This month’s report begins with a wonderful announcement: Samish (J-14) had her 5th calf, designated by the Center for Whale Research as J-43. This calf was first seen November 6th by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Fisheries research team. If you haven’t seen the video of mom and J-43 go to www.whalemuseum.org and click on **News Updates** then click on 11/9/07 King 5 Cameras Film J Pod With New Calf Near Alki Beach (video follows ad). In the beginning of the video you can see Samish with Riptide on her right and new baby J-43 surfacing between them. Keep watching and see if you can find when the calf surfaces again. It’s a great short video of this new calf and of J Pod. Toward the end you will see Blackberry (J-27) and Mike (J-26) too!….

The full report is available to members of the San Juan Island Whale Museum’s Orca Adoption program.  Visit the Whale Museum Online to join today and receive full reports monthly via email.

Whale Report
By Jeanne Hyde, Orca Adoption Program Coordinator and Volunteer Naturalist at Lime Kiln Point State Park

October is usually a month when orca sightings diminish.  However, this year has been extraordinary!  It has been super-pod galore the last few weeks.  The whales follow their food source and when you hear of salmon jumping out of the water and people actually seeing the whales chasing salmon, well that must mean something!

For the last month the whales would come into the Salish Sea for a day or two and then go out the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward the open ocean.  Just once this fall they have gone into Admiralty Inlet, near Seattle. In past years it was common for them to spend quite a bit of time in the fall in Puget Sound.  Late one Friday in early October, all three pods were spotted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca heading in toward San Juan Island.  They traveled north in Haro Strait, along the west side of San Juan Island in the dark of night.  The next day they were seen near Spieden Island coming back south.  They ‘stalled out’ a couple miles north of Lime Kiln Park and the lighthouse.  It was a cold, windy, blustery day. A half-dozen hearty folks stood at the lighthouse waiting for the whales.  ‘Eagle Eye’ Alison could see the whales’ blows from two or more miles away, and after what seemed like forever, their fins began to appear.  We could also see breaching and porpoising, lunging, and spyhops happening everywhere you looked!  The activity was electrifying! Three whales, each displaying different behaviors - breaching, tail lobbing and lunging, were out of the water at the same time.  It was amazing!  It was very difficult to identify any of the whales because the ocean swells were   large with lots of white-caps and the whales were not close to shore.  Observers did, however, get a look at Moonlight (L-83) and her calf L-110.  This little one, just two months old was lifting himself up out of the water as high as he could, sort of half way between a spyhop and a lunge.  He made it through his first stormy weather okay because he and his mom have been seen several times since then.  All along the west side of San Juan Island people were watching what seemed to be one of the most active pass-bys of the season and it was October!

In mid-October, an invitation to go out on a local whale watch boat to look for humpback whales was just too good to pass up. During the summer and fall, humpback whales from coastal Central America and coastal Mexico migrate north to the coast of California all the way north to southern British Columbia. The boat was going from Friday Harbor, San Juan Island to an area a few miles south of Victoria, British Columbia where several humpback whales had been spotted.  While on the way the captain got a call that J Pod was east of Victoria heading toward us!  Can you imagine the additional excitement onboard?!

As we approached the area where J Pod had been spotted, another whale watching boat was about two miles ahead of us.     Almost all the whale watchers’ eyes were focused in the direction of that boat, with the anticipation of seeing their first blow.  There was one pair of eyes, however, that was scanning the water and what do you know - more whales were seen just off our starboard (right) side of the boat!  The immediate thought was that it must be some of J Pod, but when looking through the binoculars we knew immediately that those were transient orcas and not the residents!  This was so exciting! There were two adult females and two juveniles moving at a slow pace to the east.  They were only about one mile ahead of J Pod.  The transients appeared to be in a resting mode making several shallow dives and then a longer five to six minute dive.  They did not display any hunting behavior during this time.

