September 4, 2023 – Before we left the dock we watched as four Biggs/Transient orcas were deep inside Friday Harbor. The orcas were two pair of siblings (T137A and T137D plus T37A3 and T37A4) who have been hanging out with each other while their mothers and other siblings are elsewhere. For three consecutive days Sept 4-6th they’ve circumnavigated San Juan Island three times. South of Flat Point the orcas stopped to hunt with many breaches and tail slaps including three breaches from 21 year old male orca T137A. They stopped again at Upright Head and Flower Island to hunt some more. We left them at Frost Island to circumnavigate Lopez Island and see what else we could see, and be on the lookout for a gray whale who was near the bottom of Lopez Island. At Bird Rocks we found a couple Steller sea lions, harbor seals, cormorants, and a sea otter. As we explored the south Lopez coastline we saw two osprey and a bald eagle who snatched a diving bird. Rounding Iceberg Pt we noticed a blow of a humpback whale whom we believe to be BCZ0345 “Victory”. This whale has been in this area since Sept 1st (through Sept 6th as this blog is being written). We left the whale circling east of Salmon Bank. Lots of Steller sea lions were hauled out at Whale Rocks, and harbor seals were resting by Deadman Island. While homeward bound in San Juan Channel we met the group of four orca again as they were now southbound. After we left them, they traveled to the bottom of Lopez Sound exiting through Lopez Pass and came back through Thatcher Pass rounding Upright Head.
Route map 9/4/23
Biggs/Transient orca in Friday Harbor
Biggs/Transient orca T137A in Friday Harbor
Biggs/Transient orcas T37A3 and T137D
Biggs/Transient orca T137A
Biggs/Transient orca siblings T37A4 and T37A3 scaring some common murres
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4
Biggs/Transient orca T37A3
Biggs/Transient orca T137D
Biggs/Transient orca T137A
Biggs/Transient orcas surfacing side by side
Biggs/Transient orcas surfacing side by side
Biggs/Transient orcas hunting
Biggs/Transient orcas hunting
Biggs/Transient orcas hunting
Biggs/Transient orca T137A tail lobbing
Biggs/Transient orca T137A slapping pectoral flipper
Biggs/Transient orca T137A with exhale
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T137A breaching!
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4
Biggs/Transient orcas T37A3 and T137D
Orca tail lob
Biggs/Transient orca T137A
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4 with its crinkly fin
Biggs/Transient orcas hunting
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4 breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4 breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4 breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T37A4 breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T37A3 doing a cartwheel
Biggs/Transient orcas
Orca tail slapping
Orca tail slapping
Orca tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T137A with awesome exhale
Inverted tail lobs
Inverted tail lobs
Biggs/Transient orca siblings T137A and T137D
Biggs/Transient orca T137A traveling along Lopez coastline
Biggs/Transient orcas travel along Lopez coastline near Upright Head
Biggs/Transient orcas travel along Lopez coastline near Upright Head
Biggs/Transient orcas travel along Lopez coastline near Upright Head
Biggs/Transient orca T137A traveling along Lopez coastline
Biggs/Transient orcas travel along Lopez coastline near Upright Head
Biggs/Transient orca T137A traveling along Lopez coastline
Biggs/Transient orcas travel along Lopez coastline near Upright Head
Orca with Blakely Island and Cypress Island in distance
Orcas milling by Flower and Frost Island
Harbor seal on the rocks watching as the orcas swim nearby
Orcas swimming near Spencer Spit State Park, Lopez Island
View of Thatcher Pass
People whale watching from the ferry
Steller sea lion by Bird Rocks
Harbor seals by Bird Rocks
Burrows Island Lighthouse
Harbor seals zonked out by Bird Rocks
Cormorants nesting on Bird Rocks, Rosario Strait
Sea otter by Bird Rocks, Rosario Strait
Sea otter by Bird Rocks, Rosario Strait
Harbor seals by Bird Rocks
Watmough Head, Lopez Island
Castle Island
Harbor seals by Castle Island
Harbor seal fast asleep by Castle Island
Bald eagle nest on Lopez Island in McArdle Bay
South Lopez coastline
Islands offshore of South Lopez coastline
Bald eagle fly by
Bald eagle eating bird it just caught
Harbor seals hauled out
Osprey flying overhead near South Lopez Island
Osprey flying overhead near South Lopez Island
Black oystercatchers
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Large group of common murres
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Steller Sea Lions by Whale Rocks
Steller Sea Lions by Whale Rocks
Steller Sea Lions by Whale Rocks
Steller Sea Lion with fish
Harbor seals by Deadman Island
Harbor seals by Deadman Island
Bald eagle
Harbor seals by Deadman Island
Harbor seals by Deadman Island with Cattle Pt Lighthouse in background
Biggs/Transient orcas going south along Lopez coastline
Biggs/Transient orca T137A going south near Lopez Island
Biggs/Transient orca T137A
Biggs/Transient orcas T37A3 and T37A4 with T137D near Lopez Island
Sunset sail as we return to Friday Harbor