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[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 08/27/17, 1:30 pm Tour]
Oh my goodness - another amazing afternoon trip out on the water today! We had an amazing encounter with a humpback...
[Naturalist Erick, M/V Sea Lion, 8/20/17, 1:30PM]
On Sunday, Captain Mike, Rachel, and I started on another super exciting wildlife and whale tour. We headed east towards some reports of Transient Orcas (the ones that eat marine mammals) and soon spotted them swimming south around Matia Island. It was the T065A’s! This is a pretty spectacular family of Transient Orcas, and one of my favorites. I have seen them hunt so many different prey in so many different ways. They...
[08/22/17- M/V Sea Lion- Kelsey, Naturalist- 1:30PM]
Up until about 2002, there hadn’t been any humpback whales seen in the Salish Sea for over 60 years, because they were hunted until they were close to extinction. Since being put on the endangered species list, they have made quite the comeback, and now we are seeing quite a regular population (that’s on the rise!) returning to the San Juan Islands during the summer months when they are feeding. Today, we got a chance to see a...
[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Sea Lion, 8/17/17, 1:30PM]
The weather here in the San Juans has definitely changed for the better. A few days ago the wind shifted and blew the smoky haze away, it rained!, and the temperature cooled down again. On this beautiful, cool, and sunny day Captain Gabe, Rachel, and I all took a full boat on a search for some fun nature!
Bald Eagles
Today we took an inter-island route since there were some whale reports on the other side of the islands. We...
[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/9/17, 2:00PM]
On our afternoon trip for the day, Gabe and I and all the lovely folks aboard started another exciting search for some cool marine wildlife. Our first stop was one of our favorites. We motored down to Whale Rocks. These two Islets emerge from the waves of Cattle Pass just southwest of Lopez Island. You can see them from the shores of both Lopez and San Juan, and when they are covered by our favorite pinnipeds you can definitely...
[8/12/17- M/V Sea Lion- Kelsey, Naturalist- 1:30PM & 5:30PM]
Some days are just so perfect it doesn’t seem real. And when not one, but TWO trips turn out to be beautifully perfect, it’s a pretty surreal day!
Both trips saw some transient killer whales (or mammal-eating orcas), but there were two separate groups on the same path of travel! In the afternoon, we went south from Friday Harbor to Cattle Point, and there by Whale Rocks were some orcas! We viewed them briefly, and then we...
[Sarah C. 8/7/17 10am and 2pm Kestrel]
Humpback whales are probably most well-known for their impressive flukes, featuring complex patterns varying from all black to all white, and everything in between. Displayed on every deep dive, humpback whale flukes are used as their main identifier in the field. Each individual has a unique pattern displayed on the underside of their tail, making for a remarkably convenient built-in tracker. Thanks, nature!
Sometimes, though, these flukes...
[8/7/17- Kelsey, Naturalist]
There is a vast expansion of seabird varieties here in the San Juan Islands that we can see on any given trip. We’ve got Common murres, Rhinoceros auklets, Pacific loons, Pelagic Cormorants, Glaucous-winged gulls… just to name a few! Some of the more rare birds are Marbled murrelets, Arctic terns, and on occasion- TUFTED PUFFINS.
There have been very few trips this season where puffins are spotted, but whenever we have had the rare chance to see one, we...
[Lauren Fritz, M/V Kittiwake, 07/03/17, 1:30 pm Charter Tour]
M/V Kittiwake had a private charter today, and Captain Gabe and I were stoked to hear that a pod of Transient killer whales were headed to the west side of San Juan Island. We had a wonderful family on board, and after briefing them on the plan for the day, we headed out of Friday Harbor and turned south to see what these whales were up to!
The weather has been a bit hazy these past few days due to some large wildfires up...
[8/2/17- M/V Kestrel- Kelsey, Naturalist- 10:00AM & 2:00PM]
Today presented a blanket of fog in the surrounding waters of San Juan Island, and smoke from wildfires burning up north in Canada was also thrown into the mix of fog. This meant that today’s visibility was less than clear or sunny, but that actually created some stunning whale watching! The grey paired with the smooth, glassy waters made for a mirror-like effect, and it was almost an ethereal feel as we glided effortlessly...