We waited as J Pod continued moving to the east, seemingly unaware of transient orcas so close by.  J Pod was grouped up, with about six to eight whales surfacing at a time. They were in their family groups with Slick (J-16) and her offspring Mike (J-26), Keet (J-33), Alki (J-36) and new calf J-42 in the lead. Surfacing with them were Shachi (J-19) her calf Eclipse (J-41), and Princess Angeline (J-17) and her youngest Tahlequah (J-35).  Polaris (J-28), Princess Angeline’s oldest offspring was not far behind.  The largest group to surface was comprised of Ruffles (J-1), Granny (J-2), Samish (J-14) and Suttles (J-40), Riptide (J-30) with Hy’Shqa (J-37). Spieden (J-8) surfaced with Blossom (J-11), Mako (J-39), Blackberry (J-27) and Tsuchi (J-31).  A few minutes later Spieden had moved over and surfaced with Granny and Ruffles.  Oreo (J-22), DoubleStuf (J-34) and Cookie (J-38) were toward the end of the group. The water was completely flat, the day was a bit overcast, and there was no wind. As they surfaced you could hear their blows - one after another as they breathed in fresh air.  Just as quietly as they surfaced, they dove again.  They would make several shallow dives and then a longer dive. The peace the whales convey when they are observed in this manner certainly causes the observer to feel peace…

…and it’s no different than the excitement one feels when there’s lots of action! It wasn’t long before that action began.  The transients, who are marine mammal eaters, ‘woke up’ and began to hunt. Shortly after the transients began hunting, J Pod ‘woke up’ and began to chase the transients.  Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research shared that they witnessed the transients moving fast, porpoising to get away from about nine J Pod whales who were chasing them north up Haro Strait, along the west side of San Juan Island.  The chase was short and J pod stopped and moved in toward the island, turning and heading back to the south.  When others heard of this encounter a question was raised: “Did J Pod not know the transients were ahead of them, until the transients starting hunting?”  Transients are stealth and after a kill they often become vocal.  Is that when J Pod detected  the presence of the transients?  (‘Food’ for thought.)  What began as a day of the unknown sure ended up filled with lots of whale sightings!

Even though Oreo, DoubleStuf and Cookie were off in the distance on that previous sighting, they sure gave us a good look when on October 20th a super-pod showed up again!  The day began with a call that whales were on the west side of the island.  When I arrived some had already passed-by the lighthouse, but still more were coming across Haro Strait from Discovery Island heading toward the lighthouse.  First seen were Raggedy (K-40) and Cappuccino (K-21). Seeing them indicated that K Pod was there; J Pod had been seen, but there was no word on L Pod.  Looking across the strait, seeing the number of whales approaching proved that yes, L Pod was definitely there too! Then an L Pod female was spotted with a calf.  Immediately I thought it might be Ino (L-54) but it wasn’t, it was Tanya (L-5) and a calf - but who?  Then Flash (L-73), Saanich (L-74) and Nyssa (L-84) were seen in a group. Indigo (L-100) was spotted not far behind Tanya and the calf.  Another female was about 100 yards away from these whales – it was Ino, the calf’s mother.  The calf with Tanya was Coho (L-108), Ino’s youngest offspring. Tanya appeared to be babysitting. Whew!

The whales continued traveling at a very slow pace.  They were definitely traveling north, but just how far would they go before they turned and went south again?  Once again I was invited to go on a whale watching boat.  Thinking that the whales would not turn south before dark, and because the whale sightings would be few to none over the next several months, I hopped aboard.  Oh, my, what an experience it was!  The water was choppy and the whales were spread out foraging.  Chatter over the marine radio indicated that there was an abundance of salmon in the area.  People were seeing salmon just under the surface with whales in hot pursuit!  Can you imagine?  The whales were spread out surfacing individually and in small groups.

