7-21-16 Picnic Table Lady from New York and the Whales

Thursday, July 21st
...early morning - 6:30 a.m.  Shachi J-19, the leader, as the whales move north past the lighthouse...

...behind Shachi is Eclipse J-41 and Nova J-51...

...two whales were approaching...

...all of that lasted about 30 minutes...those whales continued north...
...10 minutes later...Tahlequah J-35 and Notch J-47 were making their way up island foraging as they went...
...this lasted for the next 4 hours...during that time is when I met the Picnic Table Lady from New York...
...I don't usually sit when watching the whales but the whales were not going anywhere and so we shared a picnic table for watching...

...Princess Angeline J-17, baby J-53, brother Moby J-44, and Notch's mom, Tahlequah J-35, were slowly making their way up island...but with two family members not with them it didn't seem likely they would continue...they didn't...
...the Picnic Table Lady asked me, "When do they breach?" 
...no more than a minute or two later one of them did!...and multiple times too...that happens sometimes - amazing... 

...eventually these four of the J17 family group went back down island where there were others...the J11s, J22s and the other two members of the J17s...also down island were the J16s and the J14s...
...at 11 a.m. later the J16s came north and continued up island...

...at 1:30 the J14s came north and continued up island too...

...it was a very confusing day!...and the Picnic Table Lady from New York was totally thrilled to see her first ever orcas...

...the day continued with Group B coming up from the south end and passing the lighthouse multiple times...eventually going back down island...
...some of of the L12s made it up part of the way only to turn and go back down again...