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Welcome to San Juan Safaris
Birding and Birds-
You can charter our boat and specify that you wish to "bird" any day. We are just 90 minutess north of Seattle driving time or 30 minutes by air, across the water west of Anacortes (near Bellingham) and 7 miles east of Victoria. Make San Juan Island your destination or visit us in passing to your next destination.

Recent Bird Sightings
once on the Audubon site, click on "sightings" in the left hand navigation


San Juan Safaris, on San Juan Island, departing from Friday Harbor, Saturdays in October 2006.

Join us for our Fall Wildlife/Birding Safaris. 3 - 4 hour safaris by motorboat in search of wildlife in obscure coves and backwater of the San Juan Islands.

This tour includes a knowledgeable naturalist guide and a graciously curious Captain. It is designed for adults and mature teens that wish to learn more about all aspects of our Islands eco system and wildlife. You are not likely to see orca whales after the first week of October, so we do not sell this as a whale watching tour.

Our vessel the Sea Lion has a fully enclosed and windowed cabin that easily seats 24, plus outdoor covered seating. There is also a walk around deck and a large bathroom. On board we provide some binoculars, blankets, jackets and wildlife fieldguide and wildlife books.

Here is a list of birds that you are likely to see on the water in the San Juan Islands Fall, Winter and Spring. There are some birds that will stay over summer, but most will migrate by spring.

Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Red-Necked Grebe
Double-Crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Black Oystercatcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Heermann's Gull
Mew Gull
Glaucous-Winged Gull
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Rhinoceros Auklet
Belted Kingfisher
White-winged Scoter
Red-Breated Merganser
Red-Necked Phalarope
Black Turnstone
Surfbird.

Then . . . not common, but recently seen on the water:
Parasitic Jeager
Sooty Sherwater
Fork-Tailed Storm Petrel
Western Gull
Common Tern
Northern Crow
Common Raven
Western Grebe
Horned Grebe.

Photo by Claude Steelman

Photo by Claude Steelman

Thousands of people go every weekend to enjoy our feathered friends. In addition, enjoying the interpretation of our marine environment is remarkable in itself. We believe a sojourn through the islands in the shoulder season (Sept - Oct & April - May) will be invigorating and rewarding.

Join us!

Links:
Audubon- San Juan Archipelago
Washington Ornithological Society
San Juan Islands Audubon Society
American Birding Association
Tweeters Birding Email Digests
Seattle Audubon Society
Falcon Research Group
British Columbia Field Ornithologists

Big February Bird Count
Great Backyard Bird Count Ambassadors Wanted The biggest birding event of the year is just around the corner. The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place every February. Audubon



sanjuansafaris.com is the copyrighted intellectual property of San Juan Safaris, Inc.,
Friday Harbor, WA, USA
updated:1-28-05
All the following photos are by
Claude Steelman of Wildshots







This list is birds that are in the islands in October, not necessarily on the water, and not listed above
Pied-Billed Grebe
Brandt's Cormorant
Trumpeter Swan
Brant
Green-Winged Teal
Mallard Duck
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Ring-Necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Oldsquaw
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Northern Harrier
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
Rough-Legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Merlin
Ring-Necked Pheasant
Blue Grouse
Wild Turkey
Northern Bobwhite
California Quail
Virginia Rail
American Coot
Black-Bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover
American Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowleg
Lesser Yellowleg
Solitary Sandpiper
Wandering Tattler
Whimbrel
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Rock Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-Billed Dowitcher
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Ancient Murrelet
Rock Dove
Band-Tailed Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Common Barn Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Short-Eared Owl
Northern Saw-Whet Owl
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eurasian Skylark
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-Breated Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
American Dipper
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Shrike
European Starling
Hutton's Vireo
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Spotted Towheee
Fox Sparrow

Photo by Claude Steelman

whale diving, pair of kayakers spyhopping whale


Departing from Friday Harbor & Roche Harbor
San Juan Island, Washington
800-450-6858 or 360-378-1323
2004 Season: April 23 to October 3
www.sanjuansafaris.com
fun@sanjuansafaris.com

Thank You for Visiting
Please come back again soon!