South Puget Sound

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March 11, 2010
Orca Network received a call from WA State Ferries, reporting a small pod of orcas, including 1 male, from the Fauntleroy ferry at 1420, heading NW off Pt. Williams, Fauntleroy Cove (south of W. Seattle).


Orca Network received a call from Matt Griffin of KATU TV News, Portland, saying they had received video of 3 or 4 orcas in Commencement Bay, possibly heading north this morning around 11 am, from KOMO TV. We found the video on KOMO’s website, as well as more video on KIRO TV’s website, and sent the links to the Center for Whale Research. The orcas were confirmed by Dave Ellifrit to be the Transient orcas reported in Haro Strait over the past few days, and identified as T87, T88, T90 & T90B, plus the T30s.


Susie and I were out with Tacoma Schoool District students today, and we did get to see and stay with the [orcas] for quite some time.
Chris, SEA (Service, Education, Adventure)


March 10, 2010
The gray whale we observed swimming around in Budd Inlet on Monday is still here. Preliminary comparison to our catalog has not provided a match to a whale previously ID ed.
Lisa Schlender, Cascadia Research, Olympia, WA


March 8, 2010
After a couple more sighting reports this morning in Dana Passage (Puget Sound), Cascadia responded by land and found a single gray whale in Budd Inlet, milling around mid-channel. It appeared to be a little skinny, but was active. It surfaced several times, arching nice and high, allowing for ID photos. As of 1400, the whale was still there. We don t know who this is, although we do know that it’s not any of the North Sound regulars. We ll be comparing it to the rest of our catalog over the next couple of days.
Lisa Schlender, Cascadia Research, Olympia, WA


A report this afternoon from Cascadia Research of another gray whale in Budd Inlet. It’s not one of the North Sound regulars, so we may be having more visitors again this year.


March 7, 2010
We had a report of a gray whale sighting in the afternoon in Dana Passage (Puget Sound).
Lisa Schlender, Cascadia Research, Olympia, WA


March 5, 2010
Myself and two others witnessed spouting off of Me Kwa Mooks Beach (Alki/Seattle) between 2 to 3PM this afternoon, with the direction heading south. We didn’t see a dorsal fin and assumed it must be a gray whale.
Marc McClintock


March 4, 2010
6:10 PM: Spotted 1 gray whale surface off Redondo Beach Drive traveling south toward Dash Point/Tacoma. It spouted the second time it surfaced and we did not see it again.
Tina Gregory


We got a report of a gray whale passing West Seattle at some point this afternoon.
West Seattle Blog


John Rogstad of the Wash. State Ferries called to relay a report from the Ferry Walla Walla in Seattle, of a Gray whale off the ferry at Pier 52 in Elliott Bay heading toward the East Waterway at 10:07 am.


February 13, 2010
Spotted a whale around 3:00pm, between Steilacoom and McNeil Island.
Eric Thomson
Possibly the humpback that’s been around Puget Sound?


February 11, 2010
1 Gray Whale, small/medium size breached at Sunrise Beach Public access dive site north of Gig Harbor (lat/long: 47.348168;-122.555816) at 1045AM. Appeared to be heading North up Colvos Passage.
William Morris, WDFW


February 9, 2010
We received the two following reports of a whale near Pt. Defiance late in the afternoon - guesses as to species are possible orca or gray whale, but given the recent sighting of a Humpback whale in the Seattle area, and the diving/fluking pattern, it is possible these are sightings of the humpback whale. sb


Today while sailing approx 1/2 mile North of Pt defiance, Tacoma, we spotted a Gray Whale about 35+ ft long. He seemed to be feeding during the changing tide between 1200 and 1500 hrs. It seemed to be flying solo with no hurry to go anywhere particular.
C.Dorsey


One apparent orca spotted, 3:30 PM near Tacoma, between Owen Beach and Talequah ferry dock. Traveling west. Other walkers stopped to observe also on the seawall near Pt defiance boat house. Came up for 5-6 breaths, then down for 3-4 minutes for each cycle, last breath of each series showing fluke. Watched for 5 cycles. Did not have binoc’s to get any detail.
Roxanne


January 22, 2010
We were kayaking from the Longbranch Peninsula to Eagle Island today and at two different times saw large, black marine mammals with distinct dorsal fins swimming toward Pitt Passage(between Key Peninsula and McNeil Island, So. Puget Sound). They were moving fast and only surfaced dolphin style twice on each sighting. Three individuals were seen at about 1:00 PM and at least two others at 3:30 PM. An individual in the second group appeared to have a larger dorsal fin than the others. All of the sightings were just off the Longbranch Peninsula shore about 1/3 mile north of the Longbranch public boat launch. We were at least a mile out in Drayton Passage, but they were clearly visible with binoculars.
Phil & Dawn Frazer


January 19, 2010
Cascadia Research Report on examination of stranded Bryde’s whale in Puget Sound:
Rare whale strands in Puget Sound
A highly unusual stranding of a tropical Bryde’s whale occurred in southern Puget Sound this week and an examination was conducted by Cascadia Research, WDFW, and NOAA. The whale was first reported floating dead on Saturday, 16 January 2010 and temporarily came ashore a couple of locations in southern Puget Sound over the next couple of days. The whale was towed to a remote location (thanks to the help of Taylor Shellfish) and a detailed examination conducted on the afternoon of 19 January.
This species primarily uses warmer tropical waters and in the eastern North Pacific has not generally been seen north of southern California. It appears to have been in Puget Sound several weeks because there had been several puzzling sighting reports going back at least to the beginning of January of a live whale roughly meeting the description of this whale. This is the first confirmed sighting or stranding of this species in the Pacific Northwest that we are aware of.
The whale was just under 39 feet and appeared to be an immature whale. Examination showed it had what appeared to be some healed propeller scars on its back and a likely entanglement injury on its fluke but both these were not serious and did not appear to play a role in the whales death. The whale had no food in its stomach or intestines and so did not appear to have fed in a while. The blubber layer was very thin and did not have much oil in it suggesting starvation may have played a role and possible exposure to cold (due to the small blubber layer and colder waters than is typical habitat for this animal).
Because the whale had died very recently, the tissues were very fresh and allowed a very detailed examination and sample collection. This included samples for biotoxin analysis, disease screening, contaminant testing, genetics, and histo-pathology. These tests will be run over the coming months and may provide additional insight into what the animal was doing here and why it died. More photos are on Cascadia Research’s website here.
Update from Cascadia Research on response to dead whale in So. Puget Sound, originally IDd as a Sei whale, but now believed to be a Brydes whale:
We responded on Sunday but the whale was mostly submerged and washed out overnight. It beached again yesterday afternoon near Vaughn and I was able to go out to take a look at it and secure it so we could tow it to a necropsy location today. We initially thought based on the dorsal fin shape that it was a sei whale, but when the animal was out of the water yesterday I was able to get a good look at the head and it appears to be a Brydes whale. This type of whale is usually found S of Northern California, so we’re not sure what it is doing here. It’s about 40 feet long, male, and we’ll have more information on our website in the next couple of days after we are able to do a thorough examination.
Jessie Huggins, Stranding Coordinator, Cascadia Research
Typically when large Fin or Sei whales wash up in Puget Sound, it means they’ve been struck by a large ship way out in the ocean and brought in on the bow of the ship – but this whale had not suffered any trauma, so that was not the case – so this has presented a very interesting case for researchers! They are testing the DNA to confirm the species, and will be posting more information on the Cascadia Research website, and we will post more info. as we receive it too.


