That's it - as soon as Ian comes home at the week-end we're off to see if we can get some piccies!!!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edi ... 313907.stm
Oooh killer whales, now they would be quite a sight. Feel sorry for the poor seal pups but it is nature. I wonder if it really is the pups that have enticed them in. The first thought that occurred to me was changes in climate. Would be fantastic if you got a pic Eils!
How exciting, to get to see some spectacular animals that you might not ever see in the wild, but also a bit troubling when you wonder why they aren't where they should be.
Oh, Eileen, I hope you get to see them. J Pod lives near the San Juan Islands off Washington State. We time our trips there with the 'at home' times of the pod. They are magnificent creatures. Sadly we are killing them with our pollution.
It makes you wonder what we, as a species, are doing to this planet of ours doesn't it? We had a humpback whale in the Firth of Forth last year and now these killer whales have arrived. I really would like to see one for myself but can't help worrying about what we're doing to the environment to have them turn up here. Usually they can only be spotted much further north.
Actually, Orcas can and do live in waters all over the globe including tropical waters, they do not stay up in the artic region in winter, only visiting there in summer. They are members of the Dolphin family. I heard on a PBS special not long ago that the name Killer Whale is a mis-nomer....they were originally called Whale Killers since they do kill some species of whales. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca
They are so pretty.I have only seen them in zoos but they facinate me. Hope you get to take some good pictures.
I hope you get some pics too! When I worked up in the San Juans, one of the outlying islands had a bench facing up Juan DeFuca, and I could sit there on break and watch the pod sometimes. 'course that was 20 eyars ago, lol!
Mary, I envy you so much. Donna and I loved Friday Harbor and SJI so much we bought a condo there. We kept it several years before realizing we would never be rich enough to retire there. I have sailed the Haro Straits and kayaked the Juan DeFuca. Wow, the tides!!
You're right Toni they are actually members of the dolphin family - hence their intelligence compared to that of most species of whale. We do get them off the shores of Britain but never before have they been seen this far down. They normally inhabit the waters around Orkney, Shetland and the Moray firth.