Well, who did I see first?  None other that Raggedy, the same whale I had spotted several hours before as she passed-by the lighthouse.  She traveled on by us.  Not far from her were Gaia (L-78) and Grace (L-2).  The whales were constantly changing direction as they foraged for salmon.  Racer (L-72) and offspring Fluke (L-105) surfaced on our starboard (right side). Soon Spock (K-20) and her calf Comet (K-38) surfaced nearby.  As these whales and others foraged a few hundred yards from us, it became obvious that some gulls were after something on the surface.  The gulls would land on the water after Fluke or Comet dove, getting tasty bits of salmon.  Just before these calves would surface again the birds would take flight. One time Fluke surfaced with kelp in his mouth – oops, he must have missed that bite of salmon.

Other whales began to pass-by across the stern (back of the boat).  Two of them were Nugget (L-55) and Lapis (L-103).  Nugget’s youngest calf L-109 was later seen with older sister Kasatka (L-82).  Kasatka sure baby-sits this calf a lot!  Nugget’s sisters Ophelia (L-27) and Surprise! (L-86), with her offspring Pooka (L-106), were off the port side (left) heading away from us.  Nugget and Lapis then turned and met up with the others.  Then a few other whales began to approach.  The one approaching from behind the boat was Rhapsody (J-32).  Then Oreo (J-22) and Cookie (J-38) began to chase salmon.  A sprouter male was with them, who ended up being Wave Walker (L-88)!  There were a couple others with them who were not positively identified. These four to six whales chased salmon all around.  At one point someone yelled for everyone to look at the salmon swimming past the stern of the boat.  As I looked down into the water I could see Oreo just below the surface moving much slower than I would have expected.  What was the most amazing part of this observation was seeing another whale below Oreo.  This whale was on his/her side, because I could see the white body markings and the whale was not moving.  I imagined he/she was watching Oreo chase down the salmon.  It has been proven that the whales share their food, so maybe this whale was waiting for Oreo to share her catch.  I’ve never seen anything like it. It was definitely a new glimpse into the whales’ world.  That evening all three pods went south. Many listened to www.orcasound.net and got a great treat hearing the whales as they ‘chatted’ their way south along San Juan Island.

The next day they all three pods were seen heading into Admiralty Inlet, in Puget Sound.  It wasn’t long before all three pods made their way back north, heading, once again, toward San Juan Island.  They came as far north as Hein Bank, made a left turn and headed out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Would they return again or was that it for the 2007 season? Well…

….it wasn’t the last!   On October 28th  all three pods were first spotted coming in the Strait of Juan de Fuca heading toward San Juan Island. When the whales reached Discovery Island they turned north heading toward Lime Kiln Lighthouse, however, they were spread from a quarter mile from shore to more than two miles offshore as they headed up the island.  I was on a research vessel, participating as a team member, photographing the whales. The first group of whales we encountered were Tanya (L-5) and her family group of Flash (L-73), Saanich (L-74) and Nyssa (L-84); and the family group of Ino (L-54), Indigo (L-100) and Coho (L-108).  Ophelia, Surprise! and Pooka were with them. The water was very choppy that afternoon and 18 month old Coho was putting on quite a display.  That may have been due to the large swells of the sea and the fact that they were traveling against the tide.  Coho leaped and lunged by his mother’s side with Indigo not far away.  The research team selected Nyssa as the whale to follow for the study.  As we began, Nyssa was traveling behind Flash.  After a short while all but Nyssa  moved in closer to the island; Nyssa continued traveling north.  At one point he began to tail slap, raising his tail high above the surface, lingering there for a few seconds then dropping it down with a splash. He repeated his ‘lingering tail slap’ seven times!

We then found a pair of whales and selected the younger of the two males - Nigel (L-95).  He was traveling with a teenage male, Lobo (K-26).  Lobo’s mom Lea (K-14) and brother Yoda (K-36) were seen up ahead with other moms and calves of L Pod - Moonlight and L-110 and Racer and Fluke. During the hour of observation of Nigel and Lobo, several times they took very long dives, maybe three to four minutes.  Each person took a section of the sea watching for these two whales to surface and also to watch for any other whales that might be in the area.  Just about every time they surfaced they would be behind us.  Toward the end of the observation time with Nigel, his buddy Crewser (L-92) showed up.  We departed from the scene at about 5p.m that day.  Later that evening only J Pod calls were heard over the hydrophones.  Where will they appear next?  We’ll have to wait…

That wait lasted until the day this month’s update was being completed (10/30/07).  Word came in that all three pods were seen near the Canadian Gulf Islands and were heading south…hum…so they had been north since October 28th, but no one had been able to find them….what another wonderful afternoon of encounters with the whales. But that the story will have to wait until next month!  Until then….

