Rhinoceros Auklets.
These 2 pictures were taken by Cpt. Trev. Great pictures Trev!
"Pender" about to surface.
Transient Calf
T14 was observed with this female touching and rubbing together, possibly wanting to mate.
A slightly older Transient Calf.
T36, a female born in 1970.
Transient Calf surfacing.
Transient Calf with visible scars, probably from playing.
We counted at least 9 and possibly 10 Northern Elephant Seals today, all females or juvenile males.
Race Rocks Lighthouse with the 8,000 ft Mt. Olympus in the background.
Passengers enjoy the gorgeous weather and magnificent wildlife.
Above & Below, T14 "Pender" close to Victoria, in fact in the lower picture you can see Ogden Point in the background.
Steller Sealion dives into the water at Race Rocks.
What a magical day to be on the water with gorgeous weather, calm seas and stunning wildlife! By 8.30 this morning we had already received reports of Orcas sighted off Victoria Waterfront. We soon discovered that it was 3 groups of Transient Orcas, T14 "Pender" the T36's and T49's, a total of 8 Orcas! Included in the group were 2 calfs, one of which was born withing the last 12 months.
Having the Orcas so close to Victoria meant that we could spend a lot of quality time observing these top Ocean predators. At first the 3 groups were spread out but we noticed T14 travelling in the direction of the other Orcas and eventually join up with them. As we continued to observe we noticed T14 and one of the females in very close contact and we could see them touching and rubbing against each other, possible signs of mating behavior. It was breathtaking to see this intimate behavior!
Apart from the Orcas we also visited Race Rocks MPA and saw several Steller & California Sealions as well as at least 9 and possibly 10 Northern Elephant Seals. There were also a large number of Harbor Seals on the nearby rocks, plus Harlequin Ducks, Rhinoceros Auklets and Common Murres.
It really does not get much better than this:)
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