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Orca Network 

Whale Sighting Report  

In This Issue
Photo of the Day
Southern Residents
Bigg's killer whales
Coastal & Unidentified orcas
Alaska orcas
Gray whales
Humpback whales
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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

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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 

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April 1,  2016

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.
We in the Pacific Northwest revel in the lushness of Spring and the influx of cetaceans around the Salish Sea. This year is no exception - whale encounters abound and have been interesting and beautiful.
Thanks to the underwater hydrophone we are gifted the opportunity to eavesdrop in on the sweet sounds of the whales. Yesterday the calls particular to J pod wafted into our homes as members of J pod traveled along the west side of San Juan Island. Thanks to a naturalist and her fondness for this young family (and her excellent photography skills),  in a days time, we have the privilege to swoon over stunning images of the J28s, engaged in special family time, in near perfectly glassy waters of Haro Strait.


In other SRKW news: Medical records to be compiled for individual orcas in Puget Sound, by Chris Dunagan of the Kitsap Sun.
"When a person becomes severely ill, the doctor will usually check the person's medical file before offering a diagnosis. In the same way, researchers are now setting up medical records for each of the 84 endangered killer whales that frequent Puget Sound. Orca researchers and other wildlife experts spent the past two days discussing how to create a medical database for all the Southern Resident orcas, often described as the most studied marine mammal population in the world."

And for some more good reads, here's an excellent opinion column in the Seattle Times,  Hungry killer whales waiting for Columbia River Salmon, by Deborah A. Giles (Center for Whale Research) and Giulia Good Stefani (NRDC)!

Several different pods of Transients have been roaming the islands and Puget Sound.  A few pods grouped up on Wednesday the 30th, slowly made their way north eventually exiting Admiralty that evening. Thanks to NOAA-NWFSC we have IDs. 

An interesting altercation happened on Monday the 28th. As retold in an eyewitness accounting of the event, T137A went after a couple of grays and it appeared as though mom T137 swam in to intervene and to send her son on his way.
All was seemingly okay with the grays who maintain a presence foraging for ghost shrimp around Everett, and Camano and Whidbey Islands, with a few venturing up into Port Susan.
Quite a few humpbacks are showing up in Washington and Canadian waters including a two known whales, Heather and Split Fluke. Beautiful times!
 
Upcoming Event - Welcome the Whales Festival, April 16th & 17th:
Sign up  for our annual Gray Whale watch fundraiser aboard the Mystic Sea, departing Langley at 3 pm on Sunday April 17th. 2.5 hr cruise, we'll be back around 5:30 pm. $75 includes appetizers and beverages. Get your tickets HERE.
And don't miss our Welcome the Whales Parade and Festival April 16th in Langley, more information on our Facebook event page  and on our Website.

Orca Network
Photo of the Day
March 31 
J54 baby face.
Photo by Traci Walter, March 31, 2016
(image taken with a 600mm lens and cropped) 
  
Southern Residents
March 31 
Here are some images from my oh-so-special encounter with the J28's...Every whale is special, but the longer you are out here and spend time with these orcas, there are certain individuals you end up gravitating towards for a multitude of reasons. J28, Polaris, is one of those whales to me. When I first starting seeing wild Killer whales in the San Juans, I almost always saw her. It likely had something to do with how identifiable she was with her nick in the dorsal fin, but nearly every encounter, there she was. So she quickly became a whale I loved now for almost 10 years. It's been a great pleasure and joy to watch her go from a little teenage rascal to a very caring and responsible adult with now 2 kids. So this encounter, while would have been special no matter which whale, was elevated for me because it was Polaris. We got to see special family bonding time, rolling, cuddling, and just being together....
Traci Walter

Polaris J28 and her son J54.
Photo by Traci Walter, March 31, 2016
(images taken with a 600mm lens and cropped) 

Star J46 (saddle patch) her little brother J54 & their mom Polaris J28.
J54 is schmooshed between mom and sister.
Photo by Traci Walter, March 31, 2016 

