By Captain Ken Rea
Wow! Super Pod September 2020! The first one I have seen in three years. So nice to see them all together. We now have 74 southern resident killer whales. J35 Tahlequah has birthed a new baby into J Pod, and it appears to be healthy.
You might recall nearly two years ago; she gave birth to a calf that died with a half-hour. It is normal for an ORCA mom to grieve for a day or two, but she carried her baby girl on her head for 17-days and likely suffered a nervous breakdown during that ordeal.
It was so nice to see so many whales as far as you could see. There were fins everywhere. I stopped to grab a few shots of the RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, which is one of my favorite sea birds in the Salish Sea.
The STELLER SEA LIONS were a hit, but I felt bad they have to put up with the swarm of flies on their heads and bodies.
Hope you enjoy these pics of the first super pod that I’ve been able to see in years. My featured pic today is J22 Oreo. You can recognize her by the beauty marks on her left eye patch (see lead phot).
To learn more about Captain Ken, visit Spirit of Orca
Captain Ken Rea
Ken Rea, owner and operator of the Spirit of Orca, is also the tour guide, photographer and naturalist on his Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours in the Salish Sea, San Juan Island, Washington.
