Up north, the northern residents having been making frequent visits in the Johnstone Strait area. Today, OrcaLab was hearing "A" and "G" calls earlier and guessed that the A12s were in Blackfish Sound.
OH!!!
Speaking of Blackfish.......
I received my Blackfish Sounder last week! I thought I'd share some of the news!
I am sure we all know about the resident "baby boom" last year so I am going to start with the sad news first and end with all that's happy and cheery!
As we all know, A33 (Nimpkish) has sadly been presumed dead. We also know about L73 (Flash), but I didn't know about D15 (Geetla) until a couple of months ago.
G52 (Tatchu) and G54 (Glide) are both female. And I78 (Zayas) is a male, as well as B15 (Raven).
As for the new babies.....
A91 - Born to A62 (Misty)
A92 - Born to A67 (Eclipse)
A93 - Born to Blinkhorn (A54)
A94 - Born to A24 (Kelsey)
A95 - Born to A69 (Midsummer)
C29 - Born to Fin (C23) - Obviously now confirmed female :P
C30 - Born to Koeye (C10)
C31 - Born to C19 (Virago)
The DFO also mentioned a new D calf spotted with the Ds last year but there was no confirmation of the mother. It was also never mentioned in the Blackfish Sounder so who knows!
And I am sure everyone knows of the southern resident calves that are now named!
10 of the babies were born to females in the KWAP (Killer Whale Adoption Program). Over all last year there were 13 new calves born in the NR community and 5 in the SR community.
Outside of the adoption program, I have heard of I51's new calf born last year but that is it. If anyone knows who the other calves were born to please let me know in a comment! Thank you!
WHOOPS!!
I have known about this for months and I haven't posted it?!?!?!
The 2008 NR calves named by the KWAP are:
*Drum Roll!!!*
Cameleon (A88) - The fourth calf of A42 (Sonora)
Kanish (A89) - The first calf of A64 (Schooner)
Pine (A90) - The fifth calf of A35 (Skagit)
Nasparti (B17) - The second calf of B14 (Klaskish)
And we all know about K42 (Kelp) I am sure!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Captive Orca Update
I had a long post written up about the Captive orcas and what has happened with them in the last couple of months but than my Computer crashed!!! Anyway, this post will be shorter, if you haven't already heard about the chaos Sea World has been in lately, I have some articles below! Two more deaths followed Taima's, I posted about her's back in June. In early September, Taima's first calf, Sumar died mysteriously at Sea World in San Diego and more recently, in early October Kalina died unexpectedly in Orlando. As well as deaths, there have been two births. Katina, Kalina's mother, gave birth to her seventh calf last Saturday and trainers say that they won't be able to determine the sex for a while. The father of the calf is Tilikum, the whale that attacked and killed a trainer in February and I am sure EVERYONE has heard about that. The poor guy is living a terrible life right now :( He belongs in the WILD! Moving on... the second calf was born last week a couple of days after Katina's was born. At just 8 years old (I know, scary, when wild orcas usually have their first calves between 13 to even 20 years!) Kohana delivered her first calf at Loro Parque; a little boy. It's not a surprise that Kohana seems to be rejecting her calf and that he has to be handfed. In the wild, first time moms have mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins and other female family members to help them out, but when you are an 8 year, who was seperated from her mother at a young age, living with no adult females, it's not surprise that Kohana probably didn't know what to do. Oh and I almost forgot that a young female orca was "rescued" and brought to a Dolfinarium in June. FREE MORGAN!!
Okay! Time for the articles!
http://orcahome.de/orcanews.htm - This website is loaded with info on captive orcas, they keep track of the numbers of alive and deceased whales with pages for every whale! The linked page has all the 2010 news.
http://orcahome.de/orcanews.htm - Renowned Travel Writer Apologizes For Past Support of SeaWorld
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/23/seaworld.fine/?hpt=T2 - YES! SeaWorld fined $75,000 for safety violations
http://www.timescolonist.com/life/orca+slave+born+Aren+happy/3684150/story.html - A little bit about Katina and her calf as well as recent deaths
http://www.zooborns.typepad.com/zooborns/whale/ - Some info and pictures of the new Captive calves
Any how! I will get more articles later!
