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Orca Network 

Whale Sighting Report  

In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Photo of the Day
Southern Residents
Bigg's/Transient orcas
California orcas
Fin whale
Humpback whales
Gray whales
Pacific white-sided dolphins

UPCOMING EVENTS


Orca Salmon Alliance
SPONSORED EVENT:  
Intertwined Fates: The Orca-Salmon Connection in the Pacific Northwest


Seattle Aquarium
October 7th, 6:30pm
TICKETS 

~~~~~~~~~

Orca Network's
LANGLEY WHALE CENTER

Corner of 2nd & Anthes, Langley,
Whidbey Island

~~~
Open Thurs - Sun 11 - 5
Displays, videos, gift shop, lending library
~~~

Orca Network recommends:
Puget Sound Whales for Sale: The Fight to End Orca Hunting, by
Sandra Pollard
This important volume recounts the people whose determined efforts ultimately succeeded in ending the captures.

_______________

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!

_________________

 

  David Kirby  

The bestseller about orcas in captivity

   DeathatSeaWorld


Quick Links

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.

Tokitae looking up at us from her tank in Miami, FL in the late 1990s 

Sign up for our 

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October 3, 2015

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.
On this beautiful Fall morning, a large number of J, K, and L pod members were spread out foraging off the west side of San Juan Island, turned themselves northward and continued on, powering past the lighthouse and humans who were all firmly planted on the rocks at Lime Kiln.  About the same time the L54s, who are often traveling on their own, were many miles east.  Any day will be the day many of us further to the south, from Admiralty Inlet and deep into Puget Sound, will get to lay eyes on the southern residents when they journey this way chasing the Fall Chum salmon runs. We are very patient because we know they will arrive when the salmon are plenty and we are eager because we have a great fondness for this intelligent family bonded clan.

We received wonderful photos from Barbara Bender which reveals L122 is a boy but await official confirmation from the Center for Whale Research on the gender of this newest month-old L pod calf. This means 4 of the 5 calves born in the past 10 months are male, with J50 being the only female.

A few Transient encounters to share in this report. Humpbacks are still hanging around places in Puget Sound, we received many  reports of three in close proximity to one another just this afternoon. 

Fundraising Campaign:
On March 1st, 2014 in the seaside town of Langley, Whidbey Island, Washington, Orca Network was proud to open our first brick and mortar - the Langley Whale Center. Out of a deep regard and concern for the orcas (and all marine mammals), a devoted team of volunteers scrubbed, weeded, repaired and used whatever sweat equity we could to open our doors of this educational community gathering spot. The Langley Whale Center is a special place where people the world over have come to learn about the whales and all cetaceans through our many displays and discussions with our volunteer docents.
After 18 months,  LWC has been so successful that it has required a move into a larger building in order to house new displays and have enough space to hold trainings, events, and presentations.  On October 1st we officially took on the lease of a larger space adjacent to our current location. To help fund this move and support the expansion of our programs - please consider making a donation or becoming a member of the Langley Whale Center and Orca Network through our New GoFundMe campaign. We appreciate and thank you for all of your support!

Orca Network 
Photo of the Day
September 29 
L122's tiny fin next to his mom, L91- Strait of Georgia
Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015 
Southern Residents           
October 3 
Gotta love October whales.....the season is winding down here, so every encounter is a gift this time of year (really any time of year, but still - these are the moments that will get people like me through the winter!). I got to check in with members of all three pods today, including a nice group of the J17s, J19s, and J31. Left Js Ks Ls at Battleship quickly northbound at 1:00, spread for many miles.
Monika Wieland

October 3 
Here's J28 Polaris, little J51 Nova (8 months old already!), and J41 Eclipse.
Photo by Monika Wieland, October 3, 2015  

October 3 
Photo by Monika Wieland, October 3, 2015 

October 3 
1:13 p.m. - Westbound just past south end of Lopez now.
11:51 a.m. - L54's westbound at Bird Rocks.
James Gresham

October 3 
11:12 a.m. -  been watching many whales over the past 30 minutes on the webcam and listening on the hydrophones to  intermittent vocalizations, whistles, an echolocation as members of J, K, and L pod power on northbound past the lighthouse, with quite a few passing close to the lighthouse and people on the rocks.
10:45 a.m. -  start hearing whistles on Lime Kiln hdyrophone and visuals on the webcam of northbound SRKWs.

Alisa, ON

October 3 
I just couldn't resist taking this screen grab of this large group of residents powering northbound close to those humans on shore reveling in their presence.