January 17, 2010
2 pm – 7 – 12 Dall’s porpise heading NE Off Maury Island near point Robinson.
Matt Wilson


Dead Sei [Brydes] Whale – A photo was taken on 1-17 off the northern tip of Hartstene Island. Cascadia Research identified it as a Sei Whale, probably a yearling, that may have been killed at sea and brought into Puget Sound on the bow of a ship. It appears to be 30-35 feet in length.
Donna DeCew


2 pm – There is a dead large (approx 30 feet) female whale off the north point of Hartstene Island in Pickering Passage. It’s currently about 20 feet off shore. I’ve called and left a message with Cascadia research per the instructions in your latest email.
Jill Roberts


Betsy at Cascadia Research called to let us know the dead whale had been located off N. Hartstene Island – they were in the process of confirming the species ID and deciding on what to do next.


January 11, 2010
My girlfriend and I were eating burgers nearby Redondo Beach in Des Moines, WA when we saw 4 fins next to each other, as if they were connected!
A pedestrian (no name submitted with report)
This was likely the small pod of orcas, probably Transients, sighted the past week in Puget Sound – sb


January 10, 2010
Orca Network received a call at 2:20 pm from Marilyn Dalheim of NOAA Fisheries – she had received a call from Mark Clark who was fishing and was with a pod of orcas now, close to shore. We reached Mark at 3:10 pm – he said the orcas are in Oakland Bay, just east of Shelton, WA – about as far into Puget Sound as you can get! There were 3 orcas close to shore and several others further out, they are just milling in the area. The pod included 1 male.


January 9, 2010
We saw some Orcas today. There was somewhere between 4 and 10 of them and they were possibly eating (we heard some harbor seals around) and they were heading north from the Point Robinson lighthouse on Vashon Island. They were far out so we didn’t see anything distinguishing and they were definitely moving. This was around 12:30pm.
Laura Michetti


Carolyn Graye called Orca Network at 5 pm to report seeing what looked like 6 orcas from Loman Beach, West Seattle. They looked too big to be porpoise, but small for orcas, some dorsal fins were larger than others, and they were heading south. She also emailed this to our Facebook page: There were about 6 marine critters north of Lowman Beach in West Seattle right before sundown today. They dove and foraged for about 20 minutes, gradually moving south. They seemed too small to be orca.


About 9:30 a.m. off Kamilche Point in Totten Inlet (South Puget Sound). Only saw 1 dorsal fin and one spout (simultaneous). Appeared to be heading South.
Kari D’Aboy, MA, CRC, Olympia


Saw a gray whale while scuba diving off the shore of West Seattle, at a location called the Alki Pipeline. The whale was about 75 ft beyond the outlet of the pipeline. The approximate latitude and longitude are: Latitude 47.5703, Longitude 122.4160.
The sighting occurred around noon, approximately 350 yd from shore in water approximately 30 ft deep. The gray swam directly in front of us, approximately 10 ft away. It appeared to be investigating us. The estimated length of the whale is about 25-30 ft. It was swimming in a southerly direction. The belly of the whale was about 2-3 feet off the bottom. It was swimming slowly, and left a trail of disturbed sediment behind it. It had mottled white markings (what appeared to be barnacles) around its mouth and back and on its side fin (I only saw its right side). Only one whale was seen, but visibility was poor (about 15 ft). People sitting on the shore did not report seeing any blows.
It also swam in front of a second group of divers from the Seattle Fire Dept. that were in the water in this area at the same time. This was scary enough. Would not care to see an Orca this close.
Larry McGaughey


January 5, 2010
(forwarded by Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research): Just a note that I saw a whale in Liberty Bay Poulsbo . It may have been a pilot whale or a lone female orca. Much too big to be a porpoise. I have lived here 15 years and have never seen a whale in here.
Here’s a bit more info. on the whale reported in Liberty Bay, Poulsbo, WA – it sounds like it wasn’t a Gray whale – maybe a Minke?
It did have a small curved dorsal fin about 2/3rds of the way back from its head. It was all one color, black, with no white patches. The head was kind of square. It did not look like a grey to me.
Dennis Johnson Fairwind Properties, Inc, Pouslbo, WA


January 3, 2010
I talked with Roger this morning. He told me that someone he talked to last night said they saw orcas off the Bremerton Ferry around 4pm , but did not know which direction they were going.
Chrissy McLean, PTMSC, Pt. Townsend


During (Jan. 3) encounter with J pod in Puget Sound, Mark Sears brought to our attention that there was likely a new calf present. An initial assessment of the photos collected by Mark, Candi Emmons and Jeff Hogan, indicated that J35 did have a new calf with her. Based on the information collected, The Center for Whale Research was able to confirm these observations and designated J35’s new calf as J47. J35, born in 1998, is a relatively young mother, so it will be important to keep tabs on these two whales. Thanks for everyone’s effort on this as it reinforces the importance of winter observations of these pods.
Brad Hanson, NOAA Fisheries NWFSC, Seattle


We caught up with the whales (J pod) just north of 3 Tree Point and stayed and with them until about 1600 when they were a mile or so NE of the Vashon) ferry terminal heading north slowly – one small fecal sample for the day – lots of white caps.
Brad Hanson, NOAA Fisheries NWFSC, Seattle


I saw the heads up on the West Seattle Blog, and walked over to our spotting scope. Sure enough, there are about 7-8 [orcas] slowly heading north. Closer to Blake than Fauntleroy, (Vashon) but clearly visible with a scope. 3-4 leading the pack and a few others not far behind. They are about half way up Blake now (4:30 pm).
Shannon Orr


Amy Carey of Vashon Island called at 12:30 pm to relay a report of orcas off Maury Island heading toward Pt. Robinson. At 12:53 pm she had found the whales, J pod, heading north from S. Maury Island – they had just passed the Pt. Robinson Lighthouse. They were moving slowly, closer to the Maury/Vashon side of the sound. She saw J1 and an orange, newer calf. At 1:25 pm they were at Three Tree Pt, moving a bit faster, at 2:45 pm they were at Dilworth, mid-channel, still heading north. The NOAA boat was with them (see above report). By 4 pm the orcas were passing through the Vashon Island ferry lanes, continuing north.


