Sunday, June 9, 2013

6-9-13 All Day Decision Making?

Sunday, June 9th
...out on Maya's Westside Charters for a morning trip...J pod had come down Rosario Strait during the night...and we met them as they were meandering up the west side of San Juan Island...
...whales were spread way out and it seemed as if there were a lot who were not present...I found out they were just a few miles behind this group...however, this group was a mixed up group...I got a quick glimpse of Shachi J-19... 
...and Eclipse J-41 - both (Group A whales), then some of the J17 family (Group B whales) and the J16s (who switch back and forth between the two groups)...just keeping the humans in a state of confusion...

...Notch J-47, one of the J17s was having a great time...he appeared to be playing around with his mom Tahlequah J-35, and Princess Angeline J-17 (grandma) and Moby J-44 were in the mix too...


...at some angles he doesn't even look like a little kid!

...the afternoon was shore time for me...it was interesting to watch the whales as they went back and forth...it appeared they were trying to decide which way to go...here's a glimpse...
...at one point the J11s and the J17s started heading in the direction of Discovery Island...someone looked happy to be heading that way...


...three of the J16s were the last of the whales to come back...and when they did...well, I don't think Slick J-16 couldn't have gotten any closer to shore...stunning...
...Slick and Echo J-42 moved along the shore line while Mike J-26 traveled parallel to them going down island...
 
...it was about 20 minutes later when they all moved up island, and Alki J-36 was with them...
...what a surprise it was when I began to hear them on the hydrophones several hours later...they had come back down!...maybe that might explain some of the 'indecision' during the afternoon...
...I listened until they faded off into the late night...I think they'll be gone tomorrow...

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