Three new whale calves in 2009

March newborn with adult whales. Photo courtesy of the Center for Whale Research.

Ken Balcomb, Dave Ellifrit and John Durban encountered J pod just before sunset on March 3 in Haro Strait traveling Northwest.

They report on the Center for Whale Research website:

“We confirmed that the new baby J44 was still doing well with its presumed mother, J17; and, we documented another new calf J45 with its presumed mother J14 (foreground in the above photo). This is quite exciting to have two new calves in J pod within a month. Thanks to Jeanne Hyde for first noticing the newest calf on 28 February, and letting us know J pod was back in the area on 3 March.”

This new calf is the third whale baby this year, as two newborns were identified in February:

“J44 was first documented by Ken Balcomb on 6 February off the Victoria, British Columbia waterfront traveling with two adult females in J pod, J17 and J28. It could not be precisely determined if J44 is the first documented calf of J28, a sixteen year old female, or the most recent calf of J17, a thirty-two year old female that is the mother of J28.

“We do know that the family bonds in this population of whales are quite strong, and it is not unusual for grandmothers to baby-sit, or perhaps even wet nurse their grand offspring. “We can see from the creases on the right side of J44 that it was born recently, perhaps in mid to late January 2009. This calf appears to be quite healthy and vigorous, and we look forward to documenting its return with J pod this spring

“L112 was first documented by Morris Grover on 21 January off Depoe Bay, Oregon, and later documented by Ken Balcomb February 6th off the Victoria, British Columbia waterfront traveling with adult female L86, an eighteen year old female. If L112 is the calf of L86. It is the younger sibling of L106, a boy calf born to L86 in 2005. Both calves appeared healthy and vigorous during the February 6th encounter, and we look forward to documenting their return with L pod this spring.”