You Can't Predict Wildlife...

We always tell people that each wildlife trip is unique and yesterday’s trip truly proved that point. Once again, we began without a confirmed orca sighting. We headed to Speiden Island to view the sheep, deer, and to hopefully see some Steller Sea Lions. We saw numerous Mouflon Sheep and just as we were about to head to Haro Strait, our Steller Sea Lion friends popped up. To our excitement, and our guests’ cheers, a Steller began thrashing about in the water nearby in attempt to dismantle a large fish (that appeared to be a salmon). Because they don’t have hands like us, they have to literally beat the fish to pieces in order to eat it. The gulls, of course, love this and do what they can to get in on the action. Steller Sea Lions are so large, that when they expel air after a dive it sounds like a whale blowing. Everyone was fascinated by the Steller’s behavior so we spent more time than usual watching multiple males hunting on the southeastern side of Speiden.

As fun as our time near Speiden was, the real treat was in Haro Strait. We got word from fellow vessels that Dall’s Porpoises were pretty active in the Strait and made our way toward Canada to intercept them. Dall’s are quite playful and curious and occasionally ride the bow waves of the boat. Yesterday was one of those rare occasions where the porpoises came right up to the boat and rode in our wake. The guests, as well as the crew, were thrilled to have such a close encounter with the animals, and people got great pictures of them from about five feet away! We really look forward to them sending the pictures to us so we can add them to our photo contest. We spent quite a bit of time with the porpoises in Haro Strait near Stewart Island and then made our way back around the north side of Stewart.

Besides the Harbor Seals, Stellers, and Porpoises; we saw numerous varieties of birds including: adult and juvenile Bald Eagles, Harlequin Ducks (which are absolutely stunning), Pigeon Guillemots, various gulls, and Oyster Catchers. All in all, the trip was a complete success, despite the fact that our orcas never showed up. Once again, the variety of wildlife near the islands gave us an incredible adventure. The whales will be spotted more frequently in the next few weeks, but there is no shortage of marine mammals we can learn about and observe on our trips. Not only do the guests learn something new each trip, but our staff learns new facts and sees new behaviors each time we go out. Animal activity cannot be predicted because they are just that, wild animals. However this spontaneity is exactly what makes our trips so wonderful. Everything is a surprise!