J54 riding around on his sister J46.
Photo by Traci Walter, March 31, 2016 

J46 (L) and her mom J28 (R).
Photo by Traci Walter, March 31, 2016 

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3:00 p.m. - Whales headed out towards Hein Bank
2:32 p.m. - Whales stalled out- turned south, now westbound just north of Hannah Heights.  J17's and J22's- and a humpback!
1:03 p.m. - Slow north, Js are at Hannah Heights now
12:05 p.m. - False bay northbound
Barbara Bender, All Aboard Sailing
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8:25 a.m. - burst of calls begins and amps up,  continues until about 8:46am at which time faint. Js passing southbound in glassy calm morning seas. (Visible on the webcam)
Alisa Lemire Brooks
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8:18 a.m. - Sounds like echolocating now - with ship noise.
Barbaa Bender
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7:37 a.m. - Dani Marie reports hearing calls at on Lime Kiln hydrophone.

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March 30 
10:00 a.m. - Spotted an Orca pod passing Clark And Barnes islands (north end of Rosario St.) this morning about 10a, heading South in Rosario Strait. 12 were seen, 1 large bull, 1 juvenile bull. (turned out to be members of J pod)
Robbie J

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March 27 
We got to spend some more time with the J22s and the J17s yesterday. And more...In between Orcas Island & the Lopez Ferry Dock. Aboard the Peregrine for Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya, March 27, 2016 

J28 & J54
Photo by Capt. Jim Maya, March 27, 2016 


 
Easter encounter with the J17's and J22s! Enjoy! (Watch in HD)
Video by Traci Walter, March 27, 2016 
 
Bigg's (Transient) killer whales
March 30 
Evening light illuminates the T090's as they pass west bound in front of Victoria's waterfront.
 Photo by Mark Malleson, March 30, 2016 

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March 30  - Puget Sound 
Brad Hanson and Candi Emmons send us this note with IDs on the Transients in Puget Sound: Looks like the T137s,T36As,T124As
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6:25 p.m. - Onboard the Victoria Clipper, we just saw a pod of 5 Orcas headed North. (in Admiralty off Marrowstone)
James Greenway
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6:24 p.m. - Victoria Clipper is with the whales., near Ft Flagler.
Jill Hein
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4:27 p.m. - pod is mid channel about to pass Bush Point, Whidbey northbound. Blows lit up in the sun.
Rachel Haight
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3:11 p.m. - pod is  well north of Point No Point now. NOAA researchers with them.
From Point No Point with beautfiul sandy Double Bluff, Whidbey Island in background.
Photo by Sue Surowiec Larkin, March 30, 2016 

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2:52 p.m. - They are just off Point No Point heading north.
Dorothy Rosenbladt
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2:35 p.m.  - Brad Hanson says there are about 10 in the group, including the T137s, now approaching Point No Point heading north.
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2:30 p.m. - gonna leave, it's getting harder to see them from this distance. They've slowed/stalled but in general still northbound south of Point No Point.
Alisa Lemire Brooks, Orca Network
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2:02 p.m. - Just found them heading quickly north towards the Eglon boat launch.
Emily Wandres
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2:00 p.m. - they moving northbound heading towards Eglon. Now between Apple Cove Point and Eglon.
1:39 p.m. - from Edmonds seeing blows and what looks to be NOAA research boat same place north of Apple Cove Point/Kingston.
Alisa Lemire Brooks, Orca Network
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1:05 p.m. - Sara Frey reports seeing about five orcas off Apple Cove Pt, north of Kingston, where they've been since at least 11:35 in earlier report. She's watching breaches and other vigorous activity.

Iconic beautiful Pacific Northwest scene: Sound, mountains, and orcas.
Photo by Sara Frey, March 30, 2016 

Photo by Sara Frey, March 30, 2016 

Photo by Sara Frey, March 30, 2016 
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I saw a orca I over by the Kingston ferry, between 11:30-12:00.
Lara Chavez
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11:35 a.m. - Orca's moving north at Apple tree cove. Look to be transients making a kill. Viewed from Kingston / Edmonds ferry about a mile offshore.
Peter Hanke

