Sunday, March 18, 2018

3-18-18 J Pod!

Sunday, March 18th
...J Pod had been north since passing through Haro Strait in the early hours of March 4th...
...a couple times they were seen coming south but when they were still miles and miles away they turned and went back north...
...guess where the salmon are?...we hope...
...then this morning whales were spotted...and it wasn't long before it was confirmed as J Pod!
...oh, the excitement to see our friends again...
...however, it is only March and not a time of year to see them very often...
...food is of utmost importance...

...out on the Western Prince (thank you, thank you!!) 

...the whales were spread far and wide...some appeared to be foraging along the way...
...they moved slowly, like they weren't in any hurry, a breach or two, some wild looking foraging action in the far distance, small groups...
...the whales had come down Boundary Pass and were aiming toward Turn Pt. and then Haro Strait...






...on the way back we stopped at Green Pt., Spieden Island to look at the Steller sea lions...later, when I looked at my images I noticed something on the front flipper...what's that?...so I sent off the image to the Steller sea lion  researchers...it's great to get back information about the animal...likely 84R...but the tag was difficult to read...and 'if' it is 84R: a female, who was born in 2001 and was last sighted in 2015 in Oregon. 
The NOAA researcher stated that the tag was originally white and overtime turns yellowish or orange. The tag might have been put there when she was branded, if she was, or that it could be a 'rehab' tag put there by the Marine Mammal Center in California.  

Whichever, it's interesting to see this...never before seen a tag like this...more to look for in the future!
 
...now on shore along the west side waiting for the whales...at first I was at County Park and then moved on to the overlook south of Lime Kiln...
...the whales made the turn at Turn Pt. into Haro Strait, and on down...it took them quite a while to come into view...they were far from shore...their back lit blows could be seen...their calls could be heard over the hydrophones...first the Orca Sound and then Lime Kiln...
...everyone was so very glad to see them...

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