Olivia Esqueda | May 28th, 2025 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00pm
What a fun day on Kestrel with Captain Vaun! We had a small group of folks, which always leads to more personal conversations and deeper storytelling when it comes to the area, the wildlife, and the history of the islands. We worked our way south through San Juan Channel, making a slow cruise past Goose Island to see many different bird species, including Pelagic Cormorants, Double Crested Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Canada Geese, Rhinoceros Auklets, and many gull species. Additionally, we saw heaps of Harbor Seals hauled out with the extra low tide! While admiring Cattle Point Lighthouse on the southern tip of San Juan Island, we then cruised across the channel to see playful Steller’s Sea Lions hanging around at Whale Rocks.
We continued east, circling around the southern side of Lopez Island into Rosario Strait where we came across a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales, known as the T123’s. This matriline of mammal eating orcas is one of favorites, as they have a very cool history of stories, we see them commonly in the Salish Sea, and they have a large male that has a big personality to match! We sat with them as they traveled against the current, often naturally lining up under Koma Kulshan (Mt. Baker; the volcano in the North Cascades), which left us with a truly stunning backdrop. This trip encompassed the cliché image of the Pacific Northwest and we were so grateful to be able to experience it together.