Superpod in the Salish Sea
We had our first superpod of the year today!! It rained on us most of the day but the whales didn't mind at all. Our viewing started at Colville Island where we spotted some harbor seals and a few harlequin ducks. A few minutes later we watched a black oystercatcher harass a bald eagle that was perched near his nest on Swirl Island. We caught up with a superpod of orcas near Lime Kiln park on the west side of San Juan Island. The orcas were milling around near the shoreline for most of our visit today. They seemed to be doing lots of socializing, and mating today. We saw lots of spyhops, tailslaps, taillobs, swimming upside-down, playing in the kelp, orcas pushing each other around, and even a few breaches today. It looked like we had all of J-pod and a portion of K and L pods. I identified J1, Ruffles, J2, Granny, J8, Speiden, J26, Mike, J27, Blackberry, K11, Georgia, and L41, Mega to name a few. Next the orcas started to head northward and they grouped up into a large group swimming very close to the rocky shoreline right before we said goodbye. The show was so good that it was very hard to leave. Naturalist Bart Rulon.
