Posts Tagged ‘stellar sea lions’
Whale Watching Report for Monday, April 23, 2012 From San Juan Island
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012So Long San Juans
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009This will be my last post of the season….we are now officially finished with all daily trips. My my how the summer has blown by! We’ll still be running whale watching & wildlife tours for the next 3 Saturdays of October…the 10th, 17th, & 24th.
A wonderful way to end my season out here with Orcas still in the waters! A bit of a breezy day with whitecaps and chop, the wind out of the north, and the crisp feeling of autumn in the air. The Orcas were first seen coming south from Henry Island in Haro Strait. We met them off of Eagle Point. They were very spread out, lots of foraging going on and very long dives of 5 or more minutes. A mix of Killer Whales today….members of J & K pod….with L87 apparently being out there as well. We left them as they continued to move offshore.
At least 2 dozen Steller Sea Lions were hauled out on Whale Rocks and a few of them letting out deep grunting roars. The clouds parted on our way in and Mt. Baker is looking fresh with new snow from the recent set of storms that passed through! What a sight. Just before arriving back to Friday Harbor, I sighted a Bald Eagle that was posted on the top of a tree on Turn Island. He or she suddenly took flight as if to grab a fish or prey from the water, hovering for minutes until finally looping back to its watch post in the treetop.
The San Juans are a very special place for me and it’s been a wonderful season!
Till next time,
Jaclyn, naturalist
Never Give Up. . .
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009With no reports of whales our safari started by heading South out of Friday Harbor. We passed Whale Rocks and encountered Steller’s Sea Lions and Harbor Seals. I am always impressed with the size of Steller’s Sea Lions around 1500 pounds! Pupping season for harbor seals is mid June and I can’t wait to see all the baby seals.
We also took a good long look at Goose Island on the southern tip of San Juan Island and saw the Cormorant rookery. Fishermen from China historically had used cormorants for fishing. (We will tell you the whole story on the boat, just ask)
As we came around the southern corner of San Juan Island into the Strait of Juan De Fuca, we ran into some rough waters. So – we decided to turn north and go up the west side of San Juan Island. This ended up to be a fantastic decision… We found J-pod near Lime Kiln State Park heading North. We were able to identify J-1 “Ruffles”, the eldest male of all Southern Resident Killer Whales. His dorsal fin is about 5 feet tall.
We ended the tour by taking a quick peek at Spieden Island. The Mouflon Sheep were out grazing and a Bald eagle was sitting in its nest.
Our trip may have started with doubt and rough seas, but we never gave up.
We ended up seeing orca whales and some great wildlife.
Naturalist,
Jeannette Miller
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©