Okay! Time for the articles!
http://orcahome.de/orcanews.htm - This website is loaded with info on captive orcas, they keep track of the numbers of alive and deceased whales with pages for every whale! The linked page has all the 2010 news.
http://orcahome.de/orcanews.htm - Renowned Travel Writer Apologizes For Past Support of SeaWorld
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/23/seaworld.fine/?hpt=T2 - YES! SeaWorld fined $75,000 for safety violations
http://www.timescolonist.com/life/orca+slave+born+Aren+happy/3684150/story.html - A little bit about Katina and her calf as well as recent deaths
http://www.zooborns.typepad.com/zooborns/whale/ - Some info and pictures of the new Captive calves
Any how! I will get more articles later!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
L116 Pictures!
Aha!! I decided to try, try, and try again! I got some pictures of the new baby up!
Aha!! I decided to try, try, and try again! I got some pictures of the new baby up!
 |
| L116, tucked in with its family |
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| L116 with L82 |
L82 Kasatka has a new calf!! L116!
The Center For Whale Research Reports:
"The latest member of L pod was first seen October 13 off the south end of San Juan Island. L116 is the first known calf of L82, born in 1990. The calf appears to be less than a week old. It was observed traveling with it's extended family and appears healthy. This is the third calf born to L pod in 2010. The first calf in L pod this year, L114, did not survive more than a few days. L115, born in August, also looks healthy and was seen in the same group traveling with L82 and her new calf. "
Blogger is being mean and won't let me upload pictures, so visit the CWR website to see pictures and read more news. Also check out my new blog list and links on the bottom of my blog! Have a good night! I know I will, a new calf is soooo exciting!
News and Pictures of L116:
http://www.whaleresearch.com/encounter_pages/2010/news_L116.html
Read the whole encounter here:
http://www.whaleresearch.com/encounter_pages/2010/78.html
"The latest member of L pod was first seen October 13 off the south end of San Juan Island. L116 is the first known calf of L82, born in 1990. The calf appears to be less than a week old. It was observed traveling with it's extended family and appears healthy. This is the third calf born to L pod in 2010. The first calf in L pod this year, L114, did not survive more than a few days. L115, born in August, also looks healthy and was seen in the same group traveling with L82 and her new calf. "
Blogger is being mean and won't let me upload pictures, so visit the CWR website to see pictures and read more news. Also check out my new blog list and links on the bottom of my blog! Have a good night! I know I will, a new calf is soooo exciting!
News and Pictures of L116:
http://www.whaleresearch.com/encounter_pages/2010/news_L116.html
Read the whole encounter here:
http://www.whaleresearch.com/encounter_pages/2010/78.html
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
More catching up...
I got some more Northern Resident News that I have found as I searched through my folders! Here is an update from August 29th
There was some confusion going on when OrcaLab could here I31 calls over the hydrophone mixed in with A1 calls. Later on, it appeared that 18 year old I68 has been travelling with the A30s, but the rest of her family was not present. Perhaps this behavior is caused by the lost of her calf I111 last year in 2009?
Another update from September 7th about I68's brother I46
I46 has a new injury on the top of his dorsal fin and it is tipped to the right. He too, is not travelling with his family. In January 2010 he was spotted alone in bad condition. He is alive but it is not known if he is any better. He has been spotted among the As and Gs.
There was some confusion going on when OrcaLab could here I31 calls over the hydrophone mixed in with A1 calls. Later on, it appeared that 18 year old I68 has been travelling with the A30s, but the rest of her family was not present. Perhaps this behavior is caused by the lost of her calf I111 last year in 2009?
