What a day! We spent the afternoon hanging out with some transient killer whales (some of the T46 family) off of the Salmon Bank at the southern end of San Juan Island. These whales appeared to be on the prowl, and it looked like the young 4-year-old orca, T46F, might have been getting some hunting lessons from his family. We saw members of this family the day before as well on the other side of the Straight of Juan de Fuca, where they were hunting a harbor porpoise. Adult males do need to eat anywhere from 300 - 400 pounds of food a day, so it's important that they stay active out there!
After we spent about 45 minutes observing the transients, it was time to swing around and head back towards Friday Harbor. However, the fun was nowhere close to being done! A couple of our passengers with an excellent eye spotted the dorsal fin of a minke whale pop out of the water near Cattle Point. What a great opportunity to see two very different types of whales, all in one day! Minke whales are baleen whales (Mysticetes) and thus filter feed on very small fish, like herring and sandlance, whereas orcas are toothed whales (Odontocetes) and feed on larger prey - in the transients' case, marine mammals.
We were treated to soaring views of bald eagles on our way back in, and a SECOND minke whale made an appearance. In the harbor, a playful river otter seemed to be gnawing away at some shellfish as we tied up the boat. You never know what you're going to see out here! Everyday is a new adventure.