Written by Elah
on May 21, 2018

Bigg’s Killer whales on patrol and lots of other wildlife in the San Juan Islands!

Bigg’s Killer whales on patrol and lots of other wildlife in the San Juan Islands!

Today was one of the rare days that we had a report of orcas before leaving the dock and our passengers got a unique look at some of the prettier inner island spots as we tucked through Lopez Sound.  The T123 family, mom and her two offspring, appeared to be in travel mode when we joined them. We were able to treat our viewing like a parade as we parallel viewed from a safe distance when they, quite suddenly, changed behavior.

They went from travel mode to hunting mode as we passed by a haul out of harbor seals; choice prey for these transient orcas.  We got to observe them enjoying and potentially sharing at least one harbor seal before moving on, in search of other wildlife.

We were lucky to see a bald eagle snag a fish out of the water and return with it to a nearby nest, tucked in the trees.   Then we rounded to corner to view some sunbathing harbor seals and aggressive steller sea lions before making our way back to the dock.  However, our adventure didn’t stop there! We also got to see the elusive trash panda, or raccoon, scuttling along the shore with a couple of Canada Geese.  This may seem mundane to some, but it was Naturalist Rayne’s first raccoon sighting ever! You never know what you’re going to find in the San Juans!

Written by Elah
on May 21, 2018

Bigg’s Killer whales on patrol and lots of other wildlife in the San Juan Islands!

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