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.

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.

San Juan Island whale update

San Juan Island wildlife update for February 20th:

It's technically winter here-- although all this sunshine would make anyone doubt it-- and although it's not prime whale season here in the Salish Sea, they've been popping up everywhere!

This week a humpback was spotted off the southern tip of Whidbey Island, a gray whale spotted near Camano Island and a small pod of four orcas were spotted in the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca (south of Vancouver Island).

San Juan Island orca (killer) whale update

San Juan Island whale watch update for February 12th 2010:

Both resident (fish eating) and transient (mammal eating) killer whales, also known as orca whales, live in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands. The Salish Sea is home to a huge amount of biodiversity, allowing animals large and small to thrive. There is a lot of research being conducted on the whales, and one way scientists gather information is by recording underwater acoustics using hydrophones. This allows data on whales to be collected even when they are out of sight. One such hydrophone is in the water just off Lime Kiln Lighthouse here on San Juan Island.

Just yesterday the vocalizations of transient orcas were recorded off the point. It's exciting to know they are here, even if they are hard to spot!

San Juan Island sea kayak and whale watch company: whale update

San Juan Island wildlife update for Tuesday, February 9th:

Six new births within the Southern Resident Orcas brings the total number to 88. That's quite a rise from the previous few years, and scientists are eagerly awaiting more research to determine whether this rise will continue, or if it is a fluke. More detailed information can be found at either www.orcanetwork.org or www.whalemuseum.org.

Meanwhile, here's a picture of the newest calf born right around New Year's Day!

Photo by Jeff Hogan - NOAA permit #781182400.

Whale watch tour sees a very active J pod!

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for Saturday, August 29th:

Captain Nancy and naturalist Margo just returned from a very happy whale watch tour. They reported seeing a very spread out group of southern resident orca whales-- specifically, J pod. They saw a few breaches, pedunkle throws (cartwheel-like behaviors) and lots more activity. Margo says she got some great looks at siblings Blackberry (J-27), Mako (J-39) and Tsuchi (J-31)!

The weather is beautiful down here in the harbor, and it was a great trip for all on board!!

San Juan Island Whale Watch- Baby Orca Whale Sighting

Whale Watch Update for August 8th:

On our 11am Whale Watch tour out of Roche Harbor, our naturalist Kevin reported not only seeing some members of L-Pod but also being fortunate enough to see the newest addition, L-112 born to L-86. L-112 was extremely playful at the surface of the water, rolling around and as well as breaching (leaping out of the water). It was very exciting to see such a small Orca exhibiting so much exuberance!

Orca calves are born after a 17 month gestation period and on average are around 6 feet in length and upwards of 600 lbs. An adult female orca will weigh 4-5 tons and an adult male weigh 6-7 tons.

Whale Watch Tour--Whales Again!

San Juan Island Outfitters Whale Watch Report for August 4th:

Whales Again!!! On our second Whale Watch tour for the day, Captain Brian, reported seeing our resident K-Pod. There are two types of killer whales seen our waters: Transients and Residents Orca whales. Transients diets consist of marine mammals while the residents are fish eating Orcas.

It was quite a show with lots of spy hopping, a behavior in which the Orca comes straight out of the water with its eyes above the surface before dropping back down.

Another wonderful day of Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands!

San Juan Island Whale Watch

Our Captain Brian returned from our 11am Whale Watch out of Roche Harbor with a report an uncommon sighting of Transient whales. They saw the very large male T-102, as well as T-100 and T-90. Transient are the marine mammal eating whales that you see on the Discovery Channel. Although they do frequent the San Juan Islands, their sporadic movements and elusive behavior make them a rare sighting. They were spotted near Halibut Island near Kelp Reef on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. It was a very exciting tour!

San Juan Island Whale Watch enjoy viewing the Orcas

Whale Watch Update for July 21st:

What a day!!! Brian, the captain of the Seahawk, reported that both of our whale watch tours were able to see the orcas in K-Pod and L-87. K-Pod is one of the three pods of the southern community orcas and is one of the pods that we frequently see on our tours.

What a fantastic day to be out on the water!

San Juan Island Whale Watch spot whales

Whale Watch update for July 10th:

Today our 1:00pm Whale Watch boat out of Roche Harbor caught up with Killer Whales (Orca Whales) coming from the Straits of Juan De Fuca. We felt lucky considering earlier in the morning the whales were far away. It was a great showing and all on board had a wonderful time.

