Posts Tagged ‘Harbor Porpoise’

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Transients on the Move!!!

Saturday, June 15th, 2013
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Today was a great day for watching our mammal hunting transient killer whales! We left our Friday Harbor location in hopes of encountering these majestic whales along the way and were pleased when we found them! The stakes were high, I had already seen this same small pod of transients kill a harbor seal days before and hoped this trip would be just as good; I wasn’t let down! These whales seemed to be on a course of their own as they surfaced about 3 feet from our boat and proceeded to go around our boat equally as close. It was an amazing experience, once which both myself and our guests will surely never forget. I’m pretty sure everyone got some whale breath on them too!!

During our viewing of T-65 and her Pod, we also saw Harbor Porpoise which were conventionality and speedily heading in the other direction as our mammal hunting whales. I think it’s safe to say they were “running for their life”!

On our way home we got a fantastic look at some Harbor Seals and pups hauled out on the rocks. Harbor Seal females will actually develop a strong bond with her pups but wean them rather abruptly after 3-5 weeks of birth. It’s a rough life for a Harbor Seal pup! I say this just about every time, but I love my job! Nothing beats seeing wildlife like that every day in their natural environment. I’m pretty sure Captain Mike and Naturist Caitlin feel the same way! I’m so glad we could share that experience with our guest!

Heather, Naturalist, Sea Lion

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Dall’s Porpoise on the Move through the San Juan Channel!

Wednesday, June 12th, 2013
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Today we headed to the south end of San Juan Island with some fabulous guests, many from foreign countries such as Japan, Germany, and even Australia! We were happy to see such diversity on board today. As we headed through the San Juan Channel, we were all excited to see our Dall’s Porpoise having a grand old time ridding the waves off of our stern and bow! Both myself and Emily (the other naturalist on board) had never seen these small mammals and were equally excited to witness this display of fun behavior! We spent about fifteen minuets with them, watching as they played in our waves, swam around and under our boat, and popped up everywhere! Dall’s Porpoise and Harbor Porpoise are actually two of the six species of Porpoise that inhabit the worlds oceans and we happen to have both here in the Salish Sea; the two have actually begun to hybridize! After seeing the Dall’s Proposes behavior today, I’d have to say that they are my favorite!

After we parted ways with our Porpoise friends, we headed out to Hein Bank to catch some Minke action. Hein Bank is a great spot to catch these small whales, because of its underwater topography. There are many upwelling zones here that Minke whales love to forage in due to their shallow waters and large surplus of food. The Minkes we saw were definitely taking advantage of this food!

On our way home, we saw some Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, and even another Minke right in the San Juan Channel! What great day of wildlife viewing!

Heather, Naturalist, Sea Lion

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Minkes, Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise etc… a great day for wildlife!!!

Monday, June 10th, 2013
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Captain Mike, Andrew and myself left our Friday Harbor location today and headed south through the San Juan Channel and into Cattle Pass where we hoped to encounter some great whale activity. Along the way we stopped to say “hello” to my favorite small critters that are known to inhabit the Salish Sea: Harbor Seals. The harbor seals thrive on our large tidal difference here which create the upwellings they navigate through to hunt. Their whiskers on the front of their face are specially designed to help them hunt; they have nerve endings in them! They will use their large whiskers as “feelers” to explore anything foreign or unfamiliar. It’s always fun to see our seals forging in the water.

We cursed through Cattle pass and encountered a Minke whale foraging off the coast of False Bay. Minke whales are actually the smallest whale in the baleen family averaging a size of 25-30 feet long (about the size of an Orca). We hung out with our Minke friend for a while and enjoyed some great views during that time.

We also saw many Harbor Porpoise on the South side of San Juan Island in the Haro Straight. I always love it when we are able to shut our motor off and listen to the blow of the marine wildlife we are seeing. In the case of the Harbor Porpoise, they are actually quite shy; therefore, shutting our boat off give’s us a better chance of experiencing these animals and their behavior.

While we didn’t see our famous killer whales today, we saw a lot of wildlife and had a great day on the water! Just yesterday we were able to watch our killer whales but they can travel up to 100 miles in a day and were gone for our tour. We had lots of children on board today, their extra enthusiasm about all things small and large was both invigorating and helpful while pointing out all of the other wildlife to be seen in the San Juan Islands! All in all, we had a great day on the water!

Heather, Naturalist, Sea Lion

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It’s Raining Transients!

