L Pod is back with the baby L111!

Met up with members of L-Pod off of Lopez Island this afternoon. We observed around 20 Orcas including the newborn calf L111 moving north at a steady pace offshore of the island. We were fortunate enough to get positive IDs on most of who we saw. The Orcas included the big male L41 (Mega) with his sisters L77 and L94, as well as the L21s including that little female L111 who was first seen on 8/12/08! Also in the group were L72 (Racer) with brother L95 and 4-year old son L105.

The group was first swimming slowly together in a tight group then switching to a side by side formation. As they moved north past Cattle Point, San Juan Island they swam closer to shore. Just off Eagle Cove the Orcas spread out, with some changing direction, moving offshore and presumably foraging. A few breaches along the way, which our guests always love! The ominous rain clouds hung overhead and the lighting was beautiful as the Orcas' dorsals sliced through the water.....

We were able to shut down quite frequently and towards the end of our encounter dropped the hydrophone in. The Ls were vocalizing with high pitched squeals, which reminded me of small childrens' shrill laughs. In between vocalizations there was much echolocation. We were surprised with great looks and sounds of L72 and son L105 foraging nearby and playing in loose kelp! As they swam past the echolocation clicks were so loud! L105 also did a tail stand as they swam along.

On our way back, the male Stellar Sea Lion was just lounging in the rain on Whale Rocks with Harbor Seals hauled out just around the corner. A male Harbor Seal put on quite a display for us with his flipper slaps and splashing.

The guests onboard were overjoyed at the encounter we had with the wildlife today and very interested in learning more about how our actions can affect life in the ocean, no matter how far from the sea we live.

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist