Laura C. | 6-21-2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am
Today was a gorgeous day aboard M/V Kestrel with Captain Gabe leading our voyage! We headed south and were lucky right off the bat, finding harbor seals, Steller’s sea lions and a pair of bald eagles all sharing some small rocky islands right near San Juan Island. We all were able to appreciate the sheer size of a hefty male sea lion as he shimmied his way towards the edge of the rocks, surrounded by basking females. The harbor seals were neighboring these lions, equally enjoying the nice sunshine. Our vessel then ventured to nearby Long Island as Captain Gabe pointed out the secluded home of a pair of bald eagles. These feathered residents must have quite the lucrative lifestyle, nesting along such a highly productive area with swirling currents and plenty of fish to prey upon.
As we headed towards Lime Kiln State Park, we were excited to find a lone Bigg’s killer whale, T124C, slowly cruising through the calm waters. We all watched him quietly surface and peruse the waters around us, most likely considering his next tactic for nearby prey. After some awesome looks at this massive male, we all made our way closer to Lime Kiln. We found a family of four Bigg’s killer whales traveling along the rocks including two younger individuals! The youngest in tow seemed to surface a little more often than the rest of the group and we were able to appreciate how much more he/she must grow when comparing to the older family members! It is so great to see a growing family from this population of killer whales. There were also some kayakers in the area that had impressive views as the group traveled by them!
We continued to loop all the way around San Juan Island past Roche Harbor and stopped along Spieden Island, where more rock sausages (or harbor seals!) were relaxing along the shoreline. Several bald eagles were seen soaring overhead and we were even able to spot some exotic fallow deer on the island today! It was a beautiful day out on the water and quite an adventure as we toured all around San Juan Island.