TACOMA, Wash., Jan. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is often
regarded as peak whale watching season in the Pacific Northwest,
but with the help of one special humpback whale, word is spreading
that whale watching in Washington
is year-round. "Speckles", a young humpback affectionately
nicknamed by Island Adventures Whale Watching for the speckled
pattern on its back and tail, is fast becoming a local celebrity in
Puget Sound.
The small whale was first photographed swimming in Saratoga
Passage in March 2016 by Jill Hein, a board member with Orca Network.
Since then, Island Adventures has encountered Speckles
on many of their winter whale watching tours that started in
November from downtown Seattle.
For the last two months, the little humpback, likely just 2-3
years old based on size, has taken up temporary residency near
Point Defiance in Tacoma, where
its tall blows and tail can be seen from shore.
"It was love at first sight," shares whale enthusiast
Kristina Trowbridge who joined
Island Adventures on Monday in hopes of finding Speckles.
"When I first saw this little whale, it brought tears to my
eyes." Shane Aggergaard, President of Island Adventures,
notes this experience as astounding. "Running from five
different departure locations gives us a good insight to patterns.
This type of consistent behavior is unlike anything we've
seen in recent memory."
In 2016, whale enthusiasts noticed a rise in humpback sightings
throughout the Salish Sea during a year some have dubbed the
"Humpback Comeback." Island Adventures reported seeing more
than 80 humpbacks in a single trip from their Port Angeles location last summer.
With the number of humpback whales on the rise, this
trend looks to continue into 2017, and could lead to more humpbacks
wintering in Puget Sound.
Alisa Lemire Brooks, Whale
Sighting Network Coordinator for Orca Network, encourages citizens
to report all local whale sightings either through their Orca
Network Facebook page, or through their website
www.orcanetwork.org. Reports are compiled and sent to
organizations like Cascadia Research Collective to identify
individual whales and learn more about whale behavior.
In addition to humpback whales, Island Adventures has
encountered Southern Resident Killer Whales, transient orcas, and a
gray whale so far during their winter season from Seattle. "There's some cooler weather
out there," Aggergaard recounts, "but winter whale watching is
hot."
For more information on whale sightings, visit
www.orcawhales.com.
Shane Aggergaard
360-293-2428
whales@islandadventurecruises.com
Related Images
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Related Links
Recent Whale Sightings
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SOURCE Island Adventures