2:57 pm: I have been watching the orcas from Vashon island across from the airport. They just left my sight about 6 minutes ago. They were coming from south and much closer to the Seattle shoreline than our island. There we several 7 or 8 in all – combination of a 1 or 2 males males, females and looked like a young one. They were moving at a leisurely clip and then looked like they might have been eating towards the end and staying in one area for a bit. Absolutely awesome to spot one of these majestic creatures in their natural habitat – doing what they do best – Just BEING. My heart is full :o)
Staci Housum, Vashon Island


I saw 4-5 Orca whales this morning looking north towards Vashon Island from my home in Old Town Tacoma. About 11 am, they entered Commencement Bay, traveling East. A very large one breached at least three times, and once was all of the way out of the water!!
Aimee Mell, Old Town Tacoma


@ noon initially saw a number of orca headed north about 300 yards from our kayak; we were 1/2 mile north of McCurdy Point in the Straits (just west of Pt. Townsend). We couldn’t tell how many at that time but there were at least 5; at least one large fin. A mother and calf then came very close to us, within 30 feet as they swam by heading south toward the shore. They stopped and appeared to be playing, surfacing and circling very close to each other. We were awestruck. The mother and calf eventually headed east about 200 yards from the shoreline and toward Point Wilson. Long. 122.84404 Lat 48.15555
Carter and Mark


January 2, 2010
I am so excited to report that I saw a gray whale this afternoon (1335 PST) just off shore at Saltar’s Point in Steilacoom, WA. It surfaced two times as it swam north towards the ferry terminal. It was only about 20 feet from shore the first time I saw it surface. I have read the reports of people seeing them around Eagle and Fox Island and have been keeping my eyes out for them – what a surprise to see them so close to shore!
Diann Sheldon, Steilacoom, WA


Large spout and back sighted halfway between Alki Pt and Blake heading south at about 4:05 PM.
JW Larson likely the same gray whale reported above – sb


December 26, 2009
The gray that was sighted at the bridge to Fox Island stopped here (Fox Island) for a while about 9 AM. I couldn’t see it due to dense fog but could hear it clearly so it was in very close to the beach.
Tom and Noni Wiggin


Saw a Gray whale about 1:30 PM just off the Fox Island boat ramp at the Fox Island Bridge (S. Puget Sound). Quite a few people stopped in the parking lot to watch and take photos.
Gary O’Connell


December 25, 2009
I am writing to report a whale sighting in Gig Harbor, Washington. It was probably around midnight that a friend and I first spotted the whale. He looked to be smaller in size (maybe a baby?) and was alone in the sound. It was dark out, so identifying and distinguishing features was nearly impossible, but he didn’t seem to be going anywhere. We watched him for a little over an hour but had to eventually leave due to the cold weather. I don’t know the coordinates of the area, but it was next to the Tides Tavern in the harbor.
Vanessa Peterson
This is likely the Gray whale that has been reported in the Tacoma/Seattle area the past few weeks – last report it was under the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.


December 23, 2009
We are on a mooring buoy on the west side of Eagle Island (S. Puget Sound) at 47.11.242N and 122.41.897W and saw a gray whale swimming around for quite a long time. Last spotted heading east, next to the north side of Anderson Island, but it has been circling around the west side of Eagle Island for a while now – observed from 8:35am and last sighting was at 9:18am. It looked to be playing, but not sure if it was feeding or not. There was a seal trailing it, so it could have been feeding.
Ben and Denise Nelson


December 22, 2009
This report was forwarded to us by Derek Woodie – likely another sighting of the gray whale reported above and in previous reports the past few weeks: I have a question for a sea life specialist there at the aquarium. I was walking across the narrows bridge this afternoon and half way i saw this huge creature lounging at the water surface. It was a pinkish/peachy orange color. I got 3 pictures before it dove back down. Unfortunately the light was fading and the pictures didn t pick up the beautiful color. What do you think it is? I’d say it was 15 to 20’ long Thanks,
David Eddy
From the photos sent to us, this certainly looks like a gray whale, sometimes sea lice on the Gray whales can give it a light peach/pinkish hue – sb


December 21, 2009
I just got a call (from my dad) from the Vashon Tacoma ferry and they saw a pod of orcas frolicking/breaching on the way back to Point Defiance terminal, at ~ 2:30 pm. They’re still on the ferry watching them. Just wanted to let you know!
Elizabeth M. Phillips, Oregon State University-CIMRS & NOAA Fisheries – NWFSC, Pt. Adams Research Station


At about 3:45 pm Debbie Dickenson saw a “huge” pod of orcas in the SE corner of Commencement Bay, near where she works at the top of a granary, with a wide view of the bay.


4:25pm, Point Richmond Beach (Gig Harbor). Pod of Orca (30+) sighted heading northbound up Colvos Passage at slow to moderate pace.
Steve Rees


December 20, 2009
Spotted one large gray whale heading west between Anderson Island and Eagle Island (So. Puget Sound) about 10:30 am.
Walter


December 18, 2009
Tracy Record of the West Seattle Blog sent this email this morning: I know you track other whales too. just got one (secondhand) of a gray sighted near Alki Point around 9:30 am. Reported on the blog were these three gray whale reports:
11:20 am: Only one report so far but you know how we are about sharing whale reports, in case you want to keep an eye out: “Cloudbreak” shared e-mail from a friend who e-mailed an hour ago (10:20 am), “OK, a few minutes ago a gray whale cruised by Alki, turned East at the lighthouse.” (Maybe it was this one.)
ADDED 11:57 AM: Now a second report, closer to downtown – from Zack: I’m down at Argosy Cruises and we had a gray whale pass us and head into the east waterway – last view I got was about 10 ago and it was surfacing in between the cargo ships. Looks like it’s still heading south.
Watched a small gray whale following close to shore by Salty’s, past Don Armeni boat ramp, and around the point. Last seen heading West along the shore towards Alki @1:15pm.LTF, West Seattle blog.


This morning at 11:00 AM I saw a grey whale surface three times just south of the Coleman ferry dock in Seattle. I am certain the animal was a whale and not a very large seal since I clearly saw its tail out of the water before a dive. I cannot be 100% certain it was a grey whale, but its surface appearance (low broad back and no evidence of a bumpy spine or small dorsal fin before dive) strongly indicates to me that it was a grey whale rather than a humpback whale. It appeared to be a large whale but maybe not a fully adult whale. It appeared to be making deep dives rather than staying on the surface. Feeding perhaps? Do you think this is the same grey whale that has recently been reported in Bremerton harbor?
Brian Parent Bainbridge Island
Very likely the same whale observed around Bremerton and Ballard in recent weeks – sb


December 17, 2009
I’d like to report a sighting – From on top of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (as a passenger in a car), I saw one Orca surface. It was headed towards Pt. Defiance, from Fox Island. It looked as if it could’ve been female, since the dorsal fin was not extremely big. It looked full size. I kept looking for others to surface, but only saw that one. It was approximately
2:00 pm.
Victoria Shomo