Whale watch boat travels far but sees killer whales

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for June 24th:

Yesterday Captain Brian and naturalist Kevin traveled quite a ways to see killer whales. The past few days we've had the whales in our backyards, but for this trip the boat had to catch up with them on their northbound journey. Although it was a long ride, everyone on the boat was pleased to have had the chance to see these magnificent creatures in the wild.

3 hour sea kayak tour sees killer whales!

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for June 22nd:

Joe was pleased to report back that he spotted whales (for the third time this week!) during his 3 hour sea kayak tour departing from Roche Harbor. Although he and his guests had to contend with a strong running tide and a brisk wind, everyone was delighted to glimpse those large critters.

This past week has been full of fantastic wildlife sightings-- from new seal pups to killer whales just feet away. Between our whale watch tours and our hourly, daily and multi-day sea kayak tours, we've had a lot of killer whale sightings in the past few days, and as the resident orca whales are all in the area now, and we hope they'll find enough salmon here in our waters to keep them close by for the months ahead.

Incredible breaches seen on Roche Harbor whale watch tour

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for June 20:

Captain Nancy and Kevin certainly had the whale watch of their lives today, and some of our staff were along for the ride.

They headed north to catch up with a large group of resident killer whales from K and L pods. Just as they arrived on scene, the whales began to breach, (thrusting their whole bodies out of the water and coming down with a big splash) and just kept on breaching! Guide Noelle said she stopped counting after 20 or so times, and that was in just the first 15 minutes! Pretty incredible...

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife report Saturday, June 6th

Success! Nancy and I headed out from Roche Harbor and headed north in search of some members of K pod that had been spotted earlier that day. Whales in K pod are members of the Southern Resident Community, resident killer whales that spend their summers here in the Salish Sea as they hunt the salmon that pass through on their way to spawn upriver.

After a long boat ride (cruising with the current at 18 knts) we encountered the whales just a few miles south of Point Roberts. There we saw K 20, Spock, and her 5 year old calf Comet. Spock is a female killer whale with quite a large dorsal fin. It is so large that researchers had long thought her to be a male, so it was a big surprise the day she was spotted with a calf! These two were swimming slowly north at a pretty relaxed pace. We were able to spend time with them, watching them surface and dive in unison, and get fantastic clear looks at the dorsals and saddle patches.

After a long spell Nancy turned our boat south and as we headed down the channel and neared Skipjack Island, we started seeing the small fins of harbor porpoises all around us. Nancy shut off the engine and we counted dozens of porpoises surrounding the boat. They were pretty unconcerned by us and continued to surface. It was a pretty neat sight!

Whale watch boat has amazing orca encounter

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for May 15th:

Captain Brian just reported back from today's whale watch trip this afternoon, and he described it as "one of his Top 3 wildlife encounters- ever!" The boat left Roche Harbor and headed out in search of the transient Orcas that were in the area. Upon arriving they saw harbor porpoises "everywhere" and Brian and Kendall were on the alert and watching the hunting transient whales. Suddenly both transients dived down and disappeared. Everyone was scanning the waters, looking madly for the whales. Brian heard a splash, but when he looked two porpoises were missing. The actual kills occurred underwater; evidenced when the transients resurfaced a ways a way, leaving the entrails of the porpoises to float on the surface.

Some might say that this was a gruesome scene, but it's just another part of life. Not only being able to glimpse these whales in the wild, but also seeing firsthand what incredible predators they truly are is a gift. That rare sighting won't easily be forgotten by the guests and crew aboard the Sea Hawk today.

Orcas spotted off San Juan Island

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for May 14th:

Whale watch boats spotted J pod on the west side this afternoon. There was lots of activity from the large group of spread out killer whales, and sunny skies to boot. Folks on land and sea were lucky today, as from Lime Kiln State Park the whales could be seen off in the distance!

What a great day!

Minke Whales breach for whale watch tour

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for Thursday, May 7th:

Captain Pete and Kendall headed out on a whale watch tour on Thursday and were surprised and pleased to see Minke whales. These large animals are not often very active and showy on the surface, so the crew, along with all the passengers were excited to see the Minkes breach up out of the water!

J-pod spotted today during whale watch tour!

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for May 13th:

Captain Nancy and Kevin headed out of Friday Harbor today with a full boat of local middle schoolers. They headed down to Alden Bank, while braving strong winds from the southwest. When they arrived they saw a lot of activity from the whales, including multiple breaches! It was a long trip but the 23 young kids enjoyed the effort.

J pod seen frequently by whale watch tour

San Juan Island whale watch wildlife update for Sunday, May 10th:

One family group of the Southern Resident killer whales, called J pod, has been seen frequently in the northeastern part of the county for the past two weeks. They normally circle the county in a clockwise manner, but there must be lots of fish in North Rosario and southern Georgia straits keeping them happy. Although it's a change from their normal routine, it has been affording us some fantastic glimpses of these whales.

