Whale watch report from Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, WA

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife report for April 30th:

Captain Brian G. and I went out for a private charter this morning, and what a gorgeous morning it was! Some spectacular highlights were watching a peregrine falcon in flight (3 different times!) off Turn Point, watching a school of harbor porpoise race towards an oncoming boat and bow ride (not typical behavior), and getting some amazing views of a large herd of male mouflon sheep. They were off by themselves, and we saw some good examples of aggression between males too!

Also, confirmed whale reports put our local resident orca whales headed our way! They hadn't been spotted in over 45 days, so this is a break in the dry spell. I hope they are sticking around now, as they surely have been missed.

Virtual whale watching & sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands (follow us on Facebook or Twitter!)

San Juan Island sea kayak and whale watch wildlife update for April 29th:

I'm afraid I haven't been blogging as frequently as usual, and for that I blame Facebook and Twitter. We at San Juan Outfitters are on both (follow us athttp://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Friday-Harbor-WA/San-Juan-Outfitters/60673701584 & http://twitter.com/sjioutfitters) and I've really been enjoying writing quick updates about our tours, staff, events, and of course, wildlife spotted.

I'll continue to blog, post and tweet(!) updates regularly, so keep reading!

Aileen

San Juan Island whale watch tour spies porpoise

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for April 3rd:

The blustery weather cleared long enough for Captain Brian and I to set out on a whale watch tour. We were hoping for a sighting of transient orcas (killer whales), but no luck. We were lucky with a few harbor porpoise sightings, many many harbor seals, a number of bald eagles displaying interesting behavior and a wonderful up close look at a peregrine falcon sitting just a few feet away!

We also drove very close to Spieden Island where we were able to see large herds of fallow deer and mouflon sheep. I've never seen so many before! This is a great time of year to see the animals on Spieden as the spring rains bring plenty of new growth to the grassy fields. We saw a large number of mouflon ewes with lambs, it's definitely that time of year.

San Juan Island 3 day sea kayak tour spies dozens of porpoise!

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for April 2nd:

Well Noelle and I just returned from our first multi day sea kayak tour of 2010! We had a great, cheerful group and were both happy to get out on the water and dust some cobwebs off our paddling skills. We left Friday Harbor, paddled north and on Day 3 arrived at Roche Harbor-- all without retracing our steps.

Despite varying inclement weather our cheerful group made the best of each day. We were able to paddle around the Wasp Islands, hike around Jones Island State Park and explore the west side of San Juan and Henry Islands. It's definitely springtime here in the San Juan Islands, and the blossoms are in bloom!

I think I can safely speak for the group when I say everyone's highlight was setting off across San Juan Channel on Day 3, and stopping to listen to the dozens of harbor porpoise that were surfacing quietly on all sides of us. We got some great looks at a few pairs just a few hundred feet away, and could hear them breath as they surfaced. It was such special moment, and I was grateful for the chance to share a little island magic.

San Juan Island 3 hour sea kayak tour spies a hunting Steller sea lion

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for March 27th:

Today I paddled out on a 3 hour kayak tour. It was a bit windy out but the overcast clouds created the most beautiful colors-- all of the islands to the west were clothed in wonderful shades of blue.
We saw harbor seals, courting bald eagles and lots of shorebirds.

As we were paddling down the west side of Henry Island we spied a Steller sea lion surfacing a few times just a few hundred feet away! This big guy was hard to identify at first because he surfaced upside down-- coming to breath with just his chin (and then chest) showing. Later that afternoon when I spoke with an experienced captain he suggested that seals or sea lions surface like that when they are hunting and do not want to take their eyes off their prey. Wonder what this Steller was looking at down there?

Whale Watching Tour San Juan Island

Just a quick blog regarding our trip Saturday March 20th. Our first official wildlife charter of the year. No sign of Southern Resident Killer Whales today. Lots of Dalls Porpoise, Harbor Porpoise, and Stellar Sea Lions on Speiden Island (12). It looks like the Peregrine Falcon pair are nesting at Turn Point again, in the narrow drainage below the rock outcropping known at "Lovers Leap" to locals. One of the adults was perched below on a fir branch. The best look I've had in three years of one of the adult birds. Unfortunately, my Swarovskis were left at home. Captain Brian Goodremont

San Juan Island sea kayak 3hr tour spies variety of wildlife

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for March 23rd:

Today I was able to paddle out with a lovely family new to the Northwest. Luckily for us we had gorgeous weather and could see clear to the Olympic, Cascade and Vancouver Island mountain ranges. The wildlife was visible as well, with a number of harbor seal sightings, various shorebirds seen and heard and even three harbor porpoise. I thoroughly enjoyed showing off a bit of the splendor of the islands, and the Pacific Northwest!

