EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s that time of the year … Orcas sighted in Tillamook Bay (over the last few years, we have regular visits from Orcas during June.) We follow various social media pages, and the Oregon Coast Killer Whale Monitoring social media pages lit up on Sunday June 16th, Father’s Day. And I saw the notice – Orcas spotted in Tillamook Bay! Pioneer readers and followers sent us photos to share and video. Tillamook County residents John and Cassandra Smialek were celebrating Cassandra’s birthday and she got a BIG gift – an amazing opportunity to see Orcas in action. Happy Birthday Cassandra, and thanks for sharing your photos and video.
Chuck Johnson also sent the Pioneer some great images. If you’re interested in following our Transient Killer Whale population along the Oregon Coast, go to the group Oregon Coast Killer Whale Monitoring Project
Here is the report from Josh McInnes the main researcher – they were able to identify 16 — yes, sixteen Orcas in the groups at Tillamook Bay — one of the largest single day sightings along the Oregon Coast. Orca Awareness Month …
June 16th 2024 Killer Whale Sighting Update from Josh McInnes:
Good afternoon everyone! What a spectacular day we had on June 16th! I apologize for taking so long to provide an update, but as a research scientist, I wanted to go through all the available photographs and images to make sure our research team has the best information to share with you!
Yesterday, a large group of killer whales were initially sighted at 7:00 AM just north of Depoe Bay (Boiler Bay). The group of whales were then tracked tracked by numerous members of the group as they headed north throughout the day, with sightings off Lincoln City and Tillamook Bay. The final reports came in around 9:00 PM off Rockaway Beach, heading north.
After looking over photographs and information provided via email, I was able to identify a total of 16 different transient (mammal-eating) killer whales.
Members of the T049A matrilineal family group were all identified. That includes the matriarch T049A (born. 1986), her adult son T049A1 (born. 2001), third son T049A3 (born. 2011), fourth son T049A4 (born. 2014), daughter T049A5 (born. 2017), and youngest son T049A6 (born. 2022). Her second son T049A2 does not typically travel with the family and is primarily nomadic.
In addition, the T049B matrilineal family group was present. T049B is the younger sister of T049A. T049B (born. 1992), her second offspring T049B2 (born. 2010), third offspring T049B3 (born. 2013), and youngest offspring T049B4 (born. 2020) were all present.
Also in attendance were all members of the T050 (Coos Bay Killers) matrilineal family group. T050 (born. 1980), her adult daughter T050B (born. 1999), T050B1 (born. 2012), T050B2 (born. 2021), son T050D (born. 2011), and T050E (born. 2013) were all present.
All three transient families are common visitors to the Oregon coast, and this is the largest group we have on recorded for the Oregon coast!
I want to thank everyone in this group for sharing photographs and helping track sightings along the coast! Your efforts have enabled this research to be successful.
Photographs showing the matrilineal genealogy of the T049A, T049B, and T050 families from the Oceanic Ecology Research Group Database.
