Spyhopper Travels

Snowy Owls

2012-01-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

The fact that there are a couple dozen snowy owls hanging out at Boundary Bay, B.C. certainly isn't breaking news. Snowy owls have been in the news a lot this winter due to an interesting mass migration that has pushed them farther south than the range they are normally found and Boundary Bay has got to be one of the BEST places to see them. Photographers, bird enthusiasts, and curious wanderers have been flocking to this location to admire these beautiful and very charming creatures. After seeing everyone's beautiful photos and hearing amazing stories (please check out my friend, Monika's wonderful blog), I was soon gripped by snowy-owl-fever myself...so much so that I began to dream about them at night. It took me about a month, but I finally made it up to Boundary Bay yesterday. I have to say that I am so pleased that I made the journey because I would rate the adventure as being one of my best wildlife experiences...and also one of the strangest. Usually when you travel to see a somewhat rare animal, you would expect some challenges along the way - inhospitable weather, barely navigable trails through dense wilderness, and blisters on your heels (ouch!), but seeing the owls was no more difficult than crossing the border. You park your car in a gravel parking lot, wander up a bit of a hill, and there they are! And my is it ever surreal seeing them for the first time. I was a bit gobsmacked. Boundary Bay contains a huge expanse of wetlands and tidal flats - lots of areas where the owls could set up shop without having to be near people, but ironically here they were, right next to the trail (my camera measured them as being 31 meters away), hanging out on the driftwood logs along side of the trail. They also seemed to be totally chill with the dozens of adoring onlookers who came to admire them. Most of them were napping. At times they would open up their saucer-shaped vibrant yellow eyes and twist their heads around in all directions checking things out. I was stunned and I had to just stand there for a while and absorb the scene before I was able to take some images:

The Family Tree:

I'm not sure this fellow could look any LESS amused, haha:

One of the things I find most amazing about owls is the range of motion of their necks. You wouldn't ever want to put a "kick me" sign on an owl's back! They'd find it for sure!:

This last image is probably my favorite. I love this gnarly, old log. Also, the fact that it was quite a cloudy day just made this owl stand out; a shock of white in an otherwise deep-colored expanse:

After about three hours my fingers were frozen and my arms were beginning to buckle under the weight of the large lens a good friend insisted that I borrow. I will always feel thankful and blessed that I was able to spend an afternoon with these incredible, special, and unique beings.

If you decide to go visit the owls, here are few things to keep in mind:

Lots of people come to see them every day and disturbance to these animals could be potentially damaging. Move slowly, keep your voice low, and leave the dog in the car!
Snowy owls migrate vast distances. It is VERY important that they rest and conserve their energy for their migrations. Don't approach them closely and stay on the foot trail. Use binoculars or a telephoto lens to see detail. You wouldn't like someone walking up to you and staring while you're trying to rest, would you? I didn't think so. Respect their space!

Happy owling... :)

A Winter Storm Portrait

2012-01-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Lime Kiln Lighthouse gets battered by waves and salt spray during today's windstorm.

Skagit Bald Eagle Festival

2012-01-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

This past weekend some friends and I decided to head up the Skagit River to the little towns of Concrete, Rockport, and Marblemount. Every year during the month of January these tiny towns are wonderful places to visit if you enjoy watching bald eagles. The Skagit Eagle Festival is held during this time because of the large concentrations of these magnificent raptors that arrive in this area. According to the United States Forest Service, the Skagit River hosts the largest wintering population of bald eagles in the state of Washington. Many of these eagles spend their summers in Alaska and northern British Columbia. So why do they like the Skagit River? They know that during the winter months it is a prime feeding spot and they flock to this area by the hundreds to dine on spawned-out chum salmon and waterfowl.

On our first day, we didn't arrive to the prime eagle watching areas until early afternoon. Usually the eagles are most active first thing in the morning. The other difficulty we were having was the weather. It was a regular winter wonderland! And while it was very beautiful to be driving around the mountains in the snow, we were having a very hard time finding any eagles. We traveled around all day looking for great eagle watching spots, but most of the time all we saw was this:

We decided that our best bet was to wake up early the next morning and go out looking for our handsome, feathery models during the time they are most active. While we slept Saturday night, a fresh blanket of snow covered the valley and we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and a white world:

We quickly hopped in the car and began scoping out all the supposably great eagle watching spots. Sadly, there was just not much to be had. According to local people in the area, there just aren't as many eagles on the river this year as there were in previous years. The chum salmon run had been less than bountiful and there just wasn't enough food to go around. We stopped at mile marker 100 on highway 20 which is one of the prime watching spots. There was a single eagle on the sandbar munching on a salmon, but he quickly flew away before we could get a good look at him. Bummed out, we walked back to the car to drive down to the next eagle watching spot. Just as we were about to hop in and drive off, a minivan stopped next to us. The driver rolled down the window, "Hey! You guys wanna see like 100 eagles?" We noticed that Pacific Northwest Float Trips was printed on the side of the van. "Sure..." we said warily. The driver said, "Come on a free float trip with us! You'll see many more eagles on the river than you will from the road. Just be in Rockport by 9:30 and we'll go!" We told the driver we'd think about it and he drove off. A free float trip? Ok, what's the catch? I guess in today's society we are so used to not really getting anything for free. There is always some sort of hoop you have to jump through. But the river trip did sound like a lot of fun and the weather wasn't too bad. Hmmm. Lets do it! But as we drove toward Rockport the sky opened and began to dump snow. By the time we arrived in Rockport it was approaching white-out conditions and we began to second-guess our decision to go out. We found the driver of the van. He explained to us that they had tarps and blankets we could cover up with and that it really would be a unique experience. He also explained that the trip really was free and that if we enjoyed ourselves to just tip our guide. Okay! Lets go! We loaded up with all our gear and the driver took us to the put-in. There we met our guide, Donovan. We plopped ourselves in the boat and began to float down stream. It was still snowing, but it did seem to be letting up some and before long, we spotted our first eagle:

And then something wonderful happened. The snow stopped, the sun came out, and we began to see dozens and dozens of eagles!:

I think my favorite image of the whole float trip was an eagle sitting on a rock in the river. The lighting was just perfect:

The float trip only lasted an hour, but it will probably be one of the most memorable hours of my life. The scenery was so incredible and the eagles were absolutely stunning. We were so pleased we had braved the weather and headed out on the water. We certainly would have been kicking ourselves if we hadn't! It was simply magical and the snow was the icing on the cake. I would highly recommend visiting the eagle festival if you are in the Skagit area in the future. It is a truly memorable experience and don't forget to take a float trip! Trust me - you will not regret it!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wishing all a wonderful, prosperous, happy, and healthful 2012!

CHEERS!

A Big Horn Ham

2011-12-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't think so, but sometimes photographing wildlife from your vehicle can be a great way to catch some incredible shots! Animals tend to be less spooked especially if they are used to seeing cars, but not so used to seeing people wandering around on foot. One of the big reasons many animals shy away from people is because we literally move like predators (which we are) and animals pick up on that and it may or may not send them packing depending on the type of animal...
Big horn sheep tend to be pretty shy depending on where you find them. When we ventured out to Escalante Canyon in Colorado today, I honestly had my doubts that we would find any and if we did, I certainly didn't think they would be anywhere near the road for photo ops. After driving about 20 minutes into the canyon we hadn't seen anything. We slowed down in a place that looked as if it might be good big horn habitat and right away I spotted a big male out in front of us. We crept forward slowly hoping he would allow for some photos but he began to move as if he was going to bolt. We sat for a long time just watching him, inching forward bit by bit until he finally decided that we weren't a threat and continued about his business. As soon as he became comfortable, he became a ham and allowed us to take some fabulous photos:

The last photo is my favorite! This very accommodating fellow turned and looked like he was actually smiling for the camera:

What a ham!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

I hope you have a blessed holiday and a wonderful new year!

Don't Forget About Morgan

2011-12-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

Recently I wrote a blog post about Morgan the orca (you can read the post here). Morgan has recently been moved to Loro Parque in Spain to join other orcas and to be a performer. Right now her return to the wild looks bleak and her living conditions at Loro Parque are abhorrent. While she has more room to swim at Loro Parque than she did in her tiny tank in the Netherlands, she is constantly bullied and tormented by the other orcas. Orcas have very complex social structures. It is ridiculous to expect the orcas in this situation (who are from very different populations) to just magically get along. Experts warned the Dutch government, who decided against allowing Morgan her freedom, that she would be tormented at Loro Parque. The following video demonstrates the challenges Morgan must face on a daily basis. There are two orcas (Kohanna and Skyla) in this video who constantly chase her around and eventually get hold of her tail and leave a bloody wound:

I know videos like this are very difficult to watch and I certainly don't post them to bum people out. I simply don't want Morgan to be forgotten. In my opinion, that would be the worst disservice to her of all.
If you would like to help Morgan, here are several ways you can be a voice for her freedom:

Join STAMP AROUND THE WORLD FOR MORGAN - Write a polite and factual letter to the President of the European Commission. EU law prohibits the use of orcas for commercial purposes and it is quite clear this is how Morgan is being used. Please click on this link to find out more.
Write a letter to the Norwegian consulate in your country. Morgan is a Norwegian orca and belongs at home with her family. If Norway were to demand that Morgan be returned to her home waters, the course of her future could change and she may have a chance at freedom. To find the Norwegian embassy/consulate in your area, please click this link.
Jean Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society is asking for signatures on a petition to demonstrate your continued support for Morgan. To sign the petition, click here.
Spread the word! Morgan will not be forgotten if you continue to tell people about her and her plight. This day in age it is so simple to spread information via Facebook, blogs, and word-of-mouth.

Morgan deserves her freedom. Be a voice for her!

Colorado Critters in the Snow

2011-12-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

I'm spending several weeks in Colorado for the holiday season and it's always fun to be in the snow after living in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Today it absolutely dumped in Colorado and the weather made it perfectly clear that we are in fact going to have a white Christmas this year! How exciting! But I think the only thing more fun than playing in the snow is watching various animals wander around in the snow. Today I was able to find some interesting critters to photograph in the front yard. Of course they were all searching for something to munch on, but they did take the time to peek in the window at the funny person holding the camera!

The first visitor was a young squirrel who stared at me through the window for the longest time - probably wondering why the bird feeder wasn't full of seed:

The next visitors (whom I was very excited to see) were Blue Jays:

And last, but not least - Western Scrub Jays. These guys were the most difficult to photography of all. They were quite skittish and were constantly moving around. They reminded me of kids with ADD. However, after a bit of patience and waiting, I finally nailed a couple of good shots:

I hope to see much more snowy wildlife while I am here in Colorado and I will be sure to share the critters with you if I do!

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

2011-12-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine for a moment that you have a cute, baby tiger romping around your home. This is your new pet. Your new kitty friend had beautiful stripes, loves to bounce around and play, and after all the excitement, will curl up in your lap and have a nap. Sounds pretty nice, huh? Well, lets plan ahead for a moment... What happens when your cute little tiger cub grows up? What happens when he sky-rockets from weighing 30 pounds to weighing 400 pounds and has a voracious appetite to match? What happens when your friendly, playful little tiger cub begins to stalk you with real intent? You might wonder if your choice for a pet was really a good idea...
Yesterday I visited The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keensburg, Colorado. This is the largest non-profit wildlife sanctuary in the United States and is home to hundreds of animals including lions, tigers, grizzly bears, leopards, and wolves to name a few. These animals were all rescues from abusive, neglectful, and exploitive situations. The animals were formerly pets in people's homes, performers in roadside circuses or other displays, traveling shows, or other deplorable circumstances. The Wild Animal Sanctuary rescues as many animals as they can from these terrible situations and allows them to live out the remainder of their lives in HUGE enclosures where they can run, jump, or just curl up and relax. Many of the animals in their care came from situations where they lived in tiny, cramped cages and were never allowed out to stretch their legs and move around normally. I'm sure the enormous enclosures are a welcomed change:

While at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, we learned some shocking facts regarding the captive wildlife crisis:

The exotic animal trade is the third largest source illegal profits in the world, just after illegal drugs and weapons!
In the United States, there is an estimated 30,000 exotic animals living outside the zoo system.
There are over 4,000 tigers living as pets in homes in just the state of Texas. That's more tigers that are living in the wild worldwide today!

These facts are pretty shocking. Combine that with the fact that these animals are often neglected and abused and you have a really terrible situation. I am really pleased there are places like The Wild Animal Sanctuary that will sieze these creatures and give them a new life in a far more comfortable place. Here are some photos of some of the rescued animals we were able to meet today:

If you would like to learn more about the exotic captive wildlife crisis please visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary's website and please consider donating to their wonderful and important efforts!

What about Morgan?

2011-11-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

Morgan the orca at Dutch aquarium, Dolfinarium Harderwijk. Photo courtesy ©Sandra Renaux.

Imagine for a moment that you find a lost child out on the streets. She is all alone. There is no sign of her family. She is ill, lethargic, and underweight. Without help, she will surely die. You would probably take her in and nurse her back to health, wouldn't you? What's the next thing you would do? You might want to find out where she came from. You might want to locate her family and her mother so they can be reunited. You would want them to know that their baby is ok. You would want to see a happy ending. What if courts, government, and big corporations became involved? What if they decided that instead of finding the child's family and ensuring a future with them, that instead she would be better off living a life in a prison performing slave labor and being forced to reproduce as soon and as much as possible? You would probably be outraged. You would probably ask yourself, "how did this happen?"

Unfortunately what I have just described above is no hypothetical situation. It is a very real demise that is now facing a young orca (killer whale) named, Morgan. Morgan was discovered in June 2010 off the Dutch coast in the Wadden Sea. Since orcas are rarely seen in this part of the world, people immediately took notice of her presence. It was very quickly concluded that Morgan was starving and very weak. The youngster was extremely underweight and appeared to be in dire straits. The other concerning aspect of her situation was the fact that she was all alone. Killer whales are known for their fiercely strong family bonds. Orcas often stay with their mothers and with their pods (families) for life. They don't reach sexual maturity until their teens and until then they often stay very close to their mothers.

Orca females and their offspring maintain strong bonds throughout the duration of their lives.

Morgan was estimated to be between three and five years of age - just a baby. So it was very perplexing indeed for her to be so alone. Dolfinarium Harderwijk, a Dutch aquarium stepped in hoping they could save the young whale's life. They transported her to the dolphinarium to rehabilitate her and prepare her for eventual release back to wild. I think to most people this gesture appeared to be extremely heroic...

~~~~~

It the past fifteen years the world has witnessed several high-profile orca rescues or attempted rescues involving whales from different parts of the globe. Two of the most "famous" of these endeavors occurred in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and southwest Canada. Ironically in 2002, two lone juvenile orcas from two different orca populations presented themselves in two very different locations. A two-year-old female appeared one cold, winter day off Vashon Island near the busy city of Seattle, Washington and a two-year-old male arrived alone in a remote location off the west coast of Vancouver Island called Nootka Sound. It is still a mystery as to how these whales became separated from their pods and their presence alone left researchers scratching their heads. Obviously the first order of business was to figure out who these two whales were. Where did they come from? Thankfully, this question was answered rather quickly due to the fact that orcas in this part of the world have been studied extensively since the 1970's. Orca researchers have vast catalogues of data and photographs depicting each individual whale. An orca's dorsal fin and saddle patch (the gray marking just behind the dorsal fin) are unique on each individual just like a fingerprint:

After some dorsal fin matching among other methods it was concluded who the little whales were. The little female in Seattle was A73 Springer - a member of the well-known A Pod of the Northern Resident orca community. This group of whales frequents the waters of Johnstone Strait off northern Vancouver Island during the summer months to feed on salmon. L98 Luna was the little male found in Nootka Sound and he was a member of the Southern Resident orca community - a group that plies the waters of southern Vancouver Island also following summer salmon runs. People quickly rushed to the aid of these two little wayward wanderers, but interestingly their stories had two very different outcomes.

Within a mere 6 months Springer was located, captured in a net pen, rehabilitated of a few minor health ailments, moved via high-speed catamaran from Puget Sound to Johnstone Strait, her family was located, and she was released. Her initial reunion with her family had a bit of a questionable start (it was discovered that her mother had died over the winter which may have been a contributing factor of her separation from her pod, however she still had a grandmother and an aunt in the pod). At first she seemed elated to see her family, however not long after her release she and her family were seen swimming in opposite directions and it seemed to take some time for her to become reacquainted with the group. However, when one stops to consider this for a moment, it seems only natural. Orcas spend their entire lives with their families rarely spending a day apart from one another as far as we know. So how would she explain her 6-month hiatus? Over a bit of time the social barriers worked themselves out and she eventually began swimming with the pod again. Happily, almost 10 years later, she is still swimming in the company of her family and appears to be a normal, well-adjusted young orca despite her interesting misadventure.

Unfortunately Luna's story had a contrasting ending. Instead of being quickly reunited with his family, Luna remained in Nootka Sound for four years. There was so much conflict and strife involving Luna's situation and what to do with him. Many wanted nature to "take its course". Some people adored Luna and found him to be a charming addition to the community. The Mowachaht/Muchalaht native peoples believed Luna to be the reincarnation of a beloved departed chief who had announced, before his death, that he would return in the form of a killer whale. The tribes wanted Luna to be left alone. He was meant to stay in the sound. He was a being that deserved the utmost respect. There were others who believed that Luna, like Springer, should be ferried back to the waters near the San Juan Islands where he could join his natal L pod and his mother. And there were yet others who hated Luna. Because orcas are very intelligent, social animals they thrive on the relationships they have with their family members. When that disappears, they seek out other ways to be social and unfortunately they often turn to people and other objects to meet their social needs. Luna loved interacting with people, but he also loved interacting with boats, kayaks, logs, and float planes. While many people were thrilled to have a meeting with a friendly killer whale, others began to view him as a pest. Because he was so starved for attention he often would not "leave people alone" which became aggravating to some - perhaps like that friendly golden retriever that never wants you to stop petting him and won't stop following you. Luna's affinity for boats often led to a lot of costly repairs that left boat owners extremely unhappy. The governments of the United States and Canada had plans in to works to capture Luna and move him back to the Salish Sea. However the native peoples wanted Luna to stay and made capture difficult by luring Luna away from the capture boats and the net pen the feds had constructed to contain the little whale. To put in plainly, when you have the governments of two different countries involved along with the interests of the native peoples in the mix, all with conflicting and differing opinions, nothing happens quickly or easily. In the end it was only Luna who paid the final and tragic price of all the upset. He was hit by the propeller of a large tug boat and killed.

~~~~~

Summer 2011. Morgan had been at Dolfinarium Harderwijk for over a year. Her health had returned, she had gained weight, and was an excellent release candidate.

Over the months since Morgan's rescue her health improved tremendously and it became clear that she would be an excellent candidate for release back to the wild. So why was she still cooped up in a fish bowl with no mention of release? The answer unfortunately leads to dollars and cents. Marine mammals draw massive amounts of people to aquariums every year. As a result aquariums generate huge revenue. The dolphinarium's motives became painfully clear when they announced they believed Morgan was a very poor candidate for release. They also stated that they wanted to send Morgan to Loro Parque, a zoo in the Canary Islands of Spain. There she would join five other young orcas under the age of 13 that are owned by SeaWorld and become a performing circus clown.

