September 21, 2021

Steller Sea Lions, Foraging Bigg’s Killer Whales and Good Vibes

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 09/21/2021 | 1:30pm Today was awesome. Not only did I get to work with Abby and Gabe on Sea Lion, we got to watch an incredible family of whales actively hunting and killing what I assumed to be a harbor seal! We left Friday Harbor on a mission: whales had been spotted...Read more
Bigg's Killer Whale

September 20, 2021

Spy hops galore with the T065B Killer Whales

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/20/2021 | 2:00pm Today’s tour was a naturalist's dream. When Solan pulled Kestrel out of Friday Harbor we turned northward. A family of unidentified Bigg’s Killer Whales had been reported off the south side of Saturna Island. We had our heading and off we went! We stopped...Read more

September 18, 2021

11 Biggs Killer Whales From Four Matrilines

September 18 th , 2021 Abby | M/V Kestrel | 2pm | 9/18/2021 Captain Solan and I zoomed south in San Juan Channel, cumulonimbus clouds rising steadily in front of Mount Baker. We headed over to Goose Island where double-crested cormorants stood atop their haystack-style nests and glaucous gulls...Read more

September 16, 2021

Bigg’s Orca, Humpback Whales, and a Warship!

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/16/2021 | 2:00pm Kestrel flew out of Friday harbor with purpose this morning: a family of Bigg’s Killer whales had been reported passing through Deception Pass State Park and were now traveling across the Juan De Fuca. We stopped briefly at goose island to observe the...Read more

September 9, 2021

The T018 Biggs Killer Whale Matriline in Rosario Strait

Abby | M/V Kestrel | 2pm | 9/9/2021 Captain Solan and I slipped out of the harbor, deliberately cruising south through San Juan Channel to spot many different species, including: Steller Sea Lions Harbor Seals Double-Crested Cormorants Pelagic Cormorants Glaucous-Winged Gulls Marbled Murrelets...Read more

September 8, 2021

20 Biggs Killer Whales

Abby | M/V Kestrel | 2pm | 9/8/2021 Captain Solan and I cruised out of the harbor with the intention of viewing what is known as a “T-Party,” where several families of transient, or Biggs, killer whales were playfully interacting with one another. We zipped in between Shaw and Lopez Island, through...Read more

August 16, 2021

Canadian Orcas!

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 08/16/2021 2:00pm Nturalist Haleigh and I joined captain Pete on the boat with our excited guests and headed out to see what we could find around the Salish Sea. We headed north and crossed the border into Canada. Here we found Orcas!! Beautifully swimming around off the...Read more

Pages