A whale watching tour found a chatty group of transient orcas near Hood Canal.
Puget Sound Express encountered the T65A orca pod, including a newborn calf. The transient killer whales are typically quiet during a hunt, but researchers were able to clearly detect their vocalizing through a hydrophone. Naturalist Renee Beitzel recorded the footage while gulls circled overheard for leftovers.
The transient pod is well known in the Salish Sea. The orcas are flourishing, thanks to their diet of seals and sea lions.
Naturalist Bart Rulon photographed the orca calf from the Chilkat Express, which sails out of Edmonds.
The female leader of the transient orca pod was born in 1986 and has 5 offspring, which researchers acknowledge as an impressive rate of breeding. They anticipate she could have 2-3 more calves before the end of her breeding age at age 40.
