Saturday, May 21, 2011

5-21-11 Rounding Corners of the Island

Friday and Saturday, May 20th/21st
Friday
...it was the second time this week the whales came down from the Coal Docks and went all the way south in the 'big water' not far from Admiralty Inlet...but they didn't go into Puget Sound...instead they stayed to the west of the entrance and eventually moved back up island...
...out on Maya's Westside Charters in the afternoon to meet the whales as they were heading back up toward San Juan Island...



...they were still pretty far down in that 'big water' when we left to head for the dock.

...after returning to the dock I went scanning from shore, wanting to see which way they might be going... I could see Granny and a few others heading up island miles from shore...lucky for me someone spyhopped...

...I learned there was a large group farther to the south who appeared to be in a resting pattern...
...all was quiet on the hydrophones that night, so no telling where they would show up next...

Saturday
...phone rings at about 9:15 - "got whales in Spieden Channel!"...it was J pod...they rounded the corner and came down island past Lime Kiln and rounded the corner again going into Cattle Pass and continued on up San Juan Channel!
...one of the most amazing things to me is that they rounded the corner into Spieden Channel for the second time that day (I learned they were seen coming through Pole Pass early in the morning)...
...on the Spieden Channel pass in the morning they were farther offshore than they were in the afternoon...
...passing Lonesome Cove Resort in Spieden Channel...
...passing the entrance to Roche Harbor...
 ...and being closer to shore, when they passed by the northern end of Mosquito Pass the church in Roche Harbor was visible...

...they rounded the corner once again, heading down the west side of Henry Island, past Lime Kiln lighthouse and toward Discovery Island...


...we didn't hear from J pod again for 17 days.