J14 Samish (R) continues northbound while other members of J and K pods slow to socialize and engage in tail lobs, breaches, pec slaps during their mid afternoon northbound pass off Land Bank on the west side San Juan Island.  Photo by Cher Renke, June 6, 2016 (Thanks to Melisa Pinnow & Sara Hysong-Shimazu for ID help)

 

Just a quick update, there were tons of whales everywhere mostly inshore . But I did see K12s, L87, J2, J14's, J17's, J10's, J11's. All of the J's plus L87 were headed up Haro - but there were loads of whales offshore that we didn't see. We heard lots of J calls. Maybe a few Ks. But I didn't see any Ls that I know of unless I got some far distant photos... In going thru my photos, I found the K14's and I also saw K21, K16 and K35.
Barbara Bender
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The Southern Resident drought is over! Members of all three pods came back into the Salish Sea yesterday, and I think many of us breathed a collective sigh of relief as one group headed up to the Fraser River while another did the westside shuffle, indicating that perhaps there are enough fish to keep them here for a least a while. This evening I was lucky enough to get out with members of J and K Pods near Stuart Island...
Monika Wieland

...That's J34 Doubelstuf on the left, and he was in the middle of a group of rolling, playful whales as they slowly meandered north. Photo by Monika Wieland, June 6, 2016

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Approx. 1:00 p.m. - Out on the water with J & K pod. Haro Strait, west side San Juan Island. Whales were traveling north and south throughout the trip. The highlight, not pictured, was when J39 Mako breached RIGHT next to the boat, so close he splashed the front of the boat getting people wet. Beautiful, beautiful day. Photo by Rachel Haight, June 6, 2016

K21 Cappucino -  Haro Strait - West side San Juan Island. Photo by Rachel Haight, June 6, 2016

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5:24 p.m. - Passing Battleship. J2 Granny in the lead.
Barbara Bender
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4:25 p.m. -  turned on Orca Sound. Hearing what sounds like faint Ks and loud Js.
Alisa Lemire Brooks, Ora Network
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3:00 pm. -  Whales at Lime Kiln.
Barbara Bender
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Beautiful! So many tail slaps, spyhops, pec slaps. At least 4 large males, 1 baby, and a slightly larger baby. From Land Bank/Westside Preserve, San Juan Island. Photo by Cher Renke, June 6, 2016

J14 Samish (born 1974) passes Land Bank, San Juan Island northbound mid afternoon. Photo by Cher Renke, June 6, 2016 (Thanks to Melisa Pinnow & Sara Hysong-Shimazu for ID help

2:30 p.m. -  Off Land Bank to the south but headed north.
Cher Renke

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Approx. 4:45 p.m. -  from Lime Kiln on their return southbound. Here's a special little photo to me, my favorite of the day. Little L123 with mom, Lapis (L103), L122, and Muncher (L91). Last fall a dear friend and I were the first to notice a new little fin and it turned out we weren't crazy and seeing things - Lapis had given birth to her first calf, L123! It was so thrilling to see this little one again knowing that it survived the winter and has grown so much since we first saw it last November.
Sara Hysong-Shimazu

Little L123 with mom, Lapis (L103), L122, and Muncher (L91) on their southbound pass off Lime Kiln State Park. Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

Muncher (L91) and her 9-month-old son L122. Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

Marina (L47), Ballena (L90), and Crewser (L92). Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

Nugget (L55) and Takoda (L109). Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

