9-13-14 One Mixed Up Whale of a Day!

Saturday, September 13th
...when I stay up too late...I wake up too late and missed Granny J-2 and Group A, anyone else??, who went north past the lighthouse...
...I did get to the park in time to see Slick J-16, Mike J-26, and Alki J-36 moving up island...two Pacific white sided dolphins took off after Mike or Slick...the Pacific white sides were last seen heading across Haro Strait to Canada!
...Mike continued his foraging...

...just about to get on Maya's Westside Charters when I spot the moon behind the trees...I couldn't resist...

...down island we went to see the whales who had not gone north this morning...on the way a Dall's porpoise zoomed by the boat...the whales were spread for several miles...Tika was doing a lot of foraging...he burst through the surface chasing a salmon...the salmon was in the air in front of him...I hope one of the passengers got that image...I sure missed it...my phone rang!

...he's just 13 years old and is growing fast...

...it's terrible to say that him growing fast 'worries' me, but Riptide J-30 grew fast and large...he died before he reached 17 yrs....then this year Indigo L-100...just starting his journey into adulthood at age 13 and he is gone...
...I have no idea if the appearance of growing fast has anything to do with the early deaths of some males, but it causes me to pause and wonder...
..are they having to work so much harder to feed themselves?...probably so...they require more food, just like growing boys in the human realm...
...on the way back to the harbor we catch up to the humpback whale that had been spotted earlier...

...one way to remember this humpback - the letter 'H' is on the left fluke...

...earlier we saw the K12s and the K13s...and later on we saw some of the others who had come back in yesterday...and of course the baby...
...I love seeing the progression of the family arrangement with a new baby...
at first - mom, auntie, baby in the middle and big brother off to the side and behind them...then another pod mate, an adult female, who has not yet been seen with any offspring, was traveling with mom, baby and auntie...

...ta-da!

...hoping this is good progression for this baby and family...
...the rest of this subgroup called the L4s was present today as well...auntie Ophelia L-27, Nugget L-55 and all of her family, and Nigel L-95...
...does he have a specific role to play in all this?...if so, then maybe that is why his sister Racer L-72 and her son Fluke L-105 aren't present..

...the rest of the whales who had come in last night were here, though I am curious as to where the K14s are...maybe tomorrow will shed some light on that...