L-POD HAS RETURNED!Saturday, June 9th
Today was a great day of whale watching in the Victoria area. On both trips, our passengers were able to see orcas and both trips were spectacular. Our spotter informed us about a large number of transients travelling in Juan De Fuca Strait east of Race Rocks. Arriving on scene, we witnessed a relatively large number of marine mammal hunting killer whales (a group of at least 8 to 10 whales). Transient orcas generally are not found in these large numbers, as it is difficult for a large group of whales to remain undetected by their prey sources. We were awed by the presence of a huge adult male and were thrilled by the sighting of a cute young calf. The close proximity of the whales to Race Rocks allowed us to show our guests the spectacular Race Rocks ecological reserve where we saw a Steller sea lion amongst the bull kelp, a young elephant seal and several harbour seals. Two mature bald eagles were also seen at Race Rocks. Our final stop of the tour was Whirl Bay, where we saw two more bald eagles, and an active bald eagle nest. One of our younger guests was thrilled by the sighting of one of the more important intertidal predators - the purple ochre sea star. Despite the rather dismal weather forecast this morning, the weather held off and we had a truly great trip.
The 5 o'clock trip was one of the highlights of the season as passengers aboard the Orca Spirit were among the first whale watchers to see the return of L-pod to the Salish Sea! Seas were calm and the sun was out, as we travelled southwest of Victoria again to Race Rocks where we found the inbound resident orcas. The whales were spread out over several miles and travelling in small groups, but they were in a playful mood. Tail slaps and breaches were the theme of the evening. With our hydrophone down, we were able to eavesdrop on some amazing vocalizations. Another highlight of the trip was a spectacular pass from a favourite whale Faith (L-57). This mature male killer whale is a spectacular animal and it was nice to see him looking so healthy!
Attached are a few beautiful photos from onboard Naturalist Corey.
