9/27-28/15 That Inhale Was Her Proof of Presence

Tuesday, September 27th
...Cali K-34 was the leader...Granny and Onyx were next...then some K pod whales...all were a good distance from shore...it was mid day and the sun glare was horrible...those whales didn't get very far when they changed direction and came back down island...Granny was going up at 12:20 and came back down at 12:39...
...for the next couple hours the whales stayed offshore, down island from the park, and came back up for a while and went back down again...
...once again spread a good distance...
 

Monday, September 28th
...just like yesterday the whales were slowly coming in and by mid afternoon when the glare of the sun was really awful (ha!)...they came up passing the park...the seas were a bit choppy and the whales were not in close to shore...that's a recipe for 'just try to figure out who that is'...
...the Lime Kiln hydrophones came in very handy as the whales were being very vocal...
...the first calls I heard were mainly L pod calls, I was surprised...and when I looked at my horrible images, there was actually a picture of L-122!...the L47s appeared to be in the lead...

...behind them were Granny J-2 and Onyx L-87...and Cali K-34...others were miles from shore...Spock K-20 passed by...as well as others...lots of K and L pod calls but not many J pod calls...
...several minutes passed...and then I began hearing J pod calls...a group was a bit closer to shore...
...they were very vocal...
...and just behind them was a humpback whale...
...one of the orcas spyhopped looking back toward the others...then another spyhopped, and another, and another...as one person said , "it was like popcorn" and we all began translating what it meant:
"Did you see that big whale behind us?" "He's not one of us!"
" Who do you think he is?" and on and on...

...the whales continued going up island...today they did not turn back... ...about an hour later I saw a blow just south of the park...more whales?...okay!...I saw Racer L-72 (for sure) and I think, Fluke L-105...and I could see a male who looked like Wave Walker L-88 but I wasn't yet sure...then a mother and two offspring who fit the look of Ino L-54 and her kids...but they were even farther offshore...
...I only heard L pod calls...and I waited and waited hoping someone would give me a clue.
...just as the sun was setting (really!)...this small group began to come back down island...there were so many birds making so much noise I was so hoping they would quiet down...if they did and if it remained quiet I should be able to hear their blows...
...and if one of them is Ino L-54 I would hear her 'flute sound' when she inhales (she is the only whale in the community who sounds like this)...I mentioned it to the two people I was standing with...there was no one else around...
...the birds finally got quiet...
...the whales came...
...we listened...
...and Ino inhaled!