December 10, 2009
Tom Wiggin called to report a gray whale 500 yards west of Fox Pt, on the East end of Fox Island, S. Puget Sound from sunrise to 8 or 9 am this morning, then heading north through Hales Pass. Then he sent this update and photos which have been forwarded to Cascadia Research for ID: This morning just after sunrise I heard a gray whale blow very close in front of the house. The whale appeared to be feeding in approximately 30 feet of water in the same area in the flood tide for about an hour, then departed northwest through Hale Passage. Our neighborhood really enjoyed watching nature’s treat – fabulous. Thanks for your work, which must be a joy. Warm regards,
Tom and Noni Wiggin, Fox Island, Puget Sound


December 9, 2009
Methinks I have J-8 in one shot. Also wanted to pass on one other interesting thing we saw today that was new for me – had a group of about 5 whales that made a stragglers pass at Point Robinson (Maury/Vashon Islands) – lucky for us, even closer than the first gang. They were doing quite a bit of rolling frolic – and yes, I did see my first “sea snake” – wow that thing is PINK!!! What was odd, is that one of the whales surfaced once or twice with a dorsal totally curled over and around to the point that it looked like a upside down “U”. I have never seen that before and wanted to see if you had etc.
Amy Carey, Vashon Island


Amy Carey was tracking the So. Resident orcas while in Puget Sound today, calling in the following reports:
10:55 am: the orcas were crossing the Vashon ferry lanes, spread out and heading south at a good clip.
11:48 am: the orcas were off Dilworth, NE Vashon Island, moving slowly south. Someone relayed a report to her that there were still orcas south of the North end Vashon ferry at 11:40.
12:30 pm: a late group passed Dilworth at 12:30 pm, heading south.
2:04 pm: the orcas were rounding Pt. Robinson, Maury Island, heading south.
3:30 pm: Orcas were at Gold Beach, Maury Island, heading south.


Brad Hanson, Scott Veirs, and Marla Holt were on the NOAA Research boat again with the So. Resident orcas. Brad called at 12:17 pm to report they were with a dozen orcas off Dilworth, Vashon Island, heading south. Scott Veirs reported at 4 pm, that they were with J & K pods, traveling west across the mouth of Quartermaster Harbor after moving slowly down Sound spread out and blowing bubbles.


Jeff Hogan called at 10:40 am to report J pod + off Alki, heading south. He saw J1 & what looked like J27, plus more adult male fins. They were foraging, and nearing the Vashon ferry lanes.


Three male orcas, two females between West Seattle and Blake Island at 10:20 heading south. They’re stretched from about 1/2 mile off W. Seattle to about 1 mile + out. More blows and splashes about halfway between Lincoln Park (W Seattle) and Vashon Ferry Dock at 10:32.
Peter Tutak, West Seattle


Just watched several orcas - at least four – pass by Alki Point heading south. They were closer to the east side.
Gary Jones


I called to report a pod of 7-8 Orca heading south past Alki point this morning around 9:30. They were feeding and then moved quite quickly South and by the time I got in my car, they were already down near the Fauntleroy ferry. I managed only to get 2 shots – here is one dorsal at Alki (see above), the other looked to be a large male but was VERY far away by the time I got it so no ID.
Zibby Wilder


November 22, 2009
We found this report on the West Seattle Blog: Just watched a pod of orcas - at least a dozen heading north past Alki Point over nearer to Bainbridge, now probably about due west of West Point, 3:31 pm.
G Jones ­


We were on the ferry this afternoon at about three pm headed into Bainbridge Island and saw 6-8 (?) Orcas between Blake Rock and Port Blakely, with lots of blowing and a breach or two. From the direction of the blows and the splashing, definitely headed east.
Pamela Olson, CY Tusitala


Amy Carey of Vashon Island found the orcas at 10:10 am, heading south passing through the Vashon ferry lanes. At 11:03 am they were at Dilworth, N.Vashon, heading south. By around 12:30 pm they were midway between Dilworth and Pt. Robinson, but then she lost them in the wind and choppy seas.


10:23 am: We just saw 2-3 adult orcas and a smaller one heading south from the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. Last seen heading south past Brace Point!
10:26 am: Now there are more splashing around in the distant wake of the ferry heading to Vashon. Lots of splashing and fins/tails popping up. Some jumping. Now heading towards Southworth.
Shannon Orr


One male, one female orca, spread out between Blake Island and Fauntleroy at 10am.
Peter Tutak, West Seattle


1000 am see group milling around Lowman beach just north of Lincoln park west Seattle.
Tim Ferris, Vashon Island


Jeff Hogan called at 9:27 am to report finding orcas between Bainbridge and Blake Islands – he saw a breach. At 9:35 am, he had seen at least 6, including an adult male and juveniles, spread out down to Fauntleroy – they were milling, with no direction of travel. At 10 am, they headed south, some were at the Vashon ferry dock, others still up near Blake Island.


Paul Leary called to report seeing orcas, including a mom and calf, at 3 pm between Vashon Island and the Fauntleroy ferry dock, spread out across the channel heading south, milling and foraging.


Donna Sandstrom of West Seattle called to report seeing orcas from Alki at 1 pm - there were two groups, one closer to Alki and another further out, mid- channel, including an adult male. She watched until they headed south past the Vashon ferry.


November 21, 2009
We own a condo south of Fauntleroy ferry. We observed orcas in the area. We believe we counted 7, including one baby.
Paul & Lynn Goforth
Thanks to Paul & Lynn’s photos, the Center for Whale Research has identified J1 and confirmed this pod as J pod –


Amy Carey of Vashon Island followed the Southern Resident orcas in Puget Sound this afternoon, relaying the following reports: She had a report from Donna Sandstrom and Kathy Fletcher that they watched the whales off Lincoln Park, south of Seattle, at 1:30 pm. Amy found the whales between Lincoln Park and north Vashon Island at 3 pm, milling and foraging in calm waters. At 3:20 pm she had the whales off Dilworth, N. Vashon Island, heading south, and at 4:30 pm the leaders of the pod were near Three Tree Pt. heading south. She saw at least 15 orcas.


Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales relayed a report from Donna Sandstrom that the orcas were south of Alki Pt, mid-channel heading south at 1:25 pm. She observed 3 adult males and a calf with the pod.


November 13, 2009
Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales reported 3 orcas including one male, between West Seattle and Bainbridge Island headed north in heavy seas at 9:45 am.


November 8, 2009
10:20 am small pod of orcas in case inlet (So. Puget Sound – across from Allyn, N. of Olympia) small pod of about 4+. Orcas are following a sail boat back out of inlet.
Laura Johannes


November 3, 2009
Orca Network received a call from Rick Huey of Washington State Ferries, relaying a sighting of orcas between Vashon and Blake Islands. The orcas were between the Southworth Ferry dock and the point to the north of it from 11 am until 3 pm, then they moved north to the west side of Blake Island and then out of sight, presumably futher north.


