September 22, 2023 – Early this morning there was a group of orca reported hunting north of Flattop Island including the T36A’s and T60’s (minus T60D and T60E) who were later found at Pt Disney. When we cast off from Friday Harbor the orcas were making their way quickly up President Channel and continued north and out of range. They had been traveling with the T28A’s recently, but they broke off somewhere along the line. We had a nice relaxing trip up through the Wasp Islands, along Jones Island, and into New Channel. We spotted several bald eagles (adult and chick), harbor seals, and a Steller sea lion. As we reached the west tip of Spieden Island another group of orca were found northwest of Skipjack Island in Boundary Pass. We changed course to head that way with the hopes to see them.
The orcas were milling for a bit giving us the chance to close the gap, and we finally made it as they worked their way up the Saturna Island shoreline towards Plumper Sound. We were more excited than usual as this group of orca are rare visitors and ones we’ve never seen before – they were the T28A’s, a mother and three offspring. The T60’s from earlier who had been north of Tumbo Island had turned around and were rounding East Pt headed west in our direction. Somewhere near here the T36A’s broke off and went their separate way.
We decided to leave the T28A’s and head off to see the T60’s. They followed the same path of the T28A’s, and as they reached Plumper Sound grabbed a bite to eat and began to celebrate. Perhaps it was some kind of greeting ceremony between the two families as both groups of orcas were tail slapping, inverted tail slapping, spy hopping, breaching, and we even heard vocalisations on our hydrophone. The two groups joined up and continued socializing as the traveled south towards Boundary Pass. The oldest male orcas, T60C and T28A1, were very tactile with one another rolling around, doing pectoral flipper slaps, and many inverted tail lobs.
The orcas continued west along South Pender Island, and we made tracks back south as it was getting late. We cut through the narrow pass by Ripple Island spotting a bald eagle and more harbor seals, harbor porpoise, and a group of Steller sea lions at Green Pt in the water. It’s nice to have them back as they’re just returning from their adventures up north where they went for breeding season.
Route map 9/22/23
Harbor seals by Low Island, San Juan Islands
Pair of bald eagles on Low Island, San Juan Islands
Bald eagle chick in tree on Spieden Island
Adult bald eagle in cedar tree on Spieden Island
Steller sea lion in New Channel (maybe with a problem in right eye)
Adult bald eagle on Spieden Island
Bald eagle flying to Spieden Island with fish in talons
Harbor seals hauled out on rock in New Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T28A’s
Biggs/Transient orca T28A, born 1994
Biggs/Transient orcas T28A’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T28A with Saturna Island backdrop
Biggs/Transient orca T28A1, born 2012
Great blue heron
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s traveling along Saturna Island
Biggs/Transient orca T60C traveling along Saturna Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s with harbor seal watching off to the right
Biggs/Transient orca T60C traveling along Saturna Island
Biggs/Transient orca T60C traveling along Saturna Island
Biggs/Transient orca in the T60’s surfacing
Biggs/Transient orca in the T60’s surfacing
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s pec slap after predation
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s spy hop after predation
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s spy peep
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s swimming with prey in mouth
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s celebrating after predation
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s celebrating after predation
Offspring of T28A
T28A’s tail slapping
Offspring of T28A tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T60C
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s swimming with prey in mouth
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T60’s tail slapping
T60’s tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T28A tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T28A tail slapping
Offspring of T28A tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T28A tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T28A offspring swimming on back
Biggs/Transient orca T28A with offspring swimming on back
Orca half breach
Orca half breach
T60’s and T28A’s socializing
Orca half breach
Orca mom and calf with tails in the air
Orca half breach
Orca tail in the air with Blunden Island in the distance
T60’s and T28A’s swimming together
Biggs/Transient orca T60C
Biggs/Transient orca T28A1
Biggs/Transient orca T28A with offspring tail slapping
Orca tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T28A1
Biggs/Transient orca T60C
Male orca inverted tail lob
T60’s and T28A’s socializing
Young orca breach
Orca tail flukes
T60’s and T28A’s socializing
Orca tail flukes
Male orca tail in the air with Skipjack Island in the background
Orca cartwheel
Male orca inverted tail lob with Skipjack in the distance
Male orca inverted tail lob
Male orca inverted tail lob
Male orca slapping pectoral flipper
Orcas passing kayaker near Blunden Island
Male orca inverted tail lob
Male orca inverted tail lob
Young orca swimming near Blunden Island
Male orca inverted tail lob
Male orca slapping pectoral flipper
Male orca tail in the air
Male orca pectoral flipper slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T28A3 (?)
Biggs/Transient orca T28A3 (?) tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T60C surfacing next to T28A1
Biggs/Transient orca T28A with youngest offspring, T28A3 (?)
Biggs/Transient orca T28A3 (?) slapping pectoral flipper
Biggs/Transient orcas T28A’s
Orca tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T60C with backlit blow
Male orca laying on his back with pectoral flippers in air
Male orca inverted tail lob
Male orca inverted tail lob
Male orca tail lobbing
Socializing orcas
Male orca inverted tail lob
Lucky Steller sea lion hiding in the kelp as the orcas pass by
Orca passing Pt on S Pender Island with people watching
Harbor porpoises
Bald eagle on Ripple Island in evening light
Harbor seals hauled out on a rock in New Channel
Sunset viewed in New Channel
Harbor seals hauled out on a rock in New Channel
Steller Sea Lions near Green Pt, Spieden Island
Sunset sail San Juan Islands
Sunset sail San Juan Islands
Half moon