The Free Morgan Foundation (FMF) formed not long after Morgan was taken into captivity and consists of many non-profit whale and dolphin conservation and research organizations from around the world. Orca experts from all walks of life began tediously working on a release plan for Morgan. They also filed suit with the Dutch government to try and avoid the appalling decision to have Morgan sent to Loro Parque. Over the coming months FMF painstakingly constructed a very detailed release outline involving a "soft release" in which the little orca could gradually be reintroduced into her natural environment via a stay in a net pen. During this time orca acoustic scientists also made an exciting discovery. Orcas are very acoustic animals that have a complex repertoire of squeaks, squeals, and whistles which they utilize in order to communicate with one another. It has been determined that each specific pod of killer whales has their own unique dialect or language. By assessing Morgan's vocalizations, scientists discovered that 77% of the calls she was producing matched a Norwegian group of killer whales called "P pod". Knowing who her family might be was a tremendous step forward and would make a successful reunion that much more possible. The other factor that would make her reunion successful was that the village of Stø located in Norway were welcoming Morgan with open arms. Stø would be an ideal location for the site of a net pen. Morgan could be transferred there to continue her rehabilitation and would be able to possibly interact and communicate with any orca pods that frequent the areas around the tiny community. This would be an ideal place for her to find her family! Another hopeful constituent was that Morgan would not be the first captive orca in which a rehabilitation and release was conducted...

~~~~~

Keiko, the star of the Free Willy movies undergoing rehabilitation in Newport, Oregon. Photo courtesy ©Stephanie Langer Ayers.

Keiko the orca may arguably be the most famous orca in the world. He was captured in the late 1970's off the coast of Iceland at the age of about two-years-old. Many orcas were being caught for the marine theme park business in Iceland after captures in the pacific northwest became impossible for the industry. Keiko spent his younger years primarily in an theme park in Mexico City called Reino Aventura. In 1992 his life took an incredible turn. He landed the starring role in a Warner Bros. movie called Free Willy. In the summer of 1993, the movie hit theaters and was a huge box office success. The movie was particularly popular amongst children who fell in love with Keiko. It was this love of the huge cinema star that fueled his rescue and release.

After the movie cameras were turned off, Keiko's situation was still the same. He was living in one of the smallest orca tanks in the world and he was alone save for a couple of bottlenose dolphins which also shared his tank. Health-wise he was in deplorable condition. He had a papolma virus which covered parts of his body in nasty, painful, and unsightly lesions. The virus was severely aggravated by the warm artificial chlorinated salt-water he was forced to live in. Orcas are certainly not accustomed to living at high altitude, but Keiko had spend much of his life in Mexico City which is over 7,000 feet above sea level. Because of the elevation and his small tank size, Keiko's energy level was very low and he could scarcely hold his breath for more than three minutes. Wild orcas can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes. People felt that Keiko deserved better. Many felt that he should be able to have the chance to be a wild whale again and because of thousands of letters, phone calls, donations, and pleas, Reino Aventura agreed to donate Keiko to the newly formed Free Willy-Keiko Foundation to begin his reintroduction back to the wild after 20 years in a barren concrete tank! It was a tremendous, selfless gesture on the part of Reino Aventura and the Mexican people to say good bye to an animal they loved so much and who was obviously a star money-maker.

Keiko was moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport to begin his rehabilitation.

Keiko at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

He spent two years in Oregon and all the while his health improved, he grew in size, and he began learning the basics of hunting for fish. After a short layover at his Oregon "halfway house" Keiko was then moved back to Iceland where he was placed in a net pen and then, over time, was introduced to wild orcas. One summer day in 2002 he permanently swam off with a group of wild whales. He was tracked via satellite tag making a journey of over 1,000 miles across the Atlantic to the coast of Norway. Here he was found alone, without his new orca buddies, and the people of Taknes Fjord were happy to welcome their new movie star resident. Keiko seemed to have made his choice. He wanted to be with people. His caretakers relocated to Norway to care for the whale and they remained there for the rest Keiko's life. Many people consider Keiko's release to have been a complete failure simply because he never did swim off into the sunset with his family. However I feel otherwise. I believe that Keiko deserved a choice. He was given the opportunity to have a wild life, but in the end, he wanted to be with people. And I think it is very important not to overlook the fact that Keiko lived the last years of his life in the ocean where he could dive down deep, leap up high, swim for great distances, and have the ability to fully utilize his acoustic senses once again. He would not be able to do any of that if he had remained in his tiny, barren concrete tank in Mexico. Perhaps he was not the best release subject, but I'm glad he was given the opportunity. I believe he is proof that even after spending years in captivity, these animals can learn to survive in their wild habitat once again. When comparing Keiko with Morgan and the aspects of her situation, her chances of fully reintegrating with her family are much better...

~~~~~

The FMF and the dolphinarium in Harderwijk entered an intense legal battle over the summer of 2011. The judge's decision would then determine Morgan's fate - either she would be sent to Loro Parque in Spain to join SeaWorld's captive orca collection or she would be moved to Norway to begin her journey toward freedom. The FMF did an incredible job tirelessly battling for Morgan's right to live a natural life. Not only did they come up with a very detailed and plausible release plan, they also had the support of many high-profile marine mammals scientists from around the world who testified to the fact that the success of Morgan's release had a high probability. On the other side of the fence, the dolphinarium protested stating that Morgan's survival in the wild was not feasible and she would be much better off remaining in captivity. On November 22, 2011 the Dutch judge had made a decision. In an article written by the Washington Post, Judge M. deRooij who presided over the case stated that Morgan's chances of surviving in the wild were "too unsure" and that "Morgan can be transferred to Loro Parque for study and education to benefit the protection and maintenance of the species."

~~~~~

There is a quote by Abraham Lincoln that I have always loved:

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

Orcas and the captivity industry have been in the news a lot lately - not just in the case of Morgan, but also the legal battle between OSHA and SeaWorld and the brutal death of orca trainer Dawn Brancheau (if you would like to learn more about these topics, click here to visit The Orca Project's website). I, along with thousands of others, feel devastated by the decision to have Morgan spend her remaining days in a tiny, barren, concrete tank. If we were to go back in time 25 years, you might be hard-pressed to find any member of the general public who disagreed with keeping orcas and dolphins in captivity. Things are different these days and word is finally getting out about the truth behind the flashy shows and happy displays one will find at marine theme parks. Here are just a few facts that have been uncovered:

Orcas live an average of 8.5 years in captivity. Their average lifespan in the wild is around 50 years. Some animals, for example J2 Granny of the Southern Resident orca community in Washington, are estimated to be 80 to 100 years of age! The stress of living in a captive situation is more than likely a large part of the premature death of captive whales. These animals are forced to perform x number of shows per day in front of large crowds of people while enduring the intense sound of loud music being piped in during performances. If they don't do what they are told, they don't get fed. Orcas are extremely intelligent animals and frequently boredom overtakes them in captivity. As a result they spend hours simply swimming in circles like lions pacing in a small cage. They also chew on the concrete ledges of their tanks or on the metal gates dividing tanks which more often than not results in broken teeth. If an orca breaks a tooth, it then must be drilled out removing the pulp in a procedure called a "pulpotomy". The procedure is very painful for the whales. They are voluntary breathers and therefore anaesthetic cannot be administered or they would drown. The "pulpotomy" then leaves the tooth wide open for harmful bacteria to enter the body. The broken teeth of captive orcas must be flushed out several times a day for the rest of their lives to prevent infection. Captive orcas are also pumped full of antibiotics. Poor dentition in orcas, just as in people, can lead to a host of severe medical conditions and even death. To learn more about this, read this article compiled by two former SeaWorld trainers, John Jett and Jeffery Ventre.
In the wild, orcas typically remain with their families and with their mothers for life. In captivity, babies are often stripped from their mothers and sent to other parks at very tender ages, sometimes as young as one year. For example, SeaWorld, the largest holder of captive orcas on the planet, frequently shuffle their animals from park to park. As a result the artificial pods in their tanks are upset and they must re adapt to the appearance of new individuals and the loss of other individuals. This sort of repeated mixing must be very distressing to an animal that is hardwired to remain with its family for life. The constant swapping of animals also creates a lot of aggression among captive orcas as they work out the dominance hierarchy. As a result many animals are injured, permanently scarred, or even killed because of these combative interactions. I have observed wild orcas for over a decade. Never have I observed hostility or fighting amongst wild killer whales.
Orcas can swim as much as 100 miles per day in the wild. There is no way they are able to do this in a fish bowl.
As I have mentioned before, one of the orcas' most important senses is their auditory/acoustic sense. Not only do they emit high frequency calls in order to communicate with one another, but they also use echolocation to navigate and find their prey. They have no need to use echolocation in a tank. The clicking noises they emit do nothing more than bounce off the walls surrounding them.
Female whales in captivity may be forced to begin breeding at very young ages, sometimes as young as seven years. Wild orcas typically don't have their first calf until they are approximately fifteen years of age. Females in captive situations are also forced to become pregnant as often as possible. What do I mean by "forced"? Marine theme parks have learned how to artificially inseminate their animals. Many females do not become pregnant the old fashioned way. SeaWorld is also facing a very serious problem with their breeding program. The genetic diversity of the animals in their care is severely lacking so much so that fathers are possibly being allowed to have offspring with daughters. For example Kohana, one of SeaWorld's orcas that currently resides at Loro Parque, became pregnant with her first calf at the age of seven! It is rumored that Kohana's father (Tillikum) is also the father of her calf, Adan, who was born in late 2010. Not surprisingly, she rejected the calf however we don't know if it was because the calf is possibly inbred or because she is simply too young to be a mother. Also, it was just announced that Kohana is pregnant again. She is barely 10 years old. You would NEVER see an orca that young giving birth to her second baby in wild populations. Ever. It just further proves that SeaWorld treats their female orcas as baby breeding machines. It should also be noted that the majority of orcas in SeaWorld's care carry the genes of Tillikum who is their main breeding male. This means that if further breeding is allowed to occur in their "collection", inbreeding will run rampant. This is one of the many reasons SeaWorld is desperate to get their hands on Morgan.

Of course I could go on and on if I wanted. The point is that this is what Morgan has to look forward to - a barren life in a box where she is forced to endure aggressive torment from other whales, perform as a slave, and to push out babies (the more, the better). How is that better than giving her an opportunity to be free? If you would like to learn more, Tim Zimmermann has written a very well-constructed piece about orcas in captivity for Outside Magazine. You can find the article here.
After considering all the facts it is very difficult to imagine that a life spent in captivity could be anything more than miserable for these animals. It is so far removed from a natural life. So why are these animals still incarcerated? The answer is one word - money. People have a fascinating obsession with whales and dolphins and when you think about it, a lot of our "love" for these animals doesn't make sense - they aren't fluffy, fuzzy, or furry. In comparison to their body size, they don't have huge, dewy, brown eyes. They don't have loveable floppy ears or tails that wag when they are happy. So what is it? Is it their beauty that makes them so popular? Or perhaps it is the permanent anatomical smile etched on their faces that always makes them look happy? Or could it be that they are so wonderfully intelligent and they have been proven to be self-aware, sentient creatures? I imagine for many people the love of whales and dolphins stems from a combination of all the above contentions. And therein lies the money-maker. Marine theme parks such as SeaWorld know they can generate HUGE profits by feeding this "love". People adore these animals and therefore want to be close to them. They want to have special, intimate interactions where they can touch, feed, hug, kiss, and swim with these incredible creatures. They also want to be dazzled by the astounding aerial displays where whales and dolphins seem to defy the laws of physics in order to fly through air. Just look at how many aquariums have "swim-with-dolphins" programs. Do you ever wonder how much they charge? Usually upwards of $100 for an insanely short half-hour play session with a dolphin. How about admission alone? SeaWorld charges an astonishing $73 just to get inside the gate! In 2009, SeaWorld received a staggering 23.5 million guests to their parks. You do the math. Marine mammal entertainment is a billion-dollar industry. Do you really think they honestly care about the true well-being of their animals? If they did, the animals wouldn't be there in the first place. Nope. These theme parks and aquariums care about one thing - their bottom line. They "care" about their animals because the animals are what makes them rich. But of course aquariums never mention this. They claim that they are playing an important part in the conservation of the animals and the education of the public. Well what is so educational about watching a trainer being launched off the rostrum of an orca? What is so enlightening by being splashed by one of these 4-ton critters and then watching them stick their tongues out at you while they slide out on a cement platform? What is so instructive about watching an animal that can swim 100 miles in a day, lie for hours motionless at the surface of the water. I've never seen a wild orca do any of these things. Another argument the marine mammal industry will make is that most people will never be able to see these animals in the wild. Do you know that it can actually cost less for a family of four to travel to the pacific northwest and view wild orcas (doing what they do naturally, by the way), than it is for a family of four to travel to a SeaWorld park and pay the cost of admission to watch orcas flip around in an artificial environment? Again, it all comes down to dollars and cents. Marine parks will tell you whatever they can to paint a happy picture and keep you paying for a ticket to pile through the doors. Now you have to ask yourself what is the true cost of your afternoon of entertainment at a marine park? Are you happy to contribute to the abuse of animals? Or would you rather see them here...

...in the wild, where they belong.

~~~~~

So what about poor Morgan?

Is she doomed to live out her life in a concrete box? I find it so disappointing that the Dutch made the judgement to condemn her to a life in captivity even after all the information available about how detrimental life in a tank is for orcas...even after all the information and recommendations supplied by marine mammal experts and scientists that her release to the wild was extremely possible and the most preferable option. I guess it doesn't matter when it comes to money and, boy, are there ever profits to be made. Morgan is just another innocent creature who has been sentenced to death to make a few bucks. Is it really worth it? I apologize I am ending on a depressing note, but the truth is not always happy. However, you can change the future of the marine mammal industry and the best way to do that is to simply refuse to buy a ticket to a park or an aquarium that keeps whales and dolphins captive. DON'T BUY A TICKET! Your actions speak volumes. Marine mammal theme parks are based on supply and demand just like anything else. The moment these parks can no longer make money by exploiting these animals, the more quickly they will fail and become an ugly blotch in history. I want to leave you with a wonderful video composed by The Orca Project. I hope it will make you think...

To find out more about Morgan and what you can do to help, visit the Free Morgan Foundation website by clicking here.

Sources for this blog post:

The Free Morgan Foundation

The Washington Post

The Orca Project

Orca Network

The Orca Homepage

The Tim Zimmermann Blog

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

What IS a Naturalist?

2011-11-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

I had a friend ask me an interesting question this evening. This is what she wrote:

I have what may be a dumb question about the term "naturalist" I've seen it used by biologists, marine biologists, zoologists, and then others like Charlie Russel and Timothy Tredwell who have / had no degree at all. What makes a person a naturalist?

Hmmm, well I don't know if there is really a concrete definition for what a naturalist is, but this is what I came up with:

A naturalist is someone who obtains (and when I say obtain, I partially mean commit to memory) A LOT of (hopefully) correct, factual information about the flora, fauna, geology, oceanography, weather patterns, etc. of a certain area or areas. This person also generally shares this information with others who may not know much about a certain area. A naturalist, I would say, is also someone who NEVER STOPS LEARNING. There is always some new bird to identify, some new flower on the pathway, or some strange cloud formation in the sky that sends us running to our own personal libraries to "look stuff up". The libraries of naturalists tend to be daunting and what most people would consider boring. As I write this to you now, I am staring at one of three bookcases in my cabin living/bedroom area - this book case is stacked with bird books, zoological textbooks, animal behavior assessments, invertebrate ID guides for the local inter-tidal zones, cetacean anatomy, and one novel - The Lord of the Rings Then naturalists tend to flock together every-so-often to completely "dork out" on our new discoveries. While we are out tromping through nature either alone or with naturalist buddies, we may come close to actually peeing our pants when we spot something rare or super-interesting, for example, an unexpected owl peeking out from a hole in a dead tree. Needless to say, we are an easily excitable crowd... Just show us a rare whelk clinging to a rock and we'll "lose it"...

Oh, and you'll usually find a pair of binoculars and a camera always swinging about our necks while the color of khaki will be found somewhere draped on our bodies...

Morning Sing-Along

2011-11-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

Winter on San Juan Island brings special visitors - Trumpeter Swans! Every year big flocks of these huge, white birds make their way to the island to spend their time feeding on our many ponds and lakes. I love going out to view these majestic birds. They are so beautiful and graceful. But don't let their looks fool you. They have attitude too! While I was out viewing these birds on this cold, frosty morning, two pairs decided they had had enough of each other. They bellied up to one another and began honking, flapping, and displaying general displeasure. However the images I was able to capture from the squabble made the situation look quite different. The birds almost looked as if they were having a morning sing-along. So despite the disagreeable nature of the incident, the resulting display was quite lovely!

Roche Harbor Seals

2011-11-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

Harbors can be fun places to hang out this time of year. You wouldn't think you would see much in the way of wildlife, but you might be surprised. Washington is known to be a place where people flock to harbors and their boats during the summer months to enjoy the fleeting sunny weather and comfortable temperatures. However during the winter that all changes. Kids go back to school, people go back to work, and summer vacation time is over. Not to mention the weather becomes more disagreeable with more rain, dark clouds, high winds, and occasional snow flurries. As a result, harbors become ghost towns - shadowy reminders of what the bustling summer months might have been like. Or are they really ghost towns...?

My time spent out at Roche Harbor for the past several weeks has proved to be very busy indeed - but the harbor is not full of people. It's full of 4 to 6 foot-long finned critters. Yup, I'm talking about harbor seals. And it's not just a few here and there. It's dozens and dozens of seals of all shapes, colors, ages, and sizes. I noticed this year that there is a very high abundance of small bait fish in the harbor. And while I've tried scooping a few out of the water to see what they are, I have yet to figure out the species. That point aside, as you might have guessed, any large abundance of food (in this case, small fish) is going to attract predators (the seals and all manners of marine birds). As I work away the day, I always know when the seals are near because suddenly there will be oodles of gulls swarming around above. My favorite of the gulls has to be the Bonaparte's gull:

They are so dainty and beautiful and I love watching them swoop low to snag a fish. All the gulls will emit their characteristic maniacal cackles when there is food to be had. And if I look out into the water, I will see them - sometimes up to 15 seals traveling together and cooperatively hunting a school of fish. It's almost as exciting as watching the whales swim by the west side of the island! Instead of "HERE COME THE ORCAS", it is now, "HERE COME THE SEALS!" At first all the seals will be at the surface. Some of them will be swimming right-side-up while trying to catch their breath and some of them swim up-side-down so they can catch their breath, but can still keep a close eye on where the fish are going. When they are all at the surface, you hear the collective "poof hee, poof hee, poof hee" of their breathing for a few minutes before they all dive down again to continue the hunt. Here is a short video I have taken this past week so you can see all the antics for yourself! Enjoy!

Welcome to Winter

2011-11-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Another whale watching season comes to an end and things are seriously slowing down here on the island. It might sound boring, but it's actually quite the opposite if you're a nature fan. Since San Juan Island is located at a more northern latitude, the light in the winter never becomes very harsh during the day because the sun never really gets very high in the sky. This effect can create some fantastic opportunities for photography at any time of day. However it's still hard to beat "the golden hours" - those times around sunrise and sunset where the most dramatic and wonderful lighting can happen. The other morning I was awake very early for work. On my drive past Egg Lake, I came screeching to a halt in my car. Before me lay the most beautiful scene - a lone dock, a glassy calm lake, and the most beautiful colors in the sky which were being reflected on the surface of the lake. I didn't have my big camera with me at the time, only a little point-and-shoot which I keep on hand for "emergencies" (this was one such "emergency"). I am so proud of that little camera. It did the scene justice and now I get to share it with you. Enjoy!

