First Trip of the Season

"No doubt the perception of these whales has changed from something to be feared and destroyed to something to be hugged. And now along comes too much hugging." ~ Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research. I got to meet him Monday night at a town meeting for the health of Puget Sound. It's cool to feel a part of something so big and special to so many people.

Yesterday was my first trip of the season with San Juan Safaris. I got to shadow Nancy as she gave me an idea of what it's like to be a Naturalist (not a Naturist, which apparently implies nudity). LOL. I was so excited when I went to work because Colleen got an e-mail from a friend saying she saw whales pass by her house early in the morning. That meant we might be able to catch them on our 1pm trip. We were a little nervous that it would rain, but the weather was on our side as we departed from the harbor with our 21 guests.

Captain Pete heard reports that J-pod (my favorite one) was in the area and heading lazily toward Canada. This meant that the whales were resting and we'd have time to check out some other wildlife on our way to intercept the whales. We headed towards Speiden Island in order to show our crew the exotic animals that inhabit it. The story of Speiden island is that two taxidermists out of Seattle bought the island in hopes of turning it into a game reserve for hunting animals like Mouflon Sheep and Sika Deer. The plan was foiled after the animals were imported and locals refused to sell the men food or supplies because they didn't appreciate them coming to the islands to hunt. The island was sold a few times and is currently owned by the CEO of Oakley Sunglasses. He left the animals as they were and now we can observe them from the boat. We got a great look at the sheep and deer and got a real treat when we saw Steller Sea Lions swimming by (left). There was a group of about eight adult males diving around in the water. They looked like bears swimming in the water and can reach upwards of 2,000 pounds! yikes! It's important to remember that seals and sea lions are quite different. One difference is that sea lions have external ears that look like little skin flaps, while seals have internal ears that look like little holes in their head. Another difference is that sea lions can use their hind flippers like legs, whereas seals have to flop around on their bellies like little sausages with hands. We stayed near Speiden for a while and then moved in the direction of the J-pod sightings.

On our way to observe J-pod we saw some Harbor Seals attempting to sun themselves on rocks, despite the clouds. They were so cute and reminded me of little Lancie back home: lazy, fat, and adorable. Our observations of the seals were interrupted by a few Dalls Porpoises (below) playing near the bow. They appeared to be doing somersaults underwater as they rolled effortlessly through the water. We heard that some Transient Orcas were in the area and Dalls become the prey of these orcas so Nancy and I wondered if they might be nearby and if we'd get to observe some hunting behaviors. Luckilly for the porpoises, we didn't see any Transients. However, we did hear more reports of J-pod and continued on our way.

Captain went full speed ahead in hopes of catching the whales before they moved to far into Canada for us to catch them. Everyone had their eyes peeled for spouts and dorsal fins. I had my eye out for one whale, J-1 (also known as Ruffles for his wavy dorsal fin). Then we saw it. Spout after spout just on the horizon. We approached slowly, so as not to disturb the resting whales. No sooner than I could ask where he was, Ruffles surfaced. His over six foot fin bobbled in the distance. I was interested to hear Nancy say that there is a juvenile male in L-pod (a fellow resident group of whales) that exhibits this curvy dorsal fin. The thought among many researchers is that he could be one of Ruffles' offspring. You can see the ruffles in his fin pretty clearly in the picture below. I began to get more comfortable with the guests and started sharing my knowledge of the whales. I talked about how they got their name, how we identify them, the affects of wild captures, and how toxins are affecting the babies. Unfortunately, the youngest member of J-pod hasn't been seen this year, leading many to believe it didn't make it through the winter. However, this was the only member of J-pod missing, which is actually a good thing. Granny, J-2 (the matriarch of the pod), and Mike, another adult bull, were easy to identify. Granny is a huge female that is estimated to be in her nineties and thought to be Ruffles aunt. The orcas travel in matriarchial societies and never leave their families. Mike was easy to see because his tall dorsal fin leans to the left. The other whales were a bit far away to identify and I strained to find Polaris, the baby I saw in 1994. She has been seen with males from other pods recently and could be pregnant, but their gestation period is 16 months, making it difficult to tell. The whales weren't too active and made their way slowly towards Active Pass in British Colombia. They've been around the islands the past few days and I hope I get to see them again soon.

On our way back to the island we saw a variety of birds, many of which I know nothing about and have difficulty identifying... something to work on in these next few weeks. I did however, recognize the bald eagles as they built their nests and taught juveniles from last year the proper way to hover. Apparently Bald Eagles don't exhibit their white feathers until they are five years old, making it difficult to tell the difference between juveniles and local vultures. I'm really excited to continue learning about the local wildlife. I feel pretty confident with talking about the whales, but there is always more to learn. I'll begin my safety training tomorrow, which includes calling the Coast Guard and learning how to steer the boat in case something happens to the captain. (Watch out local boaters.) Until then I will probably be practicing tying knots because I need to be able to secure the boat when we land. I hope you all enjoy hearing about my adventures. I look forward to family and friends visiting me so I can share all my experiences with them.