Webcam screenshot by Alisa, ON, October 3, 2015 

October 3 
K pod calls from 6:35-7 before it stopped. (the hydrophone) Sounded like one or two whales from K pod.
Barbara Bender

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October 2 
7:02 p.m. - The boat noise is clearing out - they're still there.
6:23 p.m. - Picking up a bit. Love these calls.
Debbie Stewart

October 2 
6:20 p.m. - Orca on the Lime Kiln! Hearing LPod I think...
Katy Rudolph

October 2 
8:00 p.m. - still intermittent calls.
6:52 p.m. - been mostly quiet past while, intermittent calls. Hearing echolocation now.
6:15 p.m. - start hearing faint vocals on Lime Kiln. Sounds like members of all three pods
Alisa, ON

October 2 
11:06 a.m. - K & L pod passing Sooke, B.C. now! East bound at the moment...Reports of others near Victoria west bound...
Paul Pudwell

**********************

October 1 
12:46 p.m. - J,K, & L Pod off Sooke, B.C. right now!
Paul Pudwell

**********************

September 30  
L122 is a boy! Oh Boy! They came through President's Channel which was a first for me! We were skunked on All Aboard Sailing in the morning by fog. But then, after hanging with a humpback, meeting up at sunset with the Js, Ks and Ls south of Flattop was just... incredible. More breaches than I've ever seen... and L91 rolled around her calf L122, less than a month old, to reveal he is a boy. (we await official confirmation from the Center for Whale Research)
Barbara Bender

September 30 
L91 rolling her calf, L122, to reveal he is a boy.
Photo by Barbara Bender, September 30, 2015 

September 30 
L91 with her first born calf, L122
Photo by Barbara Bender, September 30, 2015

September 30 
L92 Crewser - breached 3 times!
Photo by Barbara Bender, September 30, 2015 

September 30 
Tonight was one of those night's that we dream about out here ... Let me paint the picture for you in words: forty plus resident orcas traveling up the Orcas Island coastline, socializing, breaching, syphoping, cartwheeling, and surfacing in respiratory synchronicity in the late afternoon sun. Backlit blows, water that was like glass, my best friend on board, and the sound of their exhalations carrying on for miles like the harmonic sound of water dripping on pebbles. There's nothing that get's me quite like the "koof, koof, koof" of a pod of orca surfacing all at the same time, displaying ties of social familiarity and family unity. They're so close to one another - neurologically programed to take care of each other with an innate sense of family that exceeds our human ties. To them, this social and tactile behavior that we're fortunate enough to witness is vital for their survival. It's an incredibly powerful thing. Humans could learn so much from these black and white mystics. I will stop at nothing to protect these orcas and try to bring back their primary food source, Chinook/King salmon so that our lives will continue to be enriched by their presence. We need to do our part so that they're around for generations to come.
Heather MacIntyre

September 30 
Wednesday night while watching southern resident orcas off Orcas Island.
Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 30, 2015 

September 30 
5:25 p.m. - sporadic calls on Lime Kiln hydro.
5:15 p.m. - Orcas heading past Lime Kiln Lighthouse. (webcam)
Kim Merriman

September 30 
5:00 p.m. - Amazing huge group orcas (est. about 20 or more of them) passed through breaching and heading west between Orcas Island and Sucia Island over a period of about 1 hour!
Mindy Blaski

September 30 
4:00 p.m. - Large orca pod sighted, feeding and traveling. The orcas were traveling westward in the waters between Orcas Island and Sucia Island, directly north of Point Thompson.
Sig Snelson

*************************

September 29 
We spent all day with the majority of the southern residents in the Strait of Georgia. Sunset trip with the staff was the highlight though! Awesome trip! Big mixed groups of J's, K's and L's including the newest one, L122. The vocals were insane! especially at sunset....it was a pretty surreal setting sitting at sand heads at sunset with whales everywhere squawking away, man, are we lucky to have the opportunity to do this every day.
Gary Sutton

September 29 
Serene September sunset with southern residents, Georgia Strait.
Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015 

September 29 
Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015

September 29 
J51 peeking up, Georgia Strait.
Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015 

September 29 
Another awesome mix! In the lead is K36, J39 and L55. L95 and K26 in the back.
Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015  

September 29 
L41 Mega this afternoon off San Juan Island. He's such a beautiful creature.
Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 29, 2015
(zoomed and cropped)
 

September 29 
What a great day on the Chilkat! Captain Trifecta took us to Port Townsend, then we found the T049A's (all 4), stopped by whale rocks on the way to Hannah Heights where we found L Pod Resident orcas, and on the way back we found two humpbacks whales!!
