3-31-14 Here's How The Transient Orcas Get Their Food

Monday, March 31st
...we went for it...on Maya's Westside Charters...to a large group of Trainsients (Bigg's) killer whales...up to the north...it was chancy...however...
Simon of Ocean Ecoventures had stayed with them and then had to leave (oh, he'd be back), so it might be up to us...
...we headed up to Trincomali Channel...Capt. David spotted the whales at the top end of Thetis Island...and there they stayed for the next very long while...

...it is best seen on the YouTube video clip...the clip is from the first part of their encounter...it looked like it was a training session for the kids which would end up with a reward...
...then they ate and played...

...T86A and T124, both matriarchs of their families were moving about together...

...T87 would surfaced all around, from being on the outskirts to passing through the middle of some of the groups...

...he has no immediate living family members so he will show up traveling with different groups...we did see him earlier in the month with a new wound... link to that post...a better image of his wound...

...notches from this wound appear visible from his other side...

...there was another 'new to me' baby!...based on its size I imagine this calf is maybe 6 months old and may have been seen sometime during the late fall or winter months...and a juvenile who I didn't think belonged to any of these family groups, but he/she does...mystery solved...will post about those kids in my next post...

...the gulls began to get active and all of a sudden they were around our boat, the whales weren't - just the birds...as if we were a fishing boat...then we saw them picking up bits and pieces off the surface...

...the whales were getting into travel mode and began moving off to the north...and with one last image of a most beautiful day with magnificent whales...those are snow covered Canadian mountains in the distance!

Thank you whales!