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March 29 - north Puget Sound 
9:00 to 9:30 AM - Transients off Long Point, Penn Cove. Saw 4 transients off Long Point in Penn Cove. They were circling & diving for 10-15 minutes. Around 9:30 they starting heading north out of Penn Cove.
Eileen Ryan
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March 29 - south Puget Sound 
Can anyone confirm a sighting in Hale Passage east of Fox Island on today, 3/29/16, of a small pod around 5pm? (likely the pod of Ts around Tacoma earlier who disappeared despite many eyes on the water)
Douglas Ribeca
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10:18 a.m. - Pod of Orcas about 100 yards north of Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Approximately 5. Heading northbound.
Andrea Reubel Walker
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9:03 a.m. - 3-4 orcas in front of Les Davis pier along Ruston way (Tacoma) right now, appears they are eating seals, transients for sure!
Dayna Campbell

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March 28 
7:25 p.m. -  4 Orcas (looks like T137 and family) just passing Harrington Lagoon, Whidbey side, looks like they're heading to Penn Cove!
Photo by Jill Hein, March 28, 2016 

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7:13 p.m. - 4 orca whales (one was little) heading north in Saratoga passage toward Penn Cove/Oak Harbor, moving pretty quick.
Fran Farley Kendall
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4:00 p.m. - at least 2 Camano side of mid channel passing Mabana. Then 4:15 male passed Mabana much closer to Camano. (see video)
3:50 p.m. -  from Mabana on Camano, seeing blows and dorsals powering through the chop, heading north mid-channel  sightline between Mabana and Langley.
Alisa Lemire Brooks

 
A  glimpse of T137A northbound in sunlit shimmering Saratoga Passage.
Video by Alisa Lemire Brooks, Orca Network
March 28, 2016 

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Dick Snowberger called at about 3:30, watching from Boy & Dog Park on First St, Langley, seeing one or two Gray whales feeding south of Camano Head, and also saw the four Transient orcas pass by them heading north up Saratoga Passage, off south Camano Island.
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3:17 p.m. - T 137's within 200 yards of two grays.
(Below is the description of what ensued)
Major altercation between the 137's and #56 and 531. 137a drove into them from the south and mom drove in from the North. Both grays rolled over maybe a dozen times, pecs flying. T137 and 137a trashed about around them for about 5 minutes and then moved on. 56 and 531 are now in the shallows of Camano Head and look no worse for wear. Pretty wild!....When we watched that incident with Patch several years ago it was pretty brief, the 8 or so kw passed under him and he spun around, showed his belly to the surface and probably gave a bubble blast to ward them off. As Tyson and myself recall today, it seemed like 137a (14 year old) kind of went in on his own, and mom bolted in after him. The grays were not having it, and all three calves quickly bolted away after the scuffle, mom following behind them after they were clear. Tough to say, but it seemed like 137a was just being a punk and picking a fight he shouldn't have.
3:10 p.m. - T137's!
2:50 p.m. - Got them. N side of Gedney moving to Saratoga
Michael Colahan
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2:15 p.m. - Group of 3 Orcas sited just north of Clinton Ferry Dock. Appeared to be 2 adults and a smaller one. Head north towards Langley.
Doug B
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2:15 p.m. - Sandra Pollard just called to report seeing 4 Transient orcas from the ferry at the Mukilteo ferry landing. She sees one male, two females and one juvenile, heading north toward Gedney/Hat Island. And added: "We were returning to Clinton on the 2:00 pm ferry, and almost at the ferry dock. The ferry captain announced that there were 'porpoises off the beach, port side.' I went outside and saw a fast disappearing dorsal fin on the port side, then saw three dorsal fins pop up on the starboard side heading towards Gedney (Hat) Island, seemingly on a mission. Two shorter dorsal fins and one smaller dorsal fin, then husband Dick spotted a big dorsal fin coming up behind."

