Written by Alison
on Jun 27, 2017

It Was a Day of Non-stop Wildlife, Wild Beauty and Wild Water in the San Juan Islands!

It Was a Day of Non-stop Wildlife, Wild Beauty and Wild Water in the San Juan Islands!

It was a day of non-stop wildlife, wild beauty and wild water on Tuesday.  We headed south in search of whales.  Along the way, we found Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Bald Eagles & nesting Cormorants on Goose Island.  As we headed out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca we came upon several bait balls with gulls and other birds having a feeding frenzy.  Just ahead we say a Minke Whale surface.  As we slowed down to watch 2 Minke’s lunge feeding with the birds, a beautiful Tufted Puffin popped up near the boat.  These colorful birds are a rare sighting in these waters so we were very excited with this close encounter.  We continued to watch the Minke’s zig-zagging back and forth preying on the same small fish that the birds were eating.  The Rhinoceros Auklets beaks were full of fish too!  Eventually, we headed back toward the islands where we spotted more bald eagles, including two eagle chicks in the Long Island nest.  The flooding tide in Cattle Pass was wild with upwellings, standing waves whirlpools and quickly moving waters.  Captain Peter managed to find a calm bit of water to watch Harbor Seals surface in the Bull Kelp, and we found 2 Steller Sea Lions.   What a day!!

If you’re interested in booking a tour with us, be sure to check out our whale watching tours on the Western Prince II or the Western Explorer II and if you’re coming from Seattle, read more about our Whale Watching Seattle trips!

Written by Alison
on Jun 27, 2017

It Was a Day of Non-stop Wildlife, Wild Beauty and Wild Water in the San Juan Islands!

Latest Blog ...