Curious George

Below: Male Steller Sea Lions hauled out on the rocks south of San Juan Island.

Yesterday was probably one of the best showcases of Steller Sea Lions we've had yet. We decided to head to Yellow Island, Flattop Island, and eventually to Saturna Island in Canada. We learned all about seals, porpoises, and we may have gotten a look at some river otters swimming around near Orcas Island. Our guests got some great looks at playing porpoises, the geology of the islands, and Bald Eagles. However, the best look was our encounter with a male Steller Sea Lion off Boiling Reef near the east tip of Saturna. There were a dozen Stellers hauled out on the reef, tons of Harbor Seals, and four Bald Eagles all hanging out in the same spot... talk about an awesome photo opp!!! But wait, there's more! We caught a glimpse of a Steller swimming around about 200 yards from the reef and decided to check out a water view of a Sea Lion. We drifted over to him and turned the engine off to watch him swimming about from a distance. However, Mr. Steller, or Curious George, as we decided to name him, had other plans. Apparently he had booked a people watch tour and decided to come in for a better look. We spent fifteen minutes drifting while George swam around and under the boat, checking out our guests the entire time. What a thrilling encounter!!! Needless to say, George stole the show, as his buddies cheered him on from the rocks with their loud moans.

J-Pod was sighted way north in Canada, but they were too far for any of the Friday Harbor Whale Watch fleet to reach them. Keep your fingers crossed in hopes they decide to head south today! Luckily, we have such an abundance of wildlife here that there's never a dull day... even if we don't see whales.

Welcome Back J-Pod!!!

Below: Orca tail slap photo by one of our guests, Sarah Nylander.

Today was a fabulous day out! We encountered J-Pod foraging just west of Lime Kiln Lighthouse. The group was spread out over a few miles and we were able to identify J-35, J-26, J-11, and J-27. In fact, J-11, aka Blossom, came in relatively close to our boat and gave the guests a great photo opp. We also saw some breaching and tail lobs off the bow of the boat. All in all J-Pod gave us a great show making for an incredible trip. (Not to mention the sun was perfect!) We are crossing our fingers in hopes that this is J-Pod's return to the Salish Sea for the summer, meaning we will be seeing them more often now. We have another trip going out tomorrow afternoon at 1pm, so if you're in the area you should give us a holler! Until tomorrow...

Eagle Eyes

Yesterday was one of the best eagle viewing days we've had this season! We saw at least over a dozen Bald Eagles, many of which were juveniles. However, the adults seemed to know we were watching them and put on quite the show for us. They were perched regally on trees and rocks in plain sight, perfect opportunities for pictures.

The day began quite rainy, but we had a great California Sea Lion sighting on the buoy just outside the harbor. As we continued past Speiden the weather cleared up and people were able to get some postcard worthy photos of the clouds surrounding Salt Spring Island in Canada. Although there were no whales, we really got some great looks at the Glaucus Winged Gulls, Cormorants, and both types of sea lion: California and a Steller hauled out on Green Point. We had a talkative and inquisitive group, which heightened the atmosphere and made for an even better voyage.

Another beautiful afternoon in the San Juan Islands with very little wind. Captain Craig took us northward to Speiden Island, Haro Strait, Turn Point and then a short trip into Canada via Boundary Pass. A year old juvenile bald eagle was spotted on Speiden Island by one of our eagle eye passengers. He or she was a very mottled color but those bright yellow feet can't be missed. We also saw several Dall porpoises, a stellar sea lion, many harbor seals and mouflon sheep and fallow deer on Speiden Island. A great day on the water!

Be Optimistic

Transient Orcas in the Haro Strait. Photographed by Mark Malleson of Vancouver, B.C.

Yesterday began without an orca sighting, but this didn't discourage our optimistic guests. They truly understood how unpredictable wildlife can be and we believe it was this understanding and optimism that gave them their sighting.

We began our voyage heading north toward Speiden Island. We saw a few Mouflon Sheep, but there was a dense covering of sea smoke, making wildlife difficult to spot. The porpoises were swimming about, but didn't seem to be in a playful mood. The crew was determined to find our guest whales and darted over to Gooch Island in search of them. Although we saw no whales near Gooch, our guests refused to get discouraged. They had an insatiable desire to learn about our wildlife and we think the whales caught on. As soon as we left Gooch we heard reports that Transients were spotted near Cattle Pass, a few miles south of our position. We booked it down the west side of San Juan Island and showed up just in time for our guests to get some great shots of T-14 and friends. We hung out with the whales and then went back to Friday Harbor via Cattle Pass. On our way we saw some Stellers hauled out on the rocks as well as a few Harbor Seals.

Our experience yesterday proved good things come to those who wait. Until next time...

Whale of a Tale

Below: A group of Transients seen hunting on the 21st near Victoria. Photo by Mark Malleson.

