...first, backing up to Sept 4, when J, K, and L pods came in:
...on that day, as they crossed Haro Strait on their way to the west side, they were very spread out...some were too far offshore to determine exactly who was present...there was, however, a mix and some crossed over and to just south of the park before going north...
...Scoter K-25 was one of them...I did get a look at Mega L-41, he and likely the rest of the family were way offshore and going up island...
...Sequim K-12 and her family had come across and eventually went up island...
...some of the K12s passed the lighthouse...then came Shachi J-19 - you know the trending leader...behind her were Eclipse J-41 and her offspring, Nova J-51...and not far from Shachi was Hy'Shqa J-37, Granny's great-granddaughter
...I was hesitant to post about that because there were J Pod whales way ahead of these, who were over a mile offshore...so...was Shachi becoming the matriarch of just the J14s family and not the rest of J Pod?...they like to keep it confusing!
...a few images from the evening of the 4th...
...the next day the whales were up north of the North Arm and actually one report from a boat said they were north of the city of Vancouver...wow! -see footnote at end of the post.
...on Sept 6th the Residents were at the top end of Haro Strait (Turn Pt, Stuart Island) at about 10:30 and passing Lime Kiln at about 12:30...
...ahead of them were some Transients, two separate groups...one group (the T65As) coming down ahead of the Residents and another group (T10s, T101s, and possibly T109s - but not totally sure) coming up from the far west side of Haro Strait (I think they had come around Discovery)...they were way in the distance and but we could see them from shore...as the T65As got closer, the group that was coming up Haro turned and headed back where they had come from...both groups of Ts had 'left the area'...
...did they hear the Residents and decided to leave?...did they get word from the T65As that it was going to get 'crowded' in here?...no one knows for sure but it sure made for some interesting wondering...
...and then came the Residents...and were they ever vocal!!
...in the lead was Shachi J-19 !! Whoo-hoo!!!!
...behind her were Eclipse J-41, Nova J-51, Hy'Shqa J-37...and behind them were T'ilem I'nges J-49 with Suttles J-40...and offshore from Shachi, in one of my pics (not included in these images) was Mako J-39...
footnotes: It was heartwarming to read the Center for Whale Research's encounter summary from 9/4, when J, K, and L pod whales were in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, when Ken Balcomb wrote that Shachi J-19 "who seems to have taken over as leader" yay...I don't have to say 'trending leader' any more! What also was heartwarming was that he stated the whales were 'frisky and appeared in good condition' ...which I translate as that they have been eating well during their long time on the outer coast. That's what is most needed, that they survive.
Now if anyone wants to see the Southern Residents in these waters more, then this eco-system needs to get cleaned up and healthy.
I looked back at blog posts from 2013, same time frame, and the same thing was occurring...interesting to note that the pattern repeats...of course, the salmon run in cycles.
here are a couple 2013 posts you might be interested in...I find that I am saying the same thing this year as I was 4 years ago. Granted, I am no expert. BUT - why is there so much talk and so little action?!
Sept 3, 2013 Was It Another One Day Visit?
and
Sept 4, 2013 Food Today!
and
Sept 8th, 2013 North to the North Arm! (interesting to note that on this encounter in 2013 the whales were at the North Arm of the Fraser. And on Sept 5, 2017 they were actually north of the North Arm of the Fraser.)
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