Another update from September 7th about I68's brother I46
I46 has a new injury on the top of his dorsal fin and it is tipped to the right. He too, is not travelling with his family. In January 2010 he was spotted alone in bad condition. He is alive but it is not known if he is any better. He has been spotted among the As and Gs.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Calls on OrcaLive!!
The A30s, A12s, and A36s are singing away on the OrcaLive hydrophone!!! They are loud, clear, very noisy, and without boat noise! Tune in! It's a great thing to wake up too!
Monday, October 11, 2010
OMG........SORRY FOR NOT POSTING!!!
I am SO bad with posting!!! I AM going to do better!!! A lot happens in the world of orcas so I need to catch up on at least some of it!!!
I'll start with the Northern Resident News!
July 3rd 2010 - A12 (Scimitar) returned to the Johnstone Strait with the two remaining A36 brothers; A37 (Plumper) and A46 (Kaikash).
July 7th 2010 - A56 (Nahwitti) has a new calf, A97 but sadly, A13 (Skeena), a 32 year old male is missing and presumed dead. A11 (Yakat) and A73 (Springer) were travelling with A56 and A97.
July 13th 2010 - W3 lost her last son, W2 (Glenville) this year, and returned travelling with R13 (Kimsquit) and her 5 year old calf R47 (Kevin).
July 19th 2010 - A34 (Simoom) has a new calf, A98. The calf was born in the Johnstone Strait as well because the A34s arrived without any new calves other than A91 and A92 born last year.
October 3rd 2010 - The G3s were spotted, I'm not sure who all was there. Stubbs Island Whale Watching reported seeing 8 whales and mentioned G37 and her offspring, plus A63, an 11 year old, now confirmed female, with a new calf. Without knowing all the "G" births, I won't be able to know the ID.
Not sure if I got them all, I am also not sure of new deaths/births in G Clan and R Clan, they are less frequently seen in the Johnstone Strait area.
Season Report
Right now, there are no reports of NRs in the Johnstone Strait area. The last we heard of orcas was when G Clan whales passed through on October 8th.
The whales returned later this year, in early July but that certainly didn't mean there'd be no action. Ever since August 18th when the I15s arrived the orcas began to party!! There was a point in time when 114 orcas were spread out in front of Malcolm Island with PWS dolphins and suddenly the next day they were gone! Check out OrcaLab's blog to read about what went on over the summer! http://orcalab.org/blog/
Now onto the Southern Residents!!!
First of all, the Naming Contest for the Southern Resident calves ended in September and the names are:
Moby is J44
Star is J46 (I was the first person to submit this name so I have a free adoption of Star for a full year!)
Sooke is L112
Cousteau is L113
August 13th 2010 - L47 (Marina) was seen with her 7th calf, L115. The calf only has two living siblings; L83 (Moonlight) and L91 (Muncher), along with L83's 3 year old calf L110 (Midnight).
The Center for Whale Research shared the 2010 Summer Orca Survey results, sadly the SRs lost 3 adults and 1 calf.
We bid farewell to:
L73 (Flash), a male born in 1986 and missing summer 2010
L74 (Saanich), a male born also in 1986 and missing summer 2010
K11 (Georgia), a matriarch female estimated to be born in 1933, was last observed June 9th 2010
And, as I mentioned a couple of posts down, L114, new calf born to L77 (Matia) in February was missing when the whales returned in June.
September 10th 2010 - L72 (Racer) was carrying a dead calf of the west side of San Jaun Island. L72 and L105 (Fluke) travelled together with the dead calf for over 6 hours. The calf appeared to be female, and the umbilical cord was still attached. It is unknown wether the calf was stillborn or not. L72 rotated between pushing the calf in front of her and balancing it on her rostrum. To read more visit the Whale Museum's website and go to News Updates or go here http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/month.asp?blogmonth=9/1/10 where there is a picture too.
