[Sarah C. 8/6/17 5:30 Sea Lion]
Smoky skies continue to haunt the San Juans this week, giving us an eerie backdrop to our whale watches. Paired with the setting sun, the persistent smoke makes for an overwhelmingly orange-pink atmosphere that permeates the sea, sky, and wildlife. And while we hope for a prompt resolution to the forest fires in British Columbia, we can't help but observe in awe their effects on our daily sunset whale watches from Friday Harbor.
We left the dock today with hopes of reaquiring a familiar pair of humpback whales that had been spotted on our afternoon whale watch earlier in the day. Luckily, by the time we had motored out to their reported whereabouts, this duo of whales had made their way down to Patos Island and into American waters.
On our way we were graced with dozens of harbor porpoises popping up sporadically, breaking up the glassy-calm seas with their small, pointed dorsal fins. Usually boat-shy, these tiny whales were too preoccupied with feeding to be bothered with us, allowing us to spend some rare quality time with them.
Just a few miles north, we started to see the signature 20-foot blows of humpback whales. Heather and Divot, two frequently-sighted humpbacks in the Salish Sea, were traveling side by side, moving pointedly south towards the San Juans, surfacing slowly and diving frequently, showing off their unique flukes. We followed them down to Waldron and Orcas Island, where we broke off for a few minutes to circle a few smaller islands nearby.
Skipjack Island, a small island just north of Waldron, is a wildlife refuge with excellent rocky beaches for seal haul-outs and steep cliffsides perfect for nesting sea birds. We spotted some harbor seals enjoying the last few rays of light along the shoreline, as well as hunting in the surrounding kelp forests. Pigeon Guillemonts whistled nearby, fishing for their fledging young nearby.
These humpbacks had moved into President Channel, pointed right at San Juan Island, when we met back up with them. The sun had started to dip below the smokeline, shedding us and the whales in an orange glow. We stayed alongside Heather and Divot for a little while longer, watching them as they continue to travel south, before we had to finally peel off and return to Friday Harbor just as dusk was setting in.