What a perfect day for an adventure! We had a great group of guests come out with us for the perfect April excursion and they were in for a treat. As soon as our lucky friends boarded the boat, Captain Hobbes got word that Transients were hunting near Hughes Pass in Canada. No sooner than we'd given the safety talk we were off towards Canada in search of a small group of Transients.

When we arrived on scene, Hobbes slowed the boat for a dramatic entrance. Guests shouted as they saw dorsal fins on the horizon. We watched them from about 300 yards off and suddenly they disappeared. We searched all around the boat hoping to see something in the distance. Whoosh!!! We all looked in the direction of the noise and six transients popped up about 60ft from our stern! T-14, an adult transient male, was with them and as big and beautiful as ever. (Don't worry all you San Juan Bloggers out there, our motor was off so as not to affect the whales.) Our guests were able to get up close and personal with some of the top predators in the ocean.

Not only did we see transients, but we also checked out some Dall's porpoises, Harbor Seals, Mouflon Sheep, and even saw a Steller Sea Lion hauled out on Green Point! We even had a little River Otter hunting near the docks to greet us when we came in. Our guests got quite a treat today and the season is only beginning! We look forward to our trip tomorrow afternoon at 1pm. Every day is exciting, but today sure took the cake!

(Special thanks go out to T-14 and his family for giving us an incredible show!)

Don’t Blinkey… You’ll Miss the Minke

Dall's riding the bow waves. From the Orca Spotting Network.

What an awesome day for a wildlife trip! Yesterday gave us glassy seas and beautiful sunlight. We began our trip keeping our eyes on the water because the conditions gave us the perfect opportunity for a sighting of some sort. No sooner than we prepared our guests for a sighting, we got word that a Minke whale (pronounced Min-key) was feeding off Saturna Island in Canada.

We sped toward Canada in hopes of some great observations. (We want to observe, not interact with the wildlife.) Sure enough, our Minke friend was just where our Canadian friends said. Minkes are the smallest members of the baleen whales. They don’t have teeth like our orca, but plates that resemble stiff hairs for teeth. They feed on krill and small fish by opening their mouth and swimming through the water. They close their mouth and push the water out through the baleen plates, which leaves their food trapped inside. It’s so funny how such a large creature preys on some of the smallest. The Minke cruised back and forth through the water in a zig-zag pattern. Minkes are a bit more shy than our orca and don’t make as big of a scene when they’re around. We got good views of the Minke’s back and stubbly little dorsal fin. Minkes are bigger than orcas, but their dorsals are quite a bit smaller.

After hanging out with the Minke for a while, we headed to the Haro Strait for some porpoise encounters. Captain Hobbes thought the day was perfect for a playful porpoise and his predictions proved true. We got just off Turn Point on Stuart Island and Dall’s came in to ride the bow waves. Our guests and crew clapped and whistled for them, which only encouraged them to keep playing. (Not all wildlife, however, appreciate noise. Our Dall’s are a bit of an exception.)

Our trip concluded with a trip to Speiden to see the Mouflon Sheep and Fallow Deer as well as some Stellers hanging out at Green Point. The Stellers really impressed our guests with their massive bodies and loud roars. We even had some Bald Eagles looking down on the Stellers, which only added to a great day of wildlife viewing. These waters are teeming with life and every day is truly a safari!

Spying on Speiden

Photo of a Bald Eagle by our guest Dan Konopacki

Yesterday was a fun group in that we took five people out for an intimate trip around the islands. We began our orca search by heading down the east side of San Juan Island so we could high tail it to Victoria if they spotted whales. Unfortunately, there was no whale chatter over the radio and Captain Hobbes decided to turn around and head back towards Speiden because the water was very choppy. (We this these waves contributed to our lack, and everyone's lack for that matter, of seeing whales.) We took our guests to Speiden in hopes of catching something unique and exciting.

The excitement built as we parallelled Speiden because we saw a Bald Eagle kill! There was an adult and a juvenile feeding on a baby Mouflon Sheep carcass in plain view of our boat. We believe the baby died shortly before we got there, perhaps it was a still birth, and the eagles were taking advantage of the opportunity. Our National Geographic experience didn't end there. We also saw two juvenile male Mouflon Sheep headbutting each other. This "play" behavior eventually becomes more than a game when they are old enough to fight for females. They would rear up on their hind legs and crash their heads together with a force so great we could hear it echo!

We left Speiden with great photos and incredible memories and headed out into the Haro to look for porpoises and of course, orcas. We saw a few Dall's, but the waves made it difficult to keep an eye on them so Hobbes took us back around Stuart Island to check out some Harbor Seals and Bald Eagle nests. The trip came to a close as we came around the north side of Speiden, but the excitement was far from over. There were five male Steller Sea Lions hauled out on Green Point. Our guests had seen them swimming in the water earlier, but it's hard to comprehend how huge they are when you just see their heads in the water. These guys were huge and stood up nice and tall for our pictures.

Although we didn't see orca, the trip was a success. We may not be able to guarantee the whales, but we can guarantee fun and a great opportunity to see wildlife being just that... wild.