Summer is finally here, in every aspect! It’s 85 degrees today, sunny, and flat calm on the water. Weddings are booked every weekend in Roche Harbor now, gracing us with beautiful dresses and snappy suits on our way to the docks. Yachts are flocking to our beautiful island, and their owners sit out on the deck or walk their dogs around the docks. Patio drinks, iced coffee, and art fairs abound! Most importantly, though, the residents are back!
Resident killer whales return to our waters every summer to feast on the salmon that make their way through this area to spawn in the freshwater rivers just north of us. Historically, they inhabit these inland waters between June and September, making them perfect indicators for the summer season. These charismatic animals are loved by locals and non-locals worldwide, and have a large following of supporters. The Souther Resident Killer Whale population is split into three pods, J K and L. Altogether there are 78 SRKW’s alive today, and each one has an alphanumeric number (ex: J16) and a nickname. Many of these whales even have their own facebook pages!
Their lineages and family histories are also extensively researched by organizations like the Center for Whale Research and the Whale Museum, tracking births and deaths, and who’s friends with who. These organizations also make ID guides featuring each whale’s dorsal fin and saddle patch, which is all that we use to identify them individually. Using this guide, we were able to ID the residents on the west side of San Juan today as the J4′s, J16′s, and K14′s, lead by matriarchs Shachi, Slick, and Lea. These family groups also have one adult male each, sons of the matriarchs that support their family groups. Mike, Blackberry, and Lobo are all in their mid-20′s and are prime examples of a male killer whale, flaunting a 6-foot dorsal fin and an 8 ton body weight!
After observing these orcas for a while, we moved north to scour the islands for other wildlife that calls the Salish Sea home, and found some majestic bald eagles (including a nest!) and some harbor seals. What a treat! When we pulled back into Roche Harbor, we still had a beautiful Northwest summer evening ahead of us, including a fantastic sunset – a day for the books!
It was so warm out today that we had heat waves sitting just above the water along the shorelines. Some whales got a little wonky looking in photos because of that, check it out below!