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

March 27 
Spotted a small pod (4 - 5) of Orcas this afternoon approximately 1445 hours, just going north bound on east side of Reid island and then East into Porlier Pass.
Photo by Karen Steve Smith, March 27, 2016 

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

March 26 
It was a chilly evening with gray skies when we encountered the transient killer whale family T137s. They  zig-zagged across San Juan Channel, traveling from seal haul out to seal haul out and spent at least 20 minutes predating on one seal. We left the pod of four traveling north through President's Channel, Orcas Island.
Kevin Culmback, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris

Close family bonds...T137s in San Juan channel.
Photo by Kevin Culmback, March 26, 2016 

Photo by Kevin Culmback, March 26, 2016

Photo by Kevin Culmback, March 26, 2016

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The T137s around the San Juan Islands.
Video by Traci Walter, March 26, 2017 
 
-
Spent the afternoon with the T137s. Caught up with them just south of San Juan Island and kept pace with them as they traveled past Friday Harbor and up into San Juan Channel. Just south of Yellow Island they hit pay dirt and purposefully dispatched of a harbor seal. Lots of pecs and fins and a big spyhop for good measure. We left them as they continued north. Epic encounter! Pics to follow.
Debbie Stewart

T137s in San Juan Channel.
Photo by Debbie Stewart, March 26, 2016 
 
Photo by Debbie Stewart, March 26, 2016

Photo by Debbie Stewart, March 26, 2016
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March 26 - Hood Canal 
2:30 p.m. - Whale Sighting. In 60 years I have never seen a whale in the lower end of Hood Canal. 1 whale traveling. (reported as Pilot whale but all probability is orca. See 1:30 report below, and our  March 27th includes reports of orcas on the 26th. - ALB)
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1:30 p.m. - Orca Sighting, The one I saw as not real big. At the time I was thinking a smaller female. On Saturday March 26...We were approximately a mile north of Belfair State Park on Hood Canal. The weather was perfectly clear and I had a totally unobstructed view of Hood Canal. All of a sudden I saw a whale blow and an Orca surface, then go back down. It had a large dorsal that was sagging over and I could see the black back. It didn't come out of the water enough to see any white on it, but I know it was an Orca. (Years ago I spent 10 years commercial fishing in Washington and Alaska and have encountered many whales and marine mammals). I alerted the other people who were there and we began watching for it to surface again. About 10 minutes later we saw it surface and spout a few hundred yards down the beach. That was our last sighting. I am familiar with the waters it was in and it was traveling northward along a shelf that is about 30 ft deep. It was like it was feeding on something, but I have now idea what as it is not salmon season. I know Orcas travel in pods and there certainly could have been more off the beach that we were just not seeing.
Michael Birkland

Coastal & Unidentified orcas
April 1 
4:02 p.m. -  the ferry Chelan called in a report of 6-8 orcas in the traffic lane from Lopez to Anacortes, frolicking around with no clear direction of travel.
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Approx. 3:50 p.m. - Orcas sighted from ferry Chelan while heading from Anacortes to Orcas Island south of Blakely and Cypress. Whales were headed east.
Alex Callen

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March 30 - coastal orcas
We received a call at 3:30 from Blythe Marshman of the Bodega Marine Lab in CA. She was 80% sure she saw an orca close to shore near a seal rookery there at the lab in Bodega Bay. She only saw the dorsal fin once, very close to shore, then it disappeared and she couldn't find it again. She said the seals were all way up on the rocks, so it's quite possible a Transient was cruising the area looking for lunch.
Susan

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March 29 
2:35 p.m. - Pod sighting, Four with two being small, and one male, traveling off Nile Creek heading south towards Qualicum Beach this afternoon (29/03/16). Saw them off the beach.
Paul Sawyer

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

March 28 
Today at 630pm we spotted a pod of 5 (we think) orcas. In Campbell river. Between the light house and red bell bouy. There was 2-3 very small orcas. They were travelling south.
Micah Anderson  

Blurry photo included for the record to show adult male present.
Photo by Micah Anderson, March 28, 2016 
   
Alaska orcas
Summer 2015 - Alaskan orcas 
Attached is a photo I took last summer of the orcas in Chatham Strait showing the calf with the missing dorsal....Also attached are photos of the mother. I'd love to hear whatever you find out about what might have happened. (Could this have been another case of emergency midwifery, like what seems to have transpired when J50 was born in December 2014? The rake marks just under her dorsal fin are still visible. HG)
Wayne and Liz Weideman

Photo by Wayne and Liz Weideman, Summer 2015 
 
Photo by Wayne and Liz Weideman, Summer 2015

Photo by Wayne and Liz Weideman, Summer 2015
 
Gray whales
April 1 
Gray whales # 383 and 21 off Tulalip and # 723 off Gedney Island earlier today.
From posts at Langley Whale Center.

