Yesterday, our little heat wave finally broke so we are back in the safety of 60˚-70˚F. Captain Pete, Kelsey, and I headed out south to go find some wildlife. The Salish Sea is a mix and a crossroads of some many different things constantly changing with the seasons so every day is so different. The Salish Sea is a intersection of the Pacific Ocean, large rivers running from snowcapped mountains, and the land. The ingredients along with seasonal weather changes mix differently every day. And those ingredients shift, we see the results in what we spot out in the water as animals travel to stay in their preferred temperature ranges or look for their favorite foods.
As we passed Cattle Point Lighthouse on the southern tip of San Juan Island, you could see the impacts of the huge tidal flux yesterday: huge upwelling currents, long rip lines off of rocky point full of white water, and strong currents. We passed through Cattle Pass and went to start our search around Salmon Bank. As the tide flows in and out of the San Juan Archipelago it hits shallower areas of islands that once were or left over sills from the glaciers that used to cover most of what is now western Washington. When they do the current is forced upwards towards the surface along with everything in it – nutrients, plankton, and fish. These shallow areas becoming popular feeding spots for birds and marine mammals going after their favorite foods that are now more accessible and have less chance of escape. After searching here for not too long we saw a few large bait balls. These occur when schools of small fish are near the surface and all the birds notice so there forms a swirling ‘bird-nado’ feeding frenzy on top of moving fish buffet. Imagine if sea gulls were allowed into those sushi conveyor belt restaurants, that is what it resembles. Next we searched in another popular shallow feeding area further south, Hein Bank. We soon were surprised by a Minke Whale that surface close by! Minke whales are species that we as humans don’t know much about. They are baleen whales that grow to be about 30ft long. They live in most of the tropical to temperate areas of the world’s oceans, and there is a resident population of Minkes that live in the Salish Sea area. They are super adorable and also pretty fast for a baleen whale. After that initial surprise we saw two more swimming together southward. They surface a few times in a way that showed their whole upper jaw which is cool cause we could see the beginnings of their baleen! That is the fibrous material that hangs from the interior of their upper jaw which they use to filter feed. They have baleen instead of teeth! We watched these for a few more surfacings then headed back north. We went around Long Island a saw a Bald Eagle, two immature Bald Eagles, and their nest! We then headed to some rocks where there were a ton of Harbor Seals hauled out and a few young Steller’s Sea Lions swimming in the kelp forests. Just another beautiful, sunny day in the San Juans! Whale, until next time.
Erick