Sunday, July 27, 2014

7-27-14 Crazy Days of Summer Whales!

Saturday/Sunday, July 26/27th
...the whales were gone on the 24th and 25th...everyone was expecting a long absence...but on the 26th some were coming back in...it started to become a crazy mixed up time which will probably just continue!
July 26th
...at first it was L pod coming in...then some said they were watching K pod whales...when we were on scene on Maya's Westside Charters with Capt. Andy in the late afternoon we saw only K pod whales too...





...then in the evening as it was just about dark and some of the whales had reached the park...I heard over the Lime Kiln hydrophones what sounded more like a couple J pod calls...there is this one call that reminds me of the Three Stooges program - "nek-nek-nek"...and yet others said it was L pod whales that had gone past the lighthouse...and then I heard calls on the Lime Kiln hydrophones until close to 11pm...but did any continue up island?...crazy day!
...as I was reviewing my images I noticed Cali K-34 had a new nick.  It looks pinkish...I looked at previous images of Cali from the last time I saw him, the day before they went out and couldn't see the nick...that was also the day he and Onyx L-87 seemed to be spending a lot of time in close proximity...just wondering...
July 27th
...whales began to appear on the horizon at about 8:30 a.m....lead by Cali K-34 who was out ahead of all the others...Onyx L-87 was no where around - at least in the beginning of this pass by at the park...Cali was followed by members of his family group the K13s...
...but mixed in with them were a couple L pod whales - Muncher L-91 and Marina L-47 and Mystic L-115...
...more came along...


...still more came along...and the parade of whales lasted until at least 11:00a.m.
...oh, but that wasn't all of it...some whales turned back down island before they even made it to the park and stayed down there the rest of the day...others were miles off shore - Cappuccino K-21, Opus K-16, Sonata K-35, and Sequim K-12 with her two youngest - Rainshadow K-37 and Saturna K-43...
...the other two members of the K12s - Sekiu K-22 and Tika K-33 - were close in...but they weren't the closest! - it was one of those magical pass bys at the lighthouse...people were in amazement as to how close the whales were...with so much under the surface right along the kelp line...

...and the rest of the day...as Capt. Jim put it:  "Are you with the north-north group, the south-north group, the north-south group,  or the south-south group!"

...and inquiring minds want to know ' Who is Onyx with today?'
...as they were passing by the park Onyx L-87 was very close to shore, and near some of Group A whales...looks like he is back with Group A...at least for a while!
...I found it interesting that Cali K-34 was so far out ahead of all the others as they passed by at the park this morning...I got a look at the right side of Cali's dorsal fin...the nick was not noticeable on the right side like it is on the left side...

...whales were in many unusual groupings today...Blackberry J-27 and Tsuchi J-31 seem to have ended up going north with Group A and K pod...Mako must have stayed back down island with the other Group B whales...

...while out on the boat we saw Fluke L-105 surface, pushing something...
...I don't often get to see them playing with their food...

...when I first looked at 'the something' that he was pushing I wondered if it was a harbor porpoise, mainly because of the color, but my images weren't that good...then he gave us a half eaten view...
 ...that was a very large salmon!


Let's hope
there are more
out there
for the whales to get!

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