Encounter # 77 • December 19 • Transients
Haro Strait

Observers: Dave Ellifrit
Vessel: Peregrine

After receiving a couple of phone calls from Jeanne Hyde saying that she and Ivan Reiff had transients including T30A off the westside of SJI, we all headed to Snug Harbor and Capt. Jim Maya took us out on Peregrine to find them. After a bit of looking, we finally found them around 12:30 p.m. about a half mile north of Kelp Reef in Haro Strait. The group we found was six whales from the T49A and T49B groups in a tight formation slowly pointed in a northerly direction. Just before 1:00 p.m., the whales began milling and after several minutes a small harbor seal popped up in the middle of them. This began an attack that lasted about 15 minutes before the seal finally disappeared and the whales began milling around in a post-kill manner. We soon saw a slick and after awhile a few gulls swooped down to pick up bits. The encounter ended with the whales still milling in the same general area (just east of D'Arcy Island) at 1:35 p.m. The six whales present were T49A, T49A1, T49A2, T49A3, T49B, and T49B2. T49B1 was not there but could have been off with the T30s who we never saw from the boat (Jeanne got pictures of T30A from shore earlier). Also, T49A1 is showing the first signs of sprouting.