January “Whale of the Month”: As our first feature of 2021, we pay homage to the humpback whale we encountered most frequently last year, MMX0185 “Zillion”. Zillion is a relative newcomer to the Salish Sea, having first been recorded in 2018, but he or she really took over the scene in 2020, bouncing between the San Juan Islands and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca throughout the summer and fall. Throughout our encounters, it became clear that Zillion has a unique personality. On some days Zillion exhibited “mugging” behavior, swimming up to vessels in the area to give them a thorough inspection. On other days, Zillion would behave, to quote our naturalist Lee, “like a ninja”, cruising stealthily under the surface or even completely covering his/her body with kelp and hiding at the mouth of the busy Port Angeles Harbor, causing us plenty of anxiety! Approaching vessels and maintaining a low profile can be risky behaviors for whales, especially in our urban Salish Sea environment where ship strikes can and sadly do occur. Fortunately the local community did a great job of working together to spread the word when Zillion was in the area. Being able to observe the same whale multiple times in a season really allows each individual’s traits to shine through. We look forward to many more encounters with Zillion and hopefully getting a match this winter to one of the breeding grounds down south!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/39fh3If

January “Whale of the Month”: As our first feature of 2021, we pay homage to the humpback whale we encountered most frequently last year, MMX0185 “Zillion”. Zillion is a relative newcomer to the Salish Sea, having first been recorded in 2018, but he or she really took over the scene in 2020, bouncing between the San Juan Islands and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca throughout the summer and fall. Throughout our encounters, it became clear that Zillion has a unique personality. On some days Zillion exhibited “mugging” behavior, swimming up to vessels in the area to give them a thorough inspection. On other days, Zillion would behave, to quote our naturalist Lee, “like a ninja”, cruising stealthily under the surface or even completely covering his/her body with kelp and hiding at the mouth of the busy Port Angeles Harbor, causing us plenty of anxiety! Approaching vessels and maintaining a low profile can be risky behaviors for whales, especially in our urban Salish Sea environment where ship strikes can and sadly do occur. Fortunately the local community did a great job of working together to spread the word when Zillion was in the area. Being able to observe the same whale multiple times in a season really allows each individual’s traits to shine through. We look forward to many more encounters with Zillion and hopefully getting a match this winter to one of the breeding grounds down south!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/38XPVgw

January “Whale of the Month”: As our first feature of 2021, we pay homage to the humpback whale we encountered most frequently last year, MMX0185 “Zillion”. Zillion is a relative newcomer to the Salish Sea, having first been recorded in 2018, but he or she really took over the scene in 2020, bouncing between the San Juan Islands and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca throughout the summer and fall. Throughout our encounters, it became clear that Zillion has a unique personality. On some days Zillion exhibited “mugging” behavior, swimming up to vessels in the area to give them a thorough inspection. On other days, Zillion would behave, to quote our naturalist Lee, “like a ninja”, cruising stealthily under the surface or even completely covering his/her body with kelp and hiding at the mouth of the busy Port Angeles Harbor, causing us plenty of anxiety! Approaching vessels and maintaining a low profile can be risky behaviors for whales, especially in our urban Salish Sea environment where ship strikes can and sadly do occur. Fortunately the local community did a great job of working together to spread the word when Zillion was in the area. Being able to observe the same whale multiple times in a season really allows each individual’s traits to shine through. We look forward to many more encounters with Zillion and hopefully getting a match this winter to one of the breeding grounds down south!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/3pSQOhn

January “Whale of the Month”: As our first feature of 2021, we pay homage to the humpback whale we encountered most frequently last year, MMX0185 “Zillion”. Zillion is a relative newcomer to the Salish Sea, having first been recorded in 2018, but he or she really took over the scene in 2020, bouncing between the San Juan Islands and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca throughout the summer and fall. Throughout our encounters, it became clear that Zillion has a unique personality. On some days Zillion exhibited “mugging” behavior, swimming up to vessels in the area to give them a thorough inspection. On other days, Zillion would behave, to quote our naturalist Lee, “like a ninja”, cruising stealthily under the surface or even completely covering his/her body with kelp and hiding at the mouth of the busy Port Angeles Harbor, causing us plenty of anxiety! Approaching vessels and maintaining a low profile can be risky behaviors for whales, especially in our urban Salish Sea environment where ship strikes can and sadly do occur. Fortunately the local community did a great job of working together to spread the word when Zillion was in the area. Being able to observe the same whale multiple times in a season really allows each individual’s traits to shine through. We look forward to many more encounters with Zillion and hopefully getting a match this winter to one of the breeding grounds down south!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/3hHbJAV

January “Whale of the Month”: As our first feature of 2021, we pay homage to the humpback whale we encountered most frequently last year, MMX0185 “Zillion”. Zillion is a relative newcomer to the Salish Sea, having first been recorded in 2018, but he or she really took over the scene in 2020, bouncing between the San Juan Islands and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca throughout the summer and fall. Throughout our encounters, it became clear that Zillion has a unique personality. On some days Zillion exhibited “mugging” behavior, swimming up to vessels in the area to give them a thorough inspection. On other days, Zillion would behave, to quote our naturalist Lee, “like a ninja”, cruising stealthily under the surface or even completely covering his/her body with kelp and hiding at the mouth of the busy Port Angeles Harbor, causing us plenty of anxiety! Approaching vessels and maintaining a low profile can be risky behaviors for whales, especially in our urban Salish Sea environment where ship strikes can and sadly do occur. Fortunately the local community did a great job of working together to spread the word when Zillion was in the area. Being able to observe the same whale multiple times in a season really allows each individual’s traits to shine through. We look forward to many more encounters with Zillion and hopefully getting a match this winter to one of the breeding grounds down south!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/38aMKD6