Another Whale Watching Season Draws to a Close

2011-10-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

This time of year can be a difficult one. We must say goodbye to our orca friends for another long whale-less winter of rains, dark skies, and howling winds...BUT! Not before we've had one last goodbye visit. We headed out on the Western Prince today for our buss man's holiday (I think there might have been more naturalists on the boat than guests). The orcas had been down in Puget Sound for the past couple of days and some exciting news came to us this morning. Jeanne Hyde (fellow orca fan) had heard the orcas around 9AM on the hydrophones off Port Townsend. Port Townsend is located at the very top of Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound. The whales were coming north toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands. We actually had a shot to see them, which is pretty hit or miss during this time of year. As we exited the harbor, Captain Peter made a few phone calls. Only one other boat had been out on the water that morning and they weren't having any luck finding the whales. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a BIG body of water, after all. Ok. Shoot. Well, nothing left for us to do except to head out into the strait and join the search. As we exited Cattle Pass we kept our fingers crossed as we quickly dug out binoculars and began to scan the ocean. We could not have had better sighting conditions. The water was glassy and there were almost no other boats out and not a breath of wind. We headed west at first making sure to cover the bottom end of the island and Southern Haro Strait. Nothing. So we decided that our best bet was to turn south and head out toward Hein Bank and try our luck there. Six of us scanned all around in every direction and still we were coming up empty-handed. Once we got out to Hein Bank, we knew we would not be able to search much farther without a promising lead. So Captain Peter decided that the best thing for us to do would be to shut off the boat, put in the hydrophone to listen for orca calls, and give the area a really good stationary look-through. He opened the side window of the boat, unlaced the hydrophone, and tossed it over the side. He then went to the amplifier and clicked it on so that the hydrophone would broadcast on all the speakers around the boat. "EEEEOOOOOOWWWWWEEEEEEEE!!!" We all about jumped out of our skin! There were orcas calls immediately on the hydrophone and they were LOUD, which can only mean they are very close by! We were jumping up and down with excitement, however our excitement soon turned to frustration as we scanned with our binoculars. We couldn't see anything. WHERE WERE THEY!? Suddenly Chris, one of our naturalists, announced that she thought she saw something at our 6 o'clock position. We all trained our binoculars and that's when we saw it! A big, tall, black dorsal fin about two miles away! YAHOO! Good on ya, Chris! We plied as quickly as we could toward them and before long we were hanging out with J pod. They were meandering west slowly under a stunning sky. I think the meeting was bittersweet for all of us. We were so happy to see them, but at the same time we knew that this may be our last encounter for the year. As we traveled along side the orcas, I casually glanced over my shoulder to take a quick check of the other side of the boat. Just as I did so, I saw a BIG back disappear below the surface. What was THAT!? Not an orca... I motioned to Peter enthusiastically and I'm sure he wondered if I was having a fit or something. I finally maneuvered my way around to the open pilot house window and told him that I had just seen something very BIG go down about 300 yards off our starboard side. Again, all seven naturalists trained our eyes and then there they were: POOF! POOF! Two humpback whales! And not just any humpback whales - one of my favorites that we see in the Salish Sea on many occasions - "Split Fin"! So there we were in a wonderful predicament: orcas on our port and humpbacks on our starboard! We thoroughly enjoyed every moment on this rare occurrence!
Before long it was time to head home. The orcas continued west as did the humpbacks and it was time to say goodbye. I took off my camera and snapped it shut in its pelican case. Another season comes to a close and great, big 'thank you' to the orcas for another memorable year...

J34 "DoubleStuf" travels west toward the Pacific:

Vancouver Island Adventure 2011

2011-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Our favorite time of year! No, I'm not talking about the holidays. What I'm talking about is better than Christmas. It's the time of year when the Western Prince Crew signs out of Friday Harbor for several days. We hop on the hearty zodiac, The Western Explorer (the WEX, for short), and embark on our North Vancouver Island adventure! Last year was so incredible...

(A memory from last year):

that we decided to go for an extra day (four days total) just to see how much more we could pack in to our fun-filled quest. And let me tell you, it's tricky traveling around here by open boat in October! The weather can be stunning or it can be downright hideous. We chose the dates for our walk-about a few weeks before and just decided to keep our fingers crossed that the weather would be kind to us. Wow, did we ever luck out! It was nice on all four days of our adventure. A little bit of rain here and there, but for the most part it was sunny, glassy, and gorgeous.

We departed Friday Harbor early in the morning on the 17th. Let me just say one thing - it's cold in October and when you're traveling across the water at 30 knots you need ALL of your winter weather gear. So we decked ourselves out in wool sweaters, fuzzy hats, warm gloves, ski goggles, neck gators, fleece jackets, thermals, and had "hot-packs" stuffed in our boots to keep the toes warm. I also managed to pack on a big down jacket which made me look a bit pregnant with all my other layers underneath! Then, on top of all that, we wear very bright orange anti-exposure suits:

After we loaded our gear into the boat and stuffed our over-dressed bodies into our suits, we were off and zooming north to Nanaimo, B.C. which is about a two and a half hour cruise from Friday Harbor. Here we stop and clear customs (which always takes a while since I'm red-flagged in Canada...don't ask, haha) and this also serves as our last bathroom stop for a while. We don't have a head on the WEX, only a bucket for those "high-water line" emergencies ;)

I think one of the greatest rewards of traveling north (besides the experience itself) are encounters with Pacific White-Sided Dolphins (commonly known as lags because of their scientific name: Lagenorhynchus). These little guys are SO MUCH FUN to hang out with, it's ridiculous! I think Alison, one of our crew members, made a very valid point:

"We need to give these guys a map to the San Juan Islands!"

I would have to say I would 100% agree. We have wonderful, incredible wildlife here in the San Juan Islands, but we only see lags a couple times a year. And when we do see them, there are usually less than six animals hanging out together. If you go up north, sometimes you can see pod sizes numbering in the hundreds! This year was no exception. On our first day, after traveling north through the massive Strait of Georgia, we spotted a small group of dolphins just south-east of Campbell River. We could see them from a LONG distance away due to their extreme acrobatics. We are still not sure if these animals were feeding or merely socializing with one another, but what we witnessed was outstanding! Sometimes lags perform a behavior called 'popcorning'. I think it's pretty obvious as to why it is called that:

We observed this behavior for well over an hour and was certainly one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

After we departed ways from these acrobatic characters, we encountered yet ANOTHER pod of several hundred dolphins just north of Campbell River...and this is only the FIRST day!? Sheesh! We're spoiled already...

On our second day we ventured WEST (for you, Peter) in Johnstone Strait. I am going to call this the day of the humpbacks because that it was. We encountered many humpbacks in Blackney Pass early in the morning, but decided to bounce around for a bit to see if we could locate larger groups of whales or perhaps even find some transient orcas. We buzzed around the Queen Charlotte Strait and it was a beautiful day. Nothing here so we decided to venture west and go around Malcomb Island, which is a notorious orca hang-out. However we noticed that the farther west we went, the colder it became. The clouds shrouded the sea and it looked as if it might rain or we might be covered in fog. Ok...TIME to go back east where the weather is more pleasant. We made a quick stop at Telegraph Cove to use the facilities (again, no bathroom on the boat) and we made our way back to Blackney Pass to have lunch with the dozen humpback whales we encountered there earlier in the day. It was warm outside. The lighting was incredible. It was so amazing being surrounded by so many whales and having them mostly to ourselves. Not a bad lunch date if you ask me. They were simply meandering back and forth in the same area feeding on the multitude of bait balls (large schools of bait fish) that were dotting the area. A very pleasant way to spend the afternoon...

The next day our search for orcas continued, but not until we played with 1,000 dolphins. Another incredible encounter with dolphins and I imagine we played with them for a couple of hours. Many of them were in a playful mood and spent time time surfing on the bow. This combined with the brilliantly glassy water made for some cool photos:

And not only that, but the scenery was shockingly beautiful that day, as well:

The rest of the day was spent zipping around many of the islands around Campbell River. The scenery was amazing, but still no orcas...

The next day...our last day...time to go home...

We left our lodgings at Blind Channel on West Thurlow Island and made our way home. We had one last visit with some humpback whales and another encounter with dolphins, but it was getting late. Time to go. Perhaps no orcas this year...

We entered the giant Strait of Georgia and proceeded to zoom south. Not much going on out here, but calm seas and sunny skies. But WAIT...what's that? Chris spies something off in the distance. We all sit up to take a look. BLOWS! Obviously whales, but I think we all assumed they were humpbacks. We had seen so many humpbacks the past few days... But, hmmmm....they look too small to be humpbacks... could it be...?

ORCAS!:

Two of the animals breached off the bow of the WEX. WOW! Was that ever exciting!:

We certainly were feeling joyous ourselves! Captain Ivan determined they were the T2C's - a group of four transient orcas with a brand-new, perhaps 6-week-old baby:

We were able to spend an hour with these guys, but before long we knew it was time to go. It was getting late and we had a long way to go before dark. BUT! Not before we had another and final encounter with dolphins!

We arrived home safely to Friday Harbor at about 6PM that evening. 630 miles in four days by open zodiac and a plethora of astounding critters, life-changing experiences, and good times spent with good friends. Not bad if you ask me....

To view more images from the trip or to purchase prints, CLICK HERE!

Orcas of the Pacific Northwest 2012 Calendar from Zazzle.com

2011-10-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

HOT off the Press! Let the orcas keep you company all year long! By purchasing this calendar you are supporting orca conservation and marine research. I will donate 5% of the profits of the sale of this calendar to The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington. Our greatest hope and wish is that these beautiful, intelligent, and amazing animals will be around for many years to come!

Orcas of the Pacific Northwest 2012 Calendar from Zazzle.com

A Better Way to See Orcas via The Orca Project

2011-10-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

I had to post this beautiful, heart-wrenching, and important video edited by The Orca Project. You think you may know the cost of visiting a marine park with your family for an afternoon? Whatever the price of admission may be, right?

Think again.

The cost is far more than you may have every imagined...

To find out more about The Orca Project and the life of captive orcas, click here.

Catch those Fish!

2011-10-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great day with J pod as they raced around after salmon off the south end of the island. We spent the majority of the trip with a little youngster named, J40 Suttles. And while she seemed to be playing with her food more than anything else, it was very fun watching her catch her lunch.

Suttles lunges after a salmon. The pressure wake created by the speed of acceleration created a nice "lens" over the top of her head:

Eye to Eye with J32 Rhapsody

2011-09-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

I will have to apologize for my complete lack of blog postings this month. I will be working on getting a few more Alaska blog posts up with in the next few days coupled with more orca reports since my return home to San Juan Island. I couldn't wait to share the events of today's orca encounter...

I consider J32 Rhapsody to be one of nature's fabulous success stories.

(Rhapsody's unique dorsal fin and saddle patch):

In 1998 when she was only two years old her mother, J20 Ewok, mysteriously died. Ewok's death was disturbing for several reasons. Not only did she leave a young baby behind, but Ewok was only 18 years old - a young female in the prime of her life. We will never know for sure what happened to Ewok because the majority of the time an orca's body is never recovered after they die. They typically sink to the bottom of the sea and we can only make guesses as to what might have happened to them. I think perhaps there were few who expected Rhapsody to survive. She was an orphan with no close siblings to care for her and the reality was that she was still SO young. Luckily her aunt, J22 Oreo, came to the rescue (so to speak). In 1998 (the year Rhapsody was orphaned), Oreo had just given birth to (presumably) her first calf, J34 DoubleStuf. I think the fact that Oreo "adopted" Rhapsody while caring for her own newborn to be a fabulous testament to her excellent mothering skills. Both DoubleStuf and Rhapsody survived and they added a new member to their family in 2003. Oreo had a second calf, J38 Cookie. To this day, Rhapsody is 15 years old, but she still keeps close to her aunt Oreo, and her cousins DoubleStuf and Cookie. Rhapsody is also of breeding age, so we could expect her to have a baby of her own at any time.

Rhapsody has been one of the most exhilarating orcas to watch this summer. She is so full of mischief and spunk it seems almost impossible to keep up with all of her crazy antics. Here are a few photos of Rhapsody from this summer to illustrate her (seemingly) boundless exuberance:

A breach:

And another breach:

ANOTHER breach:

A nice pectoral fin wave:

Rhapsody looking at the camera with kelp fronds covering her face:

Spyhop!:

Hanging out with her aunt J22 Oreo (Rhapsody is on the right):

Upside down!:

And probably one of my best photos of the summer, YET another FULL breach!:

Today Rhapsody's antics continued and she never ceases to inspire awe and make us chuckle a little bit.

At first, we were able to have a nice visit with Rhapsody's cousin, DoubleStuf. DoubleStuf isn't a little guy anymore. He is 13 years old and sporting a very tall, strait fin (like all teenage and adult male orcas). He also has a little nick in his fin which helps with identification:

We also saw her auntie Oreo:

And her little 8 year-old cousin, Cookie:

So what's Rhapsody up to? Being silly of course! We could see her coming toward the back of the boat and we noticed she had something on her back. Hmmm, what could that be? Upon closer inspection, we discovered that she had a BIG kelp stipe (stem) draped across her back and she was carrying it around like some flashy new fashion accessory:

Her silly games continue, but then something happened that never ceases to awe and amaze...even to those of us that see the orcas every day. We try very hard to keep a 200 yard distance from the orcas at all times, but sometimes the orcas just don't follow the rules. From time to time they become curious of the strange people on the boats that watch them and they take a better look at us. Rhapsody swam right toward us until she was next to us. She turned on her side and suddenly we were eye to eye:

There is something so special about being that close and locking eyes with such an incredible WILD animal - especially when it was HER CHOICE to come take a closer look at all the strange, funny two-legged people on the boat.

She soon swam on, but continued to carry the kelp for quite a while until she grouped up with her adopted family and traveled west.

I hope to see her again tomorrow...

Bear Watching in Lake Clark National Park

2011-09-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't exactly get to blog as much as I would have liked to while I was on vacation, but I suppose that's the whole point of a vacation. So now I'm playing a little bit of catch-up: going through the hundreds of photos I took and pairing them with each detail of our Alaska experience.

The highlight of our journey was a three-day stay at the Alaska Homestead Lodge. This beautiful and rustic lodge is located smack on the beach next to Silver Salmon Creek in beautiful Lake Clark National Park, which is only a 45 minute flight across Cook Inlet from Anchorage. James and Sheila Isaak own and operate this beautiful, remote get-away. In fact, James' father was one of the original homesteaders of this pristine, 4 million-acre wilderness area and lived there before the area was declared a national park and preserve. Over the years the lodge has evolved into a unique vacation spot. James is an incredible craftsman and Sheila has a wonderful eye for detail. Over the years they have transformed the lodge into a super cozy place to hang out. They have installed solar panels and a wind generator for their power supplies and a well for their water supply. Along with these added improvements they get a visit once a year from a large supply barge that will transport any LARGE necessities they need (i.e. they can't exactly just go out and buy a new refrigerator if theirs breaks. It must be purchased and then shipped across Cook Inlet from the more populated Kenai Peninsula or Anchorage area). James is also an accomplished bush pilot and flies his own J3 Piper Cub. He and Sheila might make weekly flying forays into Soldotna to pick up the mail and any obtain any smaller supplies they might need. So now that you have a little bit of an idea of what this places is all about, you might be wondering why people might come here to visit. Of course fishing in Silver Salmon Creek is a huge draw, it's not the only draw. Many come here to view coastal brown (grizzly) bears up close and personal!

A brown bear naps on the beach with the Alaska Homestead Lodge in the background:

When my parents and I flew into the location, I don't know if we knew exactly what we were getting into. I mean, we knew we were going to see bears, of course, but I don't think we knew how intimately we were going to be communing with the bears. We woke up early and excited the morning of our flight to the lodge. We traveled to the tiny Soldotna airport (I'm not sure if it really qualified as an airport so much as it was a long asphalt strip and a few older "terminal" buildings dotted along the side). There we met Tim, our bush pilot, a very tall man of few words who likes to rock out to gospel country music from his iPhone as he cruises above the Alaskan wilderness at 10,000 feet. We stood out on the tarmac as he loaded our gear into the storage hatches of his tiny, but reliable bush plane. As he loaded us and a few Japanese tourists into the plane, it was clear someone was going to have to sit up front. I jumped all over that opportunity, but as soon as I was loaded into the seat, Tim pointed a stiff finger at me, "Don't touch anything." I nodded quickly. Damn...no flying lessons this time, haha. As we took off, it was apparent it was going to be a beautiful day - one of only four beautiful days we were going to have during our entire trip. As we soared off the ground, we were smacked with an incredible view - Cook Inlet and beyond we could see Denali, Mount Spur, Mount Redoubt, and Mount Illiamna, along with all the other stunning mountains and glaciers of Lake Clark National Park.

Mount Spur in it's full glory:

It's very important to remember that all of these large mountains are still very active volcanoes. As we descended into the park, I noticed that our lodge was located at the base of a very steamy Mount Illiamna:

We circled lower and lower. If we thought the airport at Soldotna wasn't much, it was nothing compared to the airport at the lodge, which consisted of a sandy beach and a wind sock. Ahhh, I LOVE adventures. Our pilot, Tim, was a super pro and it was obvious this was not his first ride at the rodeo. He made a nice soft landing on the sand and out we piled from the plane where we were met with this sight:

Ok...well, if that doesn't slap you with a "welcome to bear country" sign, I don't know what will!

After we unloaded our gear from the plane, we were met by a very interesting fellow named Johnny from North Carolina. This was Johnny's first season at Silver Salmon Creek and he already looked like an old pro (despite his thick southern drawl which announced himself as a non-native Alaskan). Dressed from head to foot in various camo-colored outfits, he introduced himself as our guide for the next few days. We loaded our gear into a trailer that was towed behind a passenger-carrying cart that would all be hauled by a four-wheeler. We went rumbling over the sandy beach on worn ATV trails to the lodge. It took us no time at all to drop our stuff in our rooms and grab a quick spot of tea before we were out on the trail looking for bears.

We sat in the passenger carrying cart while Johnny drove the ATV down the beach and before long, we met our first bear:

Now perhaps it's because I normally spend time around endangered orca whales in which it is only acceptable and very important that the animals are given LOTS of space to go about their business. We try our very best to stay 200 yards from the whales at all times. Not only is it against the law to approach closer than this, it also just makes good sense so that we don't disturb the whales. What Johnny was doing just went against everything I was used to...oh, and lets not forget the fact that these are wild grizzly bears! If the orcas come up to us, there is no fear of being mauled or eaten!

Johnny motioned us to come along and because we all had to stay together, we very cautiously crawled out of the ATV cart and set foot on the sand. We wandered very tentatively down the beach behind Johnny as we watched the bear wander toward us. I think, at this point, my mom was hyperventilating a bit and it became very clear to Johnny very quickly that she was quite nervous. This is where he stopped to explain...