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(Below is observations by Capt Barbara Bender on an interaction between residents and transients)
Sara- We caught up with the T60's by Mandarte after we left the L's. Thanks for Id'ing the two by LK. ...But before that, there was a scuffle between R's and T's! We saw a female and male coming north in Haro while Ls we're going south. L92 made a drastic sudden direction change towards them. Then the L47's with L122 in the mix started high speed swimming toward them too in a tight group. Meanwhile they had been spread in loose groups beforehand. The T's took off porpoising the minute L92 turned toward them! It was intense! It was very brief before R's continued south again while the T's kept porpoising! I am not sure if the two T's were T60 and T60C who caught up with the others near Darcy or if it was others. I would love to put these puzzle pieces together! Were there only two T60's in on the seal kill? Were the other family members near? Because the 2 T's were just two in mid Haro all alone. And per the CWR website the J's chased them away a few years back!
Barbara Bender
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We saw J11s, J17s, and J22s.
Katie Jones
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Really nice to see the residents back in town! SPREAD OUT across the Strait of Georgia foraging. So nice to see a couple of the "Jabies", J51 and J52. We had K12s, K14s, K16s but no K13s. Most of J pod too but didn't see any J17s or J22s.
Gary Sutton

Little resident J51 Nova navigating Georgia Strait. Photo by Gary Sutton, June 5, 2016

Little resident J52 Sonic navigating Georgia Strait. Photo by Gary Sutton, June 5, 2016

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With Orca Month, as officially proclaimed by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, well underway, it was with a sense of celebration that we welcomed members of the Southern Resident community back to the San Juan Islands today. With reports of J and L pods in the vicinity, we encountered part of L pod off the west side of San Juan at around 12:15 pm. Although initially traveling in ones and twos, we witnessed the whales grouping up close to shore as they headed north. To say that it was a privilege to see them in their natural surroundings on such a glorious day would be an understatement. Shore-based whale-watchers must have enjoyed a treat as the whales passed by Lime Kiln State Park. Passengers were also fortunate to see both a California sea-lion basking on the rocks and Steller sea-lions swimming near Whale Rocks, where two bald eagles were resting. How lucky we are to have such a diverse selection of marine life among these treasured islands.
Sandra Pollard (Author/Naturalist).

L72 (Racer) and her son L105 (Fluke) on the west side of San Juan Island. Photo by Richard Snowberger, June 5, 2016

Photo by Richard Snowberger, June 5, 2016

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More notes by Monika: J Group A with all Ks but K13s made it up to Georgia Strait so they were all here too. I haven't had a chance to go through my photos but were L47s in there with L4s, L26s, and L43s.
10:06 a.m. - Ls just flipped.
9:47 a.m. - J pod group B and greater L4s Battleship northbound.
8:03 a.m. - Huge tight group Open Bay  northbound.
Monika Wieland
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8:08 p.m. - Members of all three pods, btw!
Erin Cora
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7:22 a.m. - heard a few squeaks on Lime Kiln.
6:45 a.m. -  still hearing calls on OrcaSound hps.
6:30 a.m - Visuals on Lime Kiln webcam. Dorsal of large male and female or young male right off the rocks at lighthouse. These whales are spread out!
5:50 a.m. - Switched over to OrcaSound, Loud calls and echolocation! Js for sure...S3s, S4s, S7s
5:40 a.m. - turned on Lime Kiln hydrophone and started hearing super faint resident calls, sounds like some Ks & Ls?.
Alisa Lemire Brooks

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L91 and L122 westbound through Race Passage. Photo by Mark Malleson, June 3, 2016

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Scenes from the day. L Pod and Race Rocks and the Olympic Mts. and the Elwha Valley! Photo by Capt. Jim Maya, June 3, 2016

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L105 Fluke near Victoria, BC Photo by Janine Harles, June 3, 2016

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L pod is back! Here is a highlight of today's encounter with Lpod off Victoria during our morning tour. This was the first time Lpod had been seen in the Strait of Juan De Fuca this year! Photo by Andrew Lees, Five Star WW, June 3, 2016

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3:25 p.m. - Killer Whales right out front off Sooke heading west now...and a humpback a mile south of Secretary Island..
11:07 a.m. - Many many orca heading west from Victoria now! L pod, and? Should be around Sooke in a couple hours.
Paul Pudwell, Victoria, BC, Canada Sooke Coastal