November 2, 2009
I just received a report from my sister of 5-7 Orcas, about 9-11am off Gig Harbor, WA.
Nancy Masner-whiton


Orca Network received a report from WDFW via Cascadia Research via NOAA/NWFSC of 4-7 orcas in Puget Sound, heading South past Anderson Island/Longbranch toward Olympia. Last seen at 12:25 pm at Devil’s Head.


October 22, 2009
Three Tree Point near Burien at about 1:30 pm, my wife and daughter saw a pod of Orcas swimming north up Puget Sound past the Point.
Doug Shadel


My last report (of the orcas) was 1620 today and they were off Bainbridge Island going North.
Ron Bates, Victoria B.C.


Rick O’Keefe called Orca Network to report 8-10 orcas between Bainbridge Island and Seatte at 3:30 pm, heading north.


Scott Veirs of Beam Reach/OrcaSound, assisted on the NOAA Research boat today, and sent in the following reports of J and K pod, with L87 in the Seattle area today:
4:04 pm: J & Ks northbound between West Pt. and Eagle Harbor (Bainbridge Island).
3:26 pm: Still N/NW bound, but slow with occasional direction changes. Leaders in central basin are approaching West Point.
2:38 pm: J and K pod now crossing Elliott Bay, some 1km NW of Alki, others spread out to WNW with leaders approaching Eagle Harbor.
2:20 pm: J & Ks 1 – 3 miles Kilometers off Alki Pt, traveling NW.
1:05 pm: J & Ks, traveling slowly northward, spread out a bit less. Leaders nearing the ferry dock at Fauntleroy. Mark Sears and Brad Hanson have collected a few fecal and/or prey samples.
12:14 pm: J & K pods northbound at Three Tree Pt.
11:45 am: Js + L87 between Three Tree Pt and Pt. Robinson, moving both north and south.
10 am: Southern Residents southbound, due west of Fauntleroy.


Lori Willson called at 2:20 pm to say her daughter spotted the orcas mid-channel of Alki, heading north. She was heading out to find them as well, and sent this update:
I was able to watch that small group off Alki Point for 30 min or so before I had to pull myself away. They were just kind of milling about in a slow northerly direction. Lots of tail slapping going on. A couple of research boats were out there with them. They sure were drawing a crowd down to Alki Point. Everybody was so excited! I noticed one large male in the group. I also saw some very cute, tiny little exhalations from a calf.
Lori Willson, Seattle


Jennifer Barwich called at 12:45 pm to report tons of orcas closer to Vashon Island, north of Maury Island and heading north.


Donna Sandstrom from West Seattle called to report seeing several orcas off the north end of Vashon Island, heading south at around 9:15 am. At 11:10 am they were off Pt. Robinson, foraging, milling, and continuing south.


Pod of 20+ (could have been more) Orcas going South past Vashon – Fauntleroy ferry passage at 10am. There were at least 2 large males (one seemed to have a bent large fin). They were hunting off our home for about an 1/2 hour – circling and moving in what appeared hunting patterns – zig zagging and surfacing in close proximity to one another. Some tail slaps and a few breaches. They were 400 yards off Vashon.
John Thomas, Vashon Island


Jeff Hogan of West Seattle reported ~20 Southern Resident orcas southbound west of Fauntleroy, spread out at 10 am.


Amy Carey of Vashon Island called at 9 am to report orcas near Dilworth, closer to the Seattle side, between the N. end Vashon ferry and Dilworth, heading south. At 10:30, they were strung out north and south of Dilworth, and by 2:20 pm they were off Alki Pt. and crossing Elliott Bay.


Jennifer in West Seattle called to report 1 male and 2 smaller orcas 2 miles south of Fauntleroy, heading south at 9:10 am.


One male, three females, one juvenile orca seen about 400 yards off of West Seattle (just north of Lincoln Park) between 8am and 8:30. Milling about, but slowly proceeding southward. They’ll be off the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock by now. Others (about 4 or 5 in number) seen farther out, also heading south, but closer to Blake Island.
Peter Tutak


8:30 am, Erick Peirson had a report of 15 orcas at Duwamish Head.


Richard of the Bremerton Ferry run called Orca Network at 8 am to report 3-4 orcas, including a calf, off Alki Pt, heading west toward Blake Island.


October 11, 2009
This is from the Beam Reach Board Chair, Mike Dougherty, who saw the [orcas] going north from his Ballard home at 16:38: “I would definitely say it was a very large group, certainly at least 35 individuals as you reported. Very spread out – some quite close to our side, others very close to Bainbridge and quite spread out north/south as well. Generally traveling north, but there was also a good bit of milling, and there were individuals hanging out pretty much right in front of the house (perhaps due to the freshwater exit near the locks) for at least 1 hour. Saw some breaching, but mostly just traveling & milling.”
Scott Veirs, Beam Reach/OrcaSound.net


We saw numerous Orca Whales on the eastern edge of the northbound traffic lanes just between Alki point and the yellow separation zone marker that lies north of Blake Island around 3pm. We saw 9 dorsals out of the water simultaneously near us so we took the boat out of gear. It appeared that there were more than that in the area. They traveled north for about 10 minutes and then began to travel westbound. They went down for a bit and a large number reappeared much further west and appeared to be headed toward Eagle Harbor and they were nearing mid channel of Puget Sound. It looked like the ferry from Bainbridge to Seattle had to stop for a large number of them for a period of time. Meanwhile we saw two more in the middle of of Elliott Bay and two more smaller ones rise under the bow of our boat while we were just north of Alki Point. They spent a lot of time on the surface and they were in our sight for over well over an hour while we were in the area. Earlier, Seattle marine traffic had been reporting that there was more than one pod in the area. Some reports were in the vicinity of Eagle Harbor, south of West Point and north of Blake Island.
Krista Ranta


Spotted 15-16 member pod on colvos passage 1:30. There looked to be 4-5 young members and 1-2 were real young. The pod was so huge that they spread from one side to the other coming up the passage with the young favoring the west side to frolic. If you look close at the first photo you will see one of the youngest learning to breach. The other shot shows how close they were to us – I’d say within 60-80ft from us.
Gary Peterson


We saw 8-12 orca traveling north about 1:30 PM in Colvos Passage. They were due east from Fragaria (south of Southworth, north of Olalla) on the Peninsula side. They were traveling at a good pace, not milling about.
Joy Jacobson


Near 6:00-6:30 pm orcas Northbound near Spring Beach, just north of Shilshole Marina. 27-30 individuals spread out from the shipping lanes to the ½ mile off eastern shore. Breaching, tail slaps. One mother/calf pairing seen. One group swimming 8 in a row, synchronized. Definitely a few large males.
Jamie Lang, ENT Surgery Coordinator, Minor & James Medical, PLLC


We had the great fortune of seeing at least one pod of orcas when crossing from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island on the state ferry system. They were on the north side of the boat within 5 or 10 minutes of leaving downtown and we could see what seemed like at least 10 blowing and coming in and out of the water. Gorgeous! As we approached the island, we could still see them closer to downtown in the distance and then there were suddenly a handful more just off the tip of Bainbridge.
Jennifer Riker


Robert Miner called at 2 pm to report ~15 orcas heading north up Colvos Passage, 1.5 miles south of Southworth.


