T075s

April 13, 2011
After receiving a report of Transients in San Juan Channel, Center for Whale Research staff Dave Ellifrit and Erin Heydenreich departed on vessel Starlet from Snug Harbor. The encounter began at 9:56 am mid San Juan Channel (48° 34.95 N; 123° 02.07 W) with the T137's,T49B's and T49A's traveling in a loose group. We later encountered the T65A's and T36A's traveling up San Juan Channel. We also encountered the T75B's and T75C which have not been previously encountered by the Center. The encounter ended in Boundary Pass off John's Island (48° 40.81 N; 123° 08.73 W) at 11:26 am. The whales spread out and were heading toward Saturna Island, B.C. In all we had 20 transients: T20, T21, T36A,T36A1,T49A,T49A1,T49A3,T49B,T49B1,T49B2,T75B,T75B1,T75C,T65A,T65A2,T65A3,T65A4,T137,T137A, And T137B.
Center for Whale Research, San Juan Island, WA


April 14, 2011
On Maya's Westside Charters we encountered transients orcas as they were traveling north up San Juan Channel. They were just outside of Friday Harbor and quite close to the entrance (see image below). It was the T49As, T49Bs, T75Bs and T75C. We left them at the north of Yellow Island, still heading north.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island, WA



April 15, 2011
Whales were spotted at Cattle Pass at about 9 a.m. The whales were the T49As, T49Bs, T75Bs and T75C (Transient orcas). Throughout the day they traveled up San Juan Channel - the first 2 hours they were feeding on what I believe was a Steller sea lion kill, based on the length of time and the amount of birds that stayed with the whales looking for scraps. At noon on the Western Prince the whales were still south of Friday Harbor and one whale did a very unusual thing, and repeated it several times.
The whale was swimming backwards!
I have not ever seen that before but have heard others have. At about 5:30 pm on Maya's Westside Charters we encountered the same whales as they made a kill in President Channel, along the northwest side of Orcas Island. When we left they were still heading north.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island

18 april 2011
I found the T049A's and B's with T075B and T075B1 southeast of Hein Bank early afternoon on April 18th after following up Jeanne Hyde's shore sighting in the morning. They tracked to Eastern Bank where they then split up into two groups and each group killed a harbor seal (see photo, of T75B leaping after a seal).
Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales, Victoria, B.C.

April 24, 2011
On Sunday April 24th, 2011 around 1:15pm, my husband and I spotted an Orca pod between Lyle Point (Anderson Island) and the Green Marker at the mouth of the Nisqually River. We witnessed at least three adults and one calf. They were surrounding and herding a harbor seal I would assume in an attempt to teach the calf hunting skills. At times they would surface and appear to roll over onto the seal and submerge it as well as rolling to create a wake that would wash the seal around into the path of another pod member. In one instance three adult Orca surfaced simultaneously, forming a perfect triangle shaped corral around the seal then went back down again. We watched them toy with the seal for at least an hour and a half until the rain set in and we decided to make our way back to the boat launch. By the time we left the pod had moved closer to the mouth of Orro Bay (Anderson Island), in their pursuit of the seal, and had begun to breach the water and splash down near or on top of the seal, we couldn't tell which for sure.

Neither my husband or I had ever seen an Orca so this was very exciting to say the least! We do a lot of fishing and crabbing in that area and never expected to see something so remarkable. Hopefully these pictures (see photo below) will be of use in identifying the pod. There did appear to be one Orca with a longer dorsal fin than the rest, a male I assume, and one calf about twice the size of a large porpoise. I was not able to get a good picture of the male's dorsal however and I also saw three large scar-like marks on the left side of the calf but could not get a picture of those either. I have cropped some of these pictures in order to get a better look at the markings.
Christa Haynes, Anderson Island, WA
T75C off Anderson Island, WA, April 24, 2011
Photo by Christa Haynes

April 26, 2011
On Maya's Westside Charters at about 4:00pm we received a call of three transient orca spotted near Pt. Caution, coming up San Juan Channel.  The three whales present were: T75B, T75B1 and T75C.  These are the same whales who were at Anderson Island on the 24th.  Later, from shore, I watched as they continued up San Juan Island, entering Spieden Channel, traveling west in mid-channel.  I last saw them at 7:05pm angling toward Henry Island.  T75B and T75C were seen on 4-15 swimming backward. 
Today they were swimming backward again, as witnessed by me from shore and Ivan and Chris on the Western Explorer.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island


April 27, 2011
April 27, 2011, at 5pm, on the Western Explorer we encountered T75B, T75B1 and T75C heading west in Harney Channel close to Shaw Island. There had been a sighting early in the day of three whales in this same general area. This image is of T75C passing by Blind Island.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
Transient Orca T75C, Blind Island April 27, 2011
Jeanne Hyde, San Island

April 26 - 27
I had three transient orca inside Deer Harbor this afternoon (4/27). Pretty rare to see orca so close to the marina but with transients, one never knows. I heard from Ivan on Western Prince they are the T-75's. They have been around the Wasp Islands part of yesterday and all day today. Nice sight on such a dreary day.
Tom Averna, Deer Harbor Charters

April 28
April 28, 2011 after receiving a call at about 4pm, from Simon Pidcock of Ocean Ecoventures out of Cowichan Bay, we headed up there on Maya's Westside Charters. There we encountered T75B, T75B1 and T75C. More of the encounter on my blog.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island
Transient orcas, T75s, in Cowichan Bay, BC April 28, 2011
Photo by Jeanne Hyde

April 30, 2011
April 30, 2011 at 3:00 pm, on Maya's Westside Charters, we met up with several transient orcas north of the Coal Docks, heading northwest. Shortly into the encounter they slowed down, split and each group attacked prey. The group we watched attacked a harbor seal. Both groups seemed to move off at the same time, continuing to move northwest at a good speed. I identified T75B, T75B1, T75C, T36As, T65As and the T137s. I'll post pics on my blog.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island

13 May, 2011

Transient orca T75 chasing a Harbor porpoise May 13, 2011
Photo by Mark Malleson

May 13, 2011
Dave Ellifrit, Debbie Sharpe, Kira Kranzler, and Mercedes Powell of the Center for Whale Research departed Snug Harbor at 10:50 a.m. with a report of transients just off of Discovery Island, B.C. Approximately seven miles east of Seabird Point (48° 20.83 N,123° 05.77 W) at 11:35 a.m. we found the group of seven transients traveling slowly in a tight group, heading south west. The group included T75, T75A, T73B and the T77s. We were with the group for several hours as they zigzagged their way south west into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Our encounter ended at 2:01 p.m. with the whales still headed south (48° 16.93 N, 123° 08.21 W).
Center for Whale Research, San Juan Island, WA



June 15, 2011
Transient Orcas near Yellow Island. And then another phone call! Another group of five Transient Orcas, the T75s, over near Sidney, BC, coming our way. We chose the pod near Sidney, and then with only one other boat, watched them glide lazily down Sidney Ch. toward D'Arcy Island. It was an incredibly beautiful evening. See photo below.
Capt. Jim Maya, San Juan Westside Charters, San Juan Island, WA
2424.jpg

Transient orcas the T75s, off Sidney, BC June 15, 2011
Photo by Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Isl.


June 20
First time sighting in Clayoquot - after 20+years that doesn't happen often. We had the Alaskan (Transient orca) gang (T075s) visit on June 20. They harassed a fur ball (Sea Otter) for a while but didn't kill it. They were oddly friendly in that they approached and circled 2 of the boats. Not totally sure if the bull was in fact T075A as a chunk is missing from the top trailing edge. Can anyone verify (see photo below)? (Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research verified the bull as T075A)
Rod Palm, Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society, Tofino, BC

Transient orca T75A, Clayquot Sound, BC June 20, by Eugene Stewart
Transient orca T75A, Clayoquot Sound, BC, June 20, 2011
 


Photo by Eugene Stewart