Four for Four

4:40 AM, December 3: "Waa-sa-weh (a Tlingit greeting), K Pod! We thought we would hear from you a bit earlier, but you are always welcome." For several days, a configuration of J Pod, K Pod, L87, and rumored other L Pod whales traveled through Puget Sound. Then K Pod returned with a few Ls to Vashon-Maury waters on December 3. VHP associates documented the encounter, first with a hydrophone recording lacking any J calls, and later in the day with outstanding vessel-based work by Mark Sears. He obtained video of Ks with some Ls: Matriarch Baba (L26), with her daughter Ballena (L90) and son Crewser (L92).
The sleep-deprived crew at Chez VHP has recorded the Southern Residents in five out of five encounters this fall -- every time the whales did not change direction near the Fauntleroy-Vashon ferry lanes. Without the VHP effort, researchers could only speculate about where our endangered orcas go at night, or which pods roam Vashon-Maury waters in the dark. This is one way our project contributes to Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery. The VHP is in consultation to bring our hydrophone online soon so Islanders can listen to it.
The VHP now has several exuberant recordings of foraging, socializing Southern Residents in which J, K and L calls are all evident – killer whale flash mobs in Dalco Pass! J and K calls predominate in our November recordings. The latest recording with calls of all three pods is from the wee hours of December 5. Sounds like the orcas were feasting on something scrumptious.
During a November 27 encounter, Mark Sears retrieved an odd specimen off Klahanie, presumably discarded by the Southern Residents. At a spot where several juvenile orcas had been cavorting, he netted a live but dazed Pacific Hake flopping at the surface. The sudden ascent from 100 fathoms (about 600 feet) did not agree with the Hake; the deep-dwelling fish’s belly ballooned from a rupturing swim bladder. Apparently, orca youngsters toyed with the hapless Hake, leaving tooth rake marks on the Cod family member. Play with a Hake Tuesday.
Hake is a desired prey resource for local pinnipeds – sea lions and seals – but Hake is not a favored food item of J, K and L Pods. Intriguingly, fish scale samples collected recently in focal follows of Southern Residents suggest that the orcas might be targeting Blackmouth (juvenile Chinook) rather than Chum salmon. Genetic analysis of the scales will verify the salmon species.
A burning question at Chez VHP: is 26-year-old Spock (K20) pregnant? In December 2004, Mark and Maya Sears discovered Spock (K20) with her first baby Comet (K38) in north Colvos Pass – see this week’s photo. When I saw K20 off Point Robinson on the 27th, her somewhat peculiar behavior led me to wonder if she might be expecting again. Her dutiful son K38, now 8 years old, was close beside her. At Loop deadline, this enticing mystery is unresolved. No researcher has had an opportunity to determine if Spock has given birth or not. Mark was unable to look at her closely on December 3.
We offer a VHP shout-out to esteemed fellow Loop writer Mary Tuel for promptly reporting orcas from the ferry on November 24. We urge other "Dorsal Spin" readers to follow her example.
Please support the work of the Vashon Hydrophone Project (VHP): REPORT LOCAL WHALE SIGHTINGS ASAP TO 463-9041, as well as sick, injured, or dead marine mammals on Island beaches. Ferry riders, we want to hear from you! Reporting directly to the VHP sustains an ongoing, accurate dataset of whale sightings for Vashon-Maury and nearby Central Puget Sound waters, initiated more than 30 years ago by researcher Mark Sears. Check for updates at Vashonorcas.org and send photos to Orca Annie at Vashonorcas@aol.com.