7-29-14 That Seal Got That Salmon

Tuesday, July 29th
...morning at the park waiting and looking for the whales to come up island...and instead of whales we were treated to these two harbor seals and their salmon...

 ...I couldn't figure out the second seal...it wasn't eating on the salmon, nor was it trying to take it away...I would guess a pup, but it looked too big to be a pup...I guess they were two very cooperative seals...

...close to noon the whales came up island, the first two whales I saw were Marina L-47 and her youngest, Mystic L-115...they appeared to be near the leaders...
...as we continued moving up island on Maya's Westside Charters others came into view...Slick J-16, Mike J-26, Alki J-36, Echo J-42, Shachi J-19, Eclipse J-41...Lobo K-26 (which meant that the rest of his family would be present)...Onyx L-87...the J14s...and Surprise! L-86 and Pooka L-106 too!
...Onyx L-87 was back with Group A, and it looked like Granny J-2 was way up in the lead... and now there were some L pod whales and some K pod whales 'hanging out with' Granny's Group...
...all these whales had just about made it out of view at Kellett Bluff, when a few turned around...
Mike, Marina, Mystic, and Muncher all started to come back down island...then they stopped and they appeared to be foraging...

...now if Mike came back down island with these L pod whales where would the rest of his family be?...

...we had to leave the scene, but came back out about a half hour later...and saw five whales heading down island...they were the five L pod whales who had come up...Muncher, Marina, Mystic, Surprise and Pooka...Mike J-26 was no where to be seen...since the seas were not looking nice down island, we turned back toward the north and eventually saw Mike and his family - the J16s, steadily moving north...but they were a few miles behind Granny's Group - Group A and the K14s...who we went on up to see...

...as Group A and the K14s got farther up Swanson Channel, the whales momentarily grouped up just as a sea plane landed...it reminded me of when this occurred before in this same location - see that post - this time however, they didn't linger like they did the previous time...I wonder what sound they are hearing from a sea plane landing (or taking off), and if it would cause them to pause...maybe, maybe not...sea planes are very loud above the surface...but what about under the surface?...it would have to happen many times to be sure that it wasn't just circumstantial... ...they were moving at a steady pace and after a while they entered Active Pass...and so did we!...it can be a spectacular place to go through, even when there are no whales...but add whales and the ferries...oh, my!!

...there are people on that rock just about every time the whales go through Active Pass...

...on the way back toward the harbor we searched for the J16s, but couldn't find them...then I learn that the J16s (Mike and family) had gone up Boundary Pass (north east) and hadn't followed behind Granny and the rest of them up Swanson Channel (north west)...but they would meet up sometime during the night, most likely...


...and those L pod whales who went back down island?...well, they passed by at the park, heading back down island to where the rest of the L pod whales were (not the L12s - they were not in here), and to where J pod Group B and the rest of K pod was - oh, about 50 whales...

...the salmon is sparse...the whales are using all their tactics for flushing out the salmon and they are masters of that...now if enough salmon will just continue to slowly move in that would be great...or for that matter 22,000,000 salmon would be even better...but that official prediction is just about to be squelched...unfortunately...