a summer day on the water this afternoon. Weather that would spoil anyone rotten while spending time with a very frisky group of transient orcas near Lopez Island. This group included one of my favorite families - the T65A's, which consists of a mother and her four kids. The are so much fun to hang out with. When we caught up with the whales, they must have just made a kill because there was all kinds of exuberant behavior like this breach.
(see photo below).
Katie Jones

12:00pm - John Rogstadt of WA State Ferries called at noon to relay a report from the Ferry Sealth as it was east-bound out of Thatcher Pass, of 3 adult orcas and 1 calf, in Rosario Strait headed north.

12:45 pm - Can anyone get eyes looking north towards Oak Harbor? Was sitting on my deck and I saw splashing with my naked eye. I pulled out the binoculars and took a look and I saw a dorsals or a black tail fin at least that's what it appeared to me. I went to get my better pair of binoculars and by the time I came back they were gone. A large animal was making splashes, looked like orca to me but too far to tell for sure when I saw it near the orange buoy. ...I saw a group of gulls on the water southeast of where I had seen the splashing. Too far away to tell more than that. I'm out checking a few spots now. Nothing yet, so who knows!
Rachel Haight

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7:00pm -passing between Kayu Kayu, Richmond Beach and Kingston...still west of mid channel. Beautiful day!
6:20 pm - update: Ts still northbound steady pace just about to Jefferson Head traveling still west of mid channel towards Kitsap side.
Alisa Lemire Brooks

Such lovely beings! Here's an 8 minute video from the encounter with Transients/Bigg's killer whales: T65As, T65Bs, T75Bs & T75C AND new calf.  April 15, 2015 Video by Alisa Lemire Brooks, Orca Network

6:32pm -  visible from Kayu Kayu park (Richmond Beach in Shoreline). Headed north
Esther du Crocq

6:10 pm - looking south from President Point I think I saw a couple of blows.
Joanne Graves

5:10 pm -  Watching from Rolling Bay. They are headed north and west. Should be visible from Sunrise Bluff and Fay Bainvbridge soon...
Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn
4:30 pm - orcas northbound steadily mid channel (maybe more to the island side) passing Skiff point on Bainbridge. Should soon be viewable from Fay Bainbridge park if not already.
Lynn Batson

5:05pm -  from Shilshole marina/Golden Gardens I've been watching their illuminated blows as they move north...west of mid channel out from, but nearing Faye Bainbridge.
4:20pm -  from Magnolia bluff see them mid channel between Murden Cove/Bainbridge and Magnolia, still south of West Point. Pod is in tight resting group northbound.
Alisa Lemire Brooks

4:15pm - between Magnolia and Bainbridge, on Bainbridge side, heading steadily northbound.
Brian Bennett

3:20 pm - just saw from the Seattle-Bremerton ferry ride a pod of 5-6 orcas heading north!
Catherine Leon

3:20 pm  - Marie Waterman of WS Ferries relayed a report of 6-7 orcas, including one very small one, heading north in the southbound lane off Restoration Point, Bainbridge Island.

2:30 pm - Last we saw they were headed towards Bainbridge from Blake Island.
Karl Johnson

I was watching them from afar while kayaking near the dock, they went under for a while and then surfaced right near me...so crazy! Photo by Katherine Steen

I saw what appeared to be a pod of 6-8 orcas between the Fauntleroy ferry dock in West Seattle and the Vashon ferry dock on Vashon Island. They were there for several hours from late AM to early PM. They were far away but could clearly see dorsal fins and white markings on their sides...They were very active and splashing around a lot but staying in the same basic area the whole time. Eventually a small boat approached them and was very close to them (NOAA Research boat)
Donn Bennett

We had the T65A's, T65B's, T75B's and T75C.  There was a new calf that was with T75B most of the day but T65B was also near it.  It still had  fetal folds and the fin is still bent over.
(see photo below)
Candice Emmons, NOAA, NWFSC

New orca calf with T075B Photo by Candice Emmons, NOAA, NWFSC

T65A2 carrying around part of the kill that they were working when we arrived. Photo by Candice Emmons, NOAA, NWFSC

2:00 pm - Brad Hanson of NOAA's NWFSC reports that he and crew have identified the T65As and the T65Bs in the Vashon/Fauntleroy ferry lane, feasting on something that seems to have been a large mammal from the bits and pieces left behind. They haven't moved far in several hours but seem to have possibly started trending northward.

