T30s and T49A's near Victoria

March 29
Just in from a great trip on the water with Mark Malleson. So nice to be in the sunshine for a change! We encountered 9, possibly 10 Transients between 2-3pm. Certainly the T49A's and the T 30's were ID by Mark, and were seen frolicking around together. We came across them 5 miles south of Trail Island and they certainly were very happy Orcas. We saw lots of happy behaviours , including fluke lobs, breaching, cartwheels and spyhops. They even motored over to us at one point and some of the animals disappeared beneath us giving out international visitors a great thrill.
Marie, Orca-Magic POW, Victoria B.C.

March 29
Mark Malleson of Prince of Whales called at 2:15 pm to report the Transients were 5 miles south of Trial Island near Victoria, heading north slowly. There are 9 of them, identified as the T30's and T49A's

March 29
Mark Malleson of Prince of Whales called to report hearing faint Transient calls on the hydrophones, and sighting a pod of Transients from shore about 5 miles south of Trial Island at 10:30 am - there appear to be 6 or 8 of them.

March 29
I am hearing Transients on the Lime Kiln hydrophone's right now.....12:50pm PST
Barbara Ellingsen

March 29
1220 pm - hearing same faint calls again on Lime Kiln Hydrophones, just like earlier today. it was reported to me by Jim Maya that there were Transients about 3 to 4 miles south of Trial Island.
and an update:
That previous alert was from a sighting of the Ts at about 11:30, so sounds like they have moved back up a bit. I had heard them at 8:40/9:15/9:39/9:59/10:20/10:50/12:20
Jeanne Hyde, San Juan Island

March 29
10:03 am: faint calls on Lime Kiln hydro - just tuned in...
10:21 am: Transients? Calls are still faint - uh oh, I think a boat is coming.
Annika@Shoreline

March 29
0955: Unusual transient(?) KW(?) calls on Lime Kiln hydrophone now. (from Jeanne via Jeff) Recording up soon at OrcaSound.net .
Scott Veirs/Jeanne Hyde

March 29
Orca Vocalizations on Lime Kiln hydrophones right now (8:55 am). Thanks to Jeanne for letting me know! Sounded perhaps like Transients.
John Boyd, San Juan Island

March 28
I picked up the T49A's (Transient orcas) this afternoon westbound in Race Passage (Race Rocks) swimming against a big flood tide.
Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales, Victoria B.C.

March 29
Just thought I'd let you know that after we saw the T30s and T49s this afternoon we decided to check out the seals and birds in the Chain Islands in Oak Bay and ended up seeing T14 heading past the islands on the west side of Chatham Island and then N up Haro Strait from Baynes Channel. We watched him from about 1500 to 1530. Cheers -
Kyla Graham-Kordich, Victoria B.C.

Ts in the Pt Grenville area

March 28
We went back in the Strait of Juan de Fuca last night (3/28) to get out of high winds on outer coast that came up in afternoon. Although we were able to stay with Ls acoustically into early morning hours their calls were only intermittent and then we started to also pick up calls from transients. Shortly thereafter all we had were transient calls and visually located a large group Ts - about 30 - in the Pt Grenville area. We stayed with them for a couple of hours. Preliminary IDs from Dave and Candi include T74, T36s, T36b (with a new calf), T50, T63, T65, T65b, T68s, T73, T73c,d,CA195, T99with 3 kids.
Brad Hanson, NOAA NWFSC, aboard the McArthur II

T's off Trial Island BC

March 26
Lucky to be out once again with Mark Malleson, to encounter 6 Transients south of Trial Island on the way toward Discovery Island, between 3- 4pm, The T10's were ID by Mark . The bull was travelling with three 'exotics '...not sure who they were at this time, but I am sure Mark, Ken Balcomb or David Ellifrit, will soon have an identity for them. Possibly, T10 and T10C were seen farther off by themselves. Marie, Orca-Magic, POW

