T65A's Orca and More

Popeye says Hello

The tour started off being greeted by Popeye slapping the water to get our attention. As we left the harbor, we started north to catch up to the T65A’s Orca and more critters, including the newest member T65A6 who still has pinkish skin.

We met up with them in Swanson Channel in Canadian waters. after spending a good bit of time with them watching the young one lunge with every surfacing and thrilling to watch,

The matriarch T65A has a bit of a scallop missing from the upper part of her dorsal fin. It is kind of like J2 Granny’s used to be, but Granny’s was mid-dorsal, and T65As is near the top.

T65A2 is the nearly grown up male who is 14 years old with the tall dorsal fin. When he is full grown, at about age 20 that dorsal fin will be six feet tall.

We were hoping for a seal kill, but it did not happen while we were there.

Before we headed back towards Friday Harbor, I shot a photo of a Rhinoceros Auklet. They are related to the Puffin. I have seen one with about nine small fish in its bill, and I always wonder how they hang on to the ones they have and still able to catch another.

We stopped off to see a Bald Eagle sitting in her nest and later a better shot of an eagle.

Stellar Sea Lions

We stopped off to see the Stellar Sea Lions we were also treated to a couple more critters. There were Mouflon Rams just above the Sea Lions, and we spotted a River Otter swimming and grooming himself.

Other than being a few degrees cooler, it was like a summer day with calm waters. Seeing the T65A’s Orca and more made for an exceptional day.