We also know some genders of the younger whales
L112 (Sooke) is a female
L113 (Cousteau) is a female
J46 (Star) is a female
J47 is a male
Alright, I'll update more tomorrow
If you haven't already heard - 2 more orcas have been lost at Sea World since Taima's death, and another calf was been over the weekend...
I'll start with the Northern Resident News!
July 3rd 2010 - A12 (Scimitar) returned to the Johnstone Strait with the two remaining A36 brothers; A37 (Plumper) and A46 (Kaikash).
July 7th 2010 - A56 (Nahwitti) has a new calf, A97 but sadly, A13 (Skeena), a 32 year old male is missing and presumed dead. A11 (Yakat) and A73 (Springer) were travelling with A56 and A97.
July 13th 2010 - W3 lost her last son, W2 (Glenville) this year, and returned travelling with R13 (Kimsquit) and her 5 year old calf R47 (Kevin).
July 19th 2010 - A34 (Simoom) has a new calf, A98. The calf was born in the Johnstone Strait as well because the A34s arrived without any new calves other than A91 and A92 born last year.
October 3rd 2010 - The G3s were spotted, I'm not sure who all was there. Stubbs Island Whale Watching reported seeing 8 whales and mentioned G37 and her offspring, plus A63, an 11 year old, now confirmed female, with a new calf. Without knowing all the "G" births, I won't be able to know the ID.
Not sure if I got them all, I am also not sure of new deaths/births in G Clan and R Clan, they are less frequently seen in the Johnstone Strait area.
Season Report
Right now, there are no reports of NRs in the Johnstone Strait area. The last we heard of orcas was when G Clan whales passed through on October 8th.
The whales returned later this year, in early July but that certainly didn't mean there'd be no action. Ever since August 18th when the I15s arrived the orcas began to party!! There was a point in time when 114 orcas were spread out in front of Malcolm Island with PWS dolphins and suddenly the next day they were gone! Check out OrcaLab's blog to read about what went on over the summer! http://orcalab.org/blog/
Now onto the Southern Residents!!!
First of all, the Naming Contest for the Southern Resident calves ended in September and the names are:
Moby is J44
Star is J46 (I was the first person to submit this name so I have a free adoption of Star for a full year!)
Sooke is L112
Cousteau is L113
August 13th 2010 - L47 (Marina) was seen with her 7th calf, L115. The calf only has two living siblings; L83 (Moonlight) and L91 (Muncher), along with L83's 3 year old calf L110 (Midnight).
The Center for Whale Research shared the 2010 Summer Orca Survey results, sadly the SRs lost 3 adults and 1 calf.
We bid farewell to:
L73 (Flash), a male born in 1986 and missing summer 2010
L74 (Saanich), a male born also in 1986 and missing summer 2010
K11 (Georgia), a matriarch female estimated to be born in 1933, was last observed June 9th 2010
And, as I mentioned a couple of posts down, L114, new calf born to L77 (Matia) in February was missing when the whales returned in June.
September 10th 2010 - L72 (Racer) was carrying a dead calf of the west side of San Jaun Island. L72 and L105 (Fluke) travelled together with the dead calf for over 6 hours. The calf appeared to be female, and the umbilical cord was still attached. It is unknown wether the calf was stillborn or not. L72 rotated between pushing the calf in front of her and balancing it on her rostrum. To read more visit the Whale Museum's website and go to News Updates or go here http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/month.asp?blogmonth=9/1/10 where there is a picture too.
We also know some genders of the younger whales
L112 (Sooke) is a female
L113 (Cousteau) is a female
J46 (Star) is a female
J47 is a male
Alright, I'll update more tomorrow
If you haven't already heard - 2 more orcas have been lost at Sea World since Taima's death, and another calf was been over the weekend...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
6 days and finally a new post :)
Sorry for the delay... I've been busy lately.
I've decided to start posting articles on this blog which I will today!
Alright! Let's get caught up!