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1:30 p.m. - Orca at Swiftsure bank....it was hard for me to determine that age of the orca, not that experienced, but definitely a young one.  As this juvenile went by our boat, there was another whale that passed on the other side of the vessel, presumably mum (?).  Also observed at least one other orca in the vicinity but too far to see much other than the dorsal, which was crescent shaped.  All were traveling westward out Juan de Fuca Strait as we were moving from the east end of Swiftsure Bank towards Port Renfrew.  All whales were traveling east rapidly, not feeding.  The fin and markings on the juvenile hopefully help with ID, photos with an iPhone. ("While I'm not 100% positive, this little whale looks like it could be L117 of the L54's." Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research)
Kevin Neary

Juvenile - Swiftsure Bank Photo by Kevin Neary, June 2, 2016 ("While I'm not 100% positive, this little whale looks like it could be L117 of the L54's. Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research)

Crop of above photo by Kevin Neary, June 2, 2016

Photo by Kevin Neary, June 2, 2016

T60 and T60C surprised us at Lime Kiln yesterday with a hunt on this harbor seal just north of the light house. At one point the seal made an attempt for the rocks but the whales cut it off and came in so close I'm pretty sure some people got splashed as T60 threw her tail around during a quick maneuver to intercept the seal. What an encounter!...
It's always a privilege to see the top predators in our oceans and to see them hunting is both gut-wrenching and incredible....While the Bigg's killer whales do prey on marine mammals,  they're hunting the way they've evolved to and it doesn't mean they're mean or more vicious than their fish-eating cousins. It means they're a predator and they're feeding themselves and their families the way they've done for thousands upon thousands of years.
Sara Hysong-Shimazu

T60C hunting a harbor seal - taken from shore on the northside of Lime Kiln State Park, San Juan Island. Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

T60 intercepts the seal as it makes a mad dash for the rocks. Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

T60C and the harbor seal face off. After this T60C circled, grabbed the seal, and submerged. After that the two whales headed north with purpose. Taken from shore at Lime Kiln. Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu, June 5, 2016

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On board the Peregrine with Captain Jim he had a report of Biggs killer whales in Canada. Up Haro Strait, up Swanson Channel and into Trincomali Channel where we caught up with the still northerly bound T124As off Wallace Island. They appeared to have prey with them as they would travel a bit and then pause for predation behaviors such as directional changes, tail slaps and deeper dives. This pattern continued most of the time we were with them until at last they picked up the pace as we bid adieu. Beautiful backlit blows, calm water, and great looks at a wild and free family.
Debbie Stewart

T124A's. As they were traveling, they were always in a very tight formation. 4 out of 5 family members present. Photo by Debbie Stewart, June 4, 2016

The late afternoon sun made the blows look incredible. So much raw power. Again, from the encounter with T124A's late Saturday. Photo by Debbie Stewart, June 4, 2016

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Transient Orca pod off Crescent Bay, Washington... just west of Port Angeles. Seen about 9am. Slowly heading west. There were about 8 of them. 1 big male, looks like a sprouting (juvenile) male, 2 maybe 1-2 year old calves and a brand new baby (still dark orange) as well as 3 females. (ID'd as T75Bs & T77s by Sara Hysong-Shimazu.. see Don's beautiful VIDEO, be sure to check HD box)
Don Baker

T75Bs and  T77s off Crescent Bay, west of Port Angeles. Photo by Don Baker, June 3, 2016 (ID's by Sara Hysong-Shimazu via photos and video - link above in Don's report)

Photo by Don Baker, June 3, 2016

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Sailed South onto glassy waters south of Lopez Island and changed course for Hein Bank with news of transient orcas. We sailed back towards Lopez with the T46Bs alongside as the sun was setting.
Barbara Bender, All Aboard Sailing
Photos

T46Bs Photo by Capt. Barbara Bender, May 31, 2016

Photo by Capt. Barbara Bender, May 31, 2016

with Mount Rainier in the distance... Photo by Capt. Barbara Bender, May 31, 2016

2:00 p.m. - A group of Orcas in Port Angeles, they seemed like they were fishing. I tried to get picture of them, but they weren't surfacing...was able to see dorsal fins of about 5 or 6. It was around 2:00pm they came in and circled around the harbor starting by the Coast Guard station and down to the mill where they lingered for sometime and then back out. I am not to familiar with the area I was on the spit though. My first time actually seeing them in the wild. I was so excited. I guess they were traveling north, Iost site of them on the other side of the harbor behind an anchored ship. They seemed to be diving deeply, as they were heading out.
Kathleen Barker

