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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sept 4-5: Ks on the West Side

In September it's not unusual for all three pods to be traveling together, but in early September I ended up only encountering K-Pod whales for a couple of days. On September 4th the K13s and K14s went north on their own, and I saw them off Kellett Bluffs. 

K42 Kelp

On September 5th the K12s and some L-Pod whales were off the south end of San Juan Island. In the morning the K12s went north and met the K13s and K14s coming back down. I saw them all head back south in Haro Strait near sunset. After an especially warm and dry summer, we've had an abrupt change to more winter-like weather here in the San Juans. It's been an adjustment, but it's made for amazing lighting on almost a daily basis.

K26 Lobo and K14 Lea

K33 Tika

K33 Tika is a real shape shifting male - he looks so different depending on which angle you see him from. I've mistaken him for almost every other male in the Southern Resident Community over the last two years, it seems like. This is his K25 Scoter look:

K33 Tika looking like Scoter

K33 Tika and the Olympic Mountains
We didn't know it yet, but the Ks were headed off to meet the newest member of the Southern Resident Community, who was with the L-Pod whales further south in Haro. Amazingly, while someone later came forward with pictures of it from September 5th, it took two more days for the new calf to be detected....

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