Congrats Adam U!!!

Congratulations to Adam U on his acceptance to the masters program at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. We're very happy for him and he will be greatly missed!

Good luck Adam and don't forget about the little guys here on San Juan Island!

Living to Learn, Learning to Live

Below: Photo taken June 3, 2008 by our guest Adam U. There are three identifiable whales in this photo. The third fin from the left belongs to DoubleStuf (J34). In front of DoubleStuf is his younger sibling Cookie (J38) and behind the two of them is their mother, Oreo (J22). DoubleStuf has a very skinny young-sprouter fin, Cookie is only five and so much smaller than the others, and Oreo has two little black spots on her eye patch on the left side, which you can see if you click on the photo.

Today was an incredible day, not just because we saw Js and some Ls... which is always incredible, but also because we had guests who were very excited to learn. They wanted to hear about our animals and environmental issues on the whole... which makes our staff very happy.

We first encountered the whales just off South Beach and they travelled back and forth from False Bay to Salmon Bank for about an hour. The animals were split up into small groups, with some inshore and others about two miles offshore. We specifically encountered multiple small groups and were surprised to see that some of the matrilines were split up so that animals of similar ages were foraging together. We saw fifteen year old J28 (Polaris), who is my personal favorite, travelling with her ten year old little sister Tahlequah (J35) and thirteen year old Tsuchi (J31). These teenage and preteen girls seemed to enjoy our company and we paralleled them for a while before seeing the J14s (Samish, Riptide, Hy'shqa, and Suttles) who were the only full matriline we saw today. We also got brief looks at J22 (Oreo) with her five year old calf Cookie (J38), however her sprouter son DoubleStuf (J34) was not in sight. We also caught some surfaces from J26 (Mike) as he travelled with L57 (Faith) and L53 (Lulu). We left the animals at about 3:15 pm as they headed down island toward Iceberg Point, but given their afternoon behavior, that is subject to change.

We encountered a nice group of animals, but we had an even nicer group of people. Our guests were extremely interested in the orcas and their plight, as well as in discussing environmental issues as a whole. I personally believe that we owe it to this population of animals to not simply enjoy them, but to learn about them as well. Regardless of personal opinions of conservation and environmental issues, I think we can all agree that if we don't change our destructive habits these orcas won't be the only ones suffering. Orcas are the apex predators in this ecosystem and are key indicators to the health of the environment. If they are having problems now, what are we as the dominant predators on the planet in for? Mothers on the boat voiced that they were concerned for the future their children would have to deal with if we don't make changes. "We do not inherit the environment from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." ~ Native American Proverb.

Megan Young, Naturalist

To the Frazer River and Beyond!

A group of orcas photographed by guest Adam U from the Sea Lion on June 3, 2008. Yesterday we encountered members of J and K pods waaaaaaay north of the US/Canadian Border just outside of Vancouver, BC and slightly south of the Frazer River. The trip totaled over 60 miles round trip! (But it was well worth it because we got to see the animals foraging for salmon just outside the Frazer River.)

We got some great looks at J17 (Princess Angeline) and her fifteen year old daughter, J28 (Polaris). Polaris is my favorite animal, so of course that made the trip even better. Our guests were excited to see the orcas, and the long haul up there built the anticipation even more. They were able to ask many questions about the animals and before we knew it, we travelled north of the coal docks and Point Roberts and could literally look into the city of Vancouver. This is the farthest we've been on a whale watch and our guests couldn't have been happier.

We caught a few breaches from a distance, but most of their time appeared to be spent foraging and travelling north. We left the animals just south of the Frazer and just in time to get back for our 5:30 trip. We have two trips going out again today and look forward to seeing where the orcas pop up. (They can travel up to 100 miles a day, so even though they were far yesterday, they could end up right in our back yard today.)


Megan Young, Naturalist

People Watching

Photo Below: Photo of L7 (Canuck) taken by Adam U from our boat the Sea Lion during our season's first super pod.

Yesterday was probably the most amazing encounter I've ever had with orcas! We found J-Pod on the west side of San Juan Island near the Salmon Bank Buoy. The animals appeared to be swimming lazily about in their matrilineal groups. We began the encounter watching J19 (Sachi) and her calf (Eclipse) and J11 (Blossom) with her youngest son J39 (Mako). They were staying in a small area, logging and circling about in tactile groups (seemed to be reinforcing mother/calf bonds). We enjoyed watching this group for a while and then began to move up island where we encountered the J14s (Samish and her son Riptide, J30; with her daughters Hy'shqa, J37; and Suttles, J40). An older female, J8 (Speiden) was also a part of this group. They appeared to be coming right in to our stern and since we didn't know where the other animals were, we shut down to avoid disturbing them. We thought the orcas would just pass by, as they usually do, but Samish and her family had other plans. They came right up to our bow and logged (rested at the surface) about ten feet away! Our guests were thrilled and began hooting and hollering with excitement. The orcas actually appeared to enjoy the commotion made over them and J8 poked her head out of the water multiple times to get a better look at us crazy humans. I had a hard time maintaining professional composure because the orcas shocked me just as much as our guests. J14 and her son J30 were the closest and checked us out while her daughters J37 and J40 played alongside them. They observed us for about ten minutes before diving under the boat and popping up on the other side. The excitement didn't end there, however, J14 appeared with a salmon in her mouth. She paraded along the side of our boat, fish on rostrum! I couldn't believe how amazing this rare encounter was. They actually appeared to be people watching!!!!