~And this is where I will stop and explain (because I feel it is very important to do so)~

The brown bears at Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park are a unique group of bears. Most, if not all, of the individuals are known and recognized by the people that live in this area. The guides, residents, and rangers of the park are aware of the temperaments and behaviors of these bears. Most of the bears in the area have been born there and have lived in close proximity to people their entire lives. These bears also have very thick, and highly available food sources waiting right at the tips of their claws (consisting largely of salmon, berries, grasses, and sedges). This makes them highly tolerant of not only people, but each other. In most places you might find grizzlies, they tend to spend most of their time in a solitary setting and they will roam an area consisting of hundreds of square miles. Most wild grizzlies do not spend their time around people and if they do, it usually ends up being a bad or deadly situation for the bear. This is primarily because most wild grizzlies will usually do one of two things if you were to happen to come across them: they will either run like hell in the opposite direction OR you might have your ass handed to you courtesy of razor-sharp claws and gnashing teeth. You may also have heard the old adage "A fed bear is a dead bear." I think this probably remains true no matter where you go. I must say that I was particularly impressed and happy to find out that ZERO bears in the Silver Salmon Creek area have learned to associate people with food. That just goes to show how hard the residents in the area try to peacefully and responsibly co-exist with their fuzzy neighbors (and when I say neighbors, I do mean that in the strongest sense. The bears frequently could be seen wandering thought the yard of the lodge). I also must say that even though people are able to view these animals at remarkably close range, only the utmost respect was shown toward the bears. The bears were always given right-of-way and if they showed any discomfort to human presence, it was policy to act accordingly by allowing more space. However, during the entirety of our stay at the park, no bear that we ever came across showed any kind of discomfort, disease, or agitation regarding human presence. In fact, we found that some scientists from various organizations and universities performed studies involving the Silver Salmon Creek bears to see if human presence was impacting their behavior in any way. It was concluded that the bears went about their business whether humans were present or not. As a result, seeing scenes like this were quite commonplace:

The bears would wander or lay around in the tidal flats just waiting for any hint (a tiny splash or the glint of a dorsal fin) of a salmon to start fleeing upstream. Then the bears would spring to life and try to pounce on the fish:

Now, many people travel from more populated parts of Alaska to fish Silver Salmon Creek. People either came in to stay at one of the two lodges and were guided on their fishing trips or they would be flown in by bush pilots, unguided, to fish the creek (this is the less desirable option because most of these people do not understand the unique nature of Silver Salmon Creek and its bears). This is where I am able to draw tremendous parallels between orca watching (which I do on almost a daily basis) and bear watching in this location.

In the San Juan Islands, where I currently live and work, there is a resident population of endangered, salmon-eating orca (killer) whales that travel in the area during the summer months to feed upon the salmon runs that are migrating to the Fraser River to spawn. At Silver Salmon Creek, Alaska, there is a group of brown bears that live in the area during the summer months to feed on salmon that are migrating up the creek to spawn. In the San Juans, it is highly desirable for people to watch orca whales on a guided boat tour or from shore so that there is less of an impact on the animals (i.e. people on their private boats often times do not understand how to conduct themselves around the orcas and often get themselves into poor situations like parking in the path of the orcas or simply getting too close). It's very similar with the brown bears. It is highly undesirable for people to arrive to view bears or fish without a guide. They often times do not understand how to conduct themselves appropriately around the bears (i.e. if they are fishing and catch a fish, they must cut the line if a bear is present so that the bears do not associate humans with food because the bear WILL steal the salmon off their line. Not a good thing to teach a bear... Bears also MUST be given right-of-way along the bank of the creek or anywhere else.) So what happens if people do not follow the rules? In the San Juan Islands, enter Soundwatch, a boater education program run by the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington. Soundwatch will travel around and talk to private boaters about how to responsibly motor around the whales. They also keep tabs on ALL the boats (commercial tour boats, private boats, and kayakers alike). They have no enforcement capability, but if someone is breaking the law and harassing the orcas, they can document the incident using pictures and/or video and send the evidence to proper authorities. So who is Soundwatch's equivalent in Lake Clark National Park? A feisty young women named Cabin from Homer, Alaska. Cabin has been living and working as a ranger for the National Park Service for several years in this location. She is no-nonsense, assertive, and sticks to her guns! If there are any unguided fisherman that fly into the location, she tracks them down immediately after they land and will give them and extremely lengthy lecture about how they are to conduct themselves while fishing and when in the presence of bears. She cares about the bears as much as any of the residents that live in the area and she is there to ensure their safety as well as the safety of any of the people that fly into the location. She also keeps tabs on the two lodges that are on site to make sure everyone is doing the right thing. I hate to think what might happen if an uneducated fisherman were to unnecessarily shoot a beloved bear in this location. There would be an intense uproar from the local residents and from the many people that visit this site year after year.

Phew! Ok, I know that was a lengthy explanation regarding this particular area, but I feel it is essential that any person who might be reading this blog understand that this location and its bears are very out-of-the-ordinary. However, despite the close-contact that occurs with bears and people in this place, I feel that all encounters were handled in a very responsible and respectful manner.

~And now...on with the story~

After Johnny explained the uniqueness of Lake Clark National Park, I think we felt more at ease around the bears and we were truly able to enjoy every moment we spent with them. One of the first bears we encounters was on the tide flats at the entrance to the creek. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a bit on the warm side. The bears love to dig down into the sand exposing the cooler under layers. Then they will flop down on their bellies and wait for a fish to announce itself:

This is the sort of behavior that we witnessed most. Lots of sitting and laying around, but it was so wonderful just to be in the presence of these powerful animals:

Two of my favorite bears were a beautiful cinnamon-colored mother bear and her very rolly-polly, dark second-year cub:

The cub was naturally full of energy and very curious:

Momma bear was very beautiful and my most favorite image of the trip is a picture of her. I think this image really captures the raw splendor of bears and the wilderness areas that they call home:

Momma and cubby on the same sand hill:

Not only did we have many wonderful encounters with bears in the park, but we also had wonderful looks at a few different bird species including:

Tundra Swans,

Bald Eagles,

And a charmingly cute little Merlin.

I really hope that one day I will be able to come to this location and visit the bears once again. It was a truly out-of-this-world experience to commune with such wild animals in a very wild place. I hope that the people who live in this area will continue to be most exceptional stewards of the park and the animals that call the park 'home'. It is truly a special place.

~To view more photos of the bears or to purchase prints, CLICK HERE!~

Lake Clark National Park

2011-09-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, I won't keep it a secret any longer. My family and I are visiting Lake Clark National Park which is arguably the most scenic, diverse, and incredible national park in Alaska. We are here primarily for one goal - to view grizzly (brown) bears in the wild in a place where have lots to eat (they like silver salmon at this location). I will post more stories about our adventures when I get more than a few spare moments (they keep us hopping from dawn until dusk around here), but click on the link below to view more photos from this stunning location:

~to see more images, click here~

Alaska Day One - Anchorage/Potter Marsh

2011-09-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

The day started out at an ungodly hour (as most travel days do) - 0300 and we're out of bed and off to the Seattle airport. It is now two o'clock in the afternoon in Anchorage, Alaska and needless to say we're tired, but that doesn't mean we didn't explore a little bit today. After we marched through all the necessary post-travel preparations (picking up baggage, getting the rental car, checking into the hotel, and eating for the first time in eons) we headed down south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway to visit a favorite bird watching spot. Potter Marsh is located at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge:

It is a bird-watchers' paradise, especially during the summer months. We spent a good amount of time walking the large boardwalks and utilizing turn-outs to see many different kinds of waterfowl such as gadwalls, scaups, mallards, and (one of my favorite bird species) trumpeter swans:

We also spied many belted kingfishers, complete with their crazy, rock-and-roll hairstyles:

So now it's time for a bit of a nap before our next adventure - pizza with friends at Moose's Tooth Brewery (which is, I must say, THE BEST pizza I've ever had EVER. I've been waiting three years for this moment. This evening will be savored!)

Tomorrow we drive from Anchorage to Soldotna which is located on the Kenai Peninsula. There will be more time for exploring and adventures (and less bleary-eyed stupor). Off to visit some old stomping grounds and some good wildlife buddies at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center among other things.

I'm still not going to give away one of the most exciting parts of our journey. You'll have to wait and see...

Off to the Alaska Wild!

2011-09-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

Beginning on Tuesday September 6th, I along with my parents will be embarking on a wonderful journey into the Alaskan wilds! I am so incredibly excited for this trip. I haven't been to Alaska since 2008 (my parents haven't been since 1995) and I am very much missing the land and the wildlife that lives there. I will try to keep blogs regularly about our adventures. I'm not going to give away where we are going or what we are doing, but perhaps this picture will lend a bit of a clue:

Stay tuned!

T31

2011-08-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

We've had oodles of transient (mammal-feeding) orcas in the area the past several days. Transients orcas, in stark contrast to our resident orcas which mainly eat salmon, only dine on warm-blooded prey (e.g. seals, sea lions, porpoises, and even other whales). There are about 30 transients hanging out in Puget Sound. We saw the T100 family group yesterday and today we visited with a whale that I think many of us have never met before - T31! T31 is an absolutely MASSIVE adult male complete with an enormous (perhaps 6 foot-tall) dorsal fin that is very pointy at the top. This big, handsome fellow is usually seen traveling by himself and today was no exception. We found him slinking around the Chain Islands over near the city of Victoria, B.C. This is the time of year when most of the baby harbor seals are leaving their mothers. As cruel as it may sound, these seal pups are very naive and probably have a thing or two to learn about big, black, triangular dorsal fins (being the orcas). During the months of August and September, young harbor seals are at the top of the menu for these apex predators. Dr. Robin Baird, a marine mammal scientist from the Cascadia Research Collective located in Washington State, has determined that transient killer whales eat twice as much during the months of August and September than they do at any other part of the year. He has also found that they consume much more than they need to eat during this time. Just like most other animals, if food is in large abundance orcas will "stock up", putting on lots of weight in order to survive the tougher parts of the year when a meal may not be as readily available. So, I know you might be feeling bad for those little baby harbor seals, but it is all apart of nature. I know that we all want the orcas to be fat and happy just as we want the seals to be fat and happy. Lots of food for all is a very good thing!

Transient orca male, T31, cruising the Chain Islands:

(Information regarding transient orca prey consumption found in the Spring 2011 issue of Whalewatcher: The Journal of the American Cetacean Society)

Rough-Housing with The Boys

2011-08-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

After a few day absence, the residents have returned to the area in force and we had another superpod in Haro Strait (wow, we really are spoiled!). There were groups of whales spread out as far as the eye could see, but we were very preoccupied watching one small group of three young males - L95 Nigel, J34 DoubleStuf (both teenagers), and his little 8-year-old brother, J38 Cookie, who was trying desperately to be one of the big boys.

Cookie dives while Nigel follows closely behind:

These three young fellows reminded me of bulls in a china shop. They were rolling around, pushing each other, slapping their flukes, vocalizing to one another, and going in every which direction in sort of an unorganized chaos. It seemed as if they weren't really paying attention to much of anything except each other and at one point, one of the boys poked his head above the surface to see what was going on, perhaps checking on the rest of the pods and perhaps to check on their location:

I supposed they decided they were all still a-okay because they continued with their rambunctious play. I also think that Cookie may have thought he was pretty hot stuff being only 8-years-old, but allowed to play with the big boys instead of hanging out with mom, J22 Oreo. I think back to when I was a young kid. Anytime I was able to hang out with older kids or teenagers, I thought I was just the cat's pajamas!

Nigel with his flukes out of the water, DoubleStuf following behind, and Cookie poking his chin out of the water and trying to keep up with the older, cooler teenage boys:

DoubleStuf chasing Nigel:

And they're OFF! The three boys bounce off together:

We were also able to catch up with some other groups of whales.

L87 Onyx traveling behind his adopted mommy, J8 Spieden:

All together now - the family travels along...:

We even managed to catch a glimpse of new two-month old baby, K44 traveling next to mom, K27 Deadhead:

And another epic summer day ends with incredible success and memories!

On the Prowl

2011-08-22T23:38:00.001-07:00

It was a dark and stormy day in the San Juan Islands:

Many had been searching, but no one could find the resident (salmon-eating) orcas. They had been headed back into the area last night, but this morning, they were no where to be found. Did they go back out west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca? Were they way down south? Only time will tell... In the meantime, some of our favorite transient (mammal-feeding) orcas were on the prowl. We encountered the T18 subgroup as they moved sneakily around Sucia Island:

This group consists of four members - T18 Esperanza (born est. 1974), T19 Mooyah (born est. 1969) and her two kids, T19B Galiano (born 1995), and T19C Spouter (born 2001).

T19B Galiano is 16 years old and not quite full grown. He has quite the fat, floppy fin. He is almost like a teenage human - a bit gawky and needs a few years to grow into his appendages:

T19 Mooyah surfaces next to T18 Esperanza as she dives down...:

T19C Spouter (perhaps) surfaces next to big brother, T19B Galiano:

T19B Galiano pokes his head above the surface to survey his surroundings in an incredible spyhop!:

The resident orcas might not have been around today, but tomorrow is a whole new day. In the meantime, it was loads of fun watching the T18's on the prowl...

Smooshed

2011-08-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our lucky streak with the orcas continues and over the past several days all three of our residents pods have been traveling together in a giant pod - commonly known as a superpod (good name, huh?). Also, I find that we are witnessing something among the orcas that we have not seen much of over the past several years. It seems like almost every time we go out, the whales are traveling in very LARGE, very TIGHT groups. It is such a pleasure to see this behavior because there is nothing quite like witnessing 30 whales smooshed together and coming up to breathe at the same time. I sure do hope they are finding loads of salmon to keep their tummys' full. Perhaps that's why we are seeing them spend more time together. Here are some photos from the past few days of encounters:

The J14's - J14 Samish with all her kids:

The L12 subgroup:

L85 Mystery and his adopted momma, L12 Alexis:

L22 Spirit with her two boys, L79 Skana and L89 Solstice:

J pod with the Olympic Mountains in the background:

Sunny Day with L Pod

2011-08-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today we traveled along with L pod as they wandered up and down the west side of San Juan Island today. They were traveling in fairly large groups and the kids seemed to really be enjoying some playtime with one another.

L105 Fluke was spending lots of time playing with his uncle, L95 Nigel, while his mother, L72 Racer traveled nearby.

L105 Fluke with mom, L72 Racer:

Then we watched as little baby L115 practiced his backflips again:

AND AGAIN!

I just love it when the little babies figure out breaching. Once they do, it's almost as if they can't get enough of it, performing breach after breach after breach - trying to get it just right. I must admit they are usually quite uncoordinated at first with flippers and flukes flying in every which way. It pretty funny to watch! All this was going on while the whales traveled north. We heard that J and K pods were coming down the west side to meet up with them. Time for another happy hour - something that orcas do best!

Lunch?

2011-08-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to catch up with some transient orcas down at Smith Island which is in the middle of eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. First we made a quick stop at Whale Rocks to check out some amazing Steller Sea Lions. It's amazing to see them here this time of year. They usually don't start making an appearance in the San Juans until the first part of September, but we've already been seeing these big, grizzly guys for about a month now:

After a nice stop with the sea lions, we zoomed out to Smith Island where the group of transient orcas were very preoccupied. A harbor seal had pulled himself up on a large floating raft of kelp and sat there while trying to hide from the whales. But the orcas, being as wicked smart as they are, were up to the seal's tricks. They were spyhopping over and over while trying to figure out how to get their lunch off the kelp raft:

Finally, after about 20 minutes of struggling, the whales gave up and moved away. That was one lucky seal! The whales looped back around to the other side of Smith Island and swam into the huge kelp bed there. Suddenly they began swimming very erratically at the surface which is a sure-fire sign they had made a kill!:

After lunch, there are usually some playful festivities, especially displayed by the young whales. This little guy decided to wear some kelp as a hat:

After our encounter with the orcas, I was on to another mission. Smith Island is one of the best places in the San Juans to see Tufted Puffins (a beautiful little bird with a fat, orange beak). I had yet to see one this year and I was just hoping we would find one before we had to leave the area. I relentlessly scanned the edges of the kelp beds until FINALLY I had found what I was looking for! A HUTED TUFFIN! I mean...A TUFTED PUFFIN!:

Just finding this little guy was a marvelous end to another marvelous trip!

ZOOM! ZOOM!

2011-08-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Baby L118 races to catch up to mom!

To purchase a print, click here.

Social Hour

2011-08-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today's encounter was probably one of my favorite's of the summer. Not only did we have all three pods in the area AGAIN, but this afternoon was clearly social hour for everyone. The orcas were traveling in big, tight play groups that were scattered all throughout the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Everywhere we looked we could see blows and whales socializing with one another. Here are some photos from today:

Baby L115 surfaces next to mom, L47 Marina and family:

Who's looking at whom? L91 Muncher peeks at us:

Showing some tail! L110 Midnight swims with his belly up:

L79 Skana surfaces in the gorgeous August summer sun:

Another scan above the surface:

And yet another exceptional day comes to a close!

BIG Families, TIGHT Groups

2011-08-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

We've certainly been spoiled by the orcas this year. Not only have they been around practically every day, but we now have been seeing all three pods traveling together. Today was no exception as we puttered along with the whales while they cruised north in Haro Strait.

First we had a very nice encounter with my buddy, L87 Onyx:

We were going to continue north with Onyx and J pod, but when we scanned behind us, we were met with a surprising treat! All of K pod was huddled in a tight group, surfacing together and there were hardly any boats with them:

It is truly jaw-dropping to witness 20 whales perfectly swimming in unison and is just another reason why spending time with orcas can be so truly magical!

Why Do I Love Hanging Out At Lime Kiln Lighthouse?

2011-08-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

This video perfectly sums things up - why living on San Juan Island and spending time at the lighthouse is so truly AMAZING!

Wildlife at the Lighthouse

2011-07-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

I spent the entire day out at the lighthouse. I arrived at 6:30am due to an onset of acute insomnia last night and I hoped that maybe, just maybe, there would be an early morning encounter with the orcas. I arrived at the lighthouse, bleary-eyed with hot tea in hand. I met some friends in the parking lot and we all walked down to the water's edge. We were all equally stumbling about, but we hoped that our early morning venture from our warm beds might yield some nice surprises...and boy did it ever! Did we have an epic close encounter with the orcas? Nope. We had epic close encounters of different kinds and they were just as exciting. To start the day off, a good friend of mine and fellow whale fanatic spotted a large male elephant seal logging in the water offshore. I didn't get any photos of this big fellow and his huge schnoz. He was just too far out in the strait, but wow was I ever excited. This is only the second elephant seal I have seen in 10 years! Right after we spotted the elephant seal, a great blue heron gently glided into the kelp bed below us:

He stood poised on the kelp and waiting patiently. Hmm, it must be time for breakfast:

Suddenly and without warning, the heron struck his bill into the water:

He had successfully captured a large eel-looking creature (probably a gunnel or a prickleback) that wriggled violently in his powerful beak:

I must admit the whole scene made me a bit squeamish. I'm not very keen on snakes or anything snake-like and this creature was wiggling about like an agitated serpent:

The drama was still very neat to see however, and I think the heron was pretty excited, too. In fact, I think he may have been a little concerned about losing his prized breakfast winnings. Once he had a good handle on the eel-creature, he took off in search of a stable place to eat his catch:

Through all these early-morning antics, we failed to notice that another creature had joined our company. I looked down and noticed a baby cow bird had taken up residence on my blanket near my iPod:

Ok...this is interesting... This little fellow was totally unafraid of us. He allowed me to take some very close-up shots while intermittently pecking at the lens on my camera:

Then he decided to land ON my camera! Hey! It's hard for me to get a picture of you when you're standing there:

At one point he flew right into my hands and sat perched on my fingers!:

Okay, this little guy was pretty charming, but probably not the best behavior for a wild animal. He kept hopping around in amongst our feet and we were constantly having to warn each other to watch where we step, "Look out! The little guy is in between your shoes!" If we moved away from him, he would fly around and follow us. It wasn't quite a Hitchcock movie, but this little bird's behavior was nothing short of odd. He looked at us almost as if to say, "Are you my mommy?":

Perhaps he was forced to grow up too soon...

