Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, June 8th 2025 | 2:00 PM
Our first truly HOT day of the season! A perfect day to be on our high speed vessel the M/V Kestrel. We quickly made our way interisland, following the ferry route past the mouth of East Sound and eventually into the open Rosario Straight. Our first stop was for harbor seals scattered about Peapod Rocks, lounging in the hot sun. Next, we continued North East investigating a report of 7 Killer whales identified as the T124B's. When first arriving, the whales were split up into the two groups hugging the Lummi Island shoreline. We watched them pull off shore and swim north into the Straight of Georgia. As the whales made their way north, we began to notice more and more harbor porpoise dorsal fins in the area. Harbor porpoise are a known prey source for these mammal eating Bigg's killer whales! After going under for a long dive, the whales emerged and began to mill in the same area with their heads close together. We associate this behavior with food sharing, perhaps they had just made a porpoise kill during that long dive! Highlight of our encounter has to be a spectacular spyhop from one of the bigger whales during this presumed food sharing moment.
As we made our way back to Friday Harbor when stopped for Steller sea lions essentially playing "musical chairs" with a navigational marker can. We watched in great amusement as one would push the other off, only to immediately get pushed in himself. There just wasn't enough room for all of them at once, and it was endlessly entertaining watching them manage the space, belching and grumbling at each other in the process. As one final wildlife bonus, we stopped for a stoic bald eagle perched a top (yet another) navigational marker. Perfect spring day packed with wildlife!