San Juan Island Adventures

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update:

Lately Blake and I, along with our guests, have been seeing a large number of Bald Eagles out on the west side. Some of these eagles remain here year round, with others migrating seasonally. This month we're seeing the eagles population increase in preparation for the bountiful summer months.

When food is plentiful, you can often see 8 or more individuals crowding around a seal carcass, but other times one adult will eat...

San Juan Island Sea Kayak Report from April 13th:

Today we paddled out to the west side looking for critters, and took a closer look at the Pigeon Guillemot. These glossy black and white birds, chunky in stature, are easily recognizable by their bright red legs and feet. I like these birds as they are especially easy to spot on open bays, and often swim quite close to the docks. When diving underwater looking for bottom fish, the Guillemot propels itself with its...

San Juan Island Whale Watching report for Friday, April 10th:

Well, it's early in April and we've had great success spotting wildlife the past few days. On Friday Captain Nancy and I left Roche Harbor with gray skies overhead. There were reports of Transient Orcas near Fulford Harbor, and we crossed our fingers we'd make it across the Haro Strait before they disappeared. Luck was with us as we drew close to the southern tip of Salt Spring Island, and we watched as...

Today was my first kayak trip of the season, and what a great trip it was! Derrick and Rachel braved the gray skies and we paddled out to the West Side. The birds were fantastic-- we sighted five bald eagles, countless Harlequin ducks, mergansers, buffleheads, auklets, guillemots, oystercatchers, kingfishers, cormorants, herons and more!
I was pleasantly surprised to see dozens of seals lounging and swimming, but the real treat of the day came later. We were...

Great day for whale watching on San Juan Island

J-POD SPOTTED ON THE WEST SIDE TODAY!! For those who don't read our blog frequently, J-Pod is one of our three resident family groups of Killer Whales. These three pods make up the Southern Resident Community. While J-pod sightings are not uncommon in the winter months, it is very exciting to have a sighting right off the west side of San Juan Island. I'm working on getting a confirmation from The Center For Whale...

A quick post regarding our Southern Resident Killer Whales

For those who do not follow our Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW), our population suffered a small decline in 2008. This has prompted more discussion amongst both government and non-government organizations to research and discuss the causes of the decline. More information on Southern Resident Killer Whales can be found on our website.

Good news was traveling through the research and whale watch...

This past Saturday (Valentine's Day) marked the first official Whale Watching trip of the season. We departed from our home port of Roche Harbor, on San Juan Island Saturday. I drove the boat, and Kendall helped out on deck as the naturalist and first mate.
We had an excellent trip, with clear skies and calm seas. The temperature was quite cool, but everyone on board stayed warm.
While no Killer Whales were sited that day, we were able to get some close looks at...

Another beautiful day in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Washington. Kendall and I were lucky to have a group from Olympia up for the day, hoping to spot Killer Whales and other wildlife. Even though our Southern Resident Killer Whales were spotted 3 days ago near Port Angeles, there has been no sign since. This time of the year, our Whale Watching trip to encounter the unexpected, so we always leave the dock with a spirit of adventure.
Our search for wildlife...

San Juan Island Whale Watching and Sea Kayaking

Well it didn't take long to confirm the whale sightings I heard about. Killer Whales were sighted off of Discovery island, at the confluence of Haro Strait and the Straits of Juan De Fuca (about 18-22 miles SW of our Roche Harbor location on San Juan Island). They were sighted mid-day on January 28th, which coincides with the Killer Whale sighting in Rosario Channel earlier in the day. The earlier sighting was 12...

There is some momentum developing for our whale and wildlife tour next weekend, as well as our kayak trips. While I have not confirmed the report, Southern Resident Killer Whales were sighted last week in the Straits of Juan De Fuca (at the confluence of Juan De Fuca and Haro Strait) about 18 miles from our facility in Roche Harbor. Definitely within reach for our 3-4 hour whale watch tour. We're hoping that the sighting means there are some early season salmon...