Several Orcas (estimate of 2 dozen) were sighted by many as they traveled north in Colvos passage. Several boats were observing the migration between Southworth and the northern tip of Vashon.
David Brinkerhoff


Directly off Prospect Point (Olalla), somewhere between 20-30 Orca and closer to 30, both male and female, traveling north, 1:15pm. The last group that was nearer us had 8 or 9 in it. They were traveling, some breaching and tail slapping.


At about 3:00 – 3:30 pm today, there were a bunch of orcas (too far away to ID), looked like multiple pods, moving along at a rapid pace while feeding as they passed west Seattle/Alki. There was a white boat tracking them and lots of people stopping to watch. Fun!
Sue Oliver


About 5-7 orca spread over a line about 1/2 mile long, heading north, being seen right now (2:49 pm) between West Seattle and Manchester, approaching SE corner of Bainbridge. They’re about 1.5 miles off of Manchester. No ID possible, but plenty of splashes and the occasional breech. A second group of about the same size is now (2:57 pm) being seen about 2 miles off of West Seattle (Mid-channel, approximately), heading north. This group is about 1.5 miles south of the first one reported a little while ago.
Peter Tutak, W. Seattle


We run a news website in West Seattle and got a tip from Jeff Hogan today that orcas were heading north from Southworth. Went down to open shoreline south of Alki Point (caught sight of them from Constellation Park from ~2:45 – 3:45 pm) and, although they were closer to Bainbridge than to West Seattle, managed to zoom in enough to get about a minute of video. Hard to count while you’re shooting but as you can see in the clip, at least half a dozen or so.
Tracy Record, editor/co-publisher, West Seattle Blog


Amy Carey of Vashon Island called at 11:34 am to report seeing at least 15 – 20 orcas off Pt. Defiance. By noon they were heading up Colvos Passage, at 12:55 pm they were off Lisa Beula, still heading north. 2:45 pm they were off Blake Island heading north, closer to the Kitsap side of the water. They were breaching right off the Southworth Ferry. She saw at least 30+ whales, including several calves.


While waiting to depart Blake Island and return to Seattle at 2:30 PM on the Argosy Tillicum Village Boat we spotted a group of Orcas passing from our right to left heading north. After delaying our departure for some time to allow the Orcas to pass, several other groups of Orcas passed (also heading in a Northerly direction) as we traveled from Blake towards West Seattle. I would estimate that in all we saw several dozen Orcas. We witnessed multiple breaching behaviors by both juveniles and adults in several of the groups as they passed. Quite a treat to see this all within sight of the Seattle skyline!
Hugh Gilmartin


We have just seen around 30-50 orcas pass between Vashon Island and Olalla around 1:15 p.m. on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon.
Robin H.


About 10am there were about 12 orcas. They were about 1/2 mile north of the Narrows Bridge. They were headed (slowly) in a north/northwest direction. I did observe one or more which seemed to have much larger fins on their back than the other orca.
John Leach


A pod of ten or more orcas east of Fox Island, south of the Narrows Bridge about 9:00 a.m. We viewed the pod from our University Place home, which is just north of Chamber’s Bay Golf Complex. First, they were traveling south in a group. Then they broke up somewhat off the southern tip of Fox Island, which seems to be a good fishing ground for fisherman. They regrouped shortly thereafter and were heading north.
Jan Gangnes (& Don)


September 27, 2009
My wife, Wendy, spotted a small pod of Orcas this afternoon while heading north along the Kitsap Peninsula in Puget Sound. Wendy spotted three Orcas about a half mile ahead of us off Eglon about 4:00 PM. We stopped our trawler and watched them to see where they were going. They were just milling around between Kitsap and the south end of Whidbey Island pretty much in the shipping lanes. As we watched we noted a couple other Orcas. We saw at least 5 whales, but they were spread out a bit so there may have been more. We watched them for about an hour
Randy Sprague and Wendy Hallett
We were pretty sure these were the 5 Transient orcas that have been down in south Puget Sound since the beginning of Sept, & in looking closely at the photo, thought we could detect what looks like the very small satellite tag placed on T36A by Cascadia Research & NOAA Fisheries on Sept. 20th. When I contacted Brad Hanson with this sighting, he said the sat tag data confirmed that T36A was at this location at that date & time. Cool stuff! You can check out the tracks of T36A & other Transients at Cascadia Research’s website. The maps are updated every few days – they have tracks up to Sept. 26th shown now – it is amazing to see how they have checked out every nook & cranny in So. Puget Sound during just the past week!
Susan Berta begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting, Orca Network


September 26, 2009
The south sound transients (5 or 6) were spotted at 11:00 AM as they travelled east out of Eld inlet and toward Case inlet. Broken into two groups as they crossed Budd bay, they came together in the channel south of Squaxin island and began breaching, finning, and circling each other before slowly continuing on past (very close to the beach) the south end of Hartstene. They were cruising very slowly, and appeared to be enjoying a fine morning.
Tom Martin, Olympia WA


Saw transient killer whales (5), 1 male, 3 females, 1 possible juvenile male, starting around 1:30 PM and lasting until about 3:45 PM. They were heading South past Drayton Passage at Case Inlet/Nisqually Reach, SW Anderson Is. At about 3:45, they turned back north.
Morgan E. Heim, Environmental Photojournalist and Writer/ILCP Emerging League


You’ve probably heard by now that a group of 5 orcas “toured” Eld Inlet this morning. Looked like a large male, a female, 2 juveniles, and another. About 10:15 am they were headed westbound across the spit at Cooper Point. They went south down Eld Inlet quite a ways, then returned, and headed northbound up Dana Passage. They were gone by noon.
Karen Fraser, Cooper Point, Olympia


The transient orcas were spotted traveling north in Dana Passage at about 12:30. Several boats were right on them. We watched from our beach as they went past, could not tell which way they went when they got out by Johnson Pt.
Dean Schmidtke


September 24, 2009
I was walking in the evening at Chambers Bay golf course, University Place, near Tacoma. Several Killer Whales were feeding off shore. They then put on a pretty good “show”. Breaching, and leaping clear of the water. Quite a site! I did not see where they came from. They appeared to be feeding for awhile. Around sunset they started breaching and then flat out clearing the water. I wouldn’t know how to categorize this behavior other than they seemed to be having a pretty good time. There were at least three individuals.
Tom Rooney


September 22, 2009
We were seeing 6 transient Orcas just north of Hartstine Island, headed north in Case Inlet. There are a few good shots of dorsal fins that might allow you to I.D. some of these guys, especially the one with the two notches on the following edge of the fin. We followed them for about 1½ hours, headed north through Case Inlet. We didn’t see any breaches of spy hops, just moving along the surface for 3-4 minutes, then deep diving and disappearing for 10 minutes or so, then re- appearing further north.
Cathryn Rice, Olalla, Washington (near Gig Harbor)
These whales were IDd by the Center for Whale Reesearch from photographs taken by Cascadia Research, as the T137’s and T36A’s – sb


Orca Network received a report from Katheryn Rice of Olympia, reporting 5 – 6 orcas north of Johnson Pt, near Olympia, WA (47 11.484 N, 122 48.220 W), heading north into Case Inlet at 12:45 pm.


