West Seattle Whale Watch: Orcas turn up off Alki

January 8, 2013 at 5:24 pm | In Seen at sea, West Seattle news, Wildlife | 4 Comments

First we received that photo from Susan at Alki Beach Dog – saying her daughter Jessica thought those were Dall’s porpoises off Alki Point this afternoon. Turns out, they were actually orcas (which Dall’s porpoises do resemble). In an exchange on Twitter, Russ Walker shared his photos:

P1010053

(Here’s the rest of his set.) We didn’t get early word of this one because, while they had been spotted off North Seattle earlier in the day, the wind and waves churned things up so much, it was tough to keep track of them as they got closer.

4 Comments

  1. Thank you for these photos, this must have been an amazing experience so close to shore. After two years of living here in WS I have only had one real time sighting of Orca’s.
    What a great place to live, and of course, thank you to the West Seattle Blog and those who contribute to an amazing source of online community.

    Comment by Bill at Duwamish Head — 7:10 pm January 8, 2013 #

  2. Isn’t it odd for them to be in the bay this time of year? I only see one is it seperated from it’s pod?

    Comment by Silly Goose — 8:52 am January 9, 2013 #

  3. Silly Goose, this is the time of year that resident orcas are most likely to be here, following winter salmon runs. From its size, that is likely a transient pod. Transient orcas hunt marine mammals, and their travel patterns are much less predictable – they can show up here any time of year. Great photos all!

    Comment by Donna, The Whale Trail — 10:27 am January 9, 2013 #

  4. Hi Donna:

    Strange coincidence finds me here! More to follow (ultimately).

    AL

    Comment by al melkonian — 3:10 pm January 9, 2013 #

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