Erin | Monday, May 27, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 12:00 PM
Today we had some students from the University of Minnesota come out on our boat! They were studying at the Friday Harbor Labs to learn more about Marine Biology field study, and they came out with us to see some Salish Sea wildlife. It was a lovely, sunny day out on the water. We left from Roche Harbor and headed north towards Canadian waters. On our way to some reports, we saw some harbor porpoises! They were coming up to the surface and breathing sporadically. We then saw some harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. Some of them were also in the water swimming around the rocks. We got to see one of them get into the water off of the rocks too!
After seeing porpoises and seals north towards Pender Island, we explored the area surrounding Spieden Island. There were harbor porpoises and harbor seals! One of the harbor seals surfaced close to our boat, which was a real treat. We also saw an egg yolk jelly while we were stopped watching the porpoises. Its magnificent yellow coloration was easy to spot near the surface. When we went to the north side of Spieden Island, we got some amazing views of two adult bald eagles. One of them was in flight, displaying its wingspan, and the other was in the treetops.
We headed back toward the harbor after a nice wildlife tour under the gorgeous sunshine! I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day! Until next time!
Naturalist Erin