It was a really lovely day out on the water. The sun came out, misty whiffs of clouds hovered above the islands, and the orcas were everywhere. We circumnavigated San Juan Island, first heading south and then north up the west side. San Juan Island is the second largest, 55 square miles, of the county. Our first orca sighting was about 2 miles offshore from False Bay. Two large males surfaced for air, making a surprisingly loud "whuff" was they exhaled. We continued north to see more whales near the Lime Kiln State Park. Ashley and I quickly identified J26 "Mike" by his open V-shaped saddle patch. The guests enjoyed helping us identify the whales. We flipped through our photo I.D. catalog of the Southern Resident Community, telling stories of the different whale behaviors and family lineages. After we said goodbye to Mike, we traveled along the south side of Spieden Island. Right away we spotted a bald eagle on the grassy slope and many harbor seals in the water. It was truly beautiful, there is nowhere else I would rather be!
Sally,
Naturalist