Well what a day! Noelle and Captain Nancy headed out for a whale watch tour yesterday with sunny skies ahead. Transients were in the area, and Noelle was pleased to report back great views of some extremely active orcas. "Transient" means these killer whales (orcas) have a large home range and often pass through the Puget Sound. These whales have been spotted as far south as Monterey Bay, CA where they prey on gray whales resuming their long migration north. When in this area they are often hunting porpoises, seals and sea lions.
Yesterday Noelle, Nancy and all the passengers witnessed a lot of activity and movement by these whales including huge full breaches out of the water! Other naturalists agreed that they were likely hunting porpoises, and eventually made a kill.
Also exciting was the appearance of T-40, a large male with a distinctive hooked dorsal fin who is normally found near Alaska. After hunting the whales split apart and the large male disappeared-- only to be spotted later by Kellet Bluffs by Noelle.