Monday, May 13th, 2013
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The same group of marine mammal-eating Transients (the T49Bs and T65As) that “wowed” us yesterday demonstrated their hunting prowess again today outside of Sidney, British Columbia. Just before coming upon the gang we witnessed several Harbor Porpoise in the area. The orcas began to breach and moved inshore where it appeared that they pinned their prey right up against the beach. Our hardy guests enjoyed the show despite the driving wind and rain and huddled back in our vessel’s heated cabin between viewing. On our return trip we grazed by Mandarte Island to view the exceptionally active nesting colonies of sea birds found there. The herd of sheep and deer on Speiden Island didn’t seem to be phased by the weather either. Several Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures soared in the updraft above Speiden’s ridge.

Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris

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Monday, September 24th, 2012
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Cruising south through San Juan Channel we encountered a number of marine mammals and seabird species.  Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, and Steller Sea Lions were all taking advantage of the abundance of prey along with the Glaucous-winged Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Cormorants. 

Upon entering Cattle Pass the beautiful island setting was blanketed by a layer of fog providing a chilly and eerily exciting ambiance to our tour.  Even before we could see the Steller Sea Lions we could hear their grumbles echoing through the cloudy mist.  Then, through the haze we finally saw these massive animals!  Over 15 Steller Sea Lions were spread out over the rocky shores of Whale Rocks.  Another 7 Steller Sea Lions had formed a raft and were alternating lifting their flippers out of the water as if they were performing a synchronized swimming routine. 

Next, roughly ¼ mile offshore of San Juan Island between Pile Point and Hannah Heights we found a Minke Whale (48°28.45N, 123°06.48W)!  The Minke Whale seemed extra curious today coming in for a closer look as it circled the stern of the vessel.  Such a rare treat for this normally shy and elusive animal. 

Our tour ended with a visit to Spieden Island where we viewed dozens of the Mouflon Sheep, Sika Deer, and Fallow Deer.  Followed by a stop at O’Neal Island in Rocky Bay where we saw a mature Bald Eagle!

Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours

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A Different Kind of Day

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
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Today’s tour was a bit different than usual, yet so refreshing! With no whale reports since the night before, we took our tour to the inner islands.

Sure the San Juan Islands are home to one of the most charismatic animals in the world, the Killer Whale, but that is not the only thing that makes them beautiful. Often times the inner beauties of these islands are overlooked, but today we allowed our guests to discover these beauties. We toured along Flattop Island, the Cactus Islands, through Johns and Stewart Island, then into Canada to see Moresby and Mandarte Island, and back into the U.S. to finish with Spieden Island.

The abundance of wildlife inhabiting these islands and the channels between is nothing short of remarkable, including those we saw today such as dozens of Harbor Porpoise, dozens upon dozens of Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, Cormorants, Sika Deer, Fallow Deer, Mouflon Sheep, Great Blue Heron, Gulls of all shapes and sizes, and Steller Sea Lions.

Animals aside, these islands standalone in their natural beauty. Glaciation has carved this area into one of the most majestic places on earth; the geology, the vegetation, simply awe-inspiring.

And if you haven’t seen enough then consider this, there are hundreds of islands that make up the San Juans and every island has a story of its own. From the coastal Sammish, to the Spaniards, to a one room school house, no plumbing, no electric, to the richest of summer homes, to marine state parks, to national wildlife refuges, to a war almost started over a Pig, to even owning an island yourself. These islands are something worth seeing and we can give you this experience.

Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris

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A-MAZ-ING Day!

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
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We had reports of Transient Killer Whales near Victoria, B.C. today.  When the animals are reported this far away we do have to do a bit of traveling but fortunately the Killer Whales were traveling east and headed our direction. 

As we were motoring through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to reach the whales we saw 5 Dall’s Porpoise.  The Dall’s Porpoise were actively foraging in the highly productive region.  After a few minutes of viewing these animals we continued on our way when we spotted a Minke Whale!  The Minke Whale surfaced twice before diving.  We knew the whale would be down for several minutes so again we continued on our journey but, it was only a matter of minutes when we came across a number of Harbor Porpoise.  The Harbor Porpoise were also taking advantage of the abundance of prey and were actively foraging.  Then, it wasn’t much further before we spotted the Transient Killer Whales! 

