STORIES ABOUT KILLER WHALE BIRTHS

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Stories about killer whales in the San Juan Islands

Names of five orca calves announced

posted 06/09/04
The ballots are counted and four orca calves have been named as the result of The Whale Museum's naming contest. A fifth calf, J-39, was named Mako by researchers at the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island.

Hundreds of votes were cast at the museum during the first three weeks of May. The names that received the most votes were:

• Cookie (J-38);
• Sonata (K-35)
• Indigo (L-100)
• Aurora (L-101).

Cookie is the offspring of Oreo (J-22), Sonata is the calf of Opus (K-16), Indigo is the calf of Ino (L-54), and Aurora’s mom is Splash (L-67, also the mom of Luna).

"We’re really pleased to give members and visitors of The Whale Museum an opportunity to help us give popular names to the calves," said Orca Adoption Manager Eliza Buck. "And now that these calves have been named, they are included in our list of orcas to be adopted through the Orca Adoption Program."

Surprisingly, she added, multiple people nominated the winning names:

• Mindy Comeau and Lisa Border nominated the name Cookie for J-38.
  
  
• Timothy Bean and Lisa Wisner nominated the name Sonata for K-35.
  
  
• Allysia Syvertsen nominated the name Indigo for L-100.
  
  
• Mark Goodman nominated the name Aurora for L-101.

They each have won free one-year adoptions of the orca calf with their winning name.

The Whale Museum’s Orca Adoption Program, now in its 20th year, educates the public about whales and helps support the Museum’s research and education efforts. To adopt a whale, visit The Whale Museum Web site and click on Adopt an Orca or call 1-800-946-7227, ext. 24.

Two orca calves named

Photo of Cali contributed by Debbie Fincher

posted 08/20/03
The vote is in. More than 4,000 votes were cast at The Whale Museum and the Seattle Aquarium in the recent naming campaign for two orca calves. The names that received the most votes were, for orca K-33, Tika, and for orca K-34, Cali (Kah-lee). Tika is the offspring of Sekiu (K-22), and Cali is the calf of Skagit (K-13).

"We're really pleased at the number of people in Friday Harbor and Seattle who participated in this vote," said Orca Adoption Manager Eliza Buck of The Whale Museum. "And now that these calves have been named, they are included in our list of orcas in the Orca Adoption Program." One person nominated both winning names: Laurie Gogic of Kirkland. She won a free two-year adoption of the orca calves.

Calves of J, K and L pods receive their names after their first year for The Whale Museum's Orca Adoption Program. The program, now in its 19th year, educates the public about whales and helps support the Museum's research and education efforts.

To adopt a whale, visit /www.whalemuseum.org and click on Adopt an Orca or call 1-800-946-7227, ext. 24.

Help name the orca babies

posted 07/16/03
The Whale Museum and the Seattle Aquarium invite the public to cast their votes to select names for two orca calves, K-33 and K-34.

Three resident orca pods or families, J, K and L, frequent the waters of the San Juan Islands. Each orca has an alphanumeric identification as well as a name. Calves receive their names after their first year for The Whale Museum's Orca Adoption Program. The Orca Adoption Program, now in its 19th year, educates the public about whales and helps support the Museum's research and education efforts.

Because these two K Pod calves have survived more than a year, it's time to name them. K-33 is the offspring of Sekiu (K-22), and K-34 is the calf of Skagit (K-13).

Beginning in mid July, visitors to The Whale Museum and the Seattle Aquarium can select their favorite names from the list on the ballot. To vote, look for the dark purple ballot boxes stationed in the Museum and the Aquarium. The Whale Museum is located at 62 First St. North, Friday Harbor; the Seattle Aquarium is at Pier 59 on the Seattle waterfront at 1483 Alaskan Way.

To find out which names were selected, check The Whale Museum Web site in late August at www.whalemuseum.org. The individual(s) who nominated the winning names will win a free two-year adoption of the orca calves.

To adopt a whale, visit www.whalemuseum.org and click on Adopt an Orca or call 1-800-946-7227, ext. 24.

J pod has new baby orca

Photo and story contributed by the Center for Whale Research

posted 04/05/03
J11, a 31-year-old killer whale has a new calf. The birth was confirmed April 3, 2003 by Ken Balcomb and Dave Ellifrit of the Cwenter for Whale Research. Tom McMillan of Salish Sea Charters reported sighting the whale.

This is the fourth known calf for J11. She has two other living youngsters: J27, a male born in 1991; and, J31 a female born in 1995. Her first born calf, J25, died in 1988 as a neonate. The new calf documented April 3, 2003 is designated J39, and its sex is unknown. It appears to be about a week old and in good health.