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March 31 - south Puget Sound 
7:45 p.m. - In Oakland Bay right by the docks.
Joe Penrod
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6:30 p.m. - A whale, I think it is a gray whale, in Hammersley Inlet heading to Oakland Bay. Wow.
Brenda Rix
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6:17 p.m. - Lone gray or humpback sighted off of Church Point, traveling through Hammersley into Shelton.
Jodie Johnson

March 31 - north Puget Sound 
8:58 a.m. - Two Grey whales and a possible calf swam very slowly up the mainland side of Port Susan heading for Kayak Pt. They were approx 250 meters off the beach. One whale appeared larger than the other. They were barely breaking the surface to blow. We saw them from our home. We've been looking for them and happy to finally have a sighting here in Port Susan. 48� 7' N, 122� 21' W
Douggie B

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March 30 - north Puget Sound 
Enjoying the unusually warm weather on Wednesday (March 30), Mystic Sea headed out to find gray whales - we had four of them today, quite a treat. First off, #531 was feeding in the shallow bays near Everett, often on her side with her pectoral fin showing, and also part of her fluke (tail). Next we found #723 who surprised us by his close pass-by, then #49 Patch joined in, followed by #383 who gave us many looks at his fluke. The water was like a mirror, so beautiful, happy smiles for everybody.
Jill Hein, volunteer naturalist.

Underside fluke ID shot of #383.
Photo by Jill Hein, March 30, 2016 

#723 surprised us - see his tail under the surface?
Photo by Jill Hein, March 30, 2016 

Gray whale surfaces with Hat/Gedney Island in background.
Photo by Jill Hein, March 30, 2016 

-
Ok, so the transient orcas gave us the slip today (sigh) but we did catch up with a few grays and one that is quickly becoming my favorite, a female, #531 who was near Everett. She has the most beautiful marbled markings on her back, on both sides, and the underside of her tail is easy to ID
Renee Beitzel

Top side fluke of #531 while she moves about around Everett.
Photo by Renee Beitzel, March 30, 2016 

#531's left side.
Photo by Renee Beitzell, March 30, 2016 

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March 30 - south Puget Sound 
We had a rare visitor this afternoon! This Gray Whale spent a couple hours swimming up and down McAllister Creek within a stone's throw of the Estuary Boardwalk Trail - it only happens once ever few years! As the tide went out, we were worried as it got caught up on a couple sandbars, but it finally headed out to the deep waters of Puget Sound.
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Photos by Michael Schramm/USFWS 


The whale is actually stuck on a sandbar here, struggling to free itself. She/he eventually swam free.
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS, March 30, 2016
 




Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS, March 30, 2016
 

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS, March 30, 2016
 

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March 29 
6:15 p.m. - She's slowly moving south and is closer inland now
5:59 p.m. - Gray whale just outside mid channel Camano side between Dana Point and Mabana Heights. Feeding behavior.
Sally Olin

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March 28 -south Puget Sound 
A gray hung out just South of Titlow Beach at sunset tonight and was feeding along the Northern tip of Day Island. He seemed to be so black and so big but not like an orca. And he seemed to be alone unless there was a baby. I kept seeing a little fin. (pec fin while on side feeding)
Karen Caldwell

Gray whale surfacing in the burning afteglow of sunset.
Photo by Karen Caldwell, March 28, 2016 

Gray whale's beautiful heart-shaped blow with Tacoma Narrows Bridge in background.
Photo by Karen Caldwell, March 28, 2016 

Gray surfacing very close to shore.
Photo by Karen Caldwell, March 28, 2016 

Gray on it's side  just south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Photo by Karen Caldwell, March 28, 2016  