Janine Harles

September 29 
Stunning iconic northwest scene with an L pod whale on her/his back in Haro Strait back-dropped by Cattle Point Lighthouse and Mount Baker/Cascade range.
Photo by Janine Harles, September 29, 2015 

September 29 
...and a little flip of the fluke.
Photo by Janine Harles, September 29, 2015 


***********************

September 28 
Photos from tonights beautiful encounter with the J14 and L4 matrilines. We watched the two groups join up in Haro Strait and form one huge 'cuddle puddle'. It was great to see the youngsters socializing together too! Towards the end, we even got to see L95 and J27 chasing each other at high speeds - so cool!
Heather MacIntyre

September 28 
L95 Nigel in the lead!
Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 28, 2015 

September 28 
J27 Blackberry launching himself out of the water after L95 Nigel.
Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 28, 2015 

************************

September 26
A five-year-old playing with a Chinook salmon. We left from Orcas island, not totally sure where we were when we saw them, but I want to say it was something like six miles off from Friday Harbor.
Photo by Danny Auerbach, September 26, 2015 

September 26 
Photo by Danny Auerbach, September 26, 2015  
 
Bigg's/Transient orcas          
October 3 
3:56 p.m. -  North of Narrows Bridge about a mile there are two orcas very close together. Heading towards Pt. Defiance.
Yofi Barr

**********************

October 1 
I was heading north toward Mukilteo from Possession Bar this evening and passed 3 Orcas heading South. Looked like an adult and 2 juveniles.
Ron Reeder

October 1 
12:30 p.m. -  I watched 4 orcas, 3 adults and one younger, in Port Susan Bay from my Port Susan Terrace home. They traveled East 100 yards off shore for about 30 mins.
Melanie Serroels

October 1 
12:30 p.m. - We had a huge treat at lunch today when a small group of orcas swam by our home at Port Susan Terrace beach on Camano Island. There were probably three adults and one juvenile. They hung around for about 30 minutes.  They were closely followed by a group of porpoises.  How's that for dessert?
Bob and Mary Pelland

October 1 
Bigg's/Transient male journeys about the glassy waters of Port Susan.
Photo by Bob and Mary Pelland, October 1, 2015
(Looks like T137A. Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research)

October 1 
12:30 pm - Just saw two Orcas off east shore of Camano Island in Port Susan Bay. It Looked like one was a calf. There were 3 orcas and they were heading south toward Everett. It was so cool seeing these from our deck.
Photo by Cindy Stulken, October 1, 2015 

October 1 
Photo by Cindy Stulken, October 1, 2015  

October 1 
The Mukilteo Clinton ferry also reported seeing the orcas again, on the north side of the ferry at around 11:30 am - then a 12:30 report of orcas in Port Susan.

October 1 
On the 8:00am ferry this morning the captain announced orca sightings to the north of the Clinton dock.
Zachary Simonson-Bond


*************************

September 30 
7:15 p.m. -  Woo hoo! First orca sighting of the season. I think T's, 6 orcas including a large male and baby headed slowly north past Dilworth - Vashon. They were traveling pretty close to shore.
Aimee Demarest

September 30 
6:50 p.m. - Three Orcas just passed by Dilworth heading towards Point Robinson, Vashon. Kelly Keenan

September 30 
6:49 p.m. - Orcas just passed Dilworth on Vashon, headed south. Think I hear more.
Laura Daughenbaugh

September 30 
5:24 p.m. - Just saw them!  Heading north - I am at the north end of Lincoln Park!
Kristin Jones

September 30 
4:00 p.m. -  today saw 3 orcas (I think) at Haines Wharf traveling slow/average rate north towards Meadowdale County Beach.. Unable to determine if any males.
Jennifer Love-Talley

September 30 
7:00-9:30 a.m. - Small pod (5-6?) on Possession bar (south Whidbey) this morning , going in every direction, actively chasing/feeding. Milled around for several hrs. One large male, foggy and 3-400 yards away.
RognSue Allen Ford

************************

September 29 
3:55 p.m.  - Blows appeared a mile or two north of Point No Point, still heading south. Appeared to be 4 or 5, including one big male.
Howard, ON

September 29 
3:20 p.m. - Orcas at Bush Pt. Whidbey Is. Heading south.
Reported by Dave Anderson.

September 29 
T049As on a kill, South Lopez-Iceberg area.
Photo by Janine Harles, September 29, 2015 

***********************

September 28 
T10B west bound past Clover Point, Victoria on the morning of September 28, 2015
Photo by Mark Malleson 
California orcas            
October 1 
Hi, My name is David Long. I am a surfer, and I surf at Ocean Beach San Francisco. I saw two Orcas side by side at Ocean beach, Sloat Ave.,  at about 9 am on Thursday October 1 , 2015. Fins fully exposed, white on the side, traveling north.