Earlier this year, in January an eighteen year old resident female killer whale identified as J22 was also seen with a new baby, her second known offspring. McMillan first reported that calf to the Center for Whale Research, and it was subsequently confirmed with photo-identification by Balcomb, Ellifrit and Candice Emmons. That calf was designated J38, and its sex is unknown. It appeared healthy and vigorous on April 3, 2003.

According to Center for Whale Research, the birth of two calves in J pod is extremely good news for the southern resident killer whale population, which has been in population decline since the mid-1990s. With these additions the pod now numbers 22 individuals. No new calves were observed in J pod in 2002, only one new calf was observed in J pod in 2001, no new calf in J pod in 2000, and two new calves were observed in J pod in 1998. The pod population has hovered around twenty for the past decade, but may now be poised for an increase. Biologically, however, young whales don't add to the situation until they mature ten to fifteen years from now and produce more babies. If the current young generation remains healthy, that is good news for these Puget Sound icons.

J pod and K pod have new orcas

posted 11/27/02
Whale Museum press release: The Center for Whale Research has confirmed that two babies have recently been born to the Southern Residents. The new calves appear to belong to L Pod and K Pod. Although the identity of the mothers has not yet been confirmed, there is speculation that they are L-47 (also known as Marina in the Museum's Orca Adoption Program) and K-16 (Opus).

With L-101, born last month to L-67 (Splash), this brings the current number of the Southern Resident Community to 84, when L-98 (Luna, the juvenile living alone in Canada) is included.

The calves won't be named or available in the Orca Adoption Program for a year, as the mortality rate for orca babies is high.

Luna's mom has a new calf

posted 10/25/02
Whale Museum Press Release: The Center for Whale Research reported October 22, 2002 that a new calf has been born to L-67 (also known as Splash in the Museum's Orca Adoption Program). Eighteen-year-old L-67 is also the mother of three-year-old L-98, or Luna, who has been living alone in British Columbia for about a year.

The new calf has been given the appellation of L-101 and is identifiable by an open saddle patch on the left side. Gender has not been determined.

L-101 won't be named or available in the Orca Adoption Program for a year, as the mortality rate for orca babies is high.

This brings the current number of Southern Resident orcas to 82, when Luna is added to the count.

Orca baby boom

posted 11/08/01
Splash (L-67) and Skagit (K-13) have given birth to two baby orcas -- L 100 and K-34. Whale researcher Mark Sears spotted one of the calves on Oct. 30, 2001 off of Vashon Island and observed both of them Nov. 4, 2001 off of Blake Island.

On both days members of J, K, and L pods were present. The mothers were identified after Sears reviewed video with personnel from the Center for Whale Research.

L 100 is 17-year-old Splash's second known calf. Her first Luna (L-98) was born in 1998 and died last winter. K-34 is Skagit's fourth living offspring. She has sons Spock (K-20) and Scoter (K-25), and daughter Deadhead (K-27).

A press release from The Whale Museum said researchers are delighted at the news of these births, but cautioned that the mortality rate for new calves is typically high.

A millennium baby orca

Photo by Kelley Balcomb-Bartok of the Orcas Conservancy
Newborn J-37 swims with her mom J-14 on the west side of San Juan Island last Wednesday.

posted 01/15/01
Haro Strait was glassy calm last Wednesday, when Kelley Balcomb-Bartok and fellow whale researchers went out to observe the whales. They were routinely photographing and checking the individual whales off their list. J-8, J-19, J-14 when "up popped a little calf." said Balcomb-Bartok.

He estimated the age as about a week-old. "It still had its fetal folds, they fade after about 10 days," he said. It also had the orange coloration of a newborn.

J-14, born in 1974, is the mother. This is her third baby. Her first disappeared when it was five years old. Her second baby is five-year-old male J-30.

This is the third orca born in the past year. J-36 was born last spring. K-32 was born in November, 2000.

K pod has new calf

photo courtesy of Center for Whale Research

posted 11/21/00
A new calf in K-pod was observed traveling north alongside its mother. Photographers for the Center for Whale Research photographed the baby orca over the weekend. The calf (its given designation is K-32) was first sighted in Puget Sound earlier in the week with J-pod, and now is confirmed to be a K-pod baby.

The calf and his mother K-16 (Opus), along with Opus' sister K14 and her calf, have been traveling with J-pod for the past week. From an encounter with K-pod on November 4, 2000 all of K-pod was present and there was no calf with K-16 at that time. In a November 13 photo taken of the calf's underside an umbilical cord was still attached, so the calf is presumed to have been born between the Nov. 4 and 13, 2000.

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