Eagles, and Dolphins, and Whales... Oh My!

Today, although a bit chilly on the water, was quite fulfilling as we saw seals, eagles, J-Pod, and even a Minke Whale. As stated previously, the orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family and are often referred to as whales. This confusion is caused by their other name, Killer Whale. Many times we have a dolphin encounters (seeing orcas), but very rarely is it actually a whale watch. The great Minke sighting allows us to say we saw dolphins AND a whale today. Minkes are preyed upon by Transient Orcas, but have been seen swimming in the midst of Resident Orcas. Today the Minke was just south of Cattle Pass, a few miles south of False Bay where J-Pod was foraging. The guests seemed to enjoy picking out little J-42 as she surfaced, face exposed, next to her mom, J-16. J-16 is easy to pick out due to her bright open saddle on the right side and bright saddle with a finger on the left side. She is made even easier to ID with a calf at her side.

All in all it was a fascinating trip with great views of the variety of life we have here in the San Juans. Until tomorrow....

Megan, Naturalist