| Raven |
By JAY BEEDLE
This whale was named for its dark tail; so beautiful and black, like a raven in flight.
Courtesy Of Jay Beedle
Name: Raven / Bullethole / NOAA No. SEAK 1703
Gender: Female
When to look: Raven has been in Juneau's local waters at least every year for the last five years. She can be
seen as early as May and usually stays into the fall.
Where: Anywhere in the Juneau area. However, after July 15, North Pass seems to be a popular place to see
Raven.
Markings: Raven has a big, almost all black fluke, with just a few small white marks. The best way to identify
this whale is by a small white scratch near the middle, outer edge on the right side of her fluke. Additionally, a
small hole through her tail can be seen near the trailing edge to the left of the center of her tail. A U-shaped
shaped chunk, that appeared in 2008, can also help to identify this whale. It can be found on the trailing edge
to the left of the hole.
Behavior: Like many of the regular whales in the Juneau area, she is very fun to watch. Her dive times are
usually from four to 10 minutes and her fluke usually comes high out of the water before a deep dive. I only
have two pictures of her involved in a bubble-feeding group, taken in 2008 on August 7, near Aaron Island. I
have only seen her breach twice. That time, she followed up with some pectoral fin slaps. This happened in
2007, on July 8 at 10:59 a.m., at the south end of North Pass. Besides this, there has been very little other
extra special activity. I think she enjoys other whales in the area with her, especially when she is feeding in
North Pass. Many times, I've seen her swimming together with whales like, Black Barnacle, Spot, Poisson and
Flame. However, I have also observed her many times by herself.
Notes: Raven had a calf in 2009.
• The "Weekly Whale Feature" is compiled by Jay Beedle, a longtime Juneau resident who makes his home on
Shelter Island. He is a photographer and co-owns Harv and Marv's Outback Alaska which offers whale
watching tours during summer months.
This whale was named for its dark tail; so beautiful and black, like a raven in flight.
Courtesy Of Jay Beedle
Name: Raven / Bullethole / NOAA No. SEAK 1703
Gender: Female
When to look: Raven has been in Juneau's local waters at least every year for the last five years. She can be
seen as early as May and usually stays into the fall.
Where: Anywhere in the Juneau area. However, after July 15, North Pass seems to be a popular place to see
Raven.
Markings: Raven has a big, almost all black fluke, with just a few small white marks. The best way to identify
this whale is by a small white scratch near the middle, outer edge on the right side of her fluke. Additionally, a
small hole through her tail can be seen near the trailing edge to the left of the center of her tail. A U-shaped
shaped chunk, that appeared in 2008, can also help to identify this whale. It can be found on the trailing edge
to the left of the hole.
Behavior: Like many of the regular whales in the Juneau area, she is very fun to watch. Her dive times are
usually from four to 10 minutes and her fluke usually comes high out of the water before a deep dive. I only
have two pictures of her involved in a bubble-feeding group, taken in 2008 on August 7, near Aaron Island. I
have only seen her breach twice. That time, she followed up with some pectoral fin slaps. This happened in
2007, on July 8 at 10:59 a.m., at the south end of North Pass. Besides this, there has been very little other
extra special activity. I think she enjoys other whales in the area with her, especially when she is feeding in
North Pass. Many times, I've seen her swimming together with whales like, Black Barnacle, Spot, Poisson and
Flame. However, I have also observed her many times by herself.
Notes: Raven had a calf in 2009.
• The "Weekly Whale Feature" is compiled by Jay Beedle, a longtime Juneau resident who makes his home on
Shelter Island. He is a photographer and co-owns Harv and Marv's Outback Alaska which offers whale
watching tours during summer months.
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