Whale Birthdays  Mike – 1st seen 11/2/91     Cali – 1st seen 11/01    Indigo – 1st seen 11/01
Aurora – 1st seen 11/02
First seen late in year      Cookie – 1st seen late 2002    Sonata  1st seen late 2002

Monthly Orca Update September 2007
Whale Report
By Jeanne Hyde, Orca Adoption Program Coordinator and Volunteer Naturalist at Lime Kiln Point State Park

The month of September began similar to August – no orcas! J, K and L pods once again left the Salish Sea waters and headed out toward the open ocean. There was lots of waiting and wondering as to when they would return. September might be described as ‘fewer whale-days but more whales.’ The whales leave the area more often in September and when we do see them, more often all three pods are together, making for some spectacular whale sightings. It doesn’t matter if you are sitting along the shore at Lime Kiln Point State Park, a bit further south at the San Juan County Land Trust, north at San Juan County Park, or if you are on a commercial whale watching vessel, “September Whales” can be truly awesome. And that is what they have been this past month.

Seeing 87 killer whales passing-by is a most amazing sight. They pass-by in groups, large and small, sometimes individuals from different pods are traveling together and other times they are in their family groupings. They are sometimes spread out several miles. Some may be close to where you are, while others may be far-off. You may get to see them breach, tail slap, spyhop, and most often you will hear yourself exclaiming, “There’s one!” “Oh look!” Or you may just be at a loss for words because it is overwhelming and words can’t describe the moment! That’s what occurred one September day when all three pods returned after what felt like a long absence.
J, K and L pods traveled in (east) through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the south end of San Juan Island. They began to make their way north, ever so slowly. You see, they were having a ‘party’ (called socializing) and they really weren’t interested in traveling. They seemed to be ‘happy whales’ with lots of breaching, spyhopping, rolling around on one another, tail lobbing, mating, and the kids looked like they were having great fun too! During the ‘party’ the whales moved less than four miles the entire day! That night all three pods went north, but it seems no one knew, because there were no reports of hearing vocalizations over the hydrophones. They may have traveled silently through the range of the hydrophones during the night, or they may have passed-by far enough from shore that the hydrophones did not pick up their calls. However, the next day all three pods were found many miles north, past the Canadian Gulf Islands. They spent the day foraging and the next morning they were gone again! They were spotted heading west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca, toward the open ocean. Did they ‘sneak’ past the hydrophones on the west side of the island again or did they go south down Rosario Strait, across the southern end of Lopez Island and west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca? We may never know for sure which way they went, we only know where they were sighted that next day.

A few days later J Pod returned with Grace’s (L-2) subgroup. It seems that Ruffles (J-1) and Grace ‘took a liking’ to each other as they were seen spending lots of time together! Gaia (L-78) was seen traveling with Granny (J-2). Gaia is just 18 yrs old while Granny is in her nineties. Wave Walker (L-88) was hanging out with Blackberry (J-27) and Rhapsody (J-32). Splash (L-67) and Mike (J-26) were romping around a bit and Aurora (L-101), Splash’s offspring, was seen with Cookie (J-38) and Suttles (J-40). Aurora is about five years of age, Cookie is four years old and Suttles is the youngest of the three, being just about three years old. Of course the rest of J Pod was there too, but it was the pairing-up of the L-2s with specific J Pod whales that made for great observations! The L-2s remained with J Pod for more than a week. Then, after a couple weeks together, the L-2s decided not to continue traveling with J Pod. As the rest of the pods moved north, the L-2s remained behind with the L-9s (also called the L-5s) - Tanya (L-5), Flash (L-73), Saanich (L-74) and Nyssa (L-84).

