Lauren | M/V Osprey | Thursday, July 10th, 2025 | 12:30 PM
Today we had a bittersweet encounter with T075/Kidney and 3 other members of her family. T075/Kidney is usually seen traveling as a duo with her 34 year-old son T075A/Stone, but today she was also traveling with her daughter T075C/Bam-Bam and her grandcalf T075C3/Flint. Earlier this month, T075C/Bam-Bam was seen traveling for the first time without her newest calf in tow T075C4/Slate. Slate was born in 2023, and it would be extremely rare for a two-year old to go off by themselves as Slate would likely still be nursing, or at least supplementing. Unfortunately, this likely means T075C4 has passed. I have to wonder if Bam-Bam was traveling with her mom and brother today for support or comfort. Of course we will likely never know the meaning behind these encounters, but it’s always interesting to speculate. Our tour began today with a quick stop just south of Turn Island to view some harbor seals. Next we cruised down San Juan Channel and through Cattle Pass aimed for Whale Rocks. We got great looks at tons of Steller Sea Lions, with one large male being at the very top of the rock! It was a truly impressive sight. We made our way up the west side of San Juan Island, aimed for Lime Kiln Lighthouse. There is a half mile voluntary no go zone off the coast of Lime Kiln Lighthouse, as it historically was considered critical habitat for foraging Southern Resident Killer whales. I say historically because this critically endangered population has not been seen in the interislands in almost three months and do not currently forage much on the west side of San Juan. We waited for this family to pass the no-go zone and met up with them near San Juan County Park. We stayed with these four whales as they headed north in Haro Strait. After getting great looks we decided to continue further north to catch up with a humpback whale named BCY1014/Poptart. We witnessed several beautiful fluke dives before continuing back towards Friday Harbor. We made one last stop at Spieden Island to view several bald eagles before we headed for home! We are thinking of sweet T075C/Bam-Bam and T075C4/Slate. If Slate has indeed passed, that will be Bam-Bams 3rd of 4 total calves she has lost. We love you Bam-Bam!