The Alaska trio finally started making their way out, but not before a few more weeks of South Sound wandering — and the rest of the region kept pace with a parade of rarely-seen groups.
J Pod & K Pod
J Pod was heard and seen across multiple days in the San Juans. On April 9 they were vocal on the Andrews Bay and Lime Kiln hydrophones from early morning, with crystal-clear S04 calls confirmed by Scott Veirs at Orcasound. They were back April 13, moving south past Cypress Island with multiple blows spotted from shore, and heard again on the Andrews Bay hydrophone that evening.
Meanwhile, K Pod was documented off Fort Bragg, California on both April 5 and April 6 — a reminder that while J Pod works the inland waters, K Pod is out on the outer coast doing what K Pod does in spring.
T34s, T36/T36Bs, T37s, T46Bs, T49As, T49A2, T51, T63, T65, T65A3, T65As, T90s, T99s, T100s, T117A/T117Bs, T123s, T167A/T167B, T172, T419/T420/T421
The T419, T420, and T421 trio — the Alaskan visitors now documented in the region for well over three weeks — continued their South Sound circuit through the entire reporting period. They were in Case Inlet and around Anderson, Ketron, and McNeil Islands April 6–11, stopping the Steilacoom ferry twice with close approaches and hunting in Cormorant Passage. By April 12 they were working north through Colvos Passage and the Narrows. On April 17 they were photographed hunting seals off west Whidbey Island, and on April 18 T420 swam directly under an OBI research vessel in the eastern San Juans during a Bigg’s 201 class. T419 is the matriarch; T420 is the sprouting male.
The T46Bs had a sustained and active stretch. Port Susan and Saratoga Passage April 8–10 with a breach fest that drew crowds, then a long Puget Sound run April 11–12 from Sandy Point south through Possession Sound, the Fauntleroy ferry lanes, and down to Point Robinson before flipping north. T46B2 Akela, T46B4 Quiver, T46B8, and T46B Raksha all confirmed. The April 12 run coincided with Orca Network’s Welcome the Whales event.
The T36/T36Bs, T37s, T34s, and T99s threw another T-party on April 6 off Orcas Island — all four groups present for an estimated 18 animals. The T36/T36Bs also appeared in Bellingham Bay on April 10 alongside T63 Chainsaw and T65 Whidbey herself, hunting near Boulevard Park. On April 11, T63 and T65 were photographed together south of Race Rocks with T117A, T117Bs, and T172.
The T90s worked the San Juans and Gulf Islands April 6–11 before joining T167A Doniol and T167B Valcroze, two rarely-seen siblings from a family first documented in the Salish Sea in 2021. The combined group moved through Haro Strait April 18, the Gulf Islands April 19, and made a full Saratoga Passage run south to Possession Sound on April 20. T90B Piglet, T90C Tigger, T90D Kanga, and T90 Eagle all confirmed.
The T123s (Sidney, Stanley, Darcy) continued their spring appearances in the eastern San Juans, Anacortes/Guemes area, and Boundary Pass. T65A3 Amir made a solo southbound run through Possession Sound on April 17. T49A2 Jude and T51 Roswell were confirmed together in Port Angeles Harbor on April 18. The T100s visited Tacoma’s Commencement Bay on April 14 with T100C Laurel confirmed. The T49As, T117A, T117Bs, and T172 were in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on April 17.
T167A and T167B were still traveling with the T90s at the end of the reporting period — a pairing worth following given how infrequently either group visits. The T419 trio had moved into the northern Sound and San Juans by mid-April; it’s unclear whether they are working their way out or settling in for another loop.