(7/23/17- M/V Sea Lion- 5:30 PM)
This evening we departed from our Friday Harbor dock with reports of some of our Southern Resident Killer Whales heading up the west side of San Juan Island. This is only my fourth time seeing these whales all season, so our guests today got a real treat.
We headed up San Juan Channel where we stopped by some rocks and saw a few harbor seals hauled out while the tide was out. Harbor seals haul out usually once a day in order to warm their body tempura up because our waters here are a chilly 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The seals have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm but a little time in the sun doesn’t hurt!
We made it out to Haro Strait where we met up with the J16’s. J42, J50 and J52 were all hanging out together and snacking on some salmon while their mom and siblings traveled further ahead. The three young whales looked to be enjoying themselves while engaging in both feeding social behaviors. We were lucky enough to see some porpoising as well as some rolling at the surface. These animals are very tactile so we often see them rolling around on top of each other.
We followed the whales as they continued North toward Canada and got a great view of the whales swimming in front of Mt. Baker. It was a memorable and beautiful evening out on the water.
Naturalist, Rachel