For me the highlight was spotting so many bald eagles, including one that was hunting. As we paddled along the cliffs of Henry Island, we saw an eagle take off from its perch, fly out over the water and swoop down. Three times it dove with talons outstretched, climbed back up, kited (back beating its wings to maintain position) and dove again. This is extremely taxing on the eagle, as they are not built for agile flying and kiting, but broad soaring. Despite all that effort, however, it did not catch anything.

Later I spoke with Brian about the eagle's behavior and he informed me that what the eagle had been hunting for was likely a diving bird. Eagles will watch a bird dive down and be poised to snatch it as soon as it comes up for air. That's why the eagle will kite and dive again-- knowing the bird must come up and cannot swim too much further, as opposed to a fish which will dive and not near the surface again.

All in all, a really interesting sight.

Spring at San Juan Outfitters, Friday Harbor

San Juan Outfitters' wildlife update for Saturday March 13th:

It's springtime here on the island-- which means the weather is likely to change at a moment's notice, the animals are all getting ready for courtship or mating, and it's simply gorgeous out. Today I saw an adult bald eagle fly by with a large stick in it's beak-- building a nest I presume. Although bald eagles are believed to mate for life, each year they will make 'improvements' to their nest by adding on more and more sticks until the tree can no longer support the nest.

One of the most amazing looks at wildlife I've ever had here on San Juan Island was when I saw two bald eagles performing courtship aerials of swoops and spins in the sky, all while crying out. The highlight of the display was when the two eagles locked talons and spun down towards the ground. At the last second they let go and flew up again.

Keep those eyes on the sky, and you too might be lucky enough to glimpse these magnificent birds in flight (and courtship!)

San Juan Island sea kayak and whale watch for March

San Juan Island wildlife update for March 4th, 2010:

Happy March everyone! February was such a mild, gorgeous month (not quite usual) so we'll wait to see what kind of weather March brings!

This week there have been many reports of gray whales feeding off of Whidbey Island further east in the Salish Sea. Here is what the Orca Network has to say: "In Washington, Gray whales were once thought to be strictly seasonal travelers along the outer coast. We now know that these waters are more than just a stop on a migratory route for some. Two small groups of Grays often turn east into Washington's inland waters, usually during the spring northern migration. Some of them stay all summer.

The first group seems to know where the best feeding grounds are. From six to ten Grays return most years to northwestern Whidbey Island or southeastern Whidbey Island and Port Susan, Camano Island, feeding on ghost shrimp and tubeworms for several months. In recent years (2008-2009) more gray whales have been reported feeding in more areas around Whidbey Island, including Holmes Harbor and along Whidbey Naval Air Station and Joseph Whidbey State Park near Oak Harbor. They also appear to be arriving earlier - some in January - and staying later - some not leaving until July.

The second group visiting inland waters seems unfamiliar with the feeding areas, and are often emaciated when they arrive, possibly already dying of starvation. Hungry Grays usually arrive in Puget Sound in spring and summer, after four or five months in southern waters with little to eat." (Source: http://www.orcanetwork.org/nathist/graywhales.html)

We don't see as as many Grays here in the San Juan islands, likely because the conditions that make this prime orca whale habitat (deep and steep channels, cold fast currents) are not conditions that Grays love (shallow water with much sediment). If you're around Whidbey Island, however, now is a great time to keep a lookout for those whales!

More new calves for Southern Resident Killer Whales, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

San Juan Island wildlife update for February 23, 2010:

The population of the Southern Resident Killer (Orca) Whales is still on the rise! Sunday was the first sighting of brand new calf L114, to first-time mom L77, Matia. This birth brings our current total to 89 whales!

Typically in the winter months the southern resident orca whales disperse and travel much more, so last week's SUPERPOD of all three resident orca pods (J, K, & L) together in the straits was cause for excitement!

Here at San Juan Outfitters we're excited for the population to rise, and looking forward to another great season of sea kayaking and whale watching here on San Juan Island.

Photo credit: Jeanne Hyde
Newborn L114 is showing it's pectoral flippers in the foreground, and an adult male, L85 Mystery is behind.