Another Sunny Day of Whale Watching on the San Juan Islands

To repeat Jaclyn's excitedly proclaimed blog on Thursday, the sun was shining today! The wonderful weather was matched by equally wonderful wildlife sightings. Today, on the way toward False Bay to view the orcas we spotted a Tufted Puffin, a rare visitor to the San Juan Islands. Tufted Puffins are uncommon in the islands, and this sighting may be one of only a few this season. After this sighting we came across members of the L Pod, and further in the distance we watched a Minke whale porpoise alongside L Pod members. L 41, Mega, a male member of L Pod was spotted for certain. He was positively identified by his tall dorsal fin marked by a large nick in the middle. Other members of L Pod that may have been spotted are L 26, Baba, and L 90, Ballena.
While heading back to Friday Harbor we passed by Harbor Seals hauled out on Mummy Rocks. Also on a rock, we spotted a Bald Eagle. As a last wildlife viewing stop, we checked out Double-crested Cormorants and Pelagic Cormorants nesting on Goose Island.

By the end of the trip we had seen an abundance of wildlife. Today was a wonderful day to spend out on the water viewing them. Hopefully the weather today was a sign for the days to come!

Ashley, Naturalist