L Pod Calves

Giles, Jim, Aisha, and Sadie cast off from the dock at Snug Harbor at 10:30 AM to intesect with a group of Southern Resident killer whales that had been reported. We headed south along San Juan Island and found about 4 Southern Resident killer whales near Eagle Point. They switched directions many times and were milling and exhibiting forage behaviors. Two new calves were present, and we identified L113, L94, L126 and L127. All L12s were present but spread out for several miles. We found a sample that looked different than the rest. It looked very milky, and we suspect that it could be fecal matter from the calf containing milk. Our lab will be able to analyze this sample for DNA, allowing us to identify the individual it came from. We continued to trail the group towards the south, collecting additional fecal samples, and returned to Snug Harbor at 4:15 pm.