L Pod
We departed Snug Harbor just after 9 AM and joined up with the L12s. Our first fecal sample was a really nice sized brown mucousy sample likely from L85. We found it early in the morning very soon after we arrived on scene. Our next sample collection was very difficult. Eba worked really hard and lead us to a small green fecal sample that was small, but big enough to collect and analyze! It was a beautiful day and we stayed with the few members of the L12s until the group became more dispersed. We returned to Snug Harbor just after 3 PM.
Research Vessel
R/V Cheena
Species
Southern Resident Killer Whales
Pods
L Pod
Matrilines
L12s
Research Activities
Fecal Collection, Behavior Data
This work is made possible in part by a grant from
J & L Pod
After receiving reports of Southern Resident killer whales, we departerd Snug Harboraround 2:30 PM when the slack tide began. We headed towards Eagle Point where we found most of J pod and L12s who spent the evening socializing and foraging. We observed and recorded many breaches, tail slaps, pec slaps, chartwheels and mating behavior. We continued to trail the group searching for fecal samples with the assistance of Eba, our scent detection dog. We had a beautiful evening as the sun sank low and the whales turned away from shore and we headed back to Snug Harbor for the night.
Research Vessel
R/V Cheena
Species
Southern Resident Killer Whales
Pods
J Pod, L Pod
Matrilines
L12s
Research Activities
Fecal Collection, Behavior Data
This work is made possible in part by a grant from
L Pod
We departed Snug Harbor at 10:30 AM and headed out to join up with a few members of L pod past South Beach on the South West side of San Juan Island. We picked up most of L pod at Davidson Rock in south Rosario Strait. We had a few great set ups where 5-6 individuals were grouped up side to side with nice calm water and some light wind. After sampling for most of the day, we returned to Snug Harbor just after 5 PM.
Research Vessel
R/V Cheena
Species
Southern Resident Killer Whales
Pods
L Pod
Matrilines
L12s, L47s, L72s, L94s, L103s
Research Activities
Fecal Sampling, Behavior Data
This work is made possible in part by a grant from
L Pod
We departed Snug Harbor just after 9 AM and joined up with members of the L12 matriline. We encountered both L77 and L88 several times throughout the day. We observed and recorded a lot of socializing at the surface, including tail slaps, breaching, rolling, and lifting. This was an excellent opportunity to collect fecal samples from L pod individuals we had not previously seen this season. We returned to Snug Harbor just after 3 PM and returned to our office to process and store fecal samples collected during the day.
Research Vessel
R/V Cheena
Species
Southern Resident Killer Whales
Pods
L Pod
Matrilines
L12s, L77s, L94s
Research Activities
Fecal Collection, Behavior Data
This work is made possible in part by a grant from