The pod was spread apart and pretty elusive at first. They would surface and dive for long periods of time. They eventually came together and were easier to track. At first I thought they were transients, but I eventually found out that this was AF22 pod (residents). This was the first time we have seen this pod.
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We spotted a large pod of orcas just north of Amalga Harbor. The pod was spread out, but eventually came together and began socializing. We watched as they rolled around, slapped their tails, and we got to see a couple of spyhops. The pod was identified as AG pod of the Alaska Resident Orcas. A few individuals have been identified. We spent time in our boat and saw five humpbacks near north pass, including #1538, Flame and her calf along with #1447, Juneauite and what appeared to be a calf. This is the first time I have seen Juneauite this year. There also appeared to be a couple of humpbacks near Favorite Reef. As we were heading in, we spotted a pod of orcas (approximately seven) near Point Retreat. The pod of transients were moving quickly and diving for long periods of time, making them extremely difficult to track. I have submitted photos to happywhale.com and am waiting to hear back from them as far as ID's go. As we were heading back to Juneau from a camping trip, we spotted a large pod of orcas near Howard Bay in Chatham Strait. The pod was spread out over a large area. It was difficult to determine how many individuals there were. We did manage to get photos of two large males. This pod has been identified as AG pod (Alaska resident orcas). As we watched the orcas we spotted two humpbacks in the area as well. I managed to get a fluke photo of one of the humpbacks. We spent some time in Icy Strait and saw many Dall's porpoise. They seemed to be in every direction that we looked. I happened to look out our window and saw a pod of six to eight orcas going by. They were heading north. Although it was late in the evening, I was able to get a few photos. However, they are grainy due to distance and lighting issues. It has been determined that these were resident orcas, likely part of AG pod. A very brief sighting in the channel. They were elusive and far away from where I was on shore. As I was sitting on a beach at Fish Creek, I observed two orcas far off in the distance near Fritz Cove. They were well over one mile away from me. You can see both of them in this photo.
We took a quick trip in our boat to Taku Inlet and spotted a pod of orcas just outside of the Gastineau Channel in Stephens Passage near Douglas Island. There were five individuals in the pod. I believe one of the individuals may have been T037A. I am waiting to hear back from happywhale.com for IDs. Happywhale.com confirmed that these were some of the T037s. Individuals have been identified. Early afternoon I received information from a friend that there was a pod of orcas in the channel. I spent an hour or so looking for them but ended up having to leave. Later in the afternoon I was informed that the pod was still in the channel heading north. After watching for several minutes, I found them. They continued to travel north then turned and headed south. There appeared to be eight or nine of them. It was getting dark when I saw them so my photos are very grainy. I was told that T038A, T075, and T075A were with the group that had been seen earlier in the day. I am not sure if any of these individuals are in my photos. |
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