New Calf in the Bigg’s killer whale population!  On September 26, we had the pleasure of watching a brand new calf swimming closely with T36A1 (Tierna) on our afternoon whale-watching trip from Edmonds.  That was the first day it had ever been seen, and there are still fetal folds visible on the dorsal fin, so this calf is probably only days or weeks old! The calf has been given the designation of T36A1B, and will eventually get a name as well.
Since our original sighting, we’ve had many great opportunities to watch this tiny little calf with mom and older brother T36A1A, Drift. They have been traveling with T137, T137B, T137D, and occasionally with T65A5 (Indy) over the last week.  It is always exciting to see new calves arrive, and it looks like Tierna (T36A1) might have finally peeled off from her mom’s family, the T36A pod, to start her own pod now that she has two offspring.  If that holds, her pod would be called the T36A1 pod.  We wish her all the best of luck in leading her new family to success for many years to come!
📸: All photos were taken with 840mm and 1200mm lenses and cropped. Photographer/ Naturalist Bart Rulon