9-24-15 The Lighthouse Cove is a Popular Place

Thursday, September 24th
(definition:  the cove just up island from Lime Kiln lighthouse.  If it has a name I can't find it.)
...saw no whales early this morning...no word on the L pod whales from yesterday...so by 11:00 it was time to go scan again...within 30 seconds!...there were three dorsal fins coming up island - wow!


...there ended up being 4 whales, and they ended up being the T49As...I was just thinking that it was about time for them to show up...but I obviously didn't have them in my mind when I was looking at them... 
...at the moment...close to shore up island at the top end of Hannah beach area...11:55 a.m.

...then they began to move and move fast...run to car...'don't fall'...drive to next spot...can't see them...keep going...
...oh, no! Js and Ks coming down from up island and coming fast!
...forget the Ts...get to the park!
...made it...and there are the Ts just 'arriving' at the lighthouse!...
...from Hannah beach to the lighthouse in 20 minutes...it was now 12:15
...they went into the cove just north of the lighthouse!
...if you read yesterday's blog post L pod whales, dall's porpoise and a California sea lion were all in that same cove, but not at the same time...
...running around to the up side of the lighthouse...T49A1 spyhops...he has something draped over his right pec...

...no vocals on the Lime Kiln hydrophones at any time...until J pod whales were heard faintly!  'oops! time to move on'...for those Ts...they had stayed at the edge of the cove for 33 minutes - having something to eat...

...22 minutes after they left, Mike J-26 was crossing the cove by Lime Kiln...

...then came the rest of his family...in very close to shore...

...as they were passing in front of us, up pops a Steller sea lion...

...for the next one and a half hours whales passed by...no one else as close as Mike and his family, but some were in close enough...others were miles from shore...

...yes, down island and who knows which way next...and those 19 L pod whales?...today was their day to go unseen... 

note:  a friend was riding his bike along the west side at about 7:30 this morning and saw four whales going up island...he saw them in passing and didn't follow them...it might have been the T49As that could have turned around and then came back up 3 1/2 hours later...or might there have been others?...we will never know the answer to that one!