Sunshine and whales, is there anything else in this world like it? Captain Nancy and I had a small group with us on the MV Sea Lion today and they got the view that some of them had traveled far afield to see. Hailing from places like Philadelphia, Michigan and Malaysia, as well as good old Seattle, our passengers were treated to a lovely boat ride on calm seas to the waters just South of Point Roberts. There the whales were in their brightest white and shiniest black as they slowly...

Today was a great day for wildlife viewing. We headed south out of Friday Harbor and then just southeast of Lopez we spotted Southern Resident Killer Whales, the J-pod and they put on a great show. Captain Nancy identified Ruffles! They were breaching and tail slapping- some great pictures were taken. On the way back we spotted some bald eagles on Long Island and Stellar Sea Lions on Whale Rocks. I am always impressed with the size of the Stellar Sea Lions. The waters did get a...

Hello all,

A group of intrepid seventh graders and their chaperones were our guests on the MV Kittiwake today. The kids and adults alike were inquisitive and well rewarded for their interest. We had a good look at some Harbor Porpoises in San Juan Channel that were milling around in the swirling water, most likely feeding. There were Pigeon Guillemots galore, along with their vibrant red feet, especially on the backside of Flattop Island which is a wildlife preserve.

Bald Eagles were...

Today we saw the largest member of the dolphin family, orcas! These animals are super intelligent and beautiful. We located J-pod, 1 mile south of Cattle point heading west. We did see a calf! The whales were tail slapping and spy hopping, it was fantastic. We also placed the hydrophone in the water and could hear J-pod communicating. This is something everyone should see and hear!!! On the way back to Friday Harbor we located a bald eagle in its nest on the south side of...

When I arrived to work today, I heard word that J Pod was rumored to be in the Haro Strait. As the morning continued, Captain Craig confirmed the word that the most frequent visiting Southern Resident community pod was indeed back in the islands! Captain Craig, a group of excited guests and I departed Friday Harbor with high hopes of seeing orcas! We headed up toward Boundary Pass. As we rounded the northern side of Turn Point and headed into Canadian waters we began to see dorsal...

After hearing word of Transient Orcas up north, we left Friday Harbor in a hurry to try to view some of the marine mammal eating Orcas that sometimes frequent the San Juan Islands. We headed quickly their way, only to hear they started heading further north (out of our range). Then, we sped north again, having heard they were headed back our direction. Luck wasn't on our side and once more they turned and were out of our range. Luckily, the islands have wildlife abound!

The guests...

Yet again, Spring is in the air in the San Juan Islands! Captain Nancy and our other Naturalist, Jeannette, and I headed out with an excited group of guests to view the wonders the islands have to offer. We cruised past Speiden Island, viewing the islands exotic wildlife along the way, up on towards Turn Point, off of Stuart Island. Along the way we gazed at the hauled out Harbor Seals as they gazed back at us. We saw a few harbor porpoises off of Turn Point and headed around Stuart...

Today on the Kittiwake, Captain Pete found lots of wildlife to view. The conditions were amazing, smooth seas and a clear sky. We saw many bald eagles, (even a juvenile), stellar sea lions, harbor seals, harbor porpioses and many birds. We also cruised by Spieden and were able to view some deer and sheep. We had a great trip!!!
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

San Juan Island near Seattle: Home to the Southern Resident Killer Whales

Although there is still an early spring nip to the weather, it was a glorious day out on the water. After hearing word of a few Minke whales off of Cattle Point, towards Hein Bank, we headed south to catch some glipses of one of the true whales that inhabit the waters of the San Juan Islands (Orcas aren't actually whales, they are the largest dolphin!). Minke whales are the smallest of the baleen whale, around thirty feet long. They feed upon krill and small fish. We had some great...

Over the weekend Tom, Joe & I paddled out on two 3-hour tours and were rewarded with fantastic wildlife sightings. That morning a number of critters like raccoons and a black fox had made their way down to the low tide line to paw at the exposed rocks in search of crabs and other tasty treats. Eagles were also plentiful that day, and that afternoon we saw one swooping low into the water very close to shore. A flash of brown caught our eyes and as we paddled closer we saw two river...