Later in the morning we received word that J pod and K pod were in Boundary Pass on their way south and some L pod whales were headed toward the island. I pulled on some more layers as the weather is not exactly summer-like here in Washington and I prepared for a long wait. It's been such a long time since I've had a good shore encounter and I didn't want to miss out on anything. While I waited I watched bald eagles soar overhead, seals bob in the kelp. and at one point a California Sea Lion hauled itself ashore on the rock just down from where I was seated!:

All was relaxing and calm until I heard people starting to clap and cheer. What's going on? The whales are coming, OF COURSE! First we saw J26 Mike and J16 Slick pass by. The K13 Skagit came cruising by with her son, K25 Scoter:

We then saw K27 Deadhead with her new baby, K44, in tow. After them K12 Sequim scooted past with her two kids, K37 Rainshadow and baby K43 who will receive a name this summer:

Most of the other orcas were far out in the strait and I decided that after being at the lighthouse for 9 hours, it was time to go home and take a NAP!

Shadows

2011-07-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Babies and Backflips

2011-07-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Another great encounter with J and K pods today up near Turn Point on Stuart Island. We were able to spend quite a bit of time with the new baby, K44, traveling with his mom, K27 Deadhead:

The whales continued to travel north for the entire trip and and one point K20 Spock showed us a proper inverted tail-lob (upside down, on her back, belly up):

WHEN MINKES ATTACK!

2011-07-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

It is a calm, quiet day on Salmon Bank just south of San Juan Island. There are some low, dramatic clouds and not a breath of wind:

The only sound that can be heard for miles are the screams and cries of gulls, murres, auklets, and other marine birds. "What are they screaming about?", you may ask. Why, food...of course. Those little auklets and murres dive down deep. They concentrate large schools of bait fish and then drive them toward the surface. The gulls then become very excited. They want in on the action (but by doing as little work possible, naturally). Let the feeding frenzy begin!:

BUT! Little do the birdies know...a predator lurks below. The predator sneaks... The predator slinks...The predator has really bad breath...The predator wants their dinner!:

A minke whale attacks!:

YUM! This minke whale now has a belly full of bait fish. Better luck next time, birds.

And in the words of minke whale research scientist, Jonathan Stern:

"FEAR THE BALEEN!"

Until next time on - "WHEN MINKES ATTACK!"

She may be 100 years old...

2011-07-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

...But that doesn't mean J2 Granny can't kick up her flippers with the best of them! Talk about a spry old girl:

Introducing Baby K44!

2011-07-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Taken just 6 or 7 days after this little one's birth, this little guy looks healthy, strong, and has no trouble keeping up with mom, K27 Deadhead. Welcome to the world, little one!

To view more images of this cute little guy, click here!

Whale Days

2011-07-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's almost hard to wrap our brains around how amazing the whale sightings have been over the past several days. It seems like every time we venture out on the water there are more incredible things to see and surprises around every corner! Today we encountered a super pod off the west side of San Juan Island. A super pod happens when all three of our resident orcas pods (J, K, and L pods) join together in a giant, massive group. There is usually lots of socializing going on along with some mating behavior (yes... x-rated whale watching). All of the antics of the whales are such a joy to observe and should never be taken for granted. We had an amazing encounter with L55 Nugget and her two youngest kids, L109 Takoda and baby L118 who was born just this winter and has yet to be named. L118 sure is a cutie-pie!:

L118 playing with mom, L55 Nugget:

We also had a beautiful visit with some of the big boys in L pod - L79 Skana, L85 Mystery, and L89 Solstice. They were traveling with L12 Alexis and L22 Spirit:

To view more photos from today's adventure, click here!

Summer Transients

2011-07-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

We had an incredible day of whales! We saw humpback whales, resident (salmon-feeding) orcas (K pod), and, much to our delight, a HUGE group of transient (mammal-feeding) orcas. There were 15 +/- transients traveling in tight group through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We saw lots of spyhopping and some interesting social behaviors. Normally we only see very small groups of transient pods, usually consisting of no more than 6 individuals, so this encounter was a very special treat because we were able to see so many. Most were juveniles and females and there was one big male traveling along with them. Here are some photos from the day's encounter:

To view more photos from today's trip, click here!

NEW Baby!

2011-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

K27 Deadhead (it's a funny name, I know. She's named after Jerry Garcia of the Greatful Dead) welcomes her first little bundle of joy into the world - K44! This little calf was probably born on July 6th or 7th and the Center for Whale Research has already confirmed that it is a male. The new little baby seems to be very healthy and has no trouble keeping up with mom. CWR reported that when they went to photograph the baby for the first time, Deadhead pushed it up to the boat on her head! It's almost as if she was showing off. Here is the only photo I have of the new baby. It's not very good, but you can make out the tiny little guy in the left of the photo. Congrats to K Pod and K27 Deadhead. We hope this little guy lives a long and happy life:

Lazy Sunny Sunday

2011-07-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had two trips out on the Western Prince today. It was a gorgeous, lazy, sunny Sunday. The whales spent the majority of the day resting in Open Bay off the south end of Henry Island. We saw all of J pod, the K13 subgroup, and L87 Onyx all in a tight bunch methodically surfacing to take breaths while they all took a LONG nap:

They rested for hours and didn't really cover a lot of ground simply because the tide was pushing against them for most of the day. When the tide finally changed later in the afternoon, they began to move north very slowly while still being sleepy. Finally, after such a long rest time, the whales split into two groups and they began to wake up! When the orcas come out of a resting pattern, there is often lots of activity like breaching, spyhopping, tail-lobbing. Today was no different. It was fun to watch their antics as they began to move north with purpose. Time to head up to the Frasier River. Time to chow down on some salmon!

Waking up at 5am has never been SO fun!

2011-06-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had such a great encounter with the whales, we decided to try our early morning luck again today. So, another bleary-eyed, stumbling 5am wake-up and here we go again! We scooted out to the west side of the island and stopped at Land Bank. All was beautiful, calm, and quiet...a little too quiet. Hmmm, no whales here. Did they go by already? We then moved down to South Beach and enjoyed an amazing sunrise on the way:

Stop at the turn-out and take a slow scan of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Pretty quiet...UNTIL! I see a dorsal fin pop up off of Eagle Point. They are heading north. Yes! Back to the lighthouse we zoom. We stake out our favorite spot and before long we begin to see dorsal fins down at Land Bank. They will be here soon. We'll wait. And wait. And wait. And wait! Hmmm, are they still coming north? I peek through the binoculars to see what's going on. The whales are rolling around in the kelp and appear to be right next to shore. We can't really tell which way they are going. We wait a bit longer. We are getting antsy now. Should we drive down the coast and see them at Land Bank or be patient and wait? Such a tough choice and I waffled back and forth before I decided it would be better to wait. Finally, after an hour of rolling around at Land Bank, J2 Granny made it up to the lighthouse and swam by us:

It took a little while longer, but the rest of the whales made it up to the lighthouse and my oh my what fun they were having! They were SO close to the rocks and were being simply silly:

J30 Riptide lifts his HUGE body into the air:

Which was then followed by another nice breach from his sister, J37 Hy'Shqa:

J28 Polaris and all the kids playing along:

J19 Shachi and her daughter, J41 Eclipse:

Another nice breach:

Coming up!:

Another fantastic wake-up session!

To view more images from this encounter or to buy prints, click here!

Wake up with whales! (It's totally better than coffee!)

2011-06-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

This morning was gray and so still it felt like even the slightest breath of wind might disturb the whole world. The day began early - up at 5am, shoes on, hot tea in the travel mug, camera in hand, and off to the lighthouse. The whales just MIGHT be there...
As we came over the big rise on Bailer Hill where the trees break open and the sea lays in a yawning expanse before us, we take a good scan of the south coast of the island. It is so calm. If the whales are there, we will see them. We wait for a long minute. The waters remain still. We continue over the hill and just as we do, I spy a dorsal fin through a thicket of trees. There they are! We race to the lighthouse and we set up shop. A seal watches us curiously from the shallows as if to say, "What are YOU doing up at THIS hour?!":

No matter. Sleeping in is nice, but we won't see any whales while lying in our beds! We will sleep later. Yes. But right now the stillness and a tight group of whales headed for the lighthouse has our stomachs tied in excited, loopy knots. They are still a mile from us, but the forceful sound of their breath, "KAWOOF! KAWOOF! KAWOOF!" floats across the water for miles. When the whales breach, seven tons smacking down on the water's surface sounds like a fire-cracker explosion. They are coming in close now... We brace ourselves for an EPIC, close-to-shore encounter and we are not disappointed!:

Here come the whales:

They seem playful:

And they cruise by right below us. The sound and sight of so many orcas in a tight bunch is just incredible!:

Is there a better way to start the day other than a joyful adrenaline rush?

I think not...

To view more images of this encounter or to purchase prints, click here!

Whales really DO know how to fly...

2011-06-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

J32 Rhapsody has been one of the most entertaining whales to behold this season. It just seems that she has discovered how darn good she is a breaching - in fact most of the photos I have of breaching whales this year happen to be her! Yesterday was no different. We had a fabulous encounter with the J11’s, the J22’s, and the J17’s on the west side of San Juan Island yesterday. The whales must have had full bellies because all they were doing was playing, playing, playing! J32 Rhapsody certainly wasn’t going to be left out of the fun. She breached over 7 times yesterday! What fabulous fun to watch her fly though the air!

To purchase this print, click here.

Birthday Party for Granny

2011-06-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Be at Lime Kiln State Park on July 2nd for J2 Granny's 100th birthday party. The event starts at 1:00pm and is open to all. Come celebrate this iconic whale and her amazing life!

A few words for Ruffles...

2011-06-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

It is summer solstice on San Juan Island. The day is beautiful, warm, and sunny. I am sitting at Lime Kiln Lighthouse State Park with my friend, Nicole, who is a fellow whale fanatic visiting me from Alaska. It is a day off the boat for us and we decide the best way to pass the hours is to sit at the lighthouse, soak up some rays, read, and wait for the whales to swim by. I cannot think of a better place to be. The water is glassy and clear. The air is pleasant and a very slight breeze gently allows the tall grass to sway back and forth. The Olympics tower majestically at the bottom of the strait. Every now and again a harbor porpoise disturbes the glassy surface. We can hear the gentle "puff" of their breath as they roll through the water. A harbor seal floats suspended in the kelp beds. He has his eyes closed and he rhythmically pulses his front flippers back and forth to keep himself positioned. The sun glints off his sleek, gray head. It is summer...

As we wait for the whales, I think of many things, but my thoughts are mostly dominated by J1 Ruffles, the large adult male who lived in J pod. It has been about 8 months since he was last sighted, but still his absence continues to pierce the people that knew him best. Although it has been said many times by many other people, the fact still holds true - Ruffles was an icon. He would have probably been 60 years old this season making him a very long-lived and successful male. His fin was tall - much taller than the fins of his pod-mates and the trailing edge had a unique ruffled contour, hence his name:

I know this great whale holds certain significance for many. I'm undoubtably sure that every person who knew Ruffles remembers him in a very unique and original way. But there are some similarities between us, too. There were so many of us that knew him well and very affectionately referred to him as "The Big Guy" or "The Man". You could utter one of these two nicknames to any orca enthusiast and they would know exactly who you were speaking of. While out on whale watching trips, many of us delighted in showing our guests this big, spectacular boy because we loved the reaction people had when they first saw him. Whale watch captains would get on the VHF radio to chat with their local comrades if they had been unable to locate Ruffles. The inevitable phrase would be uttered over the airwaves: "Has anyone seen The Big Guy today?" And then...we would find him. His fin would slowly, and gently begin to rise, an explosion of breath "KAWOOF!", and then the excited chatter of those just seeing him for the first time. The sheer size of his body was enough to make anyone's jaw drop. He was, by far and away, the biggest boy on the block most days. Because of his charismatic features, I think many people quickly adopted Ruffles as their "favorite". Many of us who spend much time with the whales have a favorite whale, but Ruffles was always included in that company. For example, if you asked someone who their favorite whale is, they would reply "_________ and Ruffles" (you fill in the blank...). I think so many people loved him because of this simple fact that he was easy to identify. He was probably the first whale anyone new to whale watching would learn to recognize right away. Even people that had never seen orcas before could, by the end of a three hour whale watch, point and say "there's Ruffles!".

I remember the first time I saw Ruffles. It was a hot August day in 2000. I had never seen wild orcas in my life and my parents and I had come to the San Juan Islands to try our luck at seeing some. We were off the lighthouse on Patos Island and remember seeing this massive, monsterous fin off in the distance. I recall our naturalist saying, "And there's J1 Ruffles swimming along side his presumed mother, J2 Granny!". Wowie...that IS a big fin...

Once I became a naturalist, Ruffles became a staple of the conversations I would have with my guests. Because I care about these animals so much, I wanted to utilize a way to make other people care about them. I have found that one of the best ways to do that is to properly introduce the animals and their habits. So I would introduce Ruffles as one of the biggest stars. On a larger scale, Ruffles is a movie star. He, along with his wavy fin, has graced his presence in almost every movie theater in the country and many around the world. He was one of the wild whales featured in the Free Willy movies. However, on a more local and realistic level, we know him differently. Here is a male who is in his 50's and he's still hanging out with his momma! A mama's boy of the grandest kind! Most people would find this quite funny, but even so, I think the relationship between Ruffles and Granny struck a very emotional chord with some people. It's not very often you find other creatures in nature with a stronger family structure than humans, but orcas certainly fit the bill. You could even argue that their social bonds with one another are maybe stronger than those of humans. While most people continue to have relationships with their mothers long after the onset of adulthood, not many humans spend 24/7 with their mommas, siblings, cousins, and other extended family. It's pretty amazing when you stop to consider this. How would you fair being in the company of your entire family ALL of the time? Would things be mostly harmonious or, in stark contrast, would you be tearing each other's heads off within hours of being together? An interesting concept perhaps? This reality is still something that continues to amaze me. I have spent almost 10 years observing these animals and I can't recall ever seeing blatantly aggressive behavior between individuals. This certainly doesn't mean it doesn't happen every now and then, but the most aggressive behavior I've ever witnessed was a mother disciplining her baby. The baby, who was then only several months old was a bit away from it's mother when it decided it was going to make a direct route to our boat. Perhaps the little one was curious and just wanted to check out the strange two-legged creatures. When mom noticed what was going on, she quickly spoiled her baby's fun. She raced in front of her calf, stopped, and then forcefully whacked her baby under the chin with a slight flick of her flukes. So much for visiting the boat. The baby immediately fell in line next to mom and they swam off the other way. I think that was mom's way of saying, "boats are NOT toys!" Ruffles and Granny always seemed to have a pretty harmonious relationship. Much of the time we would see them traveling right next to each other, side by side, breathing in perfect synchrony:

We don't know for sure if Ruffles was the son of Granny and it is probably dangerous to assume this, however we do know that they shared a very close bond simply because of the amount of time they would spend together.

Ruffles didn't always hang out with Granny. Sometimes he would travel far on the outskirts of the pod all by himself. Maybe he just needed some alone time. Some of us would ask the inevitable question, "where's the Big Guy?" All you had to do was look way out in the middle of the strait and boom - you'd see a ruffled fin and a poof of breath explode from the surface. There he is! Some boats would try to go out and watch him, but sometimes they wouldn't have much luck. When he wanted to be alone, there was no way you were going to get a good look at him. He would do a deep dive right before reaching a whale watch boat and he would be gone for a long while. When he did surface again, he would be half a mile away and on his own again. Perhaps his famous physique got in the way sometimes?

Even though he seemed to enjoy his alone time, I think he also very much enjoyed playtime with other whales. Hey, there's a reason he's fathered so many babies in the local resident population (we think this is probably true due to some exciting new genetic studies relating to paternity). The boy obviously had skills! I wonder if orcas have "crushes"? Do female orcas hang around in little groups whispering and giggling to each other, "Oooo, that Ruffles! He is TOO fine!" Haha, maybe not, but it's a funny image. Having said that however, I think some females may have found him to be pretty hot stuff. There are now many babies to prove it!

Ruffles playing with some youngsters:

Ruffles in action!:

Every summer for the past 10 years have been littered with encounters with this big, beautiful guy. He was such a staple in the population. At the end of each season, when our whale encounters would become more and more sparse, I would try to spend some extra "time" with both Granny and Ruffles. They both were/are advanced in years and seasoned members of the Southern Resident orca community and there was always the chance that either one of them could disappear during the winter months. On my last encounter with each of them on my last trip of each season I would try to etch the last image of them in my mind so that I would have a sort of mental "keepsake". The last encounter of 2010 was no different. It was October 17th and the weather was stunningly gorgeous. We traveled with all three pods through a beautiful area called Active Pass. Seemingly countless groups of whales passed by us. The mood seemed light as there was much social and surface behavior. Before long Granny passed by us with Ruffles by her side. We watched them idle by. When they reached the exit of the pass, Ruffles breached:

Little did I know, this would be the last image I would have of him. During the winter of 2010/2011 J pod was sighted many times...and Ruffles was not among them. Granny comes to the surface and the tall, wavy finned male is no longer by her side. For some, this continues to be a hard pill to swallow. I remember my first encounter with Granny this year. I was so happy to see J pod, but the encounter was so bittersweet. Is it true? Is he really gone? The news of Ruffles' dissappearance broke in February. It made significant headlines in newspapers and on local news broadcasts and the outpouring of love for this single animal was quite astounding. People who may have only met Ruffles a single time were expressing their love and condolences for this iconic creature.