There has been a rumor that Princess Angeline (J-17) may be pregnant. Is it because recently Princess Angeline has been seen several times traveling with Slick (J-16) and her five month old calf J-42? Since Princess Angeline’s youngest, Tahlequah, is nine years old, might she be reacquainting herself with caring for a baby? Prior to this month, Princess Angeline has most often been seen with her two offspring Polaris (J-28) and Tahlequah (J-35). During September, Polaris and Tahlequah have been observed several times traveling in the vicinity but not with their mom, as mom was with Slick and calf. These types of casual observations are always good to note because it can sometimes shed light on a future occurrence, possibly providing a tool for future observations. For example: Shortly before Eclipse (J-41) was born in 2005 and shortly before J-42 was born this year, J Pod changed their travel pattern and moved only short distances each day. It appeared that no one knew why they had reduced their daily area of travel to less than ten miles, when their normal daily travel was up to ten times that. The reduced travel range continued for several days and then, a new calf would be seen! A few days after each of these calves was born J Pod went back to what was considered a more normal travel pattern for them. If Princess Angeline were to have a calf in the near future, it may be a clue that when a female is pregnant she may be seen ‘hanging out’ with other moms who have calves. The pregnancy gestation period for a killer whale is 17 months so we may never know for sure!

One morning, as heavy fog lingered over the island and all across the water’s surface, there were reports of hearing the whales blow, other reports of hearing the whales over the hydrophones (www.orcasound.net click on Lime Kiln Lighthouse) and one phone call saying that there were ‘fins’ off the lighthouse! Upon further investigation J Pod was found making their way south. (It was later learned that they had gone north in the fog and then turned around.) It was a flood-tide [tide coming in (North)] and the whales were going against the tide (South). When this occurs, often the same whale will pass-by several times! They surface three or four times, then take a deeper dive and allow the tide to carry them back! You think you identified a whale passing-by, but then that same whale appears, causing you to wonder if you really got it right!
Two days later, all three pods were together and the L Pod new mothers all passed-by close to shore with their calves.

Moonlight (L-83) and L-110 (the newest calf- first seen 8/16/07), were seen with grandmother Marina (L-47) and great grandmother Ankh (L-21). With them were Nugget (L-55) and her middle offspring Lapis (L-103) who surfaced with kelp draped over her dorsal fin. Kasatka (L-82) was traveling with her youngest sibling L-109. Little L-109 was traveling in Kasatka’s slipstream (see description). She must have been babysitting, giving mom some quality time with sister Lapis. As they continued moving north, L-109 stuck his/her head straight up out of the water - an attempted spyhop - just as the other three surfaced in unison, one behind the other. Lapis first, then Nugget and last was Kasatka. With their next surfacing Lapis had moved over to join L-109, and Kasatka had moved to the far side of both youngsters, sandwiching Lapis and L-109 between the two adults!

Cali (K-34) has been one very observable whale this month. One day he was seen with kelp draped over his fluke, the next he was surprising observers by diving about 400 yards from shore and then surfacing less than 50 yards, heading directly toward the shore! Another time, Cali demonstrated ‘the art’ of tail slapping as he slapped his fluke on the water’s surface over and over again as he traveled south with K Pod! Scoter (K-25) has appeared several times in the company of whales that one wouldn’t normally expect. For example – he and Faith (L-57) traveled north along the kelp beds surfacing just in front of the lighthouse. Another time, Scoter, along with Skagit (K-13) and Cali were seen traveling with Ophelia (L-27) and her sisters Nugget and Surprise! (L-86) and their offspring.

During part of September, researchers from Cascadia Research were on the water collecting prey samples from the whales, whenever possible. Now just imagine following behind a 14,000 lb. whale, you in a 17’ inflatable zodiac vessel, standing in the ‘bow pulpit’ with a long handled swimming pool net, trying to scoop up particles on the water’s surface, left behind after a whale dives! Items collected from the water’s surface, once analyzed, can reveal many different types of information. For example, scientists are able to tell what species of salmon the whale had ingested and sometimes which river the salmon is from. For more information and pictures about this, go to http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/robin/kwdiet.htm.

