July 27th - Orion and a Traveling T-party

We’re really enjoying the beautiful summer weather we are finally getting in the PNW, and there’s no better way to beat the heat than finding whales on the Salish Sea.
We started the day with a well-known humpback in our region, Orion was busy foraging off the Gulf islands in the Strait of Georgia. She continued to do this all day as we found him in the morning and during the afternoon tour as well.
In previous seasons this area, along the Eastern shores of Galiano and Valdez Islands, was a humpback hotspot! There’s a steep shelf that runs parallel to the islands where small schooling fish, plankton and krill seem to congregate, providing perfect feeding grounds for our humpbacks. This year the Humpback soup seems to have moved and we haven’t quite found it yet, but that hasn’t stopped us from finding the gentle giants in other areas.

During our afternoon trip we got to see Orion again and also spent a bit of time with a small T-party. Friends Artemis and Volker were travelling with their kids through the strait.
This T-party is one we see almost every year. At this point we are fairly confident that Artemis and Volker are best friends who very much enjoy each other’s company. Last year these two pods travelled together for almost a full month before they finally separated to travel solo again. These pods have fairly similar make ups as well.

T037A - Volker (F, 1994)
T037A1 - Inyo (F, 2007)
T037A2 - Inky (M, 2009)
T037A3 - Spinnaker (M, 2013)
T037A4 - Crinkle (F, 2015)
T037A5 - (M, 2019)

T065A - Artemis (F, 1986)
T065A2 - Ooxjaa (M, 2004)
T065A3 - Amir (M, 2007)
T065A4 - Ellifrit (F, 2011)
T065A5 - Indy (M, 2014)
T065A6 - Callisto (F, 2018)

Each matriarch has 5 children, and currently, both eldest are off on their own. Volkers oldest daughter, Inyo, has been travelling solo for a while. Earlier this month we saw her travelling with 2 other pods and Young, a whale who is typically in Alaska. Female orca don’t typically disperse from their mom until after they have had calves of their own, but Inyo is childless and exploring the sea solo. Ooxjaa hasn’t been seen with his mom in a little while either, not since his younger brother, Amir returned to her side.
These two pods were travelling today, heading South along the eastern shores of Galiano.

Enjoy the photos of our wildlife taken by marine naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen and Carmen Murphy.

Orion (BCX1251). Photo by Carmen Murphy, 10:30AM tour.

Orion (BCX1251). Photo by Carmen Murphy, 3:30PM tour.

Amir (T065A3). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen, 3:30PM tour.

Inky (T037A2). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen, 3:30PM tour.

Inky (T037A2) and family. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen, 3:30PM tour.

Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen, 3:30PM tour.

Inky (T037A2, left) & Spinnaker (T037A3). Photo by Carmen Murphy, 3:30PM tour.

Volker (T037A, left) & Crinkle (T037A4, right). Photo by Carmen Murphy, 3:30PM tour.

How many birds do you see? Photo by Carmen Murphy, 3:30PM tour.

Perfect spot to get out of the sun. Photo by Carmen Murphy, 3:30PM tour.

Jilann LechnerJuly 27, 2022Comment