Midnight mantra: 40+ repetitions of S19
Happened to hear some of the clearest calls yet on the Port Towsend Marine Science Center hydrophone last night. It was a treat to listen to the killer whales vocalize at night — and it reminded me of the night-time observations we did during the fall, 2005 program. The calls I heard initially (as the noise from a passing ship subsided) were remarkably repetitive, so much so that at first I thought it was a new type of squeak from the overlying dock or nearby mooring buoys.
Listen to 5min clip of repeated calls off Port Townsend just after midnight
After a while, though, it became clear that these sounds were a very consistent killer whale call. The calls were of the S19 call, favored by L pod, and many were spaced 2.6-2.7s apart. Eventually, the mesmerizing repetitious call was replaced by a wide variety of calls, whistles, and buzzes. What in the world was going on as they passed into Puget Sound.
S19 repeated about 40 times
Based on the great sequence of observations from the Orca Network today, it’s clear that some portions of L and J pod made a brief foray into Puget Sound. Twelve hours after passing Port Townsend (presumably southbound as J, K, and L pod members were observed within ~5nm of Dungeness Spit ~8 hours earlier), members of J and L pod were documented heading back to the north from Bush Point (12:45) to Keystone (14:30).
Perhaps a school of chum they were persuing dispersed after getting into Puget Sound proper?
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