Bambi Miller

Promotional poster for a new virtual art class: "Drawing Inspiration From The Salish Sea," guided by Naturalist and Educator Quinn Fitzpatrick. April 4th, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. All skill levels welcome. $25 General Admission / $20 for TWM and SSAMN members. Register at whalemuseum.org. Background features light pencil sketches of Pacific Northwest nature subjects including a tree trunk, a flower, a fern sprig, and a pine cone.

We’re excited to announce a virtual nature journaling class coming on April 4th! This beginner-friendly class is designed for anyone who wants to slow down, look closely, and experience the landscapes of the Salish Sea in a new way. Learn more or register at whalemuseum.org.

Your daily lamb

New lamb getting a proper cleaning by his mother right after being born.

#farmlife #yourdailylamb #lambs #wool #wearwool

🐬🩵 A beautiful new someone! Hello baby L129!

CWR @whaleresearch.bsky.social announced a new cal in L pod, first seen earlier this week. (Report in replies)
Super awesome dorsal & saddle patch on this little one.

📷: © Center for Whale Research
Photos taken under NMFS/NOAA Permit 27038

#psws

Join us Sat, Feb 7 for a FREE virtual book launch of 'The Evolution of Cetacean Societies'.
Live Q&A + cover BTS. 🕕 18:00 GMT / 10am PT
🎟️ Free with registration
🔗 www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launc...

In water structure called a wingwall, taken at night.

Crews at our Mukilteo terminal are making use of low tides overnight to work on vertical stabilizing piles, driven last week, to repair/reposition the left wingwall.

Reminder that during night work (1/19-23&26-30) the last sailing from #Clinton is 1130p & from #Mukilteo at 1215a

🐳GRAY WHALES

Possession Sound:
~12:15 - grays reported off NW side of Hat Island. No direction so may be feeding/milling.
[per report by Andrea via HIWS]

#psws

Last weekend we had an incredible encounter in western Haro Strait when the T19s took down a Steller sea lion.

This is just a clip, but you should definitely check out the full highlight video in 4K on our YouTube channel.

⭐️ Link to the 4K video in the comments!

#orca #killerwhale #salishsea

Large 30-40' trees floating down the yakima river. It's a conveyor belt of debris!

#floodsofDec2025 #atmosphericriver #washingtonstate

Atmospheric river in all of Washington state. This is the Yakima river on Tuesday. More heavy rains predicted for today and overnight. Flooding and landslides are everywhere there are rivers and streams.
Mother nature is a powerful force

##atmosphericriver #floodsofDec2025 #yakimarivercanyon

Ana/SJs-Restoring 4-boat service with Tillikum alternate schedule Friday, 12/12 Read full alert

🖤🤍🖤 Thu, Dec 11

Endangered Southern Residents remain inland Puget Sound. They went south earlier then flipped at the north end of Vashon & are traveling north up the Sound.

📸 Little K pod baby. Framegrab from video by Conner Helms 12/09.

#psws

Water covers State Route 9 south of Snohomish. Guardrail runs down the middle and yellow line can be seen on the pavement beneath the water.

SR 9 CLOSURE NEAR SNOHOMISH
Both directions of SR 9 are closed from SR 96/Lowell Larimer to Marsh Road (MP 7-8) due to water over the highway. Use alternate routes.

Farm cats, soaking up a little sunshine

#farmcats #tuxedokitty #blackandwhitecat #hellokitty

We have an EB lane closure on I-90 across the Vantage Bridge (MP 136-137). A transition plate, part of the deck replacement project, has come loose. The lane will remain closed until crews can evaluate Friday and make a repair.

L126 Balcomb

J62, the third offspring of J41 Eclipse

L127 Scuba and her amazing saddle patch

J63 next to mom J40 Suttles

Calf check in: here are some photos from earlier this week of the youngest members of J- and L-Pods who we were lucky enough to see while out doing field work with the @whaleresearch.bsky.social

#whalesky #orcas #killerwhales #srkw #southernresidents #salishsea #pugetsound

Fall
Leaves
Art

#natureisart #fallleaves #autumn #art #warmcolors

Bigg's killer whale T137A Jack in Henderson Bay near Purdy, Washington

We saw our first whales of the Puget Sound research trip this afternoon from shore in Henderson Bay: members of the T38s, T99s, and T137s!

We've tracked reports of whales in these southern inlets of Puget Sound for years but have not had many opportunities to see them here firsthand.

#whalesky

Crabappple in full fall color

#fallcolor #ellensburg #crabapple #parkecreekfarm

large waves crashing on rocks near a lighthouse

Cape Disappointment, Washington
📸Benjamin Jurkovich

Great photo!

A spyhopping gray whale advertises a brand new Whale University course from the Orca Behavior Institute. Registration is now open for this 14-week spring 2026 class.

A brand new class for spring 2026: 50 Shades of Gray Whale! Through a combination of expert lectures and field trips we will dive into discussions on complex topics including the recent UME, friendly whales, subsistence whaling, and more.

Learn more:
www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/whale-univer...

Farmdog Friday!

Sydney the aussie, she is such a great dog, helps me throughout the day getting all my work done.

#farmdogfriday #farmdog #sydneytheaussie #parkecreekfarm

J pod heard NB in Haro Strait 7:30-8 this morning! Thanks to @orcabehaviorinstitute.org for the heads up & direction context!

Here's the bout with faint S04s -- live.orcasound.net/bouts/bout_0...

Strongest signals ~7:50 will provide 1st test of the DAS4orcas fiberoptic cable...

#wssjis
#psws

📢 Registration is NOW OPEN for our spring 2026 iteration of Bigg’s 201 - an adult research experience!

-Collect whale behavioral data in the field
-Learn to create visuals
-Have access to 5 years of OBI's real-world sightings data

More details below!

www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/whale.../big...

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

An infographic summary of unique killer whale sightings in the Salish Sea during September 2025, focusing on population-specific numbers as compiled by the Orca Behavior Institute

Here is another look at our September killer whale sightings stats throughout the Salish Sea! Do any of these numbers surprise you?

#whalesky #orcas

Have we lost the Orangetip butterfly? | The Journal of the San Juan Islands By Sophie Citro

www.sanjuanjournal.com/life/have-we...

Humpbacks everywhere you looked, what an experience!
Out in the waters of the beautiful salish sea

#humpbackwhales #salishsea #whale #getoutside #humpbacksareamazing

Jokingly linking four tracks of Taylor Swift's new The Life of a Showgirl album to specific Bigg's killer whales

Before returning to our regular programming, we are enjoying our Release Party of a Showgirl weekend. Like many Swifties, we've been trying to figure out who each track on the new album is about, and I think we're on to something! 👀

Looking for a Salish Sea Tour shirt?
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