Now it is summer solstice. We've waited all day on the west side for the whales and by 5PM they finally begin to come around the corner at Edward's Point, just south of Land Bank. It's J pod and Granny is in the lead. Her pointy fin with the half-moon shaped nick peeks above the surface as she glides by on her way north. Life goes on and her family follows her, just as they have for generations. Ruffles may not be by her side, but his presence lingers...it whispers. His spirit is still out there somewhere and his genes live on in the little youngsters of the pods. So in a way...he is still here.

~~~~~~~~~

The morning is cold and gray. A low fog hangs 100 feet off the surface of the water. I am sitting on the rocks next to shore, huddled in a blanket, hot tea steaming in a mug resting at my feet. All is quiet for a while until I hear it...the breath of a whale. I shed the warm safety of my blanket and crawl farther out on the damp rocks. It's going to be hard to see them, but I must try. Then a glint of shiny black breaks the surface much closer than expected. The glassy waters suddenly ripple. The fin continues to rise and rise. It appears to be growing before my very eyes. The back of the fin - a familiar wavy contour. The top of his head breaks the surface. An explosive "KAWOOF" - a sound that sends a shudder through me and goose bumps erupt on my skin. His head dips downward again followed by his long back. The glassy surface begins to swallow the fin as he dives down. Soon just the tip is left. A little stream of water floats off the trailing edge. The fin disappears. He swims on...

A Family Photo

2011-06-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

A beautiful, quiet day spent alone with J14 Samish and all her kids: J30 Riptide, J37 Hy'Shqa, J40 Suttles, and baby J45 SeYi'Chn.

Sucia Island Transients

2011-06-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

J pod has been out of the area for two days now. They are presumably out in the Pacific snacking on salmon. However, despite their absence, we have been fortunate enough to have encounters with some different groups of transient orcas.

Today we met with a group of three whales - the T123's. T123 is a female who was probably born in or around 1985:

T123 used to always travel with T46 and is presumed to be T46's daughter. T46 has not been seen in a number of years and is presumed to be dead. An interesting side-note however - T46 was one of the six whales present at the fascinating Budd Inlet orca capture of 1976.

Also present at this encounter was T123A, T123's son. He was born in 2000 and has a massive fin for an 11 year-old whale!:

There was also a young baby traveling with these two - presumably T123B:

We circumnavigated Sucia Island with this group of whales. They were lazily traveling along until they came to the south end of Sucia and mostly likely killed a harbor seal for lunch:

After the kill, one of the whales did a big spyhop next to shore to the delight of us all:

Other animals we spotted on today's trip were harbor seals and bald eagles:

The Westside Shuffle Part II

2011-06-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

And J Pod was at it again today - the famous "Westside Shuffle". Here are some photos from today's encounter...

J8 Spieden and J2 Granny - they may be old girls (Granny is estimated to be 100 years old this year), but that doesn't mean they can't "kick it" with the rest of 'em. Here they are, the two old ladies, zooming along at high speed!:

J19 Shachi shows off her pretty dorsal fin and unique saddle patch:

The babies J44 Moby and J47 travel with their moms', J17 Princess Angeline and J35 Tahlequah:

J30 Riptide lets us know that he's getting to be the "big guy on the block":

J26 Mike plays with some kelp:

Playtime in the Cattle Pass tide rips:

To view more photos from today's fun or to purchase prints, click here!

The Westside Shuffle

2011-06-13T20:31:00.001-07:00

Over the past week or so we have had tremendous encounters with J pod. They have been continuously traveling up and down the west side of San Juan Island doing, what many of us like to call, "The Westside Shuffle". Orcas are known to travel great distances and can easily swim 50-100 miles in a day. So why is J pod just hanging out in the same general area? The answer is quite simple - FOOD! As the tide moves into the Salish Sea through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it brings the whales' favorite menu item along with it. Of course I am speaking of salmon. The tide pushes the salmon against the west side of San Juan Island and therefore, this area becomes one of the orcas' favorite dining spots. Our resident J, K, and L pods are very picky eaters. If you think your five-year-old kid is a picky eater, you haven't seen anything yet. The resident orcas in this area eat salmon, salmon, salmon, and...oh yeah...more salmon. Large males may eat up to 500 pounds of these tasty fish every day! Now that's a lot of sashimi!
So today was no different. We met up with the whales on the west side of the island. They must have had full bellies. Why do I think this? They were spending quite a bit of their time socializing and then proceeded to take a nap while gently swimming and letting the flood tide carry them to the north. Here are some photos from today's journey:

A little spyhop from a youngster - "What's going on up there?":

J32 Rhapsody playing with kelp:

J26 Mike, J2 Granny, and L53 Lulu surface together:

To view more images from the day or to purchase prints, click here.

Breaching Madness!

2011-06-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been chock-a-block full of breaching whales! Here are some fun images and sequences from our encounters over the past couple of days. Enjoy!

And NOW for a breach sequence brought to you by (probably) J32 Rhapsody:

SPLASH!! Another epic leap and landing!

At Last!

2011-06-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

The past week and a half had been pretty slim pickins'. J pod had left the area two weeks before, L pod very quickly blasted through the islands a week later and didn't stay, and our transient orca encounters seemed to dry up! All I have to say is thank goodness for minke whales and three cheers for the amazingly diverse array of wildlife we have here in the San Juans. Despite our good fortune with other wildlife, many of us were seriously sending some good vibes out to the orcas in the hopes that they would return. We weren't doing this simply because we missed them (even though we did very much). We were doing this because a very special young lady named Kina, and her aunt, Annemarie were visiting the island. Kina was visiting her aunt in California and had come all the way from the UK. They were visiting the islands in the hopes of fulfilling Kina's life-long dream to see a wild orca. I was very quickly surprised and very much admired the passion of these two young women. They were originally going to be here for four days and they had booked spots on almost every single trip we had going out on the water each day. On each trip, spirits were high and fingers were crossed as we parted the dock, hoping that each day would be the day we would finally see orcas, but each time we came back to the dock empty-handed. Kina and Annemarie were having a fabulous time, however. They saw many minke whales, humpback whales, dalls porpoise, harbor seals, sea lions, bald eagles, and harbor porpoise. They kept such wonderful, optimistic attitudes and were very excited by everything they witnessed, but still the orcas eluded them... And the orcas continued to elude them right up to the end of their visit. Darn it! We all wanted their dream to come true so badly, but it just didn't seem like it was meant to be. The girls decided to make more plans - they decided to stay several extra days in hopes of expunging their bad luck with orca sightings, but each successive day, we were skunked! Ivan even told the ladies that he would take them out on the water in the zodiac at a moment's notice if orcas popped up in our range. Nothing doing!

AND THEN....it happened...

On the evening before their last day, we were all receiving reports that many orcas were inbound in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They were still too far away, but they were coming! OH! If they would only stick around for a day so these determined young women could see them!

The next morning my friend Nicole and I went out to the lighthouse bright and early to see if we could spot the orcas. Nicole is visiting me from Alaska for a month and is also a great orca enthusiast. She had also been here for a week and had still had no luck with the whales. The morning was beautiful and calm, but no whales. Surely they are still around!? I kept my cell phone close and we waited for any news. Later that morning, Ivan called... YES! There are whale reports! Yes! We are going out on the boat! Yes! Annemarie and Kina are coming with us! Yahoo! We all scrambled to the dock in our fancy orange mustang suits. The air was alive with our excited chatter. Perhaps the dream of these passionate women was finally going to come true. We piled into the Western Explorer and off we went. We had received two separate reports of orcas. Both had come from the B.C. Ferry system and they had seen whales in Swanson Channel and the coal docks off Vancouver. No one was traveling with the orcas so we were going to have to search for them and find them ourselves.

We first zoomed up north to Swanson Channel since it was considerably closer than the coal docks. We searched around for a while and nothing... Hmmm... Suddenly Ivan slammed on the throttle and we went flying through Active Pass and into the massive Strait of Georgia. He had just received a report that the whales had traveled through the pass and were on the other side. Sadly, as we came out of the pass and began to scan, we could see nothing. To make matters worse, the Strait of Georgia is an absolutely gargantuan body of water and there were white caps and a two foot chop building on the surface. We might as well try to find a needle in a haystack. Spotting orcas in these conditions would be very difficult indeed. We had a few other boats from the Victoria and Vancouver area join the search with us. And then we obtained news that the report of orcas going through Active Pass was probably false. Things were going from bad to worse and I must admit that we were all becoming quite frustrated. We zig-zagged back and forth across the large body of water for two hours when Ivan finally decided we need to head south and back toward the dock. Could it be that Kina and Annemarie had traveled such a great distance and put forth such incredible effort to have their dreams dashed? This was their LAST chance and it looked as if things were not going to pan out. As we cruised south, all was quiet. Feelings of disappointment, frustration, and perhaps a bit of sadness were thick in the air. We stopped to scan a final time. There were scratchy sounds filtering in over the radio. We tuned our ears... Then a captain on one of the other whale watch boats said the magic word - the word we all say we any of us finds orcas - "CONTACT!!!"

With a "yahoo!" we zoomed off at full speed. The whales were just to the south of us. We bumped across the waves... THERE THEY ARE!!!:

It was J pod and L87 Onyx meandering toward East Point on Saturna Island. They were grouping up after being spread out and feeding and all was excitement!

J27 Blackberry:

L87 Onyx:

Excitement as the orcas reach East Point:

Annemarie and Kina were speechless as we enjoyed the antics of the whales. We experienced a breath-taking encounter with the animals - they were breaching, spyhopping, tail-lobbing, and traveling south in groups.

We we arrived back to the dock and climbed out of our suits. We said our goodbyes to our UK friends. I think they were still in shock after what they had just witnessed and a few tears were shed. Their dream of seeing wild orcas had come true at last...

I feel honored to have been apart of their experience. Annemarie and Kina truly deserved the encounter they received after the many ups and downs they went through. I'm sure they will remember it forever...

...I'm also sure that they will return to the islands again...someday...

Seal vs. Octopus

2011-05-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon visiting Lime Kiln Point State Park today. The sun was coming out on and off and the weather was quite warm. It was nice being out for a walk and as we wandered along the shoreline, something caught our eye. It looked to be (who some call) Floyd the seal swimming in the kelp bed...but wait a second...he had something pink in his mouth. What was it? An octopus!! Our cameras were out quick as lightning and instead of shooting mostly still photos, I decided to take some video of our friend Floyd with his lunch. He had a bit of a hard time get this big meal into his mouth!:

Let's try again, shall we?

Chomp! Chomp!

Almost gone...:

A seal with a VERY full belly:

L Pod Returns

2011-05-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

L pod came blasting into the San Juan Islands this evening from the north (they had been seen in Johnstone Strait off the north end of Vancouver Island the day before). They were traveling at an incredible rate of speed southbound. They were probably shooting along at about 10 knots and kept this speed up for miles. Where are they off to? Will they be around tomorrow? Are they finding enough salmon to eat? Are they going to meet of with J pod and K pod? What's up?! Unfortunately it appeared they were not going to stick around the islands. Observers who saw them later in the evening said it appeared the whales may just keep on traveling to the west and out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Did we just experience a "drive-by whaling"? That's what it felt like, but I suppose time will tell. At any rate, it was lovely to see old friends again and it turned out to be a wonderful evening encounter.

To view more images from this encounter, click here!

Out to Lunch with the T18's

2011-05-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

The T18's are probably my favorite group of transient orcas. They are very charismatic and easy to identify. When we arrived on scene with these orcas, we immediately knew who we were looking at because one of the animals has a sort of banana shaped fin - T19B "Galiano":

He was traveling with his three other companions who we always see him with - T18 "Esperanza" (estimated to have been born in 1974 and may be T19B's auntie), T19 "Mooyah" (est. 1969 and T19B's mother) and T19C "Spouter" (est. 2001 and T19B's younger sibling):

We watched the four whales cruise along for a while. They almost to appeared to be in a resting pattern because they were moving very slow, taking long dives, and were tightly grouped together. After watching them for a bit they began to spread apart into two groups. Hmmm, are they on the hunt? While they slowly continued traveling, we zoomed over to boiling rock to check out the steller sea lions that were hauled out with the intention of going back to see the whales afterwards:

Suddenly we began to see splashing off in the distance where we had left the whales. They're making a kill!!! We quickly flipped the boat around and ran full speed ahead back to the scene. Sure enough, the whales were attacking a steller sea lion and the ambush was nothing short of astounding:

Does anyone hear the "Jaws" theme?:

After watching the carnage for a while, we noticed that T19B had some massive scratches on the front of his fin:

Did he get those from the sea lion from this kill (steller sea lions will put up a good fight with the whales), or was this an earlier injury? Hard to say, but they appear to be pretty fresh at any rate. After a while, it was time to go home. The attack continued long after we left as it can take transient orcas several hours to subdue a sea lion. If they are successful, they will have a good meal on their flippers and they all share the kill. From what I understand of this attack, there was no escape for the sea lion. These whales were out to lunch!

The History Behind a Whale - The Story of T26

2011-05-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

J pod has been gone for about a week (we are hoping they are finding enough salmon to eat somewhere) and we all feel very fortunate that many groups of transient orcas have been slinking through the area. Today we traveled over to Victoria hoping to catch up with one out of three groups of transients (T's, for short). These animals turned out to be the T10's - a female T10 "Langara" (estimated to have been born in 1963) and her two sons, T10B "Siwash" who is a very large male born in 1983, and T10C "Bones" who is estimated to have been born in 1999 and is currently a sprouter (teenage) male. The T10's are one out of only a few groups of T's that actually have names. These names were given to them through the Vancouver Aquarium's Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program (K.W.A.P.).

The T10's:

I was very excited to see these three whales. I had only seen them one other time on a quick encounter in 2006. They were headed north in Trincomali Channel in B.C. on a very stormy afternoon. They've held an essence of mystery for me ever since. These three whales are very easy to identify. T10 "Langara" has a very large nick on the trailing edge of her fin:

Her eldest son, T10B "Siwash" is a massive male with a sail-like fin:

And T10C "Bones", who is probably about 12 years old. His fin is just beginning to sprout:

And while I was very excited to meet up with these three whales again, I was puzzled... There were two females traveling with them. Who are these whales? We had a very nice encounter with the animals including a few harbor seal kills. Notice the blood behind Siwash's fin?:

But by the end of the encounter, I was pouring through every transient ID guide we had on the boat and I couldn't find the photos of the other two females anywhere! One of the females had a nick on the top of her fin and the other female was fairly "generic"-looking and had no noticeable nicks. When I arrived home this evening, I brought up the BIG transient ID guide online, downloaded my photos of the whales, and went to work trying to solve the mystery. Who are these two females? I had no idea I was about to discover something very exciting... As I carefully scrutinized every photograph in the ID guide, comparing them to the photos I had taken of the whales, I finally came up with a match! The whales turned out to be T26 and her daughter, T26A.:

T26 with the nick at the top of her fin:

And T26A with her generic fin:

I was happy I had been able to ID the whales, but I wanted to know more about them. I picked up a book that we all consider to be "the bible" regarding transient killer whales: Transients By John Ford and Graeme Ellis (this book is an excellent resource if you want to read more about this particular kind of orca). I found T26's picture in this book (T26A was not pictured as the book is a bit out of date). Under T26's ID photo was a small caption:

"T26 and T27 were first identified when captured in Budd Inlet, Puget Sound...They have only been sighted four times since, the last in 1991."

Wow! Amazing! However I took this caption with a grain of salt simply because I knew they had been sighted since 1991 because T26A's ID photo was in the big 2008 Transient ID guide. I also know this to be true according to Dave Ellifrit who is a senior staff member at the Center for Whale Research. He told me he had encountered T26 and T26A a couple of winters ago and they were traveling with the T10's on that occasion as well. Even so, these are certainly two whales that are not seen very often.

So what about the Budd Inlet orca capture? During the 1960's and 70's, the Salish Sea was the world's primary hot spot for orca captures for aquarium theme parks such as SeaWorld. At the time, Don Goldsberry was SeaWorld's "collections manager" and he was the man in charge during many of the orca captures that occurred in the Pacific Northwest. The Budd Inlet capture occurred on March 7, 1976 and was headed by Goldsberry. This capture involved six whales total: T13, T14, T46, T47, T27, and, of course, T26. The whole day turned out to be an ironic twist and turn of events. As Goldsberry and his team herded the whales deep into Puget Sound, the whole chaotic procession eventually floated into Olympia Harbor and near the capitol building. Why is this ironic? The legislature happened to be in session and some of the things that were on the table for discussion that day happened to be forming a killer whale sanctuary in Puget Sound. This was the same day that Ralph Munro (who was then assistant to the Governor and later became Washington's Secretary of State) and his wife happened to be out sailing and saw the whole ugly capture in progress. Munro and his wife watched the whole distressing scene in horrified shock. They watched as speed boats, seal bombs, and helicopters were being used to herd the whales. The whales were clearly panicked and very agitated. The experience would change Munro's life. From that day on he became an avid orca advocate (and because of all the great things Munro has done secure the well-being and freedom of local orcas, he even had an orca named after him - J6 "Ralph").

Goldsberry eventually corralled the whales in Budd Inlet which was just a short distance from Evergreen State College. What was happening at Evergreen State College that day? The beginning of a three-day conference to discuss the permanent ending of Puget Sound orca captures! Many pioneering killer whale researchers were attending this conference including Paul Spong, Ken Balcomb, and Erich Hoyt. Members of Greenpeace were also present. Ironically Goldsberry was slated to speak at the conference (as you might have guessed, this didn't happen after the fact). Naturally, over the next few days, this capture produced massive public outcry to free the whales. Most of the whales were freed with in a few days - all of them except T13 and T14 which were held several weeks longer. In April, they were towed to the west side of San Juan Island, fitted with satellite tags, then released and T14 shows off his scars from that event to this day. The Budd Inlet capture became the LAST orca capture for aquariums in Washington waters!

After doing all this research, I was very excited to have been able to encounter T26. She truly is a living member of a vast and complicated orca/human history. Currently she has been in the area for the past week or so, with her daughter, T26A, travelling with the T10's. I wonder if we will get to see her again soon. She truly is history "in action".

(~Research resources include Transients By John Ford and Graeme Ellis and Orca: The Whale Called Killer By Erich Hoyt.~)

Meeting our resident transients once again...

2011-05-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Big transient orca male, T20, and female, T21, always travel together. Sometimes the pair of them travel with other groups of transient (mammal-feeding) orcas or they might be seen off by themselves - such as today. I always enjoy seeing these two whales and I very jokingly call them the "resident transients" simply because they really seem to like hanging out in the Southern British Columbia/Washington State area. Interestingly I see these two whales between six and eight times a year. I can't say that about any other group of transient orcas that I have encountered - hence why I have dubbed them "resident transients". Transient orcas can be so slinky and stealthy in their movements. They have to be. They don't want to give their presence away to any unsuspecting seals that the whales may want to turn into dinner! Transient orcas also don't vocalize very much for the same reason. The element of surprise is a very important hunting tactic for them. Because these orcas can be so secretive, we often wonder how many times we drive by whales while we are out cruising and not even see them because they are in stealth mode. It probably happens a lot more often than we think which is why, before we depart on our trips, we let all of our guests know that our journeys require audience participation. The more eyes we have on the water, the more we are going to find!

