Today was a great day; sunny and calm with a strong flood current pushing us north. With no reports of Orcas we headed north to East Point on Saturna Island to seek out Harbor Seals and Steller Sea Lions. When we flew passed three magnificent Steller Sea Lions swimming in the water, without any time for our passengers to take a look, I went into the wheelhouse to check in with the captain. Transient Orcas had been found even further north off of Mayne Island in the Strait of Georgia...

The Cameras Are Rolling! NestCam season is still going strong! We are happy to report that the Eastern Bluebird eggs have hatched four little nestlings. Note and an aside: Here in the San Juan Islands BLUE BIRDS are being re-introduced. It is a BIG deal to all us islanders. The Barn Owl chicks have also hatched, which should provide more entertainment. In addition, we are still watching our Great Crested Flycatchers, Peregrine Falcons, Wood Ducks, and Eastern Phoebes, with Chimney...

Saturday evening I attended My Fair Lady at the San Juan Island Community Theatre.

Was I pleasantly surprised!  I was expecting well, not what I got.  I was delightful: costumes, acting and singing voices. If you are going to be on island, I would most definatly include this performance in your plans.

$18 and well worth it.

I had an appointment off island yesterday and was observing folks, dogs, ferriess and cormorants at the Anacortes ferry landing.

Great weather yesterday, today too and suppose to be the same for tomorrow - Mother Days (you remembered her, right?)

 

Cormorants. Ya gotta love them.

I noticed SO MANY cormorants carrying sea weed and eel grass to their

nests perched on PILINGS!  Fits the bill perfectly (no pun intended, ok, maybe a little tiny pun)

This works even better than cliffs. Dependable. Uniform...

Environmentalists want investigation of toxic waste in Georgia Strait
Mark Hume
A coalition of Canadian and U.S. environmental groups have asked an international body to investigate allegations the federal government is allowing a Metro Vancouver sewage plant to regularly discharge toxic waste into Georgia Strait.
In a submission, nine groups ask the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America to document “the failure of the Canadian government to adequately enforce...

5/5 Associated Press Washington transfers historic San Juan Island land by Associated Press OLYMPIA (AP) — The state Board of Natural Resources approved the transfer of 320 acres on San Juan Island to be included in the San Juan Island National Historic Park. The state land is adjacent to historic English Camp and includes a road used by British and American troops who jointly occupied the area until 1872. The Department of Natural Resources says the state will receive $3.1 million...

Garage Sale in West Seattle and buy their treasures to support Orca Network! 100% of the proceeds go to Orca Network.

7717 California Ave. SW. Seattle WA

Saturday May 8th, 9am - 3pm.

The weather was beautiful- sunny AND warm. Unfortunately, there was a raging wind. We had to cancel our trip and the ferries were either canceled or delayed. The weather tomorrow looks much better and we are running our scheduled 1pm trip.

Naturalist, Lauren Sands

What a first day back on the job! This is my third season working for San Juan Safaris. At the beginning of every season I can't wait to get back out on the water. Today was my first day back on the boat and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect welcome back! We departed Friday Harbor having heard word that the Southern Resident Killer Whales were off the coast of Victoria headed eastbound. Captain Craig informed me that rough seas might make an encounter with the orcas a no-go...

Plan a visit to San Juan Island this spring for a weekend filled with farm and food activities. This first annual event will include more than 15 farms and island restaurants serving locally-grown foods. Visitors can experience everything from the farmers' market and farm tours, to cooking classes and wine releases, to educational farming workshops. For a detailed list of activities, dates and times, click here. Just contact the listed farms and restaurants directly to book...