Maxx K. | M/V Osprey | 05/19/2022 | 1:00pm
We had a full boat of guests today on our 1:00 departure out of Friday Harbor, and let me tell you, it was a BEAUTIFUL day. I might even go so far as to say it was almost warm. Summer is officially on its wayspie and today was the perfect sampling.
We started up north through the San Juan Channel where we then rounded up and over the north side of Spieden Island. I’m obsessed with Spieden Island, not only because the non-native Mouflon Sheep and Fallow Deer are super entertaining and fun to watch but also because the geology of the island is wicked cool! The northern side is completely covered by forest, while the opposite side is almost completely barren, having been shaved clean of foliage during the period of glacial coverage and worn down by southern wind storms. We slowly meandered around the forested cliffsides, stopping to admire a pair of bald eagles that surveyed over the New Channel.
It wasn’t long before the blows of two humpbacks appeared on the horizon. One of these whales had been successfully identified as BCX1773 or “Valiant.” He is the five year male that’s been traveling through these waters for years now. He is easily identifiable with a chipped fluke and rake marks from an altercation with Killer Whales at some point in his youth. He was traveling with another, unidentified humpback. They surfaced in unison, eventually rounding their backs to take a deep dive into the Haro where I imagine they lunged for food.
We paralleled alongside these massive animals for 20 minutes as they pushed against an ebbing tide. They must’ve been working so hard as they trudged along!
Eventually we moved on, now circling around the southern, barren slopes of Spieden. Herds of Mouflon sheep scattered themselves along the slope of the island, foraging amongst the massive glacial erratics that had been dragged up the hillside. Ten more eagles roosted themselves in the few trees that sat on the southern side, bringing our Bald Eagle tally up to 12.
Osprey then slowly puttered back to Friday Harbor, completing our journey! It was a beautiful afternoon out there, thank you so much for joining us, y’all!