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March 28 - north Puget Sound 
Dick Snowberger called at about 3:30, watching from Boy & Dog Park on First St, Langley, seeing one or two Gray whales feeding south of Camano Head, and also saw the four Transient orcas pass by them heading north up Saratoga Passage, off south Camano Island.
-
3:17 p.m. - T 137's within 200 yards of two grays....
Major altercation between the 137's and #56 and 531. 137a drove into them from the south and mom drove in from the North. Both grays rolled over maybe a dozen times, pecs flying. T137 and 137a trashed about around them for about 5 minutes and then moved on. 56 and 531 are now in the shallows of Camano Head and look no worse for wear. Pretty wild!....When we watched that incident with Patch several years ago it was pretty brief, the 8 or so kw passed under him and he spun around, showed his belly to the surface and probably gave a bubble blast to ward them off. As Tyson and myself recall today, it seemed like 137a (14 year old) kind of went in on his own, and mom bolted in after him. The grays were not having it, and all three calves quickly bolted away after the scuffle, mom following behind them after they were clear. Tough to say, but it seemed like 137a was just being a punk and picking a fight he shouldn't have.
Michael Colahan
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12:09 p.m. - While sitting on the ferry, two blows were spotted about .5 miles east of the Clinton Ferry terminal.   The was a whale watching boat nearby.  No fins noted, just blows.  At least two whales were present.  They looked like grey whales from what little I could see.
Scott Shea
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11:20 a.m. - Sandra Pollard called from the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry, reporting two Grays south of Hat Island.
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10:55 a.m. - Gray whales 49, 723, 383 south Gedney Island from Island Explorer 4. All grouped up.
Michael Colahan

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

March 27 
Enjoying another day of sunshine, we left Langley and headed towards Camano Head where a whale had been spotted earlier, no luck there so we headed to Hat/Gedney Island and were rewarded with the sight of three of our favorite gray whales, feeding together. We had #49 Patch, #531 and #723. They slowly traveled along the east side of the island, then we heard there was a Humpback whale near Baby Island! A Humpback?? We headed northward, and sure enough, a humpback whale was feeding in the entrance to Holmes Harbor, along with many California sea lions and harbor porpoise, and seabirds. What a treat and very unusual - an amazing day for sure.
Jill Hein - volunteer naturalist.

#49 Patch, with his 'patch' reflecting well.
Photo by Jill Hein, March 27, 2016 

Photo by Jill Hein, March 27, 2016 
 
Humpback whales
March 31 
Humpback in Haro Strait.
Photo by Traci Walter, March 31 2016 


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March 29 - Haro Strait 
BCX1068 "Split Fluke"  in Haro Strait.
Photo by Mark Malleson, March 29, 2016 
-

I love it when we are the first to find whales! The Peregrine found two humpbacks, nicknamed Heather BCY1060 and Splitfluke BCX1068.
Haro Strait, abeam of Battleship Island.

Photo by Capt. Jim Maya, March 29, 2016 

Heather BCY0160 in Haro Strait.
Photo by  Jim Maya, March 29, 2016

Splitfluke BCX1068 in Haro Strait.
Photo by  Jim Maya, March 29, 2016 

Heather BCY0160's beautiful topside fluke.
Photo by Jim Maya, March 29, 2016 

March 29 - Puget Sound 
4:10 p.m. - Hi I work in port orchard at the lighthouse restaurant across from the Bremerton naval shipyard. I saw a humpback whale heading towards the head of the bay. Very close to the Port Orchard Yacht club. 
Andrea Veedrenburgh

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March 28 
3:00 p.m. - we encountered "Heather" BCY0160 a couple of miles SE of Trial Island. She had first been encountered earlier in the day by Mark from POW. When we encountered her she was being very sleepy at first but started to wake up after about 20 minutes and we saw her tail fluke 4 or 5 times.
Andrew Lees, Five Star Whale Watching

Heather BCY0160 southeast of Trial Island.
Photo by Andrew Lees, March 28, 2016 


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

March 27 - Puget Sound 
Humpback in Holmes Harbor, Whidbey Island during a herring spawn.
Photo by Jill Hein, March 27, 2016 
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March 27 - Vancouver BC 
Humpback in English Bay, Vancouver BC
CTVNews piece with video of humpback whale.

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 [email protected], 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.