Cooler than expected Spring temperatures could not dampen the enthusiasm of the passengers who joined Five Star Whale Watching for our Friday, March 28th cruise.
One of the joys of venturing out at this time of year is that there is chance for a wide variety of Marine Mammals, and our collective patience was rewarded by one of the most impressive encounters: A solitary male Transient (Marine Mammal Eating) Killer Whale.
Here was a creature weighing about 8.5 Tonnes (19,000 pounds) and 8.5m (28 feet)long searching by himself for a meal of Harbour Seals, Harbour Porpoise, Dall's Porpoise, California Sea Lions or Steller Sea Lions. We all paused to contemplate that here we were encountering a creature in the Wild that likely looks and lives very much like its ancestors did 5 million years ago.
Ron Bates of The Marine Mammal Research Group (MMRG) provided these photos that confirm this animal as T103, a male Transient Killer Whale estimated to be 40 years old, with a distinct pointed Dorsal Fin that is almost 2m (over 6 feet) tall. Note the "Closed" Saddle Patch (The white patch that is almost the shape of a saddle and sit where you might imagine a saddle would fit a Killer Whale just behind the Dorsal Fin). It is called "Closed" because the Saddle Patch has no black intruding into it.
T103 was diving for periods of up to 7 1/2 minutes. Remarkable.
At Secretary Island we saw 3 juvenile and 2 adult Bald Eagles. As one adult circled overhead we could get a sense of how immense their wing span is (2m or over 6 feet).
Many of the Steller and California Sea Lions usually found at Race Rocks appeared to out on fishing trips. The dozen or so that we saw were all huddled on the S.E. island staying out of the cool breeze.
Another wonderful day for the passengers and crew of Five Star Whale Watching...and the season has just begun!
No comments:
Post a Comment