[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/9/17, 10:00AM]

On Wednesday, Captain Gabe and I started on the search for families (matrilines) of Transient (Bigg’s) Orcas. While in the Salish Sea this summer we have not seen the Southern Resident orcas much this summer, we have seen many of the Transient (Bigg’s) Orca matrilines. The main difference between these two distinct, non-interbreeding populations that swim through the Salish Sea is their diet. The Southern Residents eat only fish...

[Naturalist Sarah C. 8/11/17 2pm Kestrel]

There was wildlife abound today in the Salish Sea! In a lovely continuation of a trend, we've been spotting orcas fairly consistently over the past week. Today's family was especially a sight for sore eyes - called the T65A's after their matriarch (and mother of the rest of the group), this family of five are frequent visitors to the San Juans but hadn't been spotted nearby for nearly a month... before today!

We left Friday Harbor today with...

[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...

[8/2/17- 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...

[7/31/17 2pm Kestrel]

Today's whale watch on the M/V Kestrel took us all the way out to Anacortes, where a group of killer whales had been reported before we left the dock. We pushed off the dock and motored out of Friday Harbor with 75 degree weather and clear, sunny skies. Our route took us through small, scenic inter-island passageways, where we had the opportunity to observe a whole host of non-whale wildlife along the way.

Our first stop was at the north end of Lopez Island...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 7/26/17, 2:00PM]

On Wednesday, Captain Gabe and I took a full boat of excited folks along on the M/V Kestrel to go look for some marine wildlife.  That day it was a bit windy down south so we headed north to go look in Boundary Pass, Haro Strait and in between the southernmost of the Southern Gulf Islands just across the border in British Columbia.

Our First stop was to look at some Bald Eagles around Sentinel Island. There was one perched...

(7/28/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM)

Today we left Friday Harbor with no reports of whales in the area, not an uncommon occurrence out on the water.  We cruised around and looked at some wildlife at Flattop Island, including a few bald eagles and a number of harbor seals with their pups.  We then got a report of a humpback whale on the south side of Vancouver Island so we headed that way! 

We got to the area of the whale sighting and watched as the humpback did a large number of shallow...

[7/21/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM]

 J pod is still here!  We left Friday Harbor and headed East towards Rosario Strait, where the whales were hanging out pretty much all day.  On our way we stopped at a beautiful eagle’s nest on the northern tip of Lopez Island.  Eagle’s nests can get about 6 feet deep and ten wide wide and can weigh over 2,000 pounds. 

Once we got some good eagle looks we continued East towards Anacortes were we encounter J pod!  Most of our viewing was of the J38...

[7/21/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM]

We left Friday Harbor with the plans of heading South toward Puget Sound.  We got reports of transient killer whales towards that area and decided to look for some additional wildlife on our way down. 

We made one of our common wildlife stops, the whale rocks, where we found some harbor seals as well as a lone Steller’s sea lion.  Most of the Steller’s sea lions have all gone North to the beaches of Alaska for their breeding season.  However, some...

1. [Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 7/24/17, 2:00PM]

Yesterday, Captain Mike and I took a great group of folks from Friday Harbor to search for whales and other wildlife! We first went south towards Cattle Pass and Whale Rocks. Whale Rocks are a collection of rocks south of Lopez Island. They are called such because they appear like whales rising from the waves not due to the presence of whales, but it is a super beautiful place! As the tidal flow ripped around the rocks we saw a...