As this monthly update was being completed, J, K and most L pods surprised us by coming south along the west side of San Juan Island. Two days before some L Pod whales remained at the south end of the island while the rest of the three pods went north. Reports stated that the northerly group had traveled north of the Fraser River, and were continuing north. They were expected to return south, but not unitl later in the day. However, they surprised everyone by showing up much earlier. It was just 8:15 a.m. when off in the distance there was a disturbance on the water. It was time for the binoculars! Two whales were spotted. Were they from the group that had remained to the south or was it the rest of the Southern Resident Community that had been north near the Fraser River? The answer came quickly as Georgia (K-11) surfaced; it was the northerly group coming back! Next Raggedy (K-40), who is usually seen with her brother Cappuccino (K-21), was observed porpoising south with Deadhead (K-27)! It isn’t often that we observe Raggedy porpoising, so that was doubly exciting to see! Behind these two whales were Skagit (K-13) and Sekiu (K-22). But where was Sekiu’s offspring Tika (K-33)? That question was soon answered, as three whales approached close to shore from the north. One youngster lunged, bringing his/her head completely out of the water - it was Rainshadow (K-37). Rainshadow’s mom Sequim (K-12) surfaced next, and there was Tika in front of both of them. All three surfaced close to the shore, along the kelp beds. The flat calm water and the quiet morning with the sun behind us added to the specialness of the pass-by. But that wasn’t the end of it. Many more whales in mixed family groups traveled past for the next two hours. Nugget, Kasatka and L-109, were traveling offshore with Ankh (L-21). Ankh slowed, then turned, lunged and dove looking as though she was after a salmon. Two young whales, Pooka (L-106) and who appeared to be Moonlight’s calf (L-110), surfaced face-to-face, and remained on the surface, facing each other for several seconds. When these two surfaced again they were side-by-side. It seems that L-110 is a bit young to be playing in this manner, however with the next surfacing L-110 was back by Moonlight’s side. Mega (L-41), Matia (L-77) and Ocean Sun (L-25) were a bit farther offshore. Not far from them were Shachi (J-19) and Calypso (L-94). Seeing Calypso with Shachi caused some to wonder if Calypso might be picking up some mothering tips from Shachi because it is rare to see Calypso with whales other than her sister Matia, brother Mega and close companion Ocean Sun. Eclipse (J-41), Shachi’s offspring, was off to herself rolling and diving and we wondered just what this two-year-old was up to. There were several gulls at the surface acting as if they were getting some food scraps. Each time Eclipse was about to surface the gulls would take off! Later, reviewing the photos from the morning revealed that Eclipse had a salmon in her mouth! Just imagine a two year old child eating. Well, it’s probably the same with a two year old killer whale and a big salmon, lots of tidbits all around! Another interesting combination: Lulu (L-53) was with Princess Angeline (J-17) and Solstice (L-89). Princess Angeline and Lulu were born the same year, so they are most likely ‘old friends’. But Solstice is just fourteen. He must have been along for the ride or interested in learning something from these two females.

The majority of J Pod whales passed-by far offshore. They all appeared to be heading west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but before too long they turned and came back in. One of the highlights of their return was when Ruffles was seen traveling north surrounded by Dall’s porpoises that were rooster tailing all around him. It’s called ‘rooster tailing’ because the speed at which the Dall’s porpoise travels, combined with surfacing causes the water to shoot-up, looking like a rooster’s tail. Dall’s porpoise are know for bow riding, skimming along the surface at high speed just off the bow of a boat as it moves through the water. This same thing occurred this time last year with Ruffles and the Dall’s porpoises. The Dall’s porpoises seemed to be using Ruffles like a boat. Ruffles just continued moving along, not changing his direction, seeming to pay no attention to these speedy small porpoises (the fastest of the small cetaceans - up to 35 mile per hour).

