nologo whale watch trip blog

What is this?

Christopher Zylstra — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:28:02 +0000

This website is the personal photo "showpository" and "geoblog" of Christopher Zylstra, captain and naturalist for Eagle Wing Tours - a Victoria BC whale watching and marine adventure company. Moreover it is a thank you, a way to show gratitude for the interest in marine life shown by my passengers. If you didn't pay to go whale watching, I wouldn't get paid to go whale watching. Being your guide to the water world surrounding me is an honour, privilege and indescribable joy.

2009 - Thank You - the pods, the peeps and the pretty cool friends - Thank You

Christopher Zylstra — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:12:18 +0000

Click on image to view full size. The orca pictured above are the oldest male and female orca among the Southern resident community. J1, or "Ruffles" as he is called because of the distinctive curves in the trailing edge of his dorsal fin, is the bull pictured above with the large dorsal fin. J1 is over 55 years old, reaching old age for a male orca. J2, or, "Granny", is the matriarch of J pod and is 95 years old. Female orca live quite a bit longer than males do, and Granny is approaching the limit of female orca lifespan. J1 is J2's son, and though it is rare to see them pictured so close together, they have spent their entire lives together as part of J pod.

R.I.P Michael Jackson

Christopher Zylstra — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:37:00 +0000

June 24 2009. All three resident pods in area....

Christopher Zylstra — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:14:13 +0000

June 23 2009. Superpods! High Season!

Christopher Zylstra — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:51:10 +0000

L pod killer whale surfacing near san Juan Island is a study in simplicity, reflection and positive/negative space. Killer whales, while an elusive one, often are a photographers dream subject with their stark black and white markings and bold shapes.

Great new improvements to my website mean that users will be able to acess the same sightings network info that professional guides rely on to track whales and other marine mammals. SMS messages from the sightings network now go directly to my Twitter account, and are seen posted to the Twitter widget found on the right hand side of this website.

I am still off the water, recuperating from back injury. It looks like the first week in July will finally see me at work and this time, with my Master Ltd. 60 ton certification and driving the amazing Goldwing. I am writing exams this week in order to attain the certification and will take the medical next week most likely. Stay tuned for new trackblogs at that time, and great images from my files posted every day until then.

Lately, reports of fantastic observations are coming in from all of my whale watch friends. Mating activity betwen members of J and K pods witnessed, also much breaching and amazing vocalizations. Anyone with recorded vocals are asked to please direct files to my upload page. I would love to begin collecting recordings made in the field and use this site to describe the differences betwen each pod's specialized dialects. Soon....

-CZ

June 17 2009. Pic of the day

Christopher Zylstra — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:21:50 +0000

Aug 2007 pic of a Virginia class US nuclear submarine with Mt. Baker in the background. These subs are over 400 ft. long - the world's largest, and carry enough nukes to destroy every Canadian capitol. Still resting and recuperating.... my back is responding extremely well to decompression therapy but it is critical not to return to normal activity too soon. I feel like an alchoholic sitting in a bar with a tall frosty one in front of him. *Must...not....drink* ahhh....

Marooned! ...plus photo of the day

Christopher Zylstra — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:14:44 +0000

Harbour seal with coho salmon. Aug 15 2008.

June 02, 10:30am departure.

Christopher Zylstra — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:23:04 +0000

Epic search for 20 transient Orca!

Reports of a large number of orca near Protection Isle, located at the mouth of Puget Sound, made the rounds on the docks this morning. J pod was still offshore, and L and K pods were yet to make their 2009 appearance here in their summer feeding grounds. Other than a group of 4-5 Gray Whales feeding in Boundary Bay and a single large Gray reported near Deception Pass on Whidbey Island some 20 miles north of the rumoured Transients, these "T's" were the only whales around that I knew of. Orca are what everyone comes to see and with the local industry's fastest boat at my command it only made sense to go for it. Two other vessels made the long trek to Protection Isle and Cheri aboard the RIB "Aquatic Dancer", who had departed much earlier than us at 9am, confirmed the sighting with fishermen nearby. Another RIB and ourselves searched for hours east and south of protection Island, working in the direction the fishermen reported the orca were traveling at the time. Transient orca, however, are successful hunters because they are stealthy, unpredictable animqls that will pop up when and where least expected. The fact is, we were totally eluded! Still, with very calm seas a 40+ Knt cruising speed meant I could still visit the Whidbey Island Gray whale and show my pasengers the beautiful Eagle's nest at Minor Isle along the way. Not so bad a trip all in all. Other vessels were slowly making their way in the direction of the rumoured Orca and so it was that during our stop at Minor Isle contact with the Transents was reported far west of the initial report. Those "T's" had changed direction after the sighting and we were searching in the wrong spot! Oh well, mMinor was spectacular and we extended the trip in order to view the rare and spectaclar gathering of over 20 transient killer whales. Transients tend to move in their small groups silently, usually around seal haulouts. The optimum number of orcas in a hunting party is three, since three can most easily detect and surround mammalian prey. Occasionally transients may gather in group of a dozen or more and can also be quite acrobatic during socializing sessions. Seals and porpoises may be tossed around like a frisbee, batted into the air with powerful tail slaps, or held underwater until drowned. We witnessed no such violent activity but their traveling together in such a large group was in itself a sight to behold. Passengers whispered their awe to me and each other, quietly taking in the scene as groups of the stealthy black beauties slipped beneath the waves while others arrived in view with a loud whoosh of breath and sharp visual appearance of thier large dorsal fins. Every trip is so unique and each experience rewarding in the sense of getting to observe and share people's reactions to the beauty of nature and the obvious power of the orca. Another successful mission.

Brain Cells for Socializing

Christopher Zylstra — Sat, 30 May 2009 07:18:56 +0000

From Smoithsonian.com:

Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales—and people—have in common?

John Allman, a neuroscientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, was searching for a peculiar kind of brain cell that he suspects is a key to how the African elephant—like a human being—manages to stay attuned to the ever-shifting nuances of social interplay. These spindle-shaped brain cells, called von Economo neurons—named for the man who first described them—are found only in human beings, great apes and a handful of other notably gregarious creatures. Allman, 66, compares the brains of people and other animals to gain insight into the evolution of human behavior....

... Allman learned that the unusual cells seemed to reside only in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and one other niche of the human brain, the frontal insula (FI). Brain-scanning studies have established that the ACC and FI are particularly active when people experience emotion...

... It's the link between self-monitoring and awareness of others that makes it possible for us to understand the feelings of other people. "The basic proposition that I'm advancing," he says, "is the notion that self-awareness and social awareness are part of the same functioning, and the von Economo cells are part of that."

Oh, and FYI, orca have those cells too - as you might have guessed! - cz

Source: Brain Cells for Socializing (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Social-Brain.html) by Ingfei Chen - Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales—and people—have in common?

Passengers, thank you for your patience!

Christopher Zylstra — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:25:26 +0000

Passengers, the username and password have changed for accessing your photos (see link to right). Please email me for the new information.

Photos from our adventures between May 16 and 29 2009 are currently being edited and uploaded. I am sorry about the delay but it's worth it; some of the photos are amazing! Keep checking back within the next 48 hours for some real "keepers" from your trip with Eagle Wing Tours.

Thank you for your patronage everyone, and enjoy the photos with my gratitude.

- Chris Zylstra aka "Fluke Shot"