Today we enjoyed the August sunshine on our trip to the south side of San Juan Island. We encountered glassy and calm waters coming through Cattle Pass, and a great view of the Olympic Mountains. As we came upon Whale Rock, we observed several harbor seals and then ten LARGE Steller sea lions resting. The sea lions were crowding each other for space and we heard a couple of them vocalizing and grunting! Then we turned west into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and noticed several large bait balls collected along south shore. The sea birds were going wild! We could hear the calls of the common murre, as many were out feeding. Cormorants, gulls, and rhinoceros auklets were congregating in the area too. Members of the resident orca group K-pod were close by, including K-27 “Deadhead” feeding by False Bay (48°28’316N, 123°05’047W). Three other members of the K13 matriline were around, including a male, likely K-25 “Scoter”. At one point we witnessed SIX BREACHES in a row! What a sight. As we returned to Friday Harbor, we basked in the summer warmth and memories of the amazing K-pod.
SJS Naturalist Jenny