11-23-18 Chum Salmon-Fish Sounds-SRKWs Were in PS

Monday, October 23th
...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...
 

Humpback Sounds In the Night

Monday, November 19th

...while Ts were going down Rosario, coming in Juan de Fuca-up Haro-and to the north, and J Pod was down in the 'big water' slowly heading west toward Race Rocks...well, that was in the daylight...
...but how about the night?  It was close to the end of the 19th, when a humpback whale 'showed up' on the Lime Kiln hydrophones for more than a half hour...
...here's a short clip of the sounds he made...

...in the busy, fast paced world of today, a question:
Did you listen to the whole 2+ minutes?
...if so, what did it bring up for you?
...for me - a smile, slowing down the pace, being peaceful, being grateful to have these humpbacks returning to the Salish Sea where they once roamed in great numbers...and most of all it gave me pause...

-being thankful to be able to hear the sounds of the sea.

If you didn't listen to the whole 2+ minutes, what is it that took you away from hearing this being of the sea?

 

11-4-18 Finally I Feel Unstuck

Sunday, November 4

...it's been just about a month since posting...
...don't know why...
...just couldn't...
...and today...
...I met a couple...
...who, for some reason...
...caused me to get 'unstuck'!  Thank you two!

...I have no images of the Southern Residents for a while...they have been gone...
...I have no story to tell today...
...when looking for an image for someone, one caught my eye, so I decided to look at other similar ones.

...when a whale exhales...well, when they do, they are doing it with great force and within a few seconds, inhaling before disappearing beneath the surface...

...seeing their exhale when backlit.

...this exhale gives one the idea that they are 'spouting' water.

...and this one too.  But they aren't.

...he looks all tangled up in his exhale.

...and this one made me laugh, looks like he is exhaling from his side.

...and this one brought me pause. See the heart shape?

...the heart shape is not a common shape to see with an orca exhale, but you get lucky once in a while when all things line up just right.

...and that's what I hope for these whales, that things will line up just right. That those who are making decisions about how they are going to 'help' these orcas, will actually set aside their personal interests and their personal gains and put the Southern Resident orcas FIRST.

I think maybe that is why I have been stuck.  I am holding my breath, hoping, against all odds, that substantial decisions will be made to really, truly, help this community to get on the road to recovery.

...for if they don't, the day will come when those exhales will be no longer...
and that breaks my heart.