What is a Slipstream?
As a whale moves, the water is pushed away from in front and along its sides. As the whale continues on, water rushes from behind to fill in the gap created by the displaced water. A calf is able to travel close to mom in the ‘free space’ created from its mother’s body. (Note: There isn’t ever actually ‘free space’ because there is always water there, it is just moving water.) As the water rushes in from behind to fill in the gap it acts similar to a wave pushing a surfboard forward. It also helps keep the calf close to its mother as they travel along. This helps the calf conserve energy and keep up with the pod.

Whale Birthdays
Fluke - 1st seen 10/04      Cookie was first seen in late 2003.

L-108 Has Received a Name
Over 3,500 votes were cast to name L-108. The six eligible names were Echo, Inoke, Cayuco, Ozzie, Neah and Coho. Coho is the winning name. Coho is the name of a species of salmon that the Southern Resident orcas like to feed on. Coho salmon are also called ‘silvers.’ Maybe the name was so popular due to the fact that salmon are a threatened species and salmon are a major food source of the Southern Resident Community orcas. We all hope that Coho will find lots salmon to feast on! Coho is now available for adoption. There must be someone you know who would just love a Gift Adoption of this young whale!

Be sure to use your Seafood Watch cards when you go shopping or to a restaurant. Just one more way to help the whales and the oceans.
Be sure to visit www.whalemuseum.org for news and information about whales. To report marine mammal strandings or sightings in San Juan County call the Marine Mammal Stranding Network - The Whale Hotline at 1-800-562-8832 (WA only).

Please let us know when you change your email or mailing address. Send an email to: oap@whalemuseum.org
As an active member you receive free admission to the Exhibit Hall and a 10% discount on store and on-line purchases from the Museum Gift Shop.

Visit www.whalemuseum.org or call 1-800-946-7227 x 30 to order.
Help raise money for the The Whale Museum and our programs just be searching the internet with Goodsearch – www.goodsearch.com – powered by Yahoo!…it doesn’t cost you a penny…but those pennies add up to help the whales!
Does your company have an Employee Giving Program? If so, you can double your support. Send in your company’s employee giving program form (from your HR Dept) with your adoption renewal and you’ll be doubling your gift to help the whales!
Until next time….

News about our resident Orca whales from the month of July.

Living on San Juan Island, I am lucky enough to not have to make a point of tracking down our resident Orca whales.  If I was visiting, on the other hand, I’d definitely make a point of getting in a kayak, on a whale watch boat or hiking along one of the island’s many west side public access points, because witnessing such majestic creatures in the wild is certainly a peak experience.

Why do wild places and animals resonate so strongly?  I think we put so much of our own wildness aside as we make our way through the human world.  Obviously, we live in houses, drive cars, work, walk on concrete instead of soft, fecund earth.  Also, what is wild in us kind of gets in the way of paying bills, putting kids through school and sustaining what has become a “normal” human existence, and that’s just stuff we have to do…most of the time.  What if you succumbed one of your wild impulses?  What if you turned from the human road to glimpse through the trees of some forest, along some overgrown animal track?  What if you played hooky with your kids some Tuesday just to be together, off schedule, off the grid, with the phone off the hook and the t.v. unplugged?

When I take this moment I realize that “home” is not an address, a building, or a place but a feeling of recognition that I am where I am want to be, when I am want to be there.  For just that moment, everything else falls away and it feels so good.  That’s what I look for in a vacation.  It’s why I kayak and visit wild places; and it’s what thrills me so much about a chance encounter with San Juan Island’s Orcas.

Yesterday I flew down to Seattle to pick up visiting friends and we were treated to a fantastic whale show off San Juan Island’s gorgeous westside as we descended on final approach.  From about 1000 ft over the water we witnessed lots of splashing, jumping and breaching and whales seemed to fill the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The wild held sway, even from the within the throbbing, buzzing, pulsing cockpit of my busy little Cessna.  That’s why I live on San Juan Island.