9-27-2020 K Pod Sounds from Above and Below

 September 27

since my last post...

-Tahlequah J-35 has had a new baby...given the alpha-numeric designation by the Center for Whale Research, as J-57...they have been seen several times, and every sighting helps one feel a bit more hopeful for the mom and the calf's survival...

-20 days later Eclipse J-41 had a new baby...seen only once...the Center for Whale Research has NOT yet given this calf an alpha-numeric designation...why?...that's their protocol and they said they will wait until the calf is seen again...

I worry about moms being okay...and just maybe they will be and their babies will too as well as the rest of the whales...they have spent more time off the outer coast than in these inland waters in the last few years...maybe that's a good thing...maybe by not being in here as much they are getting healthier - one can hope...

Since I've been watching these whales and of course for years before, September has been thought to be one of the best months and that's due to the salmon runs...

...on 9-26 there was word that there were whales inbound but they were not actually seen later in the day...and then today 9-27 were seen and they showed up off the west side of the island!  of course that wasn't just about or until after dark (depending on where you were), so when I heard that whales were getting closer to the island I thought I would go to the shoreline, somewhere, and see what I might see...

...that was a surprise...so close to shore...and just hanging out...talk about 'right place right time'! even if it was just for a few seconds...well, the sun was starting to fade so I thought I would wait it out a while...

...then it got dark...I waited...waited...then in the distance I heard a blow!...they are coming...wait...get to a spot where I would have the best chance of catching their surface sounds as they passed by...little did I know... here are a few clips...the screen is dark cause it was dark outside...it's the surface sounds...(I'm not very savvy on how to combine all these into one so here you go...)

surface sounds...

inhale sound and more surface sounds...  the 'inhale sound' is at about 6 seconds and it is very faint (sounds like one tone of a flute)...it is high pitched but not sharp in tone...this sound caught my attention because it is a sound that Ino L-54 has made for years...I first heard it back in 2007 and she still makes that sound...Spieden J-8 had it too, and I heard it with a couple other J Pod whales when I was actually seeing them...SO...I wondered who this was, since it was supposed to be only K Pod going by...

...surface slaps sounds...

 ...all this above surface I just wondered what their sounds were like over the hydrophones...you can hear some of the percussive sounds from their slaps and of course wild, wild vocalizations...I could see the water moving and knew they were right above the hydrophones...stunning!

..their vocals didn't last long but I had to make it in two clips...

...here is the second part of the vocals...

it appears that only one of the three groups that passed by vocalizing, because all three were very close...that's what the recording 'said'...

...If I hadn't been where I was and if I didn't already know that sound it might not have registered...but I do and it did.

I'm still curious as to who has that unusual 'inhale' sound...sounds like one tone of a flute is the only way I can describe it...it could just be one of the K Pod whales...and it too will eventually go away like it did for a couple of the J Pod whales several years ago...

...this year my ears have sure been 'called on' a lot to 'see' the whales!  

Tuning up the senses I guess!!