This is the first calf they\u2019ve seen in the area in three years.\u00a0<\/p> Tiffany Klein, chief pilot at\u00a0Ningaloo Aviation<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and aerial spotting specialist \u2013 had just finishing looking for whale sharks<\/a> (Ningaloo is home to one of the world\u2019s largest aggregations with around 600 of these endangered sharks visiting each year) and was keeping an eye out for pygmy blue whales when she saw the orcas. \u201cThe calf stood out straight away because it was much smaller than the rest of the pod,\u201d she says.<\/p> Seeing a calf is always special but the excitement of this sighting was amplified because it\u2019s the first baby they had seen at Ningaloo Reef in three years, she says: \u201cIt was one of those moments where you see the full circle of life on the reef and now, we may have another regular visitor within this orca family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p> Klein was able to capture a series of breathtaking shots of the family, with their new arrival, which were shared on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p> Killer whales are most frequently seen off the coast of Ningaloo, Western Australia, during winter and spring when humpback<\/a> migrations and calving season bring more prey (baby humpbacks) into the area for the orcas. <\/p> At other times of year, when the killer whales are foraging across broader areas of ocean, sightings are less frequent but do still happen. \u201cFor the majority of the last 15 years, we have had sightings in most months of summer and autumn,\u201d says marine researcher John Totterdell, who is an expert on Ningaloo\u2019s orca population.\u00a0<\/p> But seeing this baby is noteworthy. \u201cThe most recent calves from the local orca families have been lost \u2013 so this is an incredibly positive sign,\u201d says Totterdell, adding that they will monitor this group closely.\u00a0<\/p> With over 12,500 kilometres of coastline (20,000 including islands), Western Australia is a haven for marine animals<\/a>. Ningaloo Reef, around 745 miles north of Perth, is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site which is home to humpback whales, Omura\u2019s whales, minke whales<\/a>, manta rays<\/a>, oceanic rays, dugongs<\/a> and turtles<\/a>, as well as whale sharks and orcas.\u00a0\u201cIf it\u2019s there, we will see it \u2013 giving us daily reminders as to why Ningaloo is a World Heritage listed fringing reef,\u201d says Klein.\u00a0<\/p> In her role as a pilot and spotter, Klein has the amazing job of finding these species from the air and sharing them with passengers or guiding boats to their location. \u201cThe reaction when someone spots their first animal sighting is something that will never get old,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p> More marine stories:<\/strong><\/p> See a pilot\u2019s-eye-view of a rare baby orca in Western Australia \u2013 it\u2019s believed to be the first calf born in the area in three years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38201,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot.jpg",2380,1568,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot-300x198.jpg",300,198,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot-768x506.jpg",768,506,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot-1024x675.jpg",800,527,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot-1536x1012.jpg",1536,1012,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/05\/its-one-of-those-moments-where-you-see-the-full-circle-of-life-on-the-reef-baby-orca-stuns-aussie-pilot-2048x1349.jpg",2048,1349,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"See a pilot\u2019s-eye-view of a rare baby orca in Western Australia \u2013 it\u2019s believed to be the first calf born in the area in three years.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Baby](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/05\/Baby-orca-Exmouth-Western-Australia.jpeg\")
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