Bald eagles perform ariel acrobatics for whale watching boat

San Juan Island whale watching wildlife report for May 3rd:

The most recent whale watching trip reported back seeing a dozen Bald Eagles on Speiden Island. These eagles were soaring, vocalizing, hunting, displaying and even fighting. Naturalist Kevin and Captain Nancy were thrilled to see so many eagles together, and especially so when at one point an adult and a juvenile met in midair, locked talons, and spun downward for a few rotations before releasing each other! This kind of display is always exciting to hear of, and pretty impressive to view firsthand.

It was a cold day, with the wind kicking up, so everyone was glad there was a heated cabin and extra blankets aboard!

San Juan Island sea kayak-- Spring has sprung!

San Juan Island sea kayak weather update for Thursday April 23rd:

Well folks, spring is definitely here! The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous here on San Juan Island. Buds on trees are emerging, flowers are sprouting up, birds are busy building their nests and the wildlife is out in abundance. Something is definitely in the air...

Spring is a fantastic time of year to visit the islands, as we often have the sunshine of the summer without the crowds. This week in particular-- on both our whale watch trips and our sea kayak trips-- we've had good sightings of killer whales along with all of our local critters: harbor seals, sea lions, shore birds, eagles, river otters, porpoises and more!

Wildlife abounds on Whale Watch tour!

San Juan Island whale watch update for April 18th:

Captain Cal and I headed out of Roche Harbor with a full boat today. No other captains reported any sightings of killer whales (orcas), so we decided to try our luck looking for all sorts of other wildlife (while keeping our fingers crossed for whales of course). And what a day we had!

To start with, it was absolutely gorgeous out-- clear skies and water like glass all the way across to Canada. We motored south to Kelp Reef and glimpsed some dozing Steller Sea Lion hanging out on the channel marker with two Bald Eagles perched overhead. Then, as we turned around, we found some Dall's porpoise that wanted to play! These gorgeous creatures were having a grand old time-- surfacing all around and right along side our boat, swimming just underneath and beside the bow which allowed for amazingly clear views from just a few feet away. We stayed with these critters for a little while, before moving north.

On our way by Henry & Speiden Islands, we got great looks at harbor seals, bald eagles, mouflan sheep, lots of waterbirds and even a mink and a river otter! It's not every day that we get to see some of those animals, so it was extraordinary to see them all at once!

Nature update from San Juan Island WildlifeTours

Down at the Roche Harbor docks the whale watch and sea kayak staff are getting ready for the busy season ahead--painting, sanding, staining and waxing just about everything in sight. We've been taking advantage of the good weather this week to get our 'office' in top shape, and today was no different. Although the To-Do list was mounting I kept getting distracted by the Belted Kingfishers noisily splashing by the banks on the other side.

These blue and white birds are pretty entertaining to watch; buzzing to each other constantly, flitting by my head, and diving into the water with a splash before swooping back to their perches above the water. From a tall piling next door they keep watch over these waters. They're looking for fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, crustaceans--pretty much anything!

I like having them for neighbors and the diners at the Madrona Bar & Grill in Roche Harbor get a great ringside seat to all their activity. It's days like these-- spending the day outside in the sun with kingfishers diving into the water before me-- that I am reminded again how fortunate I am to have this job...

Sea kayak tour investigates Pigeon Guillemots

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 wings.
This little guy is related to the puffin, and also nests on rocky cliffs and islands. These are busy parents, feeding their young up to 16 times a day! All that food gets put to good work immediately-- both chicks triple their weight in under two weeks.
Next time you see one swim or fly by, listen for their repeated cry of "cheep"!

Transient Pods sighted!

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 a large group of transients, 6 in all, slowly moving around the bay. Although the male was evidently the largest, it would have been an older female in the group who was in charge. The male was easiest to identify, of course, with his almost 6-foot dorsal fin towering above the rest. With 3 foot dorsal fins, females and juveniles of both sexes look alike. Once the males mature at 15, however, their dorsal begins to grow until there is no mistaking the sexes.

We watched this group for a long time, as they surfaced and breathed in unison. As they began exploratory dives and started to move away, we too moved off.

The most extraordinary thing happened on our return course-- just as everyone settled back into the toasty cabin, or curled up with blankets to enjoy the scenery on the ride home, we encountered another pod of transient whales! This time there were about 5 transients together, and we were extremely happy to get not one, but two glimpses of whales up close.

What a day!