||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH |||
| FULL ENCOUNTER REPORT |
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ObservBegin: 05:05 PM ObservEnd: 05:27 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Other Observers: Rachel John Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T63, T65, T65A5, T75B, T75B2, T75B3, T75B5, T90, T90B, T90C, T90D, T100, T100C, T100F, T101, T101A, T101B, T123, T123A, T123C, T123D, T124D, T124D1, T124D3, and T124D4 LocationDescr: Matia Island |
| EncSummary: While we were on our way to J pod (Encounter 61-1), we heard reports of a large group of Bigg’s near Pt. Roberts. While we were with J pod, the number of Ts present started growing until it was reported to be over 30 by the time we were wrapping up with the Js. The Bigg’s had made it to just north of Sucia Island by the time Encounter 61-1 was over. This was almost on the way home and way too many Ts to ignore, so we thought we’d better take a look before going home.
The whales had sped up and were heading east on the north shoreline of Matia Island. The encounter began at 1705. There was a group of four whales in the lead by several hundred yards. This was the T90s, and they briefly headed east before turning south towards Barnes and Clark Islands. The T90s were moving at a pretty good clip, and we soon left them to go back to the larger group. The larger group was loosely spread out and moving south fast after having passed between Matia and Puffin Islands. We only had one brief pass on the large group, but managed to get pictures of all but two of the whales thought present. T101A was off to the east by himself on the periphery of the group while members of the T75Bs, T100s, T101s, T123s, and T124Ds plus T63, T65, and T65A5, paraded quickly by us in a loose formation. The total number of whales in the groups that we encountered was 26. It was getting late in the afternoon, and we were on the opposite side of the San Juan Islands from home, so we ended the encounter at 1727, less than halfway between Matia Island and Barnes and Clark Islands, with the Ts heading quickly south-southeast. |
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