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1:00 p.m. - We are located at 29000 block of Beach Dr., Poulsbo just 2 miles south of Hood Canal bridge. Spotted pod, large momma with two small calfs. They were heading North out towards bridge.  
Todd Hellmers 

2:56 p.m. - Whale blow !! Must be a humpback or Gray. Line of sight east of Point No Point and south of Scatchet head. Moving north towards Scatchet Head. As seen from north Edmonds.
Stu Davidson

Approx 3:45 p.m. - I was watching orcas off Henry Island. Just as the boats and whales moved east and behind the island so that I couldn't see them anymore, I heard 2 loud blows. Then a large whale surfaced, blew, and dived with tail coming up, heading toward the same spot where the boats had been. It was very close to shore which is how I heard the blow. I was on my deck at 45 Marian Pl. It seemed to be either a gray or a humpback. It was so exciting that I forgot to use my camera.
Jan Hare
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3:50 p.m. - I'm at Land Bank, San Juan Island.  Humpback just cruised right by northbound in Haro Strait. 5 Shallow dives, and on the 6th, he/she went deep! Photo by Cher Renke, June 6, 2016

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2:10 p.m. - Humpback at Eagle Point southbound.
Barbara Bender

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1:55 p.m. - Spotted a humpback whale in Bedwell Bay, BC.
Pam Anderson

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Humpback flukes and Mt. Baker on a beautiful afternoon at McArthur Bank, south of Lopez Island. Photo by James Gresham, June 4, 2016

A humpback in the glare with the exhalation plume backlit by the late afternoon sun. South of Lopez Island. Photo by James Gresham, June 6, 2016

10:27 a.m. - I was just heading home from a walk and a humpback surfaced about 25 feet out from the beach (Gig Harbor side), it was moving north up Colvos, feeding and blowing frequently, it probably was at Sunrise Beach 30 to 45 minutes ago.
Michele Riley Campbell


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I was taking the ferry from Vashon to Pt. Defiance on the 8:00 pm ferry, and saw three splashes...It was clearly a whale. But it was far away - between Pt. Defiance and S.W. side of Vashon...Then I saw all the boats turn and gather round. I never got any images. And, there is now way I could have ID's the species. (unconfirmed humpback, but one was reported same area next morning)
Kim Merriman



As we left the marina (Anacortes), we heard of L pod heading west off Victoria. Captain Monte decided to make the long run and hope to catch up with them. It was a magnificent day, warm and sunny with flat glass smooth water. We made good time, but as the tide turned, the whales sped up and eluded us! The good news is that L-91 and her calf, L122 were seen, as was most of L pod. This is the first sighting of L pod this spring. We did spend time with a lovely humpback on Constance Bank, due south of Victoria, BC. His/Her tail fluke looked to be 100% black, making identification very difficult, although he/she had a very distinctive gray patch behind the dorsal fin. On the way back, a large group, perhaps 15+, of harbor porpoises were also feeding. It's unusual to see so many together! Also seen was a mature bald eagle, enjoying lunch on the edge of Lopez Island. Another lovely Salish Sea day! (all pictures taken with a 300mm lens and cropped).
Bonnie Gretz, volunteer naturalist, Mystic Sea

Beautiful day off Constance Bank with this lovely humpback. Photo by Bonnie Gretz, June 3, 2016

Underside fluke. Photo by Bonnie Gretz, June 3, 2016

Photo by Bonnie Gretz, June 3, 2016

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7:30-8:00 a.m. - My husband & I were treated to an amazing humpback show of one this morning....with a lazy pattern of antics - on its back and slapping its fins on the water, frolicking, diving, then breaches. We are located just north of Edmonds... Whale was in between us and Possession Point on the south end of Whidbey. He/she was slowly heading north.
Laurie & Paul, Edmonds
PHOTOS?
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7:10 a.m. - Humpback whale juvenile sited at Olympic View Dr and Sunset way. (Edmonds) Was not moving for at least 10 minutes in same place rolling over a bit no breaching. Saw tail. Very very slow moving. From our home 9100 block Olympic View dr looking north west on Puget Sound. Pretty close in, could see easily with naked eye.
Starla Sage

