Orcas moving northward!!

Met the J-Pod as they were crossing Speiden Channel from the west side of San Juan up to Stuart Island! The Orcas were really spread out, traveling at a steady pace with J-1 (Ruffles) and J2 (Granny) just offshore ahead of the majority of the group. A calm, beautiful afternoon on the water.....small family groups of Orcas just meandering up towards the Canadian Gulf Islands with the incoming flooding tide. A few tail slaps and some vocalizing between whales.....

With the high tide, not many seals at their usual haul out on Sentinal Rocks, but lots of cute little heads bobbing in the water all around. A few small pups out on their own as they are starting to be weaned from their mothers. As we passed the southern face of Speiden Island, there were 2 adult bald eagles right at the cliff's edge. One took flight as we passed, and landed in a neighboring tree. Plenty of fallow deer and mouflon sheep out in the grasslands of Speiden Island and grazing away.

Lots of wildlife today, just another day here in the San Juan Islands in the summer.

-jaclyn, naturalist :)