The Orcas returned and were within reach today! Our guests were so pleased and excited to learn that today was their lucky day! The killer whales from J & K pods, along with a few L pod members had made their way south from the Fraser River down Rosario Strait to the southwest end of San Juan Island. The black, sleek dorsal fins of the Orcas' really contrasted with the calm, flat gray morning we had. They were very spread out, milling, feeding from inshore near False Bay out several miles from the shore. Just a beautiful morning observing the Orcas do their thing.
This afternoon we went to the south to meet up in the very same place with the Orcas! They had been going north with members of J pod around the Lime Kiln lighthouse off the west side of San Juan Island, when they all turned around heading south. We also heard a report of some L pod members coming in from their day in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Maybe they'll all meet up tonight for a little social hour?!
We had an amazing encounter and were caught off guard with a group of 5 Orcas coming our way. We were shutdown and had to remain that way till they were at least 100 yards away. They surfaced and dived playing with each other, changing from moving offshore to then parallel the shore. Our guests were dazzled when they heard some vocalizations even above the surface of the water! I love when it is calm enough to hear this occur! We moved further offshore to see L78 Gaia, a 20-year-old male along with his 16-year-old brother L88 Wavewalker. L88 is a "sprouter male", which means his dorsal fin is still growing and could reach a height of 5-6 feet tall like other male Orcas.
As I was looking through my binoculars at L78, I saw a scar/gash/unusual mark on his right side where his dorsal meets the body, before the saddle patch. A little later he had turned, and on the left side there was another scratch/scar starting just at the front of the dorsal. I'm wondering if something was caught around the front of the dorsal at one time, causing an injury? A neighboring vessel's captain had also seen it, but very well since they were looking into the sun. I'll be interested to find out a little more about the nature of this marking/scarring?....
On our way back to Friday Harbor, Captain Denny surprised us all with a sudden stop to see a harbor seal eating a salmon! The gulls were flying in to grab any bit of scraps they could. And the next time the seal surfaced, it had company...3 other seal heads looking around for more! At this point the salmon was gone. Certainly a quick meal.
Here's to crossing our fingers that the salmon run strong and all our wildlife, including the Orcas can hang around for the rest of the season to feast! Looking forward to more great viewing. Hope you all can join us!
-Jaclyn, naturalist
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©