...early in November it was surprising to hear lots of 'fish sounds' over the Lime Kiln hydrophones, since there just haven't been much of any of those sounds for a long, long time they really got my attention...
...so when they all-of-a-sudden began and continued - okay, something had changed...
...though I don't know exactly which fish species is making those 'burp' sounds...I know there is a relationship between those sounds and the SRKWs showing up because it has occurred many times in the past...it's not harbor seals as some say (they sound completely different)...it's fish, but is it fish that are moving ahead of the fish that the whales eat? ...don't know...but I do know there is a relationship sounds-to-SRKWs appearing...
...it wasn't long before I learned that J Pod had shown up in Puget Sound...normal at this time of year but with so many challenges it was unknown as to what/if any the chum salmon return would be...
...I wondered if K Pod (some? all?) had been there too...there was some great video done by two different news stations, from their helicopters, and it looked like there were a couple open saddle patches that belonged to K Pod whales...but not being there, I could only wonder...
...K Pod whales did eventually show up...
...the whales were in Puget Sound for many days...
...K Pod left a day before J Pod left...they appeared to all be heading back out toward sea, but maybe not :)
...their length of stay is an indicator that the chum salmon were abundant...abundant enough for the whales to not need to go searching great distances for a meal...glad for them to have food, at least for a few weeks...
...not sustainable for the long term though...
...this male California sea lion certainly got a big salmon at Cattle Pass...
...the above was taken on November 8th...the Js and sometimes Ks came and went a few times...down into Puget Sound...
...early morning about 05:30 on November 22nd I heard two very faint calls and that was all...the first call sounded like a Resident but the second sounded more like a Transient - so much for that! Later I heard from a friend on the west side that they had heard whales exhaling a bit earlier than when I heard those extreme faint calls...but there was no way of telling, who, what, or where!
Keeps one listening for more information!
There have been a few humpbacks seen in Haro Strait in the last few days but no singing males over the hydrophones...maybe another few chances of hearing one before they all depart for their winter places...
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