*On the 17th at least 20 members of L Pod were up exploring the Blackney Pass, Johnstone Strait area. Lots of humpbacks, sea birds, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and dolphins around there!
*Sadly on Monday night the 21st at 10:15 pm, the Vancouver Aquarium's baby beluga, born June 7th 2009 to Aurora and Imaq named Nala died after a penny and rocks got lodged in her airway Below are some articles on that:
http://www.visitvanaqua.org/news/nala
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Vancouver%20Aquarium%20baby%20beluga%20Nala%20dies%20after%20penny%20rocks%20lodge%20airway/3186557/story.html
Nala's death has also stirred up the question "should whales be kept at the Vancouver Aquarium?" http://snipurl.com/xr8iq
*Next, great news for the whales! WHALING IS STILL BANNED!!!!!!!!!!!! :) HOW GREAT IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?! More news at Paul Spong's blog: http://orcalab.org/blog/
It's been a LONG and I'm tired so I'll post more news tomorrow if I get the chance!
I've decided to start posting articles on this blog which I will today!
Alright! Let's get caught up!
*On the 17th at least 20 members of L Pod were up exploring the Blackney Pass, Johnstone Strait area. Lots of humpbacks, sea birds, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and dolphins around there!
*Sadly on Monday night the 21st at 10:15 pm, the Vancouver Aquarium's baby beluga, born June 7th 2009 to Aurora and Imaq named Nala died after a penny and rocks got lodged in her airway Below are some articles on that:
http://www.visitvanaqua.org/news/nala
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Vancouver%20Aquarium%20baby%20beluga%20Nala%20dies%20after%20penny%20rocks%20lodge%20airway/3186557/story.html
Nala's death has also stirred up the question "should whales be kept at the Vancouver Aquarium?" http://snipurl.com/xr8iq
*Next, great news for the whales! WHALING IS STILL BANNED!!!!!!!!!!!! :) HOW GREAT IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?! More news at Paul Spong's blog: http://orcalab.org/blog/
It's been a LONG and I'm tired so I'll post more news tomorrow if I get the chance!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A mix of good and bad news
I'm glad to announce that it seems like the northern residents are possibly making their way back to the Johnstone Strait for the summer! Sadly, another whale will not be returning with them and another threat has a chance of returning to strike at the whales :( ...
Source: OrcaLab
CetaceaLab reports that a large group of northern resident whales were nearby yesterday (June 15). The group included the A5s, A24s, A34s, Cs and Ds. The A36s were also there along with A12. This is the second sighting of the A36s with A12. Sadly, it looks as if A32 (Cracroft) is now gone as he was not seen during either encounter. He will be missed very much. On another track, Paul is off to the IWC. The meeting is being held in Agadir, Morocco this year. We have set up a blog on www.orcalab.org (link at the top right) so that he will be able to post summaries and comments during the meeting. It is a crucial year for the IWC and for whales. The threat to resume commercial whaling is a very real possibility.
Helena
16 Jun 2010 08:27:59 PDT
Source: OrcaLab
CetaceaLab reports that a large group of northern resident whales were nearby yesterday (June 15). The group included the A5s, A24s, A34s, Cs and Ds. The A36s were also there along with A12. This is the second sighting of the A36s with A12. Sadly, it looks as if A32 (Cracroft) is now gone as he was not seen during either encounter. He will be missed very much. On another track, Paul is off to the IWC. The meeting is being held in Agadir, Morocco this year. We have set up a blog on www.orcalab.org (link at the top right) so that he will be able to post summaries and comments during the meeting. It is a crucial year for the IWC and for whales. The threat to resume commercial whaling is a very real possibility.
Helena
16 Jun 2010 08:27:59 PDT
Saturday, June 12, 2010
RIP L114 :(
I have another sad annoucement.
L114, the first born calf to Matia L77 first spotted in February 2010, is presumed dead. The calf has not been seen with Matia or his/her family this month. Maybe the toxins handed over to this little one were too much :( RIP
Left: L114 and Matia L77
Friday, June 11, 2010
Now for some sad news from the Captives...