Today started like many days have this spring - "no whale reports", however later in the morning a whale watch boat out of Vancouver, B.C. found whales in Active Pass, which is approximately 25 miles north of San Juan Island. The whales were reported to be going south and that there were maybe 4 or 5 animals. The whale watch boat with them didn't have any ID's yet, but we all hypothesized that they were transients simply because it was such a small group of whales. While we were en route to the whales, a few of the animals were "lost" (well, actually I should say that the whale watchers lost track of a few of the orcas. I am sure the orcas knew exactly where they were and most certainly were not lost). We found out that the two remaining animals were T20 and T21. While I was in the wheelhouse of the Western Prince II and listening to the radio chatter of some of the other captains, something struck me as funny. I heard one of the captains say, "Oh, it's just T20 and T21..." and then the captain he was speaking with said, "Oh...it's just them, huh?" Just them... Wow, ok, I know seeing these two whales is a common occurrence, but I think instead we should say, "Wow, it's THEM!" We watched them slowly meander down Swanson Channel and we had a very nice visit with them.

T20 and T21 are two of only a few transient orcas that actually have names. They are known as Kwatsi and Pandora, respectively. The Vancouver Aquarium has a wild orca adoption program and they have given names to several common groups of transients. T20 Kwatsi is a very large male and is fairly easy to identify because he has a big nick on the top of his dorsal fin:

He was estimated to have been born in 1963 so he might be almost 50 years old! That's a good, long life for an adult male orca where the average lifespan is 30 to 40 years. T21 Pandora is an adult female and is always seen traveling with Kwatsi. Her fin is much shorter in comparison to his since she is a female and is also very pointy (this is a typical physical characteristic of many female transients):

Researchers think she was born around 1968. We are not sure what the relationship is between her and Kwatsi. Since they are seen swimming together all of the time, they probably have some sort of very close family bond. Perhaps they are siblings or close cousins. Perhaps they were both very young when they lost their mothers so decided to join together. We may never know, but it is always interesting to see where they might turn up next.

Are we there yet?

2011-05-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another typical spring whale day. The weather, however, was not typical of the rain we've been having as of late - it was a brilliantly sunshiny day! We left the dock with no reports of orcas in the area (again), but because J pod had been seen heading south through Rosario Strait the night before, we decided to cruise to the south end of the island and help the Island Explorer III, another whale watch boat out of Anacortes, search the the Strait of Juan de Fuca below Rosario. I was on the Western Explorer, which is our fast little zodiac. Because we can travel up to 35 knots, we can really cover and search an area quickly. I was just going on a ride-along to enjoy the perfect spring day, while Captain Nancy and Captain J.B. drove the boat/naturalized. Sometimes it's nice to just go for a play date! We made it out to Salmon Bank at the south end of San Juan Island and were able to observe a couple of minke whales feeding in the shallower areas. It was while we were doing this that some interesting news started to filter over the radio. It was the captain of the Island Explorer III and this is what he said, "Well...I may have some interesting news for you. One of my passengers just told me that her brother is on his boat fishing down by Eastern Bank in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He just called her to say that he's surrounded by orcas!" Captain Nancy and the captain of the other vessel made a pact - we would go looking for the whales together and hope that we get lucky. We put the engines of our zodiac into gear and off we went. ZOOM! And went... And went... And went... I looked back at JB almost as if to say, "Where are they??? Timbuktu?" or "Are we there yet?" He leaned his head around the corner of the wind screen and gave us all an update. We had already been zooming along for about 20 minutes - which is a long time in such a fast boat. He announced that we still had about 10 minutes left to go. Wow! They must be practically on the doorstep of Port Townsend! Sure enough. We stopped...finally, and found a female and a juvenile just off our 1:00 position. No one had identified these orcas yet so it was our job to do so. Oh dear, they were horribly backlit and I couldn't see any saddle patches (the white patch on an orca's back which is individually unique on each whale). I snapped a few shots anyway to take a closer look at the fin. Oh yeah! I'd know that quirky fin anywhere! It was J19 Shachi and her daughter, J41 Eclipse. We paralleled them for a while when they suddenly changed direction and instead of heading east, they were now traveling north. Then Shachi did something that absolutely delighted us all!:

A BIG breach right off the bow! We let Shachi and Eclipse mosey on their way after that, because off to the side of us, we spied two big males, a female, and a youngster. I quickly went to work to get an ID on the big boys and was very excited when I discovered it was J30 Riptide and my dear friend, L87 Onyx! (who is now traveling with J pod full time - some have started calling him JL87, haha):

The female traveling with them was J17 Princess Angeline and her youngest kid, J44 Moby:

After watching the antics of these whales for a while, it was time for us to go home, but not before Onyx did a big, beautiful spyhop. Just look at the size of his pectoral fins! He's growing to be a very big boy and I just LOVE him!:

(I still need to finish writing the story, but if you want to read more about Onyx, CLICK HERE.)

To purchase prints of any of the above images, click here.

A Perfect Pacific Northwest Day

2011-05-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

A morning stroll through the forest:

A play-date with orcas:

Contemplation with a baby fox:

The beauty of sunset colors on a mountain peak:

A Surfacing Sequence

2011-05-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by L87 Onyx!

Love the sun! - Part II

2011-05-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

We encountered two humpback whales in Haro Strait on this beautiful, sunny, warm evening. We thought to ourselves, "wouldn't it be cool if they breached right in front of Mt. Baker?" Wouldn't ya know it - that's just what they did! An incredible night and a photographer's dream come true!

To purchase prints of this image or to view other images from the evening, click here.

Love the sun!

2011-05-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

After what seems like weeks of torrential, cold, miserable, horrible, dreary rain showers, the sun decided to shine in full brilliance today! I woke up very early this morning (very excited to have a day off after a month of solid work) and decided that instead of sleeping in, I would get up and enjoy the gorgeous sunny calmness of this rare clear morning. My first stop was Land Bank on the west side of San Juan Island. I wanted to take a quick scan for orcas because they had been heard on the hydrophones off the lighthouse very late last night. After about 15 minutes of seeing and hearing nothing but the waves lapping the shore and a variety of birds serenade with their morning choruses, I decided to go down to South Beach to see if I could find some rare bird species or maybe visit with a fox. When I first arrived at the beach I found a large group of red-breasted mergansers feeding in the shallows:

There were a few surf scoters mixed in with them which are resident birds of the island during the winter months. It's clear that winter has not quite left us yet, but hopefully soon! After hanging out with the mergansers for a while, I wandered up the road and found dozens of savannah sparrows. Some were collecting bits of grass for nesting:

And others were just singing their little hearts out! What was this little guy saying? Maybe "LAAAALAAAA! I LOVE THE SUN!!":

After watching the sparrows, I traveled up the road a bit farther and stumbled across a dark-phase red fox. He immediately ran up to me. Unfortunately some people have been feeding these little guys and some have become quite tame. I personally believe that it is not acceptable to feed wild animals simply because it robs them of valuable time and energy that they should be spending finding more natural food sources and they learn to depend on humans. However, this little one seemed to be enjoying the sun more than anything else and quickly lost interest in me and may camera.

Ahhh...sunshine...:

Over across the way I spied a black-tailed deer feeding in the meadow:

It was starting to get late in the morning by this time and most of the "morning-active" animals had bedded down for a nap, however when I returned home, I found one last critter sunning himself out on the log in the middle of the pond. This is the first time this year I have been fortunate enough to see our resident painted turtle and here he is, head up, catching some rays:

Later today, I am hoping see some orcas enjoying the sun as well.

It's a Rainy Day in the Neighborhood

2011-05-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, did it rain A LOT yesterday? Oh yes. I believe we accumulated well over an inch of rain in a 24 hour period. So what's the best way to spend a rainy day? Why not hang out with some orcas? We actually had two encounters with J pod yesterday and both of them were phenomenal despite the relentless, pelting rain.

On our first trip we found J pod on the west side of San Juan Island moseying very slowly up the coast line. Most of the whales had traveled up toward the Hannah Heights area, but we were fortunate to find J22 Oreo, J34 DoubleStuf, J38 Cookie, J32 Rhapsody, J17 Princess Angeline, J28 Polaris, J35 Tahlequah, and all of their babies - J44 Moby, J46 Star, and J47 who has yet to receive a name (baby orcas are named by The Whale Museum orca adopters and are not given a name until they have survived their first year). These whales were all by themselves off Eagle Point and the rainy weather didn't seem to bother them a bit. The babies especially were being very silly and playful. We watched them breach, spyhop, tail-lob, and play around with their mom's for a very long while...

J34 DoubleStuf demonstrates that he's becoming a big boy - he's only 13 years old but he already has a beautiful, tall fin:

One of the J pod babies flashes some tail:

Pretty sure this is little J44, belly up, doing a pectoral fin wave:

A BIG breach for a little baby:

J28 Polaris and her baby, J46 Star surface in perfect synchrony:

J46 Star goofing around - I guess she didn't want to do a full spyhop and was content with just poking her chin out of the water. Maybe she liked the feeling of the rain plopping on her face:

J17 Princess Angeline, J44 Moby, J35 Tahlequah, and little J47 head off into the fog:

After hanging out with the moms and kids for a while, we traveled a little farther up the coast where the rest of the whales were traveling. However one whale was way offshore and we could see he had a BIG fin. Who is it? Maybe it's J26 Mike? Or L87 Onyx? Nope! It was J27 Blackberry!

After a nice period of watching Blackberry chase some salmon, it was time to head back for the dock...but not for long. For our second trip we had 35 high school students from Oregon on the boat and we had a bit of a challenge ahead of us. It was later in the evening and we didn't know exactly where J pod was. Our last report of them was about an hour old (and a lot can happen in an hour) and they were reportedly still in Haro Strait traveling most north, but were seen heading toward the town of Sidney on Vancouver Island. Ok, time for a treasure hunt! Once we made it to Haro Strait we had our binoculars out and we were actively looking for spouts and dorsal fins. I was searching mostly north Haro Strait, because that is where the whales typically travel. However the last report said they were headed toward Sidney. Hmmm, tough choices to make now. Do we just start to swing north and search big Haro Strait where the whales usually travel? Or do we swing wide and search all the little islands located just outside Sidney Harbor? I wasn't feeling too good about the latter decision simply because I have never seen the resident orca pods travel in amongst those little islands. After conferring with Captain Pete for a minute, we determined that's what we would do. I still wasn't feeling too optimistic about this choice, but it was certainly worth a shot. All the kids along with their group leader were crammed up on the bow of the boat as we slowly searched the area. There was tense anticipation in the air as we scanned the waters. Would we find them in a place they don't travel very often? After a bit of time the group leader turned to face me and said, "I think I just saw something out near that low-lying island in the distance..." I asked him for an exact spot, put my binoculars to my eyes and began to scan. I waited... THEN! An explosion of misty breath and a tall fin broke the surface! THERE THEY ARE!! All the kids started chatting with excited enthusiasm and big smiles broke out over all their faces. It is so wonderful to see young people become that excited about nature. We had found J pod and they were in a peculiar spot - they were swimming in between Forrest Island and Domville Island outside of Sidney Harbor. It was an incredible evening. The rain had sort of stopped, the sun was peeking through, the water was glassy calm, and we were alone with whales in a beautiful spot:

We saw primarily saw the J14's (J14 Samish, J30 Riptide, J37 Hy'Shqa (pronounced high-shkah and means "blessing" or "thank you" in the Samish language), J40 Suttles, and little J45 Se-Yi'Chn (pronounced say-ye-chin and means "little sibling" in the Samish language)). I explained to the kids that most of J14 Samish's kids had been named by the Samish northwest native peoples at special naming ceremonies and now these particular orcas were considered to be true community members of the Samish nation. They all thought they was pretty neat. The true star of the evening was J30 Riptide. The kids were all very impressed with his size and his antics. He was rolling around, spyhopping, and doing a few half-breaches while playing with his sisters.

Captain Pete put the hydrophone in the water so we could listen in on their conversation. All was shocked awe and silence as we listened to the whales chat to one another. There was no boat traffic in the area so the calls of the orcas were brilliantly loud and clear. After watching the whales socialize for a bit longer, I announced to the kids that it was time to travel back to the dock so they could catch their ferry. Collectively they all shouted, "NOOOOOO!" and they began begging their trip leader to stay longer. They were ok with taking the very late ferry and driving all night back to Oregon. But the trip leader had to be firm and mentioned that their bus driver would not appreciate that very much and probably didn't want to do an all-night driving session. So off we went. The kids were excitedly chattering and were beaming from ear to ear after seeing the whales. On our way back to the harbor, the trip leader approached us. It was clear he was quite emotional and thankful. He said the most perfect phrase to sum up the evening: "My cup runeth over..."

J Pod!!

2011-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful encounter with J pod yesterday on the Western Explorer. They have been moseying around for the past couple days. They spent a bit of time off San Juan Island when they first arrived and then wandered down to Puget Sound for a bit. They were heard late in the evening of the 13th on the Port Townsend hydrophones. Hmmm...we all supposed they were headed out of the sound. Sure enough! Yesterday morning they were sighted west of Race Rocks, B.C. traveling eastbound toward San Juan Island again...and we were just lucky enough to catch them. A fabulous encounter (despite a bit of rain). We witnessed some breaching and loads of spyhops. I was able to identify J2 Granny, J19 Shachi, J16 Slick, J27 Blackberry, J26 Mike, J31 Tsuchi, J39 Mako, and the wonderful adopted member of J pod - L87 Onyx. Here are some photos from today and fingers are crossed for another encounter tomorrow!

J19 Shachi and company:

J27 Blackberry traveling with his little brother, J39 Mako:

J26 Mike and L87 Onyx surface with Mt. Baker in the background:

A stormy Mt. Baker:

Spring Humpback Whales

2011-05-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

Humpback whales can be a fairly common sight here in the San Juan Islands during the autumn months, but today we were blessed with a rare spring sighting! A research group was out plying the calm green waters of the strait this morning searching for orcas when they happened across the two whales near the northwest end of San Juan Island. There were two adults just meandering along and zig-zagging back and forth in the same area. They almost seemed to be enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. The two whales would take several breaths and short succession and then go down for a long dive lasting for several minutes. This is not unusual behavior among these large baleen whales, particularly when they are just traveling along. After a while we began timing the whales and noticed they were consistently doing exactly 10 minute dives follow by three short breaths. They would both then fluke, which is when a whale sticks it's tail out of the water right before a long dive, and be down for ten minutes again. It was just like clockwork. What was NOT like clockwork was their traveling patterns! They were wandering around all over the place and were certainly not going in a strait line. At one surfacing they would be pointed north. On the next surfacing they would be half a mile away and pointed south. The surfacing after that they were east-bound and going right for the beach on Henry Island. Everyone on the boat started making bets as to where they might come up next. But, however difficult it may be to track the whales, it is always such an awe-inspiring experience to spend time in the company of such large and enigmatic mammals. For most people, it's not every day you get to see a critter that's so big and mysterious... there's almost a certain bit of magic about them...

Here are some more images from today's journey:

Into the wild...

Traveling the Extra Mile

2011-04-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Another amazing Saturday here in the Pacific Northwest and of course a typical beginning to an April whale watch. What do I mean by that? It's still early season for whales here and there are many days this time of year where we leave the dock without so much as a whisper of an orca report. We left the harbor and cruised up toward Spieden Island when Captain Ivan suddenly gunned the engines into full gear. He was on the radio with someone and it was quite clear that someone somewhere had found orcas. He gave a quick announcement to the guests and the crew (being me :) and OFF WE RACED! Where did we end up?? Vancouver. Ok, yes, a long trip. Overall we ran a little over 60 miles, but what a fabulous day we had - sunny skies (I think the longs rains may have finally bid us farewell), warm temps, a calm breeze, and 12 transient orcas (I think T37's, T65A's, and the T137's if I remember correctly...) zooming along at high speed in the Strait of Georgia. Here are some photos from today:

A "Springy" Photo

2011-04-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

It is SO beautiful on the island today - lots of gorgeous sun, fresh air, warm temps, and dozens of birds flitting around the forest. Today I managed to capture a photo that just seems to scream and shout the arrival of spring. A beautiful yellow warbler (I'm having some issues with bird ID it might be an orange-crowned warbler, which are only spring and summer residents on the island) was fluttering from branch to branch on our cherry blossom tree collecting a yummy nectar snack. She was patient enough with me to allow me to squeeze the shutter of my camera several dozen times...

Boiling Reef Transient Orcas

2011-04-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all! This posting is a bit late, but better late than never!
Last Sunday we encountered 31 (yes, 31!) transient orcas at Boiling Reef which is located just off East Point on Saturna Island. We enjoyed an encounter lasting over an hour with these amazing critters. Most of the animals were moms and kids and it was almost as if the whales were having a super-sized school lesson perhaps trying to teach some of the youngsters how to hunt. They were obviously making lots of kills (and, just a quick note, transient orcas don't eat salmon like the resident orcas. They eat strictly warm-blooded prey such as seals and sea lions). Boiling Reef is known as a great hang-out for all kinds of marine animals including harbor seals, harbor porpoise, and Steller sea lions. Because of the turbulent and sometimes violent tidal currents that occur here, it's a great feeding spot for marine mammals and birds alike. We saw not hundreds, but THOUSANDS of Bonaparte's gulls feasting on whatever the tide rolled up and on whatever scraps were left over from the whales' kills!

First we would see a lot of exuberant surface activity from the orcas.

Then after several minutes they would move off in a different direction and dozens of gulls would flitter above the surface, and when the moment was right, they would dive in for a snack. There was a lot of drama occurring on Boiling Rock as well. Seals lay hauled out on the beach with their heads looking around anxiously at the whales. A lone Stellar sea lion sat on the far east tip of the rock snarling and growling at the whales while perhaps 30 of his buddies were clumped together in the water frantically raising their heads way out of the water to get a better look at where the whales might be.

I guess the sea lion on the rock may have been a little smarter than the rest of his friends. It was interesting watching the sea lions in their agitation. Every now and then they would get royally fed up and would actually charge the whales. In this situation the whales would actually grant some space. Steller seal lions weigh 2,000 pounds. They can be up to 12 feet long. If I was a whale I wouldn't really want to mess with them unless I had on my A game! After a while the whales tired of all the activity (or maybe they were full) and started to wonder off a bit.

We watched them play in the tide rips for a little while before part of the group eventually formed a line and moved on.

Yet another day of drama in the Salish sea!

The Cookies from Zazzle.com

2011-04-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's true, their names drive me a bit nuts, but I had lots of fun creating this design. Introducing J22 Oreo, J34 DoubleStuf, and J38 Cookie - The Cookies! Check out the design by clicking on the link below...

The Cookies from Zazzle.com

Blue Evening

2011-04-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful night out at Lime Kiln State Park. Just thought I'd share a photo I captured this evening. Thought I would lose my fingers to frost-bite in the process, but it was worth the wait!

Realities of Living in the Pacific Northwest

2011-04-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, we all know that the Northwest is known for its rainy weather, particularly during the winter. However this spring has been exceptionally rainy. We had TWO DAYS of nice weather in the past weeks and now it's all gone to crap again. I just checked the ten day extended forecast. I'd be lying if I said I didn't throw my head back and begin to sob. Buckle down, kids. It's gonna be another wet, windy ride. I hope to be out taking pics again soon. Until then I'll try not to develop a severe and irreversible case of S.A.D.S.

Let the season begin!

2011-04-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. Not only is the rainy and quiet winter drawing to a close, but many (what seems like) long lost friends are returning to the islands - whales and people alike. Today I had an overwhelming need to meet and greet (months of cold, dreary weather spent inside by the fire will do that to a person...). I grabbed my camera and what should have been warmer clothes and headed down to the Western Prince II for my first official whale watch of 2011! Hooray! Hooray! There are great friends back on the boat and we were all geared up for an adventure. Luck seemed to smile on us because after experiencing a day and a half of truly wretched, wicked weather, we had blue sky on the horizon and sunny skies. The only thing we didn't have was a whale report! However this is quite typical for this time of year. It's very early in the whale watching season. The waterways are quiet and the whales aren't around everyday. We untied from the dock and headed out of the harbor feeling excited just the same. We cruised up San Juan Channel and the first animals we encountered were some harbor seals warming themselves on a low rock. We then headed for Green Point on Spieden Island and found a small group of male Steller sea lions rafting in the water and riding the current back and forth:

