2-12-15 J Pod Had a Surprise For Us All

Thursday, February 12th
...at 6:40 a.m. I began hearing faint calls over the Lime Kiln hydrophones...the volume increased a bit but not much and then, after about 25 minutes no more calls...then at about noon there were a couple very faint calls again...and in no time at all whales were passing by the Lime Kiln lighthouse going up island!  J Pod and it's February and you're at the light?! WOW!
...getting out of the car and hearing blows is not what I was hoping for...'oh, no, they're already going by!...
...it was rainy and of course overcast...
...Slick J-16 with baby J-50 and Echo J-42...and one other...were some who were ahead of me...

...some were in close to shore...it's one of those times you just snap as many as you can and look later at what you got!
...Princess Angeline J-17 and all her family all came in right along the shore...

...the last of the J17s to pass by the lighthouse...

...and little did anyone know...

...yes, there was a surprise hidden between these two!...and no one knew about until the Center for Whale Research boat with Davie Ellifrit and I got on scene with the lead group who were quite a distance from shore...that's when we discovered a wonderful surprise!


Read below then go to CWR website for the first images of this new addition to J Pod. I'm sure there will be an encounter posted soon. 

PRESS RELEASE

From Center for Whale Research

12 February 2015

Another New Baby in J pod!

            After spending the past two weeks near the west entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, J pod finally came back into the interior Salish Sea waters and showed off another brand new baby whale to the few observers that braved the mist and light rain and watched the whales swim by from land and from vessels at respectful distance. Dave Ellifrit from the Center for Whale Research, and Jeanne Hyde who first heard the whales on Lime Kiln hydrophone this morning, embarked on the Center ‘s research vessel “Chimo” to Haro Strait while CWR Senior Scientist, Ken Balcomb, watched from shore and managed communications.

            The late December calf, J50, with its J16 family were seen today as well; but, the big news is that J19 and J41 were swimming protectively on either side on another new baby that we estimate is about one week old. This newest addition to J pod is designated J51, and the presumed mother is thirty-six year old J19. Her ten-year old daughter, J41, was also in attendance. The newest baby appears healthy.

            This brings us to twenty-six whales in J pod, the most viable pod in the Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population of the US and Canada Pacific Northwest. K pod has 19 individuals, and L pod has 34 individuals for a total population of 79 SRKW’s as of today. That number can change anytime with the birth or death of one of these charismatic whales.

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...all of J Pod and Onyx L-87 were seen today.  Granny, Cookie J-38 and Oreo J-22 were traveling in a medium distant proximity to one another, while the J14s were in closer to shore...
...they went north...it's about the time of year for the herring runs up north there, so maybe they are headed up there to eat the salmon who are there to eat the herring...they'll be back down, but when and which way remains the mystery!