Elle | M/V Osprey | 8/26/2022 | 1:30 PM
Today was a wild day close to home! On Osprey, we often spend an hour or more searching for wildlife. Today was not one of those days! On the south side of Flattop Island, we encountered a majestic bald eagle and a haul out of harbor seals with a few new pups among them. On the northern side of Flattop, we found seven Bigg’s killer whales! As the wind whipped up two-foot waves, we watched these apex predators hunt a seal along the rocky edges of the island, straight towards the harbor seals we had just seen. We were even lucky enough to catch a spyhop and a few tail slaps. After following alongside these whales toward Spieden Island they shuffled out into their family groups. We saw the T124A family, including new baby 124A4A born in 2021. We also saw part of the T019 family; mom Nootka and son Galiano, recognizable by his gigantic size and floppy six-foot fin.
We cut right at the southern tip of Spieden Island and spotted some Mouflon sheep, which were imported from France, snacking on some bladderwrack kelp. After a complete circumnavigation of Spieden Island and some speculation about who its new owner could be, we encountered the same group of orcas once again. They must have been feeling like a beach day, because they tucked in close to shore again, just outside Rueben Tarte County Park on San Juan Island. They even displayed some playful behavior like rolling onto their backs and breaching! What an amazing day of wildlife viewing!!