T10b

March 26
5:45-6:30 - 2 miles southeast of Kelp Reef, Haro Strait.
It was one of those days! We got news of Orcas right at the end of our first trip so I rushed in for my second group. We zoomed out but couldn't find them, so we went down to Whale Rocks to see the Steller Sea Lions. They are always amazing. My passengers were disappointed, but they understood that it's not Sea World out there.
On the way home, while we were right in front of Lime Kiln Lighthouse, I saw a splash way in the distance over toward Kelp Reef. Sure enough it was the wayward Transients. They had made a kill and were very active. See pictures... We left them at 6:00 two miles southeast of Kelp.
My folks were so happy, which always makes me happy.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's Charters, San Juan Island

March 26
I had the T26's and the T10's south of Discovery this afternoon heading north for Haro Strait.
Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales, Victoria B.C.

Orcalab reports more Transient calls

Distant calls audible.

We're hearing distant calls on the Parson Island hydrophone. Sounds like there are transient orcas in Johnstone Strait. The calls are getting louder, so the orcas may be headed east, or possibly towards Blackney Pass.
Helena & Paul
20 Mar 2009 04:34:32 PST

T30s en T172 at Race Rocks

March 19
Mark Malleson of Victoria called to report Transient orcas T30, T30A,B & C, & T172 east of Race Rocks heading west at 1530. Observed one seal kill.

Orcalab reports Transients in JS

Distant calls audible.

There are vocal transients in Johnstone Strait.
Helena
18 Mar 2009 17:15:40 PST

T100s, T101s and T102 off Discovery Island

Transient spy-hop,Discovery Island, Victoria BC Canada March 13, 2009
Photo by Marie O'Shaughnessy

March 13
I was lucky to be out on this special day, Friday 13th March, for it was an awesome day with a group of transients. These animals were spotted north east of Ten Mile Point by Mark 'Mallard' of Prince of Whales, who was on shore earlier at 10.30 am. They appeared to be hunting a sea lion. We later found them again on the 1pm Zodiac trip south of Sea Bird lighthouse. They were very active and appeared to be cleaning up a kill as were the gulls all around us. The transient identity by Mark and Ken Balcomb who was also out on the water, were the T100, B, C + D. T101, A + B, and T102. A fantastic show of whale watching.
Marie, Orca-Magic, POW

March 13
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research called to report a group of about a dozen Transient orcas off Discovery Island, B.C. Canada at 11 am - at 3:45 pm they were still in the area. Initial ID's were the T101s & T102.


Transient fluke, Discovery Island, Victoria BC March 13, 2009
Photo by Marie O'Shaughnessy

T100s, T101s and T124s attacking a sealion

March 13
Mark Malleson spotted splashing and fins offshore of Ten Mile Point, Vancouver Island at 1015 AM and notified me that it looked like Transient killer whales beating up on something in Haro Strait. I cast off from Oak Bay in "Orca" at 1043, and found the whales near Fulford Reef at 1058 still beating up an animal that was an adult male Steller Sea Lion weighing approximately one ton. The T100's, T101's and T124's were explosively ramming and tossing the sea lion into the air, while adult male T102 and sub-adult male T97 circled in the background. The whales were being very careful to avoid being bitten or slashed by the canine teeth of the sea lion, and were mostly hitting it from behind or below. At 1140 it was all over for the sea lion and the young whales began breaching while the adult females submerged for minutes at a time. The males appeared to be involved in sex play, and the gulls swirled and dove for sea lion scraps. I left them south of Discovery Island at 48 degrees 23.42 minutes N by 123 degrees 12.2 minutes W in a sloppy ebbing tide.
Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research

T41s spotted Strait of Juan de Fuca

Transient orca T44 Strait of Juan de Fuca
March 8
Photo by Paul Blake


March 8
One mile west of Sekiu River, 4 (orca) individuals seen from shore heading west. Male and juvenile (?) together swimming west. About 200 yards behind and further out, female and juvenile (?) surfacing and diving in one place 6 times and then moving west. Photos from shore 500mm.
Paul Blake

ID's on photos from this report from Center for Whale Research:
Looks like the T41's plus someone else. The bull is T44 and T41A is in there too.
Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research