There were 8-9 whales headed north between Middle Bank and Discovery Island (48°23.02N, 123°12.54W).  This was a rather large group for the Transient Killer Whales who are known to be very stealthy and elusive.  Initially the whales were traveling in a tight group but as we continued watching them they began to spread out and form two smaller groups.  They were still traveling within close range of each other; one group of whales was only a few body lengths ahead of the other group.  On two different occasions we saw several of the whales circling and diving in a small area while several seagulls were swooping in from above…it turns out the Killer Whales were having a late lunch evident by the remains of what we suspect were Harbor Porpoise, based on our earlier sightings, floating at the surface.  When it was time to head back to Friday Harbor the Transient Killer Whales had once again formed a tighter group and were traveling in close proximity of one another.

Then it was time to return to Friday Harbor but just because we were leaving the whales didn’t mean the tour was over.  On the way back we saw several more Harbor Porpoise and a number of Harbor Seals.  At Whale Rocks over 30 Steller Sea Lions were littering the island, sprawled out and resting or walking about and grumbling at each other.  While another 6 Steller Sea Lions had decided to take a dip in the frigid, 48 F waters. 

Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours

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Wildlife o’ Plenty

Saturday, September 15th, 2012
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Once again, it was beautiful day in the San Juan Islands with bluebird skies and flat calm waters.  And, the Salish Sea was teeming with wildlife and seabirds. 

In the San Juan Channel and Cattle Pass we saw Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Steller Sea Lions, and a number of different seabird species.  Here the tide is funneled through Lopez Island and San Juan Island creating upwelling.  Eager for a meal, marine mammals and seabirds congregate in this area, taking full advantage of the abundance of prey.  Marine mammals are intelligent animals and focus their efforts in areas where food tends to be predictable and abundant.  Sure seemed like they were having a feast.

Further south a Minke Whale was also busy foraging in the highly productive waters over Salmon Bank, evident by the 100’s of seabirds attacking a number of different bait balls of fish!  The Minke Whale was unusually cooperative, surfacing every few minutes and providing excellent views and photographic opportunities.  This Minke Whale was definitely not a “sneaky Minke” today! 

On our return to Friday Harbor we saw another 15 Harbor Seals, packed in like sardines on Mummy Rocks where a mature Bald Eagle perched above overlooking the scene as if playing “King of the Mountain.”  Then we swung by Whale Rocks where over 20 Steller Sea Lions were either swimming, resting, or visibly arguing over prime haul-out territory. 

Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours

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Seals, a Whale, Sea Lions, and an Elephant!?

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
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Our day began with Harbor Seals!  As usual they were taking advantage of the beautiful weather and having a snooze while soaking up the sunshine. 

We then motored south through the San Juan Channel where we saw a number of marine mammal and seabird species including Harbor Porpoise, Steller Sea Lions, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Cormorants, Harbor Seals, and a plethora of Gulls.  These animals were most likely foraging in this highly productive area. 

As we cruised south to look for Minke Whales, Captain Mike found a Northern Elephant Seal!  SO COOL!  However, when the seal dove we decided to continue our search for a Minke Whale since the average dive of a Northern Elephant Seal lasts approximately 30 minutes. 

It wasn’t too long before we found a Minke Whale, and the whale even had short dive times, only 4 minutes.  After capturing several glimpses of the Minke Whale it was time to begin our jaunt back to Friday Harbor.  But the tour wasn’t over yet, on the way back we stopped to view a mature Bald Eagle and at least 20 Steller Sea Lions hauled out on the rocky shores of Whale Rocks!  Wooowhooo! 

Good Times in the Salish Sea!

Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours

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What a day on the water!!

Monday, August 27th, 2012
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The weather was perfect: high around 70 degrees, clear blue sky, and very light breeze.  The only thing that could make it better would be a day with the Orcas.  Did you order up Orcas?

 

Yes, a large order, please!

 

Coming right up.

 

We ran north – through beautifully calm water, enjoying the spectacular scenery.  Mount Baker was a clear and crisp as I’ve ever seen it.  Along the way, we saw harbor porpoise, common murre, pigeon guillemot, and harbor seals swimming about.

As we got nearer to our destination, members of J & K Pods showed themselves.  Plenty of porpoising, a breach, a spy hop, another breach – lots of activity.  We identified K-25 (Scoter), K-27 (Deadhead), J-27 (Blackberry), and a host of other gorgeous Orcas.  The boat rang out with ohhhhs and aahhhhhs, as the animals were all around us!

We had to “go the extra mile” today, because that’s where the action was.  It’s what we do.  48 47.91N,  122 46.7436W.  Lots of happy guests aboard!

Happy Whale Watching to You!

Captain Jim (Captain, Naturalist, all ’round fun guy)

 

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