A stellar day in the San Juan Islands

I was on the MV Sea Lion today with a private charter. We were waiting at the Kenmore Air docks as the two 'Otters" landed - smoother than silk. We headed off to the north and cruised by Flat Head Island. There was a group of 10 or so harbor porpoise that looked as though they were feeding. We continued up on the east side of John's Island.

Pigeon Guillemots. I do just adore them. Is it the red feet? Yes. Red interior of their mouths? Yes. Or that they are compact, agile and just too cute? Yes. We saw several just hanging by themselves and a few in groups of 2 to 4. I had a fellow birder on board we adored them too.

At the northern end of Speiden we watched 2 young Stellar Sea Lion males swimming about and diving. We bobbed about in the current just enjoying the water and their antics. The water was perfect today, sun shining and almost no wind.


Bald Eagles were abundant today! It seemed that every large rock and small island had an Eagle. Speiden Island had 4 Eagles soaring in the updraft and what we thought was a Kestral was sitting high in a tree watching.

On our way back in we saw 2 - 3 more harbor porpoise. I dont ever remember seeing them in past years in this location. Harbor porpoise tend to be shy and dont usually ride a boat's bow. They did remain fairly close to us and seemed very busy fishing/feeding.

We came back to the dock with the Kenmore Seaplanes awaiting our guests.

Perfect.
Over and out for now, Colleen Johansen, Naturalist

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

All Things in Time

Today was one of those days where we left the harbor with no reports of orcas in our area. We decided to head north up San Juan Channel and look for other wildlife, while keeping a watchful eye on the water for transient orcas.

We saw several Pacific Harbor Seals hauled out and swimming in the water... but no sign of the ever sneaky Ts. However, this didn't last long. While admiring the seals, we got a report of Ts hanging out at Hein Bank. We booked it across the north side of Speiden and then down the Haro Strait to meet up with them.

We encountered the T30s (T30, T30A, T30B, and T30C) moseying along in a tight group. They weren't going anywhere fast, didn't appear to be hunting, and weren't vocalizing at all. Apparently T30A was tagged a few days ago and his family group was returning to our area after spending a few days off the west coast of Vancouver Island. (It's amazing how far these guys can travel in just a few days!) We got some great looks at all the animals, but T30A seemed to be the favorite of the day (perhaps because his tall dorsal is easier to take pictures of).

We ended up circumnavigating San Juan Island and caught a glimpse of three Steller Sea Lions frolicking in the kelp just off Whale Rocks in Cattle Pass. The Stellers are a sure sign that fall is just around the corner...

Megan Young, Naturalist

T Time

Below: T20 and T21 taken by our guest Christophe Paulbert aboard the Sea Lion. Notice the female's triangular, pointy dorsal fin? That's typical for transients. Also take a look at those big solid saddle patches behind the dorsal, another common trait in "Ts."

August and September are usually spotty months for orca sightings, however, this year we've seen orcas nearly EVERY time on the water. If the residents are out of range, we seem to be finding groups of transients in our area.

Today, we had another encounter with the T30s, four orcas which include the mother T30 and her offspring: T30A (a male born in 1986), T30 B (born in 1993), and T30C (born in 2005). The family was cruising around near Dungeness Spit. For those of you not from the area, that's about a forty mile round trip from Friday Harbor aka it's far! We travelled a long way, but it was well worth it to spend some quality time with the T30s. The trusty Sea Lion did us well on this long voyage, her speed really came into play because we were one of the few boats that made it to them.

They were swimming in a tight group and being typical transients, silently traveling in an erratic pattern making long dives paired with multiple respiration's between. We got a really great look at the group as they popped up ahead of us at one point and allowed all our guests them clearly through the fog. They were all happy to have made it to this group and couldn't stop chatting about how wonderful they are.

On our way back in to Friday Harbor, we stopped at Whale Rocks to look at FIVE male Steller Sea Lions swimming through the kelp. These guys look like bears gliding through the water, especially when seen near the Harbour Seals.

All in all the trip was spectacular and the orcas proved worth the journey... as they always are. We still have spots available for tomorrow. Call now to reserve.

Megan Young, Naturalist

Isn't the little one cute?!

We spent the afternoon in close proximity to where we were yesterday, just off of San Juan Island. Members of L pod was coming down island at full speed when we got out there! Porpoising as if they had someplace to be......we had a few nice looks at a young Orca calf...possibly L-109 (just over a year old) or L-106 (a 3 year old male) swimming near it's relative L-27? .

We were later caught offguard by a calf coming at our stern, and as required by law, we just shut down waiting for the little one to pass by. Interestingly, he or she was swimming in various directions staying within close proximity to the boat. Perhaps a little curious about the world around him or her? There was a spyhop or two and then the calf swam off. We and another boat were very surprised by a loud splash and then another as the calf did 2 full breaches, entirely clearing the water!! It was awesome! Unfortunately nobody onboard got a photo since we were all so surprised! Everyone, myself included was reminded by how much larger these animals are (even the young ones) when you see the entire body; they look so much smaller when you just see them surface to breathe.

On our way back in we were also excited to see a male Stellar Sea Lion just on Whale Rocks, hauled out holding his head back. This was no California Sea Lion, the Stellar was huge!! The males way up to 2000 lbs!! He made the Harbor Seals look like nothing.

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist