WOW, what a great morning!!! The transients were vocal on Flower for 3 hours! Then they headed South in Blackney Passage past the lab. They were moving pretty fast but our count was at least 17 orca! They went into Johnstone Strait and headed East and we heard a few faint calls. They are now at Boat Bay island still continuing East, thanks to Jim Borrowman for the update.
Marie & Leah
23 Jan 2011 11:06:04 PST
The transients that came South by the lab on January 23rd were T071's, T086A's, T087, T088, T090's, T124's. Thanks to Jared & Jim for the update!
March 22,
On March 22, Mark Mallseon of Victoria, B.C. had Transient orcas T87, T88, T90's, T30's and T124's, about 12 in all, from Trial Island about 11 am, traveling east to Middle Bank, still headed toward Salmon Bank. He left them at 3:15 pm.
April , 2011
Transient orcas at the south end of Saltspring Island (many thanks to Neptune for locating the group and whale sitting until we arrived!) The group first appeared to be heading southeast, but what followed was only the first of many direction changes that we witnessed during our encounter. The travel pattern would have been best described as a series of large circles. At least one, if not several, seals lost out to these top ocean predators. We could see oil slicks on the water, and the gulls plus one bald eagle joined in for scraps. Following the meal there was some play time, and we were fortunate to see some spyhops, tail stands and even hear some of those eerily, amazing transient vocals. The whales that I could ID in the group were T100, T100B, T100C,T100E, T90, T90B and possibly newish calf with T90, T124, T124D and T124E. T100 B appeared to be calf-sitting T100E for mom, while T100 worked on getting lunch. T90 appears to have a tag, very visible on her left side dorsal fin, and showing as a dark bump on her right side dorsal - photo attached (photo taken with 300 zoom lense and cropped to show detail).
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
April 15, 2011
Graeme Ellis of Canada's Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans called in a report of his encounter with the large group of Transients in Sansum Narrows and Ladysmith Harbor, B.C. from April 15th. They had a total of about 31 orcas total, IDs include the T100s, T36s, T20 & T21, T124s, T65As T90s, T99s, T137s, T87s and T37s. They found them in Swanson Channel after we got the call from Tamar Griggs, then followed them down as they went into and back out of Ladysmith Island, and left them around 7 pm up by Yellow Pt.
May 9
11:00 a.m. Lime Kiln Pt. State Park, whales apx 1/4 mile from shore, 4 transient orcas were traveling up island. They made a kill in front of the lighthouse. They continued to move very slowly north. T87, T90, T90B and a calf - I'm assuming T90C (but I'm not sure). In the afternoon on Maya's Westside Charters we encountered the same whales continuing their slow travel up island. They made a 90 degree turn offshore along Henry Island and then changed direction several times. We last saw them on the west side of Haro Strait heading down. I'll post pictures on my blog.
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island, WA
Transient orcas T87 and T90B off San Juan Island, May 9, 2011
Photo by Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island, WA
May 9, 2011
Dave Ellifrit, Erin Heydenreich, Mercedes Powell, and Kira Kranzler from the Center for Whale Research observed a group of transients heading north from Bellevue point. We departed Snug Harbor at 12:17pm and encountered the group of transients, containing T87, T90, T90B and T90C, just outside of Mitchell Bay at 12:27 p.m. (48° 32.60 N, 123° 10.53 W), still moving slowly north (see photo below). At 1:21pm we observed a harbor seal in the whales path. Shortly thereafter the whales were milling where the seal had been, presumably having made a kill, although we were unable to see any physical evidence. The transients continued to move slowly north until 2:19pm, when they turned and headed south west. At 2:50pm our encounter ended approximately three quarters of a mile south east of Kelp Reef, with the whales moving south west down the middle of the Straight (48° 31.85 N, 123° 12.81 W).
Transient orcas T87 with T90B in Haro Strait May 9, 2011
Photo by Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research
taken under MMPA permit #532-1822
May 31, 2011
Wildlife galore today! We departed Friday Harbor with a northbound heading up into the waters of Canada, with a few gray harbor porpoises traveling with us and a silver harbor seal peering at us from the ocean. Off in the distance, we spotted five vessels off Saltspring Island, Canada. They appeared to be observing some transient killer whales. As our boat--the Sea Lion--got closer, we were able to identify a large male orca with a hooked or oddly notched dorsal fin. He was later identified as T87. Other vessels identified his companions as "the T90s," which would be T90 and a calf from 2005, T90B. We did notice a calf with the group of five and thought that because of its small size it may be a calf younger than T90B. The pod continued to zigzag around the boats and, at times, under the boats appearing on the other side of us after four to five minute down times.
Serena, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris, San Juan Island, WA
May 3, 2011
The Transients showed up again at the north end of Haro Strait yesterday May 31st. They were traveling south when we were with them at 2pm. We had T 87 with his distinct notch out of the trailing edge of his dorsal fin and a sweet little baby T 090C (picture heavily cropped to show notch of T 87 and the young Orca.) Always awesome to watch these wonderful marine mammals.
Marie 'Orca-Magic', Prince of Whales, Victoria B.C.
Transient orca T87 and T90C, Haro Strait, May 31, 2011
Photo by Marie O'Shaughnessy, Prince of Whales, Victoria, B.C.
May 31,2011
Following up on a sighting of 1 whale in Active Pass, we located 5 transient orcas southbound in Swanson Channel at approximately 1230 today (5/31). The group was ID'ed as T87, T124A1, and the 3 T90's (see photo below). The group was traveling slowly, against the inbound tide, and were possibly resting. We left them at 1330, still traveling generally south.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch
Transient orcas T87, T124A1, and T90s, Swanson Channel, May 31, 2011
Photo by Joan Lopez, Vancouver Whale Watch
June 1, 2011
Transient orcas T87, T90s, and T124A1s today, 6/1, near Race Rocks, BC. between 2:30 and 3:30. They were having a great time! They usually don't act like residents, but they were yesterday. We spent an hour watching them move into the 6 kt. flood tide and they didn't move.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Island, WA
Transient orca breaching off Race Rocks, B.C., June 1, 2011
Photo by Jim Maya, Maya's Westside Charters, San Juan Isl. WA
