Another week on the water resulted in a full gamut of weather and quite the diversity of wildlife!
Between May 19th and May 25th, guests spent time with several different family groups of Bigg’s killer whales: the T19s, T49A2, T68 with the T75Bs, T100s, T123s, T124A2s, T124Ds – roughly 23 different individuals spread across the week! We also came across several humpback whales – Lorax, Big Mama with her 8th recorded calf (!), and two others that we were not able to identify, but so nice to see the uptick in their presence as they’re making their way back from their warm water breeding areas.
We’ve continued to notice that Steller sea lions are making their way out of the Salish Sea and to breeding areas further north. Several areas that we have seen large numbers through the spring are beginning to dwindle with their migratory shift, but some juveniles will likely stick around the central Salish Sea through the summer.
A couple notable things– first is that T68 “Yakataga,” a matriarch that typically travels in the company of her adult son T68A “Ken,” was encountered with a family group of 4, the T75Bs-a mother and her three offspring (all of which are 10 years old or younger). At first we wondered about the health and status of T68A since these two share a close bond, but other whale watchers have recently seen him in the company of his younger sister. The central Salish Sea is not a typical travel area for T68, so it was interesting to see her here and her choice of travel companions.
Our other notable is that Big Mama (humpback) is “back in town” with her 8th recorded calf. Mom and offspring have been spending time around the north end of the San Juans and the east end of the Gulf Islands. She is famous for re-pioneering this area as a feeding ground in the late 1990s after whaling practices had extirpated humpbacks from this area. Bringing more calves and other humpbacks to this area has created the resurgence we’re excited to be witnessing with guests today! We wish mom and calf lots of forage fish, bonding time, and continued health!
Looking forward to what this next week has to offer us!
