T is for Transient

The T-10s ....Transients on the prowl!

 Today's trips are graced by sunshine and warm temperatures!  With no sightings as we start the morning we spend lots of time searching the shorelines and all the rocky habitat where seals and sea lions hang out.  Where you find the food...you just might find the Orca whales!  There are plenty of Harbor seals, and lots of Steller sea lions, many birds indicating bait fish, but no Orca.  We find a Minke whale diving by the shore and get many good looks.

The news for the afternoon is different.  There are three Transient Orcas heading our way, although at the moment a bit far away.  Determined to give it a shot, we head out across Haro Strait toward Victoria, B.C.  The water is flat!  Yay!  The sun shines.  Yay!  And, after a long run, we see them!  These three whales are known as the T-10's.  The adult female (T-10) is with her two adult males, T-10B and T-10C.  The Transients are all assigned the letter "T" and this would be the 10th transient identified by researchers.  Her offspring will keep her number, "10" and the first one born is then, T-10A.  I have no idea what happened to "A," but she now always has with her the two males, 10B and 10C.  The information on Transient whales is sketchy compared to all the data that has been compiled on our Southern Resident Orcas.  We know they are organized in much smaller family groups, offspring still sticking with their mother.  However, the families don't seem to grow past three to five whales.  What happens if they have more offspring?  How is it decided who goes and who stays?

We have a wonderful hour to watch the T-10's as they clip on past Victoria, and head toward the Discovery Islands marine park.  Perfect place to find Harbor seals?  They split up and cruise in and around the shoreline, huge black fins slicing through the kelp beds and popping up around the back of rocky areas.  How can such a large large whale slip in and around the shore almost un-noticed?  They are hard to spot!

T-10 has a big notch carved out of her fin.

Big boy brothers - T-10C and B

Mom leads as they cruise around the kelp beds.

Easy ID fin - T-10 and look who is tagging along right behind!

T-10 C

Our run back to Friday Harbor is shorter as we have been traveling in the company of the whales for an hour, all in the general direction of home.  Lucky!  It's too hard to resist a stop at Whale Rocks to check out the Steller sea lion action in the late fall afternoon light.  We notice two of the sea lions are branded.  This is a strategy researchers are using to discover the movements of the Steller sea lions.  When I find one with a brand, I photograph it and send it in to the folks who keep track of the data.  I have seen 311 - R (for Rogue River in Oregon) before.  He's back again!  224 Y is a new sea lions for me and I'm anxious to find out river is indicated by the Y.  This will be the river of origin for the branding, which takes place when they are juveniles.

311 - R brand indicating Rogue River

224 Y is a brand I've never seen before.

And yes, here are a few shots of sea lions that were just too full of character not to add to my stash of sea lion photos!

Buddies?  For the moment

Dang...I know I was thinking of something...just now...what was it?

Another week on the water....gone...the season is slipping away....