Latest news with #Muul
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Playing' transient whales delight West Seattle crowd
It's a whale of a tale. A pod of Biggs killer whales were spotted near the shoreline on Alki Beach. This rare, up-close sighting of a pod of Biggs whales happened in West Seattle Sunday, to the delight of hundreds of very lucky people who happened to get a front-row seat. Turns out they weren't hunting for food. They were playing. This sighting even surprised seasoned whale chasers. What surprised them was how close they came to the shore in this urban environment. Transient killer whales were close to shore, apparently having a ball. It was a sight like no other, a pod of transient killer whales, so tantalizingly close. 'I've never seen them that close in West Seattle ever,' confirmed Kersti Muul. And that's saying something since this wildlife biologist chases whales and other living creatures for a living. 'I saw them cut across (Elliott Bay),' Muul said. 'They were on a hunt over by Vigor shipyard. And they got the zoomies and they came straight across.' Muul's chase ended at Alki Beach, to her great surprise. 'I was running,' she said. 'So, I didn't see them come in here. But I saw a guy standing here taking a selfie going down. And I thought 'There's no way they went in there.'' And what were they doing? 'Oh, they're playing with the bird,' exclaimed Jeff Hogan, executive director of Killer Whale Tales, as he recorded the action. Yup, playing with a seabird, to the delight of everyone, except, possibly, the bird. Muul says the transient whales had been hanging around for nearly a month. 'Sunday was their 28th day in our local waters,' she said. The possibility of seeing them again brought a steady parade of people Tuesday, including the Hayward family from Maple Valley. 'And we knew they wouldn't still be here but just, you know,' said Eva Hayward. 'On the off-chance,' added her husband. 'Maybe, maybe, maybe, it could happen,' she said, smiling. But Muul says there is still hope. In fact, she and others track their movements on online platforms that are open to all. 'It'll happen again,' she predicted. 'I just can't guarantee that it will be anytime soon. Or this close. I really feel this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most people.' So, boohoo for those of us who missed it. Muul confirms those transient orcas have left these waters. But since they don't eat fish, they are no threat to our Southern resident orcas. They go for seals and sea lions and porpoises. Here are some links if you want to make sure you don't miss a whale sighting again. WhatsApp Chat
CBS News
04-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Killer whales caught on video in rarely seen bird hunt off Seattle: "Once-in-a-lifetime experience"
A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. And the unusual spectacle was all caught in video. The pod of Bigg's killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle's maritime industrial docks. The pod exited the bay close to the West Seattle neighborhood across from downtown, where people were waiting to catch sight of them. Kersti Muul, who runs a WhatsApp whale alert system for the Seattle area called "Salish Wildlife Watch," recorded footage as the whales appeared just below a lookout point. One of the whales was seen grabbing a bird—a grebe—before pulling it underwater, prompting gasps from the crowd, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported. One of the whales was seen capturing a bird and taking it below water, sparking gasps from onlookers. It was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience for West Seattle. Not only in the whales' proximity, but also witnessing a rarely seen behavior - chasing and catching the grebe," Muul said in a text. "My eyes darted back and forth taking in the community's reactions and the orcas right below our feet, visible underwater." Bigg's killer whales are orcas that usually prey on marine mammals such as sea lions or porpoises. According to NOAA, Bigg's killer whales depart from the behaviors of other orcas that are traditionally part of either "resident" or offshore populations. They visit the waters off Seattle occasionally and both dedicated and casual whale watchers shadow them as they explore. The pod sighted Sunday has ventured into the Seattle waters several times over the past month. "It's definitely a bonding experience for the community," Muul said. "And my hope is always that these moments inspire awe and awareness of the urban wildlife in our backyards." In recent years, boaters in Europe have reported several instances of orcas ramming into their vessels in a pattern that baffled many marine experts. Sailors said they resorted to everything from throwing sand in the water to setting off fireworks to blasting thrash metal music in efforts to ward off the encroaching predators.
Arab Times
04-03-2025
- General
- Arab Times
Killer whales amaze onlookers with a rarely seen bird hunt
SEATTLE, March 4, (AP): A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The pod of Bigg's killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle's maritime industrial docks. The pod exited the bay close to the West Seattle neighborhood across from downtown, where people were waiting to catch sight of them. Kersti Muul, who runs a WhatsApp whale alert system for the Seattle area called " Salish Wildlife Watch,' recorded footage as the whales appeared just below a lookout point. One of the whales was seen capturing a bird and taking it below water, sparking gasps from onlookers. It was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience for West Seattle. Not only in the whales' proximity, but also witnessing a rarely seen behavior - chasing and catching the grebe," Muul said in a text. "My eyes darted back and forth taking in the community's reactions and the orcas right below our feet, visible underwater.' Bigg's killer whales are orcas that usually prey on marine mammals such as sea lions or porpoises. They visit the waters off Seattle occasionally and both dedicated and casual whale watchers shadow them as they explore. The pod sighted Sunday has ventured into the Seattle waters several times this past month. "It's definitely a bonding experience for the community,' Muul said. "And my hope is always that these moments inspire awe and awareness of the urban wildlife in our backyards.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
04-03-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Killer Whales Amaze Seattle Onlookers with a Rarely Seen Bird Hunt
A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The pod of Bigg's killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle's maritime industrial docks. The pod exited the bay close to the West Seattle neighborhood across from downtown, where people were waiting to catch sight of them. Kersti Muul, who runs a WhatsApp whale alert system for the Seattle area called "Salish Wildlife Watch," recorded footage as the whales appeared just below a lookout point. One of the whales was seen capturing a bird and taking it below water, sparking gasps from onlookers. It was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience for West Seattle. Not only in the whales' proximity, but also witnessing a rarely seen behavior - chasing and catching the grebe," Muul said in a text. "My eyes darted back and forth taking in the community's reactions and the orcas right below our feet, visible underwater." Bigg's killer whales are orcas that usually prey on marine mammals such as sea lions or porpoises. They visit the waters off Seattle occasionally and both dedicated and casual whale watchers shadow them as they explore. The pod sighted Sunday has ventured into the Seattle waters several times over the past month. "It's definitely a bonding experience for the community," Muul said. "And my hope is always that these moments inspire awe and awareness of the urban wildlife in our backyards."
The Guardian
04-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Killer whales amaze Seattle onlookers with rarely seen bird hunt
A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The pod of Bigg's killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle's maritime industrial docks. The pod exited the bay close to the West Seattle neighborhood across from downtown, where people were waiting to catch sight of them. Kersti Muul, who runs a WhatsApp whale alert system for the Seattle area called 'Salish Wildlife Watch', recorded footage as the whales appeared just below a lookout point. One of the whales was seen capturing a bird and taking it below water, sparking gasps from onlookers. It was 'a once-in-a-lifetime experience for West Seattle. Not only in the whales' proximity, but also witnessing a rarely seen behavior – chasing and catching the grebe,' Muul said in a text. 'My eyes darted back and forth taking in the community's reactions and the orcas right below our feet, visible underwater.' Bigg's killer whales are orcas that usually prey on marine mammals such as sea lions or porpoises. They visit the waters off Seattle occasionally and both dedicated and casual whale watchers shadow them as they explore. The pod sighted on Sunday has ventured into the Seattle waters several times over the past month. 'It's definitely a bonding experience for the community,' Muul said. 'And my hope is always that these moments inspire awe and awareness of the urban wildlife in our backyards.'
