Posts Tagged ‘Spieden Island’
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Today was amazing! Before the boat even left the slip, we saw a curious little harbor seal poke his head out of the water to check us out. Then, we actually left Friday Harbor and headed north towards Spieden Island where we saw mouflon sheep at the southern point. Along the island there was a group of sika deer right by the water’s edge, and a couple of babies running along next to their mothers. At the end of Spieden there was a bald eagle perched at the top of the tallest tree. Our next stop was Mandarte Island to check out the gull and cormorant nests. Just as we passed, we spotted harbor porpoises on either side of the boat. Some were porpoising out of the water! Not something we usually see from them!
We got really lucky just as we reached Turn Point, a humpback whale was spotted north of East Point! It was decision time; continue our course, or extend our trip and go for it. We decided to go for it and headed further north. And was it worth it! The humpback whale blew magnificently in the distance. We watched as it surfaced a few times before flashing its fluke in a fluke up dive. After what seemed like not time, we had to turn back to San Juan Island.
Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagle, East Point, friday harbor, Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seals, Humpback Whale, Mandarte, Mouflon Sheep, san juan island, Sika Deer, Spieden Island, Turn Point
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Thursday, May 10th, 2012
The name of the game today was Harbor. Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoises were everywhere in the Salish Sea today. We started by heading north out of Friday Harbor. Our first stop was Spieden Island, where we saw not only mouflon sheep and sika deer, but at least six bald eagles flying over the tree tops. Two of them left the island and flew straight over our boat! We also spotted harbor seals everywhere! They were hauled out on just about every rocky island. We then headed towards Mandarte island where double crested cormorants and gulls were nesting and flying above. Then, off Turn Point we spotted harbor porpoises all around the boat! Coming up multiple times so that we were able to get a good look. Plus, there were more bald eagles! Two were perched at the top of a tree, and three more were circling above Stuart Island. Finally, on the way back there were two Steller sea lions off the south tip of Spieden Island.
~Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagles, cormorants, friday harbor, Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seals, Mouflon Sheep, san juan islands, Sika Deer, Spieden Island, Steller Sea Lions, Stuart Island, Turn Point
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Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Today’s trip we began by heading west through the San Juan and Shaw Channels. As we passed between Lopez Island and San Juan Island we stopped at a rock that was covered on one half with Steller Sea Lions and the other half with Harbor Seals. There was also a lone Bald Eagle present, overlooking the rock. The passengers were thrilled!
We then looped around San Juan to the west side and were able to catch up with four individuals from J-Pod. There was one large male, a female, and two calves. As we traveled with the group along the shoreline, just past East Point, they milled around, and the calves began breaching a few times here and there!
After about 15 minutes they changed direction and immediately gained speed heading north. We were forunate enought to travel with them for a few more miles and in that time, the large male even breached! It was a very moving experience and one could tellthat our guests really began to feel beside themselves.
We then continued on our way north and around to the other side of the island. Once we got to Spieden Island, we saw the two groups of ungulates that inhabit the island; Sika Deer and Mouflon Sheep.
Today we caught all the wildlife possible and the guests left the boat with some of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen!
Naturalist, Tara
Tags: Bald Eagle, Breaching, Harbor Seals, j pod, Lopez Island, Mouflon Sheep, San Juan Channel, san juan island, Shaw Channel, Sika Deer, Spieden Island, Steller Sea Lions
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Sunday, May 6th, 2012
Today was one of those rare, perfect days to be out in the Salish Sea. First, all the conditions were in our favor; the weather was warm, sunny, and the seas were calm and almost windless. Second, the wildlife was abundant; we spotted a large group of six to seven transient killer whales identified as T18s just outside of Friday Harbor. The transients were more active than usual, tail slapping, rolling around, and spy hopping. After taking a good look at the whales we were able to leisurely make our way around Spieden Island, stopping to view Steller sea lions off the south point, bald eagles in the trees, and mouflon sheep and sika deer along the grassy hills. Plus there were harbor seals hauled out on several small, rocky islands, basking in the sun. Then, as we were heading back through Spieden Channel, we came across the transient killer whales again! This time huge male joined the group, with a dorsal fin at least five feet tall. It was a spectacular site and perfect ending to an amazing day.
Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagles, friday harbor, Harbor Seals, killer whales, Mouflon Sheep, orca whales, salish sea, san juan island, Sika Deer, Spieden Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion, Transient Orcas
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Friday, May 4th, 2012
With early news of orca spottings, today’s tour headed north towards the U.S./Canadian international border. Once we reached Turn Point we saw a few boats in the area and began our search. Within a quick ten minutes we had spotted two members of J-pod, our southern residents, and were able to follow them, watching them mill around and rise above the water’s surface.
After about twenty minutes we moved on with our search and headed back southwest. It only took a couple hundred yards until we saw the next group, and from then on it seemed as though the boat became part of the pod itself. You could view multiple groups from J-pod, with about 3-4 individuals each, in all directions. It was a great feeling to be one with the pod! Everyone was fascinated and fingers were pointing in all directions passengers yelling, “Oh look, over there! Over there! And over there!” One whale in particular, was even a bit curious, and did a small Spy Hop rising vertically out of the water, head first, allowing us to see the entire upper half of his body! It was a great day for whales, but that’s not all….
On our way back around the Spieden Island we were able to see all kinds of wildlife including Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, Cormorants, Steller Sea Lions, Sika Deer, and Mouflon Sheep. The weather was nice, the water was nice, and the wildlife was nice. What a trip!
Naturalist, Tara
Tags: Bald Eagles, Brants Cormorants, cormorants, double crested cormorants, friday harbor whale watchin, Harbor Seals, j pod, Mouflon Sheep, Orcas, pelagic cormorants, Sika Deer, Southern Resident Killer Whales, Spieden Island, spy hop, Steller Sea Lions
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
Another great day out on the water! Following a similar route around Spieden Island, through the Cactus Islands, and channel between Stewart and John’s Islands we saw a lot of great wildlife! Stellars were enjoying the sun, belly up in the water at Spieden point, and numerous Harbor Seals were catching the rays on any rock space available between Spieden and Mandarte. We also saw about 5 or so Bald Eagles along the tops of the tree line. Once we came around the northwestern point of Stewart Island our Captain caught a quick glimpse of what appeared to be a porpoise, so we cut the motor and were able to catch a good showing of about 3 or 4 Harbor Porpoises milling around. We then rounded Mandarte to check out the gulls, geese, and Cormorants and headed back along the southern side of Spieden. There we found multiple Sika Deer and Mouflan sheep. As we were passing back by the point, the Stellar Sea Lions appeared to be in the same location we left them so this time we were able to get an even closer look. On our way home it seemed as though the Harbor Seals couldn’t get enough of us as we continued to see them swimming nearby all the way into Friday Harbor.
Naturalist Tara
Tags: Bald Eagles, Cactus Islands, friday harbor, Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seals, Mandarte, Mouflon Sheep, Sika Deer, Spieden Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion
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Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Today was my first day back in the Salish Sea and it didn’t disappoint! We started our trip heading north out of Friday Harbor. It was sunny and the seas were calm, which made for smooth sailing. We seemed to spot bald eagles everywhere, perched in trees and flying about. Along Spieden Island we came across a group of at least five huge Steller Sea Lions leisurely rolling around in the water. Further along in our journey we caught a long glimpse of harbor seals hauled out on a small rock. The rock was so crowded with the harbor seals that from a distance they looked like rocks. It wasn’t until we came a bit closer that we noticed they were moving. Mixed in the group were at least two small pups! We rounded Stuart Island and checked out Mandarte Island where cormorants, geese, and gulls were nesting. We then started to make our way back and stopped to look at the many mouflon sheep and fallow deer that were lining the hills and rocky coast of Spieden before getting back into Friday Harbor. It was a great first day back!
Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
Tags: Bald Eagles, Fallow Deer, friday harbor, Harbor Seals, Mouflon Sheep, san juan island, Spieden Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion
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Monday, April 30th, 2012
Almost left a naturalist at the dock today! With the winds prevailing, the naturalist wasn’t quite fast enough to get on board once she let the lines loose. Luckily the captain came back to pick her up at the “Spring Street Landing” dock. With all on board we headed out through the San Juan Channel. A light drizzle and sun-teasing skies had the crowd curious. We arrived at the first stop on the north side of Spieden Island and found one lonely Steller Sea Lion. Traveling our way through the channel between Stuart and Jones Island, wildlife was scarce and the crowd grew anxious. Mother Nature could tell we needed a little excitement so she whipped up a large gust of wind and off flew a fender, right from the top of the boat. With the water as choppy as it was, it seemed we had lost her for good. High winds and choppy seas are very unusual around the San Juan Islands April through October. We headed out towards Morsbey Island where we saw a few Harbor Porpoises and the excitement grew.
Next stop, Mandarte Island. The bird sanctuary was highly active with Cormorants and gulls. As we made our way further into Canada and past Sidney there were no Orcas in sight, even though we had a solid report of transients around 10:00 AM.
We headed back to the southern side of Spieden for a little more wildlife viewing. Sitka Deer and Mouflon Sheep were interspersed along the hillside. Little fawns were spotted, causing a few of the passengers to grow soft. As we approached the very end of the island we caught one last glimpse of excitement. 8 or so Bald Eagles were feeding on what appeared to be a baby Sika Deer carcass. Just in time for dinner!
All-in-all, it was another great day aboard the Sea Lion!
Naturalists Tara and Colleen and Captain Mike
Tags: Bald Eagle, Harbor Porpoise, Jones Island, Mouflon Sheep, Orcas, San Juan Channel, Sika Deer, Spieden Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion, Stuart Island, Transient Orcas
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Sunday, April 29th, 2012
We saw everything and it felt like we went everywhere today.
After being on the water for over an hour a whale report came to Capt. Bill that the whales were in Haro Straight near Canada paralell with the Lime Kiln light house. Leaving Speiden Island we headed back to Haro Strait and caught up with a group of approximately 6 Transient Orcas whales near Kelp Reef. This made the tour run much longer than our regular 3 hours – but all the guests thought it was well worth it.
Naturalist Shelly
San Juan Safaris Whale Watching & Wildlife Tours
Tags: Bald Eagle, Harbor Seal, Haro Strait, Orca whale, Spieden Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion
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Saturday, April 28th, 2012
Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, and ORCAS, OH MY!
As we left the harbor we traveled north through the San Juan Channel to Spieden Island where two large Stellar Sea Lions were hauled out on the rocks. Six other sea lions swam along the shore surfacing, rolling, and diving in succession as if performing synchronized swimming acrobatics. As we continued down the coast we had great views of the Mouflon sheep and Sika deer including some wee babes. Roughly 40 harbor seals were seen resting on a small rocky outcrop just off Spieden Island.
THEN Captain Craig received a call on his cell phone with information on the location of Orca whales. We made an immediate U-turn, traveled back down through San Juan Channel and to the Southern end of the San Juan Island to reach the whales.
We found transient Orca Whales at the southern end of Lopez Island today (48°24’9″N, 122°53’31″W). Seven transient whales, including T049C, were observed resting at the surface and traveling slowly within close proximity to each other. This provided us with a wonderful viewing opportunity of these stealthy whales. We were with them for nearly an hour and they stayed in that general area the entire time.
The trip wasn’t over yet. Captain Craig found us bald eagles near a nest and another Steller sea lion haul-out with about twenty animals sharing, and a few grumbling over, the close quarters.
Naturalists Colleen and Amy
San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Tags: Bald Eagles, Harbor Seal, Lopez Island, Mouflon Sheep, Orca whale, Spieden Island, Steller\'s Sea Lion, Transient Orcas
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