David long 
Fin whale            
September 29 
Fin Whale near McArthur Bank
Photo by Mark Malleson, September 29, 2015 
Humpback whales             
October 3 
5:00 p.m. - Whale off Point No Point, probably humpback.
Bob Rosenbladt

October 3 
4:50 p.m. -  Kristin Bell called to report watching a humpback off Point No Point surfacing and tail lobbing as it appeared to be swimming east.

October 3 
4:40 p.m. -  They surfaced again, pretty much same area. Straight out from Haines, appear to be headed north. My guess is less than a mile off the Edmonds side. Heading N or NW. Waiting for them to surface again.
4:30 p.m. -  Just saw two humpbacks off Haines Wharf (I think that's what it's called) in Edmonds. Saw several sprays, then two flukes so presumably down for a longer dive. Edmonds side, naked eye.
Kristin Kreifels

October 3 
10:00 a.m. - Marilyn and a friend just called from Eglon to say they're watching the humpback (1 or 2??) from their house about 1-1/2 miles south of the Eglon boat launch, gradually heading north.
reported by James DeRoy

October 3 
8:30 a.m. - The Humpback is back at Point No Point this morning! Or maybe she never left? Just South of the point- no apparent direction. She looked to be foraging. Kitsap side.
Elyse Margaret


**********************
October 2 
Doris Davies reports seeing humpbacks of Norwegian Point.

October 2 
11:30 a.m. -  traveling north on S/V Wandering Star saw one whale surface, blow, and dive several times. We were just off Pilot Point, south of Point No Point. The whale was slowly heading south close to shore and appeared to be feeding. Did not see the pecroral fins for positive ID.
Margaret Glowacki

**********************

October 1 
3:05 p.m. -beautiful humpback just south of Point No Point, Kitsap.
Photo by Janine Harles, October 1, 2015
(This whale was photographed on 9/26 & 9/28 in this same general area,
see our Sept 28th Sightings Report)

October 1 
5:22 p.m.  - humpback blow close to Kitsap side several miles south of Pt no Pt - directly west of north Edmonds. Just saw a fluke and dive, looks heading more to shoreline
4:08 p.m. -  I'm thinking it might be a humpback mom with calf
12:25 pm - huge splash from what I believe had to be a humpback breach. Mid channel east of Point No Point & south of Scatchet Head. In line between Double Bluff and north Edmonds.

Stu Davidson

October 1 
Got word of some apparent humpbacks seen between the Edmonds and Point No Point this AM by birders. "I saw quite a few blows and several backs of what looked like Humpbacks in a 30 second period about 8:30am this morning from the pier. The quick frequency of the blows made me think I was seeing at least two whales. They were far enough that I could only see the very top of their backs and their blows though so hard to know." The direction they said would put them between PNP and Whidbey.
Josh Adams

**********************

September 30 
5:54 p.m. -  humpback turned westerly and now out further from shore off north Edmonds (south of Possession Point)
5:42 p.m. - humpback heading north close to shore north Edmonds.
Stu Davidson

September 30 
5:20 p.m. - There's a whale right now in Edmonds 1.6 miles north of downtown next to the sailboat. Saw the tail, few spouts.
Photo by AnaLisa Gerbig, September 30, 2015 

September 30 
4:27 p.m. -  lucky me, just parked at Sunset Ave in Edmonds and humpback straight out in the middle between here and Kitsap, heading north.
Michelle Goll

***********************

September 29 
6:51 p.m.  - whale blows east of PNP. Definitely two whales! Same general location.
6:30 p.m. -  humpback has moved north and should be directly east offshore of Point No Point several miles. As seen from north Edmonds
5:45 p.m. -  Watching big Blows (single humpback I think) close to Kitsap side south of Point No Point (PNP) a couple miles+.
Stu Davidson

September 29 (shared on) 
Amazing week with Humpbacks.
Photo by Michael Colahan  
Gray whales             
October 2 
"This grey whale has really taken a liking to Vancouver, or so it seems. And it might have even called in a friend. On Friday, several eyewitnesses reported seeing two grey whales in English Bay."  See the full VanCity article with photos and video: Two grey whales spotted in Vancouver today

Pacific white-sided dolphins          
October 3 
4:38 p.m. - Ok, this is cool. We just had a large group of LAGS (Pacific white-sided dolphins) go porpoising south off of the west side. How fun! (Between Lime Kiln and False Bay)
Sandy Buckley 
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.