September 21, 2009
At about 10:00 a.m. I saw 4 or 5 Orcas from my house on Johnson Pt. They were breeching and tail slapping (including the very small one), making for quite a show! I was able to get a couple of photos, which may confirm one is a male. They were on the Anderson Island side of the straight and went around the southern point of the Island. This is two mornings in a row. I’ll be on the lookout again.
Sarah Petrie, Olympia, WA


I got up at 12:47 a.m. and heard them still.
Kim L. Merriman, Olympia, WA


September 20, 2009
The five transients (who have been down here for the past few weeks) were sighted at 8pm in Sanderson Cove at the mouth of Eld Inlet. Report from Kim Merriman of Olympia.
Annie Douglas, Cascadia Research, Olympia, WA


At 9:00 a.m. we saw a group of 5 (?) orcas passing through, between Johnson Pt. and Anderson Island. They were cruising pretty fast towards Nisqually River delta.
S. Petrie, Olympia, WA


The pod of transient orcas went by our place on the southeast side of Harstene Is. on Dana Passage around 7:30am, heading north. A couple of them were spyhopping while going past.
Dean Schmidtke


The orcas were back again around 7:00. The orcas were here at high tide and were trying to go down into Eld Inlet – which seems to be a favorite place recently. They only got about 2000 feet into the inlet and then were “sandwiched” by two boats that ended up only being about 100 feet apart – with several in the pod in between them. Shortly afterward, the orcas turned around and headed out of the inlet. We listened to them for a long time – as they were moving rather slowly and methodically after they cleared Cooper Point.
Kim L. Merriman, Olympia, WA


September 19, 2009
The south sound transients came by our cabin just south of Vaugn Bay on Case Inlet again at the same time of day as we saw them over Labor Day weekend, almost exactly 3 p.m. (there seems to be a pattern here.) This time they were only about 200 yards off shore, and were headed south again. They entertained us for about 10 minutes as they passed by, with 3 great spy hops and a couple of full breaches.
Jeff and Kim, Crescent Beach, Vaughn WA


September 18, 2009
About 1 pm, I saw 4 Orcas in Pickering Passage (west side of Hartstene Island) about 1 mile north of the bridge to Hartstene. They were heading south. They surfaced and blew several times.
Tim Baker


I live on Case Inlet, across from Harstine Island and just south of Herron Island. Last evening around 5:30 pm, I spotted 6-8 orcas swimming south, out of the inlet towards the Narrows. They were moving very fast, dipping in and out of the water, spraying water.
Charlotte Smothers


September 17, 2009
Another report of the Puget Sound Transients, forwarded by Ralph Munro: This morning, at 2:00 a.m. my neighbors about 400 feet to the south were awakened by the splashing and crashing and flapping and calling of them again (the Transient orcas). I didn’t get to hear them this time. But at 4:36 a.m. another neighbor, who lives about 500 feet to the north of us, was awakened by the same loud activity. So once again, they had come into Eld Inlet and were headed out again. Apparently they are T137’s (3 of them) and T 136a (a mom and an offspring). (these whales were photographed by Cascadia Research & IDs confirmed by the Center for Whale Research a week or so ago – sb)
Kim Merriman, Olympia


September 14, 2009
I am sending you photos of the orcas who have been visiting Olympia lately. KIm says she saw them in front of her house (across from Cooper Point, I think Ralph told me for five mornings.
Karen Munro


And this morning, at 4:30, we were awakened by a pounding sound. I GOT UP AND DISCOVERED IT WAS THE POD OF ORCAS, SLIGHTLY OFF COOPER POINT, FROLICKING, FLUKE FLAPPING, BREACHING, BLOWING, AND EVEN AN AUDIBLE VOCALIZATION I’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE. THEY LEFT THE INLET DOING ALL THAT ACTIVITY THE ENTIRE WAY. THEY HEADED TO HUNTER POINT AT 5:00 a.m.
Kim, Olympia


This is day five (in a row) for our visiting transient orcas. Don’t know the pod. They have been coming earlier each morning. The first three mornings we only saw them as they were leaving Eld Inlet. The last two mornings we’ve seen them come in and then go out again. It was quite dark at 6:00 this morning – but Scott got up to watch the sunrise. It was totally calm. Then he heard them. Then he saw them. It was breathtaking to witness the calm of the bay with only the surfacing of the whales and the ripples they left behind. These photos happened as they were starting to leave from Sanderson Cove area south of us (which is all the further down the Inlet they went this morning) and were heading back out toward Dana Passage.
Kim, Olympia, WA


My cousin and I were at his house in Steilacoom when we saw 3 possibly 4 Orca whales aprox 5 pm. They were between Ketron Island and Steilacoom and were playing and blowing for about 10 minutes before disappearing off the north side of Ketron Island. Today we spotted them again from Steilacoom just off the north side of Ketron Island. They were blowing and up and down for aprox 20 minutes and finally moved around and we could no longer see them as they moved to the northwest side of Ketron Island. The time of the sightings today was aprox 4:05- 4:25 pm.
Carolyn Stewart


September 13, 2009
The [orca] sighting was in the GPS location of 47 degrees 14" N 122 degrees 34" W at the time span of 13:55 pm we first spotted them swimming around and doing casual whale maneuvers of spyhopping and tails high surfacing and blowing breath and looking around then hunting a baby seal. They quite curiously swam all around our boat and dove under us as well as near two other power boats in the near vicinity. We saw them continue on towards the Fox Is. bridge area at 14:30pm. At that time one of the largest adults breached totally out of the water quite near to a private dock ramp and floating docks close to the shore of Fox Is. We then continued on home to Longbranch via water between Fox Is. and McNeill Is. we did not spot the whales again.
Dorothy Heim, Longbranch WA


Around 2-3:30pm near Pt. Fosdick and Fox Is. in the south Sound a group of orcas 7-8 in number. At least 3-4 adults and 4 young. One of the young orcas seemed to be a very new baby. They were playing? and hunting and feeding. A baby seal was being taunted and hunted. The adults were teaching the young how to hunt. We watched and I took pics for over an hour. They were last heading towards the Fox Is. bridge area on Sunday.
Dorothy Heim, Longbranch WA


Jim Cooper called to report that while out sailing, he saw 5 orcas off the south end of Hartstene Island, heading south at 7:30 am.