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1:15 p.m. - I heard a blowing sound, looked & saw a long dorsal spine and a large tail flip up, just like the Humpback Whales I recently saw in CA. I saw it twice and Kayakers came by from Sunnyside Beach confirmed they saw it.
Carolyn Adams
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We spotted a juvenile humpback on Wed, 6/1/16 while boating in The Narrows area. First sighting was around 1pm, just off of the north end of Chambers Bay Golf Course. We tracked the whale as it swam north, hugging the east shoreline, up to Pt. Defiance. Last sighting was at about 4:15pm, halfway between Pt. Defiance (Owens Beach side), and the south end of Vashon Island. We were hoping the whale might steer to the west side of Vashon, avoiding the POT shipping lanes, but we lost sight of it. :-( I sent a report with photos to DFW & Cascadia Research later that day.
Julia Hurley

Beautiful white fluke of humpack in south Puget Sound. Photo by Julia Hurley, June 1, 2016

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We received this message which sounds like could be a humpback: 9:44 a.m. - Just briefly spotted a whale hump about 200 yards off of the north end of Johnson point headed SE towards Nisqually . No fin noted. Black.
Tina Davis
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8:13 a.m. - Just drove across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and saw blows beneath can someone please confirm if there is a whale there?
Beverly Varela

(above May 31 humpback reports are unconfirmed, but most probable- ALB)

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Calm seas were back for our Memorial Day trip, yay! We headed south, then west, towards Discovery Island (almost to Victoria, BC) based on reports of a humpback whale and Transient/Biggs killer whales! Unfortunately the killer whales turned west and headed out past Sooke, BC, but the humpback turned our way and we had some excellent views as the whale (no ID yet) slowly headed towards San Juan Island. We watched several tail flukes before heading back east, enjoyed all the Steller sea lions at Whale rocks, and found some very pregnant harbor seals near Castle Rock (seal pup season is fast approaching). An awesome Memorial Day trip!
Jill Hein, volunteer naturalist.

Fluke of unidentified humpback east of Victoria. Photo by Jill Hein, May 30, 2016

Photo by Jill Hein, May 30, 2016

 

12:56 p.m. - circled Blake again, then went north thru Rich's pass and Agate Pass (west side of Bainbridge island then northeast to Edmonds. No Orcas spotted, just lots of harbor porpoise !!
11:21 a.m.- just off the Sothworth ferry is a strong tide rip and with it are a lot of harbor porpoises feeding.
Stu Davidson
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9:30 a.m. -  My parents are on the Southworth ferry and just saw what they think was a pod of orcas between Southworth and Vashon. They said quite a large number of them and a lot of activity and looked to be whale size but they was hard to tell without binoculars from the distance. Thought I'd mention it ... in case the orcas are here so all can be on the lookout. I guess another possibility could be porpoises? (No other reports of orcas, and see Stu Davidson reports above)
Katie Schmelzer
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6:40 a.m. - Tony Woelke of Washington State Ferries called in a report of a pod of porpoise 1/2 mile from the Kingson ferry dock , 1/2 mile off the beach foraging.  


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...We did spend time with a lovely humpback on Constance Bank, due south of Victoria, BC. His/Her tail fluke looked to be 100% black, making identification very difficult, although he/she had a very distinctive gray patch behind the dorsal fin. On the way back, a large group, perhaps 15+, of harbor porpoises were also feeding. It's unusual to see so many together! Also seen was a mature bald eagle, enjoying lunch on the edge of Lopez Island. Another lovely Salish Sea day! (all pictures taken with a 300mm lens and cropped).
Bonnie Gretz, volunteer naturalist, Mystic Sea