[aslyfox]

First Orcas of the trip sighted

in downtown Victoria BC

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[Sandy Hancock]

Decision time has arrived

thoughts and comments welcomed

K 3 III and K 3 II

primes

SMC Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 AL Limited

SMC Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited

SMC Pentax-FA 77mm F1.8 Limited

SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro non wr

zooms

HD Pentax-DA 16 - 85mm F3.5-5.6 WR

HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE

HD Pentax-D FA 150-450 mm F 4.5-5.6 ED DC AW

HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter

Great kit.

If you wanted to simplify, the 16-85 and 150-450 (with the 100 macro in the bag) would cover most bases.

[Sandy Hancock]

First Orcas of the trip sighted

Head north and check out the humpback in Juneau

[aslyfox]

good news:

wife and camera gear made it back to hotel safely after over 3 hours cruise in open "scarab " boat 26 passengers, driver and naturalist

saw grey whale feeding and on the move,, Harbour porpoises and Dall's porpoises, harbor seals, California sea lion, birds and a great Bald Eagle

out again this AM in semi covered boat


__

grey whale submerging head under to right, back visible

about 2 minutes later same whale different angle back and blowhole

hand held moving boat, crop and pp

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Last edited by aslyfox; 06-01-2022 at 07:04 AM.

[aslyfox]

once again, we returned from the sea safely

this time we found a humpback whale feeding

was not able to get a " head " shot"

[aslyfox]

got back to victoria yesterday pm and took evening ferry back to Seattle had problems uploading photos to computer

so delay in letting folks we got back safely

final trip with Eagle Wlngs went well and saw great action with a grey whale

spouts, back, tail flukes

I was allowed up top with the operator and two photographers from the company

learned alot from the experience

using the K 3 II with GPS data

[csa]

Great photos. Seattle was a very favorite of ours to visit. So many things to see & do. The San Juan's are worth the trip also. We always had to eat at Ivar's down on the docks.

[aslyfox]

found bald eagles on bainbridge island 6 3 22 in local park

in different nearby trees, one higher than the other

this one seems to being having a " bad feather " moment

We were with " Tour Bainbridge "

[aslyfox]

We have returned from Friday Harbor San Juan Island

went out twice with Maya's Legacy

these are from the first trip humpback whales mother and calf

and a 62 year old male ocra near victoria bc

[aslyfox]

June 10

some thoughts

we did 5 whale and wildlife tours

3 in Victoria, BC - Judy was on two, I did a third, open boat and two semicovered boats saw humpback and two grays ( different days ) feeding

https://www.eaglewingtours.com/

I recommend them highly

if you are on the semicovered boat with the Operator on an upper deck, try to talk your way up top the slight elevation advantage is very nice,

When I was on the top, i was told to look for bubbles which indicated the whale was coming up. This happens before the whales break the surface of the water and you aim your camera ahead of the bubbles

we did 2 in Friday Harbor in San Juan Island WA with Maya's

https://sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/highlights-4-22-18/?device=c&keyword=san...nt=All%20Pages

I liked them the best we were in semicovered boats, saw humpback mother and calf playing and orcas ( different days ) feeding

lenses used on the whale watching:

HD Pentax-DA 16 - 85mm F3.5-5.6 WR [ seized up and would not retract past 35mm ]
HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
HD Pentax-D FA 150-450 mm F 4.5-5.6 ED DC AW [ got heavy ]


K 3 III and K 3 II high shutter speed, continuous shutter used

more of a " shotgun vs. rifle " approach for these reasons:

hand held on moving boat having to combat the motion and the waves

problems: spotting whales, getting whales in viewfinder

operators are prohibited to getting close to the whales

_______________________

some observations that might be worth relating:

1 if you determine prior to going that your trip will be successful only if you get the " perfect " wildlife photo or even seeing wildlife at all, you may be setting yourself up for massive disappointment

2 enjoy the experience of the " search " regardless of the outcome

3 if using the services of guides, do your best to learn all about what they are doing and why

4 learn the " history and habits " of your targets before you go if you can



photos are on flickr.com and scattered here in the forums

any questions just ask or pm me

[aslyfox]

here's hoping these measures, although disappointing to those trying to view the orcas, will help protect these wild animials

Emergency order put in place to protect Southern Resident orcas

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife issued an emergency order Thursday requiring commercial whale watching vessels to keep at least one-half nautical mile away from Southern Resident orca whales this summer.

The order comes after numerous Southern Resident orcas have been determined to be in poor condition and several pregnancies have been reported, according to a Fish and Wildlife news release.

Using measurements from drone photographs, researchers from SR3 Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research identified several pregnancies among the Southern Resident population and a dozen members in poor condition between September 2021 and April 2022.

The emergency order goes into effect ahead of the July-September season when commercial viewing of Southern Resident orcas is otherwise permitted daily during certain hours.

Outside of the July-September season, licensed operators are not permitted to approach Southern Residents within a half-nautical mile. Thus, the whale watching fleet has not been viewing Southern Residents at closer than one-half nautical mile for the past nine months.

According to SR3’s measurements from aerial images, three K-pod whales were in the last nine months of pregnancy, and likely within the last six months (from a typical full term of 17 to 18 months), as of September 2021. Based on recent online videos showing a calf with K pod, it is likely that at least one of these pregnancies was successful.

Twelve J- and L-pod members were in poor condition based on measurements of the fatness behind the skull, which puts them at a two to three times higher risk of mortality. One of the dozen whales in poor condition (L83) also appeared to be pregnant when last measured in January 2022.

In addition to the pregnancies and orcas in poor condition, SR3’s results identified two young whales that were exhibiting slower than expected growth, which is measured by length. One of these is also exhibiting lower than average body condition.

According to the release, boaters’ adherence to Be Whale Wise guidance is especially important due to the established connection between boats and the whales’ foraging success, the high rate of failed pregnancies among Southern Residents in recent years, and the small number of breeding females in the population.

The Center for Whale Research’s December 2021 census recorded the Southern Resident population at 73 individuals, although researchers are hopeful that the birth of J59 in early 2022, reports of a birth in K pod this May, and the pregnancies identified in SR3’s analysis will help the population number grow.

The new designation doesn’t affect commercial whale watching of other, healthier populations such as Bigg’s killer whales, humpback whales, gray whales, or any other whale species currently in the area.

All boaters are strongly encouraged to follow these increased restrictions, and to treat any killer whales as endangered Southern Resident killer whales, especially when unsure if one of the vulnerable whales is nearby.

Emergency order put in place to protect Southern Resident orcas | News | goskagit.com

In the Pacific Northwest, orcas that hunt marine mammals were first described as “transients”, as they were rarely seen, and thought to be just transiting through. They later became known as Bigg’s, in honor of biologist Dr. Michael Bigg. Known as the father of modern-day orca study; he was the first to identify that Pacific Northwest orcas specialized in hunting either fish or marine mammals, but not both.. . .

https://www.wildorca.org/q_a/what-are-biggs-killer-whales/

my photos are of " Bigg's " Orcas