June 7, 2010:
SeaWorld orca dies while giving birth
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
A killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando died Sunday from complications that arose while she was giving birth, officials said. The park said Taima, born at SeaWorld Orlando in July 1989, died late in the afternoon, approximately 20 hours after going into labor Saturday evening. The calf was stillborn.
To continue reading this go to this link: http://orcahome.de/orcanews.htm
I like the points made by the link above! You must read it!
I just can't believe everything Sea World's lying about!!!!
And that Taima was only 20 and pregnant to her FOURTH calf! Her first calf was born when she was EIGHT! It's so sad... Taima even left a three year old daughter behind. To learn more about Taima herself visit this link: http://www.orcaspirit.co.uk/1210.html?*session*id*key=*session*key*val* or just search Orca Spirit.com if that link doesn't work. Scroll down to Taima and read - I really think it's cruel of Sea World to keep whales they don't even get in the water with in those fish bowls!
SeaWorld orca dies while giving birth
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
A killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando died Sunday from complications that arose while she was giving birth, officials said. The park said Taima, born at SeaWorld Orlando in July 1989, died late in the afternoon, approximately 20 hours after going into labor Saturday evening. The calf was stillborn.
To continue reading this go to this link: http://orcahome.de/orcanews.htm
I like the points made by the link above! You must read it!
I just can't believe everything Sea World's lying about!!!!
And that Taima was only 20 and pregnant to her FOURTH calf! Her first calf was born when she was EIGHT! It's so sad... Taima even left a three year old daughter behind. To learn more about Taima herself visit this link: http://www.orcaspirit.co.uk/1210.html?*session*id*key=*session*key*val* or just search Orca Spirit.com if that link doesn't work. Scroll down to Taima and read - I really think it's cruel of Sea World to keep whales they don't even get in the water with in those fish bowls!
Great News
Sorry I haven't been around to post lately but now that I'm back I can share some great news!The first thing:
The new K pod baby first seen in February was confirmed during the week! This calf was born to 38 year old K12 Sequim!
K43 and K12 are pictured in the left photo
The second thing:
All four 2008 northern resident calves have survived two years and have been named and are available for adoption though the BC Wild Killer Whale Adoption program (KWAP)! A88 (female), the fourth calf of Sonora (A42) has been named Cameleon. A89, the first calf of Schooner (A64) has been named Kanish. A90, the fifth calf of Skagit (A35) has been named Pine, and B17, the second calf of Klaskish (B14) has been named Nasparti. On a sad note Geelta (D15), is no longer available for adoption. Most likely she's presumed dead :(
Check out the family trees and ID photos of the new adoptions as well as all the others here: http://www.killerwhale.org/index2.html
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Calls on Lime Kiln Hydrophone
I'm not sure who's calls these are but I'm 99.9% positive these are southern residents. The calls are loud and vocal! I'll let you know who they are!
Update:
J Pod were the whales on the hydrophones!
Update:
J Pod were the whales on the hydrophones!
June is...
June 2010 has been decided on as the fourth annual Orca Month by Governor Chris Gregoire!This is the month to focus on and help save the southern resident population!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Welcome!
Hello, I have created this blog to share with you my passion for orcas! I'll share anything from something totally out of the blue to the latest updates and news!
The orcas this blog is focused on are the Transients and North and South resident communties, along Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I do post about offshores and captive orcas which I' TOTALLY against and I'll surely post about Corky and Lolita; two resident orcas who have earned their retirement!
Who knows what else will be featured on this blog - whatever the ocean spits up!
The orcas this blog is focused on are the Transients and North and South resident communties, along Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I do post about offshores and captive orcas which I' TOTALLY against and I'll surely post about Corky and Lolita; two resident orcas who have earned their retirement!
Who knows what else will be featured on this blog - whatever the ocean spits up!
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