Olivia Esqueda | April 28th, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 2:00pm
Despite the PNW spring rain, today’s trip turned out to be so much fun! We were able to spot many birds as we traveled down San Juan Channel into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, admiring Cattle Point Lighthouse along the way. After searching through the misty backdrop, we spotted the T065B’s- a matriline of Bigg’s Killer Whales.
This ecotype of orca feeds on marine mammals and is commonly found in the greater Salish Sea area. We are very familiar with this specific family and have loved to watch the 2011 calf “sprout” the past few years. Killer whales go through puberty around the same ages that humans do, and for males it is called “sprouting” because that dorsal fin (made of primarily cartilage and collagen) starts to grow very tall- where it will eventually reach up to 6 feet tall!
Transiting our way back north, we saw heaps of Steller’s Sea Lion playing and thermoregulating in the water, while also snoozing up on the shoreline. Not too far away, near Lopez Island, we spotted three Bald Eagles scanning the soggy horizon. Spring is full of surprises, and we love being out on the water!