As we left the scene, multiple animals breached in the distance. Our guests truly got one of the greatest shows of all time... and nobody was asking these animals to do it. They were just teaching us how amazing they are. I hope this encounter taught our guests some things are worth protecting... and these guys are definitely worth protecting.

Megan Young, Naturalist

Family Ties

Below: Photo taken from our boat by guest and marine biologist, Adam U, of an orca family group on June 3, 2008.

Today was a perfect opportunity to learn about orcas and their family structure because we had the privilege of seeing two matriline groups of J Pod hanging out together. We saw the J11s and the J14s frolicking through the currents together just north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse and we parallelled them until Kellet Bluff. The rumor was that Ls were also in the area, but we only encountered J Pod animals north of the light. The J11s, which include: J11 (Blossom) and her offspring J27 (Blackberry), J31 (Tsuchi), and J39 (Mako); were the first group sighted. J31 was MIA in the beginning of the encounter and grouped up with her mom and siblings as they approached the bluff. J39 appeared in high spirits, as usual, as he breached multiple times and played games with big brother Blackberry. Blackberry was seen swimming on his back and slapping his tail and pectoral fins while Mako popped up around him. Tsuchi joined in on the play when she appeared and also gave us a nice breach. The J14s were also there, with the exception of J14's middle calf, seven year old Hy'shqa (J37). J14 (Samish) and her son J30 (Blackberry) and daughter Suttles (J40) met up with the J11s just south of Mosquito Pass and they swam together briefly before breaking off at the bluff.

Our guests were thrilled to see the orcas in their natural environment and swimming as tight family units. They showed us today just how tight those bonds actually are with J27, who's seventeen (a breeding age bull), still staying close my mom and siblings.

We also had an amazing encounter with J1, who surprised us as we came on scene. (Hard to believe seeing as how he's so huge.) As we approached he was seen in the distance with other boats. Just as we began to throttle back, he popped up on our port side. We quickly shut off the engine and allowed him safe foraging around our boat. Our guests were in awe by his size, grace, and beauty as he sliced effortlessly through the water after salmon. He looked nice and round, healthy and beautiful as ever.

We began and ended our orca encounter with J1. We left them moving north towards Stuart and hope to meet up with them again on our sunset trip tonight. The orcas are so magnificent and it's a gift each time we see them and are able to share them with the public in hopes of fostering a sense of concern and conservation.

Megan, Naturalist

T. Time

Photo: T14 Tail Slap from our sunset trip. Photo taken by our guest, a marine biologist, Adam U.

Yesterday was a beautiful 80 degree day! Our weather has warmed up substantially and is becoming more characteristically consistent. The past four days have been sunny, warm, and clear. Yesterday we had three trips go out and each was unique with what we saw.

The Kittiwake, our limited adult tour, had an extended trip so they could see as much wildlife as possible. These 14+ charters allow for more leeway with time and where we go. Yesterday the Kittiwake had a whale of a day and encountered a Minke Whale, the smallest of the fin whales, a Humpback Whale, and the Transient Orca T14. It's always exciting to see different whales and dolphins to compare their anatomy as well as behaviors.

The Sea Lion had two trips. Each trip gave us a wonderful encounter with the wildlife that call our islands home. We had some playful Dall's Porpoises on our first trip who used our boat for "target practice" as they zigged and zagged around the Sea Lion. We even saw a Dall's jump clear out of the water, something I've never seen before. Our sunset trip allowed us to see T14. T14 is a pretty famous Transient as he helped to put an end to live captures in the United States.

We have a few trips going out today as well... call to reserve a spot now!

Megan, Naturalist

Orcas and Herons

Photo: Two orcas surface during the first superpod of the summer on June 3, 2008. Photo taken from our boat, the Sea Lion, by guest and marine biologist, Adam U.

Today we traveled to the south of Lopez Island. It was sunny without being over bright, and the winds kept everyone awake. Our boats were full-and everyone was very happy today. There were a lot of families together, and it made me think of how much fun I have with mine. It was a little cold, but everyone brought the right kind of clothing and that makes all the difference!

The orcas were spread apart, so we could see different groups traveling with each other. There were several breaches, and we could hear them breathing. It was a mix of males and females, with the females the ones jumping out of the water. They may be smaller than the males, but they are just as dazzling. The guests thought so too.

On a small island with gulls there was a Great Blue Heron flying away. I haven't seen one for quite a while-there's no mistaking that pterodactyl outline against the sky. They are amazing creatures, so seeing one today (to me at least) was special!

The Kittywake was able to see the new K-pod family calf. I was jealous...baby orcas are just as cute as kittens! Then again, there's always tomorrow!

-Sarah, Naturalist