Captain Craig and I left Friday Harbor with a group of enthusiastic guests to explore the wonder the islands have to offer. Having only heard news of whales heading west past Trial Island (near Victoria) -which is too far for us to reach, especially in a rolly-polly Haro Strait - we headed north to see what we could find.

Today was an eagle-packed day. We saw mating pairs left and right, first at O'Neil Island, then on one of the Cactus Islands. We also saw eagles flying past islands...

Its been a prolific past 9 days marred by only been 1 day whale-less day. We've been blessed by humpbacks, transient orcas and resident orcas. For the past few days we've seen the easily identifiable T-40. Transient male dorsal fins can get up to 6 ft. tall and T-40 is all male. Born in 1961, the tip of his dorsal fin is dropping with age. It creates a natural umbrella handle or hook. Over the past few days he has been traveling with 2 companions, possibly both females or juvenile...

Today was a unique day. Most of the 23 people aboard the Sea Lion were part of a wedding party. The funny thing is, no one told me a couple was getting married on board. It was innocuously written in our reservation book. When I asked the pastor if he needed the space cleared of people for the ceremony he said to me "These are all our guests." And he didn't just mean the people they'd brought with them. There were several guests in the cabin who didn't even realize two people were...

What do you do when there are no reports of whales?  Which way do you go so that you are in the best position in case whales are spotted?  How do you predict where whales are going to be?  The answers are - wildlife tour, any way you want and you don't.  The hardest part about being a Marine Naturalist when there are no whales, is convincing people that no one else is seeing whales either and that when it comes to our orca whales, it is impossible to predict when and where they will...

Many of the islands in the San Juans were named for the Spanish explorers who first recorded coming across them. Like those explorers, we felt gratified in circumnavigating our 15 by ten mile island that we call home. We left Friday Harbor and headed south. The water was smooth like a mirror and our new naturalist Casey looked for wildlife while I entertained our guests with facts about the islands. Soon we came across rocks covered in harbor seals about to burst. Pupping season is...

Today we departed Friday Harbor having heard word a gray whale was passing right on through the San Juan Channel! This was exciting news, because not is it a relatively uncommon event to see a gray whale in the waters around the San Juan Islands, it is even more unusual for a gray whale to pass by Friday Harbor.
With extra time on our hands, we left the harbor, stopped on by O'Neill Island and saw some bald eagles and passed by Speiden Island to view some exotic deer and sheep...

Today was a great day; sunny and calm with a strong flood current pushing us north. With no reports of Orcas we headed north to East Point on Saturna Island to seek out Harbor Seals and Steller Sea Lions. When we flew passed three magnificent Steller Sea Lions swimming in the water, without any time for our passengers to take a look, I went into the wheelhouse to check in with the captain. Transient Orcas had been found even further north off of Mayne Island in the Strait of Georgia...

I had an appointment off island yesterday and was observing folks, dogs, ferriess and cormorants at the Anacortes ferry landing.

Great weather yesterday, today too and suppose to be the same for tomorrow - Mother Days (you remembered her, right?)

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Here is a family walking the beach with their dog

Ferry

Coming

or

Going?

Hope the family with the dog finds this

Cormorants. Ya gotta love them.

I noticed SO MANY cormorants carrying sea weed and eel grass to their

nests...

Environmentalists want investigation of toxic waste in Georgia Strait
Mark Hume
A coalition of Canadian and U.S. environmental groups have asked an international body to investigate allegations the federal government is allowing a Metro Vancouver sewage plant to regularly discharge toxic waste into Georgia Strait.
In a submission, nine groups ask the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America to document “the failure of the Canadian government to adequately enforce...

What a first day back on the job! This is my third season working for San Juan Safaris. At the beginning of every season I can't wait to get back out on the water. Today was my first day back on the boat and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect welcome back! We departed Friday Harbor having heard word that the Southern Resident Killer Whales were off the coast of Victoria headed eastbound. Captain Craig informed me that rough seas might make an encounter with the orcas a no-go...