Dorothy Hahn called to report a small pod of 5-6 orcas near the Tacoma Narrows bridge between Pt. Fosdick & Fox Island, hunting a seal.


September 12, 2009
At about 6:30 pm we saw a group of 5, possibly Orcas, swimming past our house. 4 (including a smaller one). Surfaced in unison several time with very adible blowing, before staying under for several minutes. There was a 5th with was near by, but always separate. We believe we saw a bit of white or light grey on the otherwise black body. They were not Dolphins or Porpoises.
Sarah Petrie, Olympia
Definitely sounds like the pod of Transient orcas – sb


September 11, 2009
I was kayaking yesterday “09-11” and saw a pod of five orcas it was around five p.m. The whales were about half mile south of Joemma State Park “its on the westside of Key Peninsula” and headed toward Gig harbor. The whales were just cursing in the water, I saw the pod surface two times but no one came out of the water. Looks like they were just heading back to open water.
Brendon McClain


Dorothy Hahn called to report a small pod of 5-6 orcas between McNeil Island and Steilacoom.


A pod of killer whales passed in front of our house today at 5:00 pm. Our location is: Key Peninsula, west looking across Case Inlet, toward Hartstien Island, north of tip of Herron Island.There were at least four and they were headed North to South and passed between Hartstien and Herron Island.
Don Rees


The 5 orcas in south sound were in Dana Passage at about 10:30 am. We watched the orcas travel north all the way to Case Inlet around Treasure Is. During this time they fed at Wilson Pt. on Harstene Is. After feeding they stopped and put on a show at the North Point at Harstene Is. This lasted about 45 min, they were very active during this time. They then headed north into Case Inlet around 2 pm.
Dean Schmidtke


September 10, 2009
A pod of 5 orcas were spotted in Dana Passage off the southern end of Harstene Island this morning around 7:45 am. They were heading south towards Boston Harbor/Cooper Point area.
Dean Schmidtke


September 9, 2009
Amy Carey of Vashon Island called to relay a 2nd hand report of the Transient orca pod off Piner Pt, S. Maury Island at 11:07 am, heading south. She didn’t hear about the orcas until mid- afternoon, but headed out to try to spot them, and at 5:45 pm found them still off Maury Island, and at 6:30 pm they were heading south past Maury Marine Park, where they milled for 40 minutes and continued slowly south along Maury Island until she lost sight of them around 7:30 pm.


September 8, 2009
Jeff Deignan called to relay a 2nd hand report of 4-5 orcas off Pt. Robinson, Maury Island, heading south at 4:30 pm.


Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales in Seattle called at 1:50 pm to report the pod of Transients off Blake Island, heading south toward Vashon Island.


Orca Network received a call from Dave Moehring who had been fishing off of Shilshole N. of Seattle and had a pod of 4 – 5 orcas pass by in the shipping chanel at 10 am. There were no tall male dorsal fins, and several of them had notches. He observed spy hops and tail lobs, as they headed south (several of the T’s in the pod that’s been off Olympia & Whidbey Island have notches in their fins).


September 6, 2009
I saw 4 [orcas], traveling slowly north toward Brace point (S. Seattle) at 9:15 am.


September 5, 2009
At about 1 pm we saw three Orca whales, it looked like 2 adults and a baby. I couldn’t say if any of the fins was large enough for one to be a male. They were in Rocky Bay at the North end of Case Inlet on the Sound (Lat: 47.3581504 Long: 122.7943054). They were making a lot of splashing initially, but then they hung around for about half an hour in roughly the same area and seemed more to be playing. Lots of fins in the air coming up for air and going under, but not really moving from their location. As they left they appeared to be heading South.
Emily Outcalt


These pictures were taken about noon. They were north of Heron Island in Case Inlet. We thought there were 4, 2 adults and 2 young, and feeding. We watched them about half of an hour then they disappeared, we suspected to the south.
Jane Berni


We saw the south sound Transients beginning just before 3 p.m. for about 20 minutes, we watched them cruising and playing in Case Inlet. Our cabin on Crescent Beach is just north of Dutcher’s cove, about 2 miles south of Vaughn. The whales were about a half mile off shore, between Dutcher’s cove and the south end of Stretch Island. We watched them as they headed south, until they were near the ferry dock on the east side of Herron Island. They were quite a distance away by then, but it appeared they stopped the ferry to watch the whales too.
Kim and Jeff, Crescent Beach, Vaughn WA


Orca Network received a report of a pod of 4-5 orcas in Case Inlet outside of Vaughan, near Rocky Bay around 1 or 2 pm, heading south.


I just had a call (7:15 pm) from relatives staying at the family cabin on Johnson Point, out of Olympia. They were watching 5 orcas heading south. The orcas were about a fourth of the way out into the channel between the area south of Tolmie State Park and Taylor Bay. Feeding must be good.
Jone Borhek, Steilacoom


We have had 4, or possibly 5, Orcas in Hammersley Inlet in the Shelton area.
Lee Zuke, Shelton, WA


September 4, 2009
Amy Traxler of the Whale Museum called to share two reports from their hotline of the Transient orcas in south Puget Sound between Hammersley Inlet and Oakland Bay.


This is a report of a pod of orcas that arrived in Hammersley Inlet by Shelton, WA on September 2 and they are still here at dusk.
Beth Reid, Shelton, WA


We have had 4, or possibly 5, Orcas in Hammersley Inlet in the Shelton area.
Lee Zuke, Shelton, WA
I received a report this morning from Jason Ragan, who said the transients had moved into Oakland Bay near Shelton.
Christopher Dunagan, Environmental Reporter, Kitsap Sun


In Hamersley Inlet, in Shelton, the Transient orcas are currently (1:05 pm)at Oakland Bay & Hammersely inlet.
Deborah Goelzer


September 3, 2009
Amy Traxler of the Whale Museum called to share two reports from their hotline of the Transient orcas in south Puget Sound. One sighting was between Eagle Pt. and Munson Pt.


This is a report of a pod of orcas that arrived in Hammersley Inlet by Shelton, WA
Beth Reid, Shelton, WA


I was just at my sisters in Hamersley Inlet, in Shelton. Her neighbor had taken pictures of the Transient orca pod.
Deborah Goelzer


I saw three orcas in Case Inlet on the east side of Harstine Island at about 6:20p. Two adults and one juvenile were heading north. I watched them breach for about 2-3 minutes before they headed north toward Stretch Island.
Jill Roberts


We got reports of these whales (Transient orcas) early this morning, so Greg Schorr and I just went out to get a better look. There are five individuals in the group, 3 adult female/subadult male sized and two juveniles, one fairly small. We saw at least two kills, one confirmed harbor seal and one that we assume was a seal, but we were at a distance so did not see the victim. We left the whales in the middle of Budd Inlet, headed slowly south toward Olympia. A WDFW enforcement team is on the water keepin