1:28 pm - I have been watching the pod from Brace Point for 30 minutes - breaching - tail slaps the whole 9 yards - breathtaking!
Kristin Jones

1:05pm - Whales still milling around Vashon/ Fauntleroy run. Small research boat marks the spot.
Wayne McFarland

1:00 pm - We just saw a pod of orcas while on the Southworth to Fauntleroy ferry.
Judy Arbogast
Seola Beach, WA

12: 05 pm -  Pod has moved a bit north and west...looks like NOAA is with them.
Alisa Lemire Brooks

11:45 am - They've been in the same spot for at least 3 hours now. I don't know how long they were there before I saw them on the 8:15 ferry and they're still there on the 10:40 crossing (more like 10:50).
Sarah Low

10:54 am - They are still hanging out just south of the ferry lane Fauntleroy to Vashon. Mid channel.
Debbie Taylor

11:05-11:40 am - Wow! Now watching from the ferry I can confirm they are on a kill. A lot of surface activity: lunging, cartwheels, breaching, circling in coordinated movements. The pod of 8+ orcas (including mature male and young ones) have kept to the same general area (south of the east bound ferry lanes). Tail lobbing and series of 5 to 6 breaches which elicited happy boisterous responses from some ferry riders!
10:35 am - from Fauntleroy ferry dock see them breaching and lunging, mid channel same spot south of Vashon ferry. Look to be on a kill. I am getting on the 10:40 ferry!
Alisa Lemire Brooks

Breaching Transient in Puget Sound Photo by Alisa Lemire Brooks

Photo by Alisa Lemire Brooks

Last is a series of breaches Photo by Alisa Lemire Brooks

10:30 am - Gail Glatzmayer at 106th and Marine View Dr. is watching "a lot of orcas" playing and not really going anywhere but trending slowly south, in the Vashon/Fauntleroy ferry lane, out in mid channel.

12: 05 pm -  Pod has moved a bit north and west...looks like NOAA is with them.
April 15
10:02 am - Just saw them on the ferry as we were pulling into Fauntleroy!! Quite active & frisky!! Heading south-ish, towards Vashon.
Hannah Keim-Mayes

Ferry riders get a close up glimpse of the Transients Photo by Barbara Weber

Pod of Transients between Fauntleroy and Vashon as seen from the ferry. Photo by Barbara Weber

9:00 am - 6-7 orcas seen from the Cathlamet - Vashon to Fauntleroy. Headed south to Vashon. They are moving quite fast - next spot to see might be Dolphin Point or Dilworth - yay orcas !
Aimee Demarest

8:38 am - Orca show from the Vashon ferry, heading north from Dolphin point, lots of playing and splashing.
Amy Rutherford

8:38 am - Orcas spotted mid-channel on Vashon-Fauntleroy ferry just now.
Sarah Low

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2:30pm - We encountered the TO49A's at the south East corner of James Island. The Orcas were in a very sleepy mode as they travelled north up Sidney Channel. They did not travel very far in the time we were with them and had obviously made a kill earlier as we saw a large Stellar Sea Lions swim right past them (lucky Sea Lion. We believe these were the Transient Orcas reportedly heard on the hydro phones earlier in the day but had not been seen until we found them!
Andrew Lees, Manager & Marine Naturalist, Five Star Whale Watching

TO49As Photo by Andrew Lees

4:30 pm - ...we also saw three Orca's on the 14th at the same location heading north. (between Mukilteo and Clinton-see Minke report)
Tim Taylor

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We met a transient pod just outside of Friday Harbor with the San Juan Excursion boat tour. There was a mama, her son, and her two girls. They came right up to our boat and said hello! We followed them around the area for over an hour. They caught something for lunch and the gulls went crazy. They were very friendly!
Danna Bostwick