san juan island

Although the day started out grey, the sunshine quickly took over in the San Juan Islands.  Captain Mike lead Naturalist Emily, Naturalist Kevin, and the guests on board the M/V Sea Lion north out of Friday Harbor in the pursuit of orcas.  We started the morning with no orca reports, which is common in the early season, so we went to look in areas that orcas frequent in the San Juans. As we were headed around the north side of Spieden Island two dorsal fins were...

Spring has sprung in the Pacific North West and everyone is ready to get back on the water!  With our first Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour in two weeks time, we are all hoping for a great season.  Recent predictions concerning salmon runs should contribute to another wonderful summer.  Canada is predicting up to 72 million sockeye salmon to return to the Frasier River this summer, which is far higher than the typical 3-4 million.  Chinook and coho salmon are...

Many animals call the San Juan Islands home.  From kelp crabs to orcas and finches to eagles the San Juans have and abundance of species.  With both ocean and land environments, birds of all sorts abound on San Juan Island.  Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons are two top predators of the sky.

Bald Eagles are well known as the national bird of the United States.  Bald Eagles mate for life and return every year to the same nest.  They even have the ingenuity to build...

On February 11, 2012, L112 a 3 year old Southern Resident Killer Whale was found stranded on the shores of Long Beach Washington.  L112, more lovingly referred to as Sooke, was the daughter of L86 Surprise!.  After two years of debate and research,  it has been concluded that Sooke died of a massive blunt force trauma to the head and neck.  It was proposed that sonar and explosives  were the cause of death as the Canadian Navy confirmed they were doing testing off...

Kayak guides Jesse and Ami enjoyed a sun and fun filled 5 hour tour today around Henry Island! With a stripped sun star, urchins, and a close encounter with a flying bald eagle it was a wonderful trip! Ami, Jesse, and their guest also spotted some raccoons scavenging in the intertidal zone for crabs and other good eats. After a calm paddle, an excellent lunch, and a lot of wildlife, everyone walked away with a smile!

Kayak guides Michael and Tyler had two great 3 hour...

Guide Michael had a great morning sea kayak tour today. We are in the midst of a very warm spring weather pattern. Highs are forecasted to be in the low 70s through the rest of the week!

Michael and his guests departed from San Juan Outfitters' exclusive location in Roche Harbor, rounded Pearl Island, and paddled past little Posey Island. Posey Island is Washington State's smallest state park and is now also part of the new San Juan Islands National Monument!

The...

Had a great tour yesterday with a family willing the brave the cool and damp weather. We ran a circuit in North Haro Strait around Kelp Reef, Henry Island, Stuart Island, and Speiden Island. We were hoping to encounter a group of Transient Killer Whales (marine mammal eating) that have been sighted frequently in the area. Weather conditions made visibility greater than a mile difficult. We did not see any whales, but did find large groups of Harbor Porpoise in Speiden...

Our Southern Residents continue to be seen in the northern part of Puget Sound (Port Townsend, South Whidbey Island). Both J-pod and K-pod have been spotted between the 16th and 18th (when the new calf was first reported in J-pod).

There have also been lots of Transient (marine mammal diet) Killer Whales in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. On December 21st, several Transients were spotted off the west side of San Juan Island, and later in the Kelp Reef area.

Very exciting news reported by Orca Network. L-pod was recently spotted off Monterey Bay (February 10th), and then spotted later off San Francisco. Local San Juan Island researchers were present to get a positive identification. For those who are not familiar, this region is now considered part of L-pod's normal winter range, and the river systems and coastline play a critical role in their winter habitat. More information can be found at Orca Network for those who...

A local west side resident "heard" transient Killer Whale vocalizations on Sunday and confirmed transients off the West Side of San Juan Island headed towards Victoria. This put them in line with Kelp Reef and Dangerous Shoal, which is where I often see Transients hunting Dalls Porpoise, Harbor Porpoise, and Stellar Sea Lions. The Transients were later identified as the T-30's. Lot of Killer Whale sightings recently. Great news for our ecosystem.