We poked around the front side of Spieden Island and found many animals feeding and lounging on the hillside including mature and juvenile bald eagles, many mouflan sheep, European fallow deer, and more seals. It was just about this time when we received a call from Ivan - Orcas in Active Pass!! This, of course, makes all the orca fanatics on the boat very happy, except there's a problem... The whale report came to Ivan third hand which means we don't know which whales are in Active Pass (is it one of our resident pods or are they transient orcas?) and, more importantly, we don't know which way they were traveling! Active Pass is a very narrow waterway that delicately joins the Canadian Gulf Islands with the massive Strait of Georgia. If the whales are traveling east through the pass, the chances of us catching up to them are slim to none. If they are coming west through the pass, then we are sitting in just the right spot and they will come to us. After deliberating a little with the crew, we decide to wander the direction of the pass and try our luck with the whales. At the very worst we would simply miss them, but there are still so many wonderful animals to check out while we scoot around on the water.

About twenty minutes later we get another (and better) report. The whales have indeed moved west through the past and are moving quickly south right toward us! Yay! We still don't know who the orcas are, but I think all of us, including the other whale watch boats that were on the water with us yesterday, thought that they were probably transient orcas just because they had been viewing transients the day before. However, when the first boat found the whales we had a nice surprise - "Granny just passed by us!" It's J pod! And J2 Granny is the (estimated) 100 year old female of the pod! The orcas were quite spread out and moving south FAST. The first whale we had a good look at was J8 Spieden. She estimated to be about 78 years old this year. We also saw J19 Shachi and J41 Eclipse just a little distance from her. As the afternoon went on, more and more whales filed by us. J17 Princess Angeline surprised us all by surfacing behind the boat. The last few whales were clumped up into groups and here we saw the J14's:

And the J22's with the J11's (those two big boys are J27 Blackberry and J34 DoubleStuf):

Well, you know what they say - time flies when you're having fun. Before long it was time for us to go home. Just as we began to pull away, J34 DoubleStuf (90% sure it was him, anyway) did a beautiful full breach. Every one on the boat shouted "WOAH!!" at the same time. It's always a thrill to see six tons of whale rocket out of the water no matter how many times you've seen it. On our way out, we had one last look at Spieden as she passed the Turn Point Lighthouse on Stuart Island:

I would have to say this trip was a great way to start the season: seeing friends after a long absence, sunshine, lots of great wildlife, and J pod acting as the icing on the cake!

If you would like to see more pictures from today's adventure, CLICK HERE!

The Peek-a-Boo Owl: Week Two

2011-03-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Remember last week when Monika and I found the barred owl in the forest down from the cabin? Well, I decided to go see if he/she was still there today. I've been resisting the urge to go check all week because obviously I don't want to disturb these animals, especially during nesting season.
As I crept my way through the forest being as quiet as possible, I noticed a multitude of birds flittering here and there. Of course I found the classic American Robins, which are never in short supply, but pretty all the same:

I found many, many varied thrushes. The males of this species are known for their aggressive territorial behavior...especially around bird feeders:

I also found a tiny brown creeper doing exactly as his name would suggest - being brown and creeping up the trunk of a tree looking for goodies:

And then I slowly made my way to the dead, moss covered tree that is currently housing the owl. No babies yet and the owl sitting in the exact same spot...peeking at the world outside. In fact, you really can't tell the difference between the photos I took of the owl last week and the ones from this week although he seemed sleepier today. I'm sure by now he's thinking, "Oh, there's that stupid, clumsy human with her camera again. Ho hum..." Still I find this little guy (or girl) to be quite charming with it's peek-a-boo behavior:

Later this week Monika and I are planning an evening owl search to see if we can catch this little one out of the nest or find some different species. Stay tuned...

Whales on the March

2011-03-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Or whales IN March, I should say. Today was one of those frantic, "Hurry! Let's get ready!" whale encounters. I was at the car shop having the oil changed in my very well-adventured highlander (how exciting, huh?) when I get the call...it's Ivan... "Can you be at the boat in 20 minutes?!" Ok, I'm caught in another tight spot - not cupcakes this time, thank goodness, but my car is still being serviced, I don't have my camera, and I'm technically supposed to go back to Roche Harbor to finish working on the boat I had been cleaning for the day. Yup, decision time! Call my boat-detail boss quickly (oh, she's so wonderfully nice and patient with me - she understands my whale obsession). Yes, I can go watch whales and finish cleaning the boat tomorrow. Phew! Alright, that's done...now for my car...which is not done yet. I've never tapped my foot so frantically. No time to run home and grab the camera (alas, I have no pics to share this time), but that's ok. Just to spend some time with whales will be wonderful. Finally, my car pulls out of the garage. It's ready to go. I pay quickly and then it's off to the harbor! I find a parking spot nice and close, grab my pack, my jacket, and my gum boots and half-jog awkwardly down to the boat. Whale freaks have no shame! We have no time! Already there are a group of friends at the little zodiac boat waiting to get out on the water. Ivan is at the helm getting a few last-minute details on the location of the whales. We pull on our very flashy orange mustang suits, topple into the boat, and WE'RE OFF! And we are going so fast that I feel my eyeballs being sucked into the back of my head and my cheeks are ballooned outward revealing the two rows of my teeth and I'm almost sure I look like some deranged dog with big jowls hanging out the back of a pick-up truck going full speed ahead...
We make the quick jaunt to Presidents Channels and there they are; J pod in a tight group and they almost appear as if they are in a resting pattern. It's a beautiful, sunny day. The water is emerald green. The whales are moving with calm purpose. Perfect... It's almost drug-like the state we whale freaks enter into when we are watching these magnificent mammals. The whole world seems to melt away. A slight smile plays across all of our faces. The forceful sound of the whales breathing - KAWOOF! KAWOOF! KAWOOF! Is like music to the ears. Soon here come J2 "Granny". She makes a close pass and I can see the trademark half-moon shaped nick in the back her dorsal fin. The nick is highlighted by the sun. She's estimated to be 100 years old this year. She looks great. Then comes J8 "Spieden" with her classic wheezy breath. L87 "Onyx", her so-it-would-seem adopted son, swims gently by her side. The rest of J pod files by us. All the little kids and moms in a bunch. The big males with their tall fins. J30 "Riptide" is becoming quite the handsome young man. We visit with everyone, but all is bitter-sweet. I am among the many who will miss seeing a large, ruffled fin slice through the calm waters of sea. It is the end of an era, so it would seem. Today is the very first day I have seen "Granny" where her presumed son, "Ruffles", was not by her side. There is a lump in my throat and I can't help but wonder what became of him. He was old for a male orca, almost 60 years, but that doesn't make the sting of his absence any less acute. He was greatly loved by people around the world and he is missed...
We watch the orcas swim into the afternoon sun. Another awe-inspiring encounter comes to an end. We bid the whales a fond farewell. I hope to see you all again soon.

A Lucky Find

2011-03-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

This afternoon my friend Monika came over to the cabin. Our mission? To find an owl! Just a little distance from my cabin there is a beautiful trail that runs through a classic Northwest forest; lots of big evergreen trees, alders, ferns, a quaint little stream with a hobbit bridge running across it, and of course moss everywhere. I have seen owls on this little stretch of trail on more than one occasion, but it usually happens when I'm not looking for them and I NEVER have my camera with me. Today we set off in hopes of finding an owl, but I don't think either of us believed we would actually see one. For one thing they blend in. They are so hard to spot unless they actually move or make noise and they don't often do this during the day. We entered the darkest part of the forest craning our necks toward the tree tops searching all the branches. We did find a couple of Pileated woodpeckers and a Pacific wren, but no owls. We started to make our way back to the main trail when I spotted a large hole in a moss-covered tree. I thought, "Hmm, that looks like an ideal spot for an owl to hang out..." I didn't have my binoculars with me, but I did have my 300mm lens on my camera. I put the camera up to my face for a closer look at the hole and what do I see? A little gray feathered head and two giant black eyes peeking out from the bottom of the tree hole!

An OWL! Or a Barred Owl to be more specific. I quickly whispered to Monika to come back! We were both pretty excited about our find and this little owl was pretty tolerant of us snapping photos. I imagine this owl is sitting on a nest. Barred owls often make their nests in tree hollows created by Pileated woodpeckers or some other tree-dwelling creature. This is nesting season and the chicks usually take about four weeks to hatch and then fledge four weeks after that. Monika and I have decided to return to the hollow in a few weeks to see if there are any babies peeking out at us. A very successful bird-watching trip today!

Winter Birds

2011-02-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

It's been cold and wintry here on the island for the past few days. We've had about seven inches of snow here at the cabin which has made driving up the hilly driveway a near impossible endeavor. As a result I've been stuck in the forest cabin for four days now. Cabin fever may be settling in slightly, but it's actually be a very productive several days. Today the snow began again early I figured it might be a good day to try for some photographs. Initially I set out into the forest to see what I could come up with, hoping maybe to find an owl, but this quest was quite cold and fruitless so arrived back at the cabin feeling slightly frustrated...until I noticed all the many species of birds raiding the bird feeder in the backyard! Perfect. I set my tripod up as close to the tree as I could to enable some close-up shots. At first the little birds were a bit weary of me, but after a bit of time (and me trying to move as little as possible), they began to come back to the feeder in force. Some of the more prevalent bird species were the Oregon Juncos (pictured above), Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Chestnut-Backed Chickadees, and Spotted Towhees. It was very fun collecting images of these little creatures because it's so rare to get such a close-up and intimate look at birds. The Juncos, especially, were perched all over the tree. They had themselves all puffed up trying to keep warm in the bitter cold. After about 20 minutes I noticed a brilliant patch of red and black streak by the tree and land on the trunk. I trained my camera on this little bird.

A Downy Woodpecker!

Downy Woodpeckers are the smallest woodpecker in North America and the most common, however it is very neat to see them at the backyard feeder. They will frequently take advantage of suet feeders, but will also search the trunks and branches of trees for tiny insects. They have a sticky mucous on their tongue which allows them to more efficiently extract their food. During non-breeding seasons (i.e. winter), these little woodpeckers will hang out with larger flocks of birds such as chickadees and nuthatches to take advantage of the alarm calls of these birds. It makes for a very good buffer against predators that may be sneaking up on them. On cold nights, Downy Woodpeckers undergo a form of "nocturnal hypothermia" and they lower their body temperature 10 to 15 degrees presumably to conserve energy. Downy Woodpeckers can often be mistaken for their larger cousin, the Hairy Woodpecker. However, Downy's are quite a bit smaller and have black bands on their tail feathers. I saw both sexes of the Downy today - the males, of course, are the ones with the bright red patch on their heads (why do female birds always get a raw deal when it comes to color? Ok, if you're a zoologist you know a hypothesis to that - it has a lot to do with males being able to attract mates; the prettier you are, the better, and the ladies tend to "flock" to you - good thing if you're a guy...).

After about 40 minutes my toes were cold and I had collected some good photos (this is my first for a woodpecker). I will try again on another day to see what other interesting species of birds collect at the trough.

(Special thanks to Sialis.org for the information on Downy Woodpeckers.)

An Icon is Missing...

2011-02-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

It was announced today that iconic orca, J1 "Ruffles", is missing. He has not been sighted since November 2010 even though J pod has been encountered several times since. Many of us are still holding out hope that he is simply on walk-about as he has been known to wander from time to time. Thinking good thoughts for you, Ruffles, and hoping you are out there somewhere. I know I am keeping my fingers crossed as are many, many others. Much love to you, big guy...

It was Windy...

2011-02-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

So, it may have been a tad bit blustery out at the lighthouse today...

Surprise!

2011-02-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a quiet weekend. I suppose that's a good thing in some ways, but when the Pacific Northwest gloom starts to seep the happy feelings right from your core due to the lack of ANYTHING happening, then something must be done! I spent my day Saturday fighting wind, sideways rain, and a heavy ocean chop trying to spy some big black fins through my binoculars. I checked out the west side of the island as this is always the first place I try. To tell you the truth I was not having any sort of luck at all peering through the rain-splattered windshield looking for whales. The effort was fruitless. I then went down to South Beach to give a good scan there. It had stopped raining, but the wind was howling maddeningly and the ocean was turned into a froth. Well, this isn't going to pan out well. I decided to try again Sunday. So this morning I sat in my chair enjoying the fire and quietly sipping my tea (as I often do) and saw that Capt. Jim Maya was going out for a noon trip and would anyone like to go? Well, why not? What else was I going to do? Laundry? Blah! I may not see anything, but the most uneventful day out on the water is better than any day doing house work. And with that, I readied my camera gear, put on many layers of wool and waterproof clothing, and headed out the door...complete with wellies on my feet.

When I arrived at the harbor, I was met by two friends and fellow whale freaks, Capt. Jim, and a young couple who were celebrating their second anniversary with a (hopefully!) whale watch. We exited the harbor on the small Glacier Bay Peregrine and were immediately blessed with an abundance of bird life: a great blue heron and hooded mergansers among other things. We putted across Haro Strait over to the Kelp Reef marker. This is a notorious transient mammal-eating orca hang-out, but it's also a great place to find bald eagles scoping the ocean for food and massive 2,000 pound stellar sea lions gently plying the tide. Today didn't disappoint: a very majestic bald eagle was perched atop the weather-measuring equipment on the marker. As we inched closer, he looked down at us as if to say, "what are you lookin' at?!" :

There were also at least three sea lions in the water, occasionally poking their snouts up to catch a breath:

After watching this little menagerie for a while, I suppose the eagle decided he had had enough of the peanut gallery and flew off:

We then motored out toward Lime Kiln Lighthouse in search of Dall's Porpoise. These little guys are known for their fast swimming speeds and playfulness, but today was not one of those days. While we found large groups of porpoise dotted around the strait, they wanted nothing to do with us and were quite elusive. It was feeding time. No time to goof around! We decided to try and go find another group that wasn't so business-like and THAT'S when it happened...

What...? What did you say...? What's this?! J POD? WHERE? Off the Victoria waterfront? Eastbound! YAHOO! The whale freaks on the boat (this included everyone on the boat except the poor anniversary vacation couple who, I am quite sure, were questioning the sanity of the people that were supposed to be running the show...oh dear) were going crazy - hitting each other in the arms, high-fives, loud whooping calls, along with the frantic readying of camera equipment and settings to make sure we were well prepared for our surprise encounter.

When we arrived with the whales all was given to wonder. We first met up with the young J pod kids in J17 Princess Angeline's group. They were all rolling around and seemed to be doing quite a lot of fishing:

Here's little J47 sporting his wonderfully easy-to-ID nick in the back of his fin:

And we had a brief encounter with the big man of the group, J27 "Blackberry":

All together present was the J Pod "Group B" - this consists of the J11's, the J17's, and the J22's. For the past year or so J Pod has been splitting into to definitive groups. Perhaps this is because J Pod has become quite large (almost 30 animals now) and they must split up in order for everyone to find enough salmon to eat. J pod "Group A" consists of the J2's, J8, J19, J41, and the J16's. I, personally, have not seen this half of J Pod since October 17, 2010. The last time "Group A" was sighted in general was January 3, 2011. There have been rumors that they are off the Oregon Coast. This rumor gives some insight into how far these animals can travel during the winter months. In fact, L Pod was sighted in Monterey Bay, California just a few days ago and K Pod has been gorging themselves down in Puget Sound for the past two weeks or so. I can't remember any years in the past where we've had such a clear picture of the whereabouts of the Southern Resident orcas during the winter months. It truly is fascinating and certainly has something to do with the fact that the "Blackmouth" (immature Chinook) salmon are in unprecedented abundance this winter. The orcas will go where there is food and it is very interesting to watch all the puzzles pieces come together. I'm sure we will see them again soon...

Magic Lights...

2011-02-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice how lighthouses are almost always photogenic? Here's yet another beauty of Lime Kiln Lighthouse. I shot this tonight during the "golden hour". Mmmm, just right:

A Message to Japanese Dolphin Fisherman in Taiji...

2011-02-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

"The thinking man must oppose all cruel customs no matter how deeply rooted in tradition or surrounded by a halo... We need a boundless ethic which will include the animals also."

~Albert Schweitzer

An Eagle in the Morning Sun

2011-01-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, the sun is ACTUALLY shining this morning. I don't think the animals can believe it either.

Orcas AGAIN!

2011-01-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe what a lucky January it's been so far. I have never seen the resident orcas in January, let alone two days in a row! This is cause for a happy scream and a shout. It was only the other day that I was blogging about how it would be so nice to have a whale fix and BOOM! See what happens? They shall appear. Ok, obviously nature doesn't work that way, but what a marvelous stroke of luck!

Today I was having a typical January rainy Sunday - futzing around the cabin, trying to write, but decided making cupcakes sounded like a much more marvelous idea. And so there it was - I had vanilla cupcakes in the oven and next on the list was laundry... RING! Ooops, there's the phone. It's Ivan: "Can you be at the harbor in 20 minutes!". I glance nervously at my premature cupcakes staring at me like homeless puppies through the window of the oven. "Um...SURE!", I say. Cupcakes will have to wait. I pull them out of the oven. They look at me sadly and seem to say in sickly weak voices, "No...we're not done yet...noooo...put us back in the warm place...no..." Oh dear, I have a batch of ruined cupcakes on my hands, but who cares? WHALES! I race around the cabin grabbing all my camera gear (yes, I remembered the camera this time) and warm clothing. Then it's out the door and off to the harbor with not a moment to spare.

We met up with the whales just to the east of Discovery Island, B.C. There were two distinct groups. The first whales we met up with were J17 "Princess Angeline" and her youngest kid, J44 "Moby":

We also saw "Princess Angeline's" other two kids, J28 "Polaris" and J35 "Tahlequah" (pictured here as fin tips) and her two grandkids, J46 "Star" and J47 (pictured here from left to right, respectively. Hmm, I'm noticing a pattern:

And traveling with the J17's were the J11's - J31 "Tsuchi", J39 "Mako", and J27 "Blackberry" pictured here sporting his beautiful, tall fin:

The J22's were also present - J22 "Oreo", J34 "DoubleStuf", J38 "Cookie", and "Oreo's" adopted daughter, J32 "Rhapsody". This is a nice group shot. J34 "DoubleStuf" is about 13 years old and is officially a "sprouter" male. He is pictured on the far right. See how his fin is just a bit taller than everyone else?:

That was all the J pod whales we had today, however there were four K pod whales mixed in with them. K16 "Opus" and her son, K35 "Sonata". Also K21 "Cappuccino" pictured here with his sister, K40 "Raggedy":

We were with the whales for about an hour and a half as they continued to head east toward San Juan Island:

I was able to catch a pretty good dorsal fin shot on baby J47 (he doesn't have a name yet, but if he survives, he will be given a name this summer). Check out the BIG nick on the back of his fin. Kids are notoriously very hard to ID, but this nick will make this easy for us silly humans:

Before long, it was time for us to head to the dock. It so hard to say goodbye to the whales. Seeing them is such a special treat this time of year and we really don't know when we might see them again. It's so good to be thankful for the time we do get to spend in their great company.

Until next time...

We've got ORCAS!

2011-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

For real this time! I just got home after watching a smattering of J pod and K pod pass the west side of San Juan heading south. Unfortunately I did not have my camera, binoculars, nothing! I went to town thinking, "Oh, I'm just going grocery shopping. I don't need all my equipment." Ha! That's the last time I think that (or bring proper outdoor gear, BRRR!)! Still, it was very wonderful to have a visit with the whales. After hanging out with Jeanne, my fellow orca friend, the following whales were ID'd: K21 "Cappuccino", K40 "Raggedy", K16 "Opus", J17 "Princess Angeline" and J22 "Oreo". Of course there were other whales out there, in fact some were WAY offshore. Jeanne will have to check her photos to see who else was there. Check out her blog here http://whale-of-a-porpoise.blogspot.com/
We continued to follow the whales down island. They then made an abrupt stop at Pile Point and we could see a lot of milling going on. There must be some fish there. Maybe they'll hang out for a few days.
What a special day and how nice to see the critters. The orca withdrawals of many have been relieved for a while...