Growing up in Oregon, I never saw Bald Eagles. While the osprey was ever present, the eagle never showed itself. This past winter when I was visiting Oregon, I saw many Bald Eagles. It was awesome to be out on the river, and see an eagle perched in a tree.

Eagles are making a phenomenal come back and it is ever present in the San Juans. With a number 4 ranking in population in the US, Bald Eagle populations in the San Juans are soaring. While eagles are still protected, they...

Well, where are the whales? Our reports these last two weeks have been few and far between, which is not uncommon in January and February. Male L87 and J pod were making very good use of the Salish Sea prior to about 10 days ago, with lots of sightings and reports in both the Strait of Georgia and South Puget Sound. J pod was briefly heard vocalizing on the Lime Kiln Lighthouse hydrophone on January 19th, 20th, and 21st.

In addition to the scarce Southern Resident killer whale...

Our Southern Resident killer whales visited the waters on the west side of San Juan Island three this last week. Now, if only they traveled through the Salish Sea during the day! Each visit happened in the dark between 7pm and midnight. Although we did not see J & K pods in the daylight, we seriously enjoyed their playful chatter on the OrcaSound.net  hydrophones. There are two hydrophones located on the west side of San Juan Island. The hydrophone node at Lime Kiln State Park is...

December 26, 2013 - Sunset over Friday Harbor

We've said it a hundred times, but this fall & winter have been spectacular for whale & wildlife reports. This is the time of year where our Southern Resident Orcas broaden their travel territory greatly, and spend more time in the South Puget Sound. Christmas Day was no different, and we received early reports of J & K pods near Seattle. They swung past Shilshole Harbor & Marina & Discovery Park and mostly did the "Seattle Shuffle."...

Both our Southern Resident killer whales and Transient killer whales were sighted several times in the past few days. Our Resident (fish-eating) Orcas have been in and out of South Puget Sound, giving our friends in the Seattle area a great opportunity to see Orcas in the wild right in their neck of the woods. Check out these photos with west Seattle in the background. Very cool! And again this morning (as I write this!), we have reports of killer whales near Bainbridge & Vashon...

Lots of sightings this past week. First, we had a surprise killer whale report from yesterday December 18, 2013. A very lucky family traveling to San Juan Island visited the Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the west side of the island with hope of seeing large marine wildlife. Our last report of Southern Resident Orcas on the west side of San Juan Island happened in the middle of the night on December 14 when members of K pod were heard vocalizing on the hydrophone. Southern Resident promptly...

Photography by Mark Gardner

One of the most fantastic things about living in a small community is our holiday spirit. If you think San Juan Island is charming, comfortable, and cozy in the summer month, just wait until you experience Friday Harbor during the holiday season. It’s wonderful. We’ve got some great holiday specials and events coming up in the next few weeks and want to share our infections island holiday spirit with you! Here is a sampling of what’s happening on...

Surprise! After pulling a disappearing act for about three weeks, Southern Resident Orcas appeared on the west side of San Juan Island Thanksgiving day! Monika Wieland, a great local photographer & naturalist here on San Juan Island, captured great photos of J, K, and L pods traveling within a few feet of shore at the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Check out her photos here.

The same Southern Resident Orcas disappeared again for day on Friday November 29th. Hmmm. Where could they be? After...

We have been so lucky the last week with the beautiful late autumn northwest weather! Historically, this time of the year can be the most stormiest, rainiest, and windiest. This was the weather about 10 days ago that brought us lots of snow in the mountains. Our snow sport friends are really happy!

Our weather about 10 days ago.

And now check out the weather that we are experiencing right now. Couldn't be anymore perfect!

Sunny November Weather

We've also had lots of killer...

SJS Naturalists Heather with Emily and Mom

San Juan Safaris takes a lot of pride in giving back to the community, and working with organizations such as the Family Umbrella Group, Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and Wounded Warrior Project. This summer, we were very much honored to host Emily and her family on a Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Our San Juan Safaris naturalist Heather wrote a guest column featured in the Journal of...