The heat wave continues so we were relieved to get out onto the water in search of wildlife and a cool breeze. With the wind and tides working against each other to create some tougher conditions in southern Rosario, we stopped for a look at Bird Rocks before making a U-turn to the north. At Bird Rocks we found many hauled out harbor seals, gulls, cormorants and the sea otter that has taken up residence here of late! He was rolling at the surface, maintaining that coat that helps him survive the cooler temps out here in the Salish Sea.
We cut between James and Decatur and through Thatcher Pass, working our way towards San Juan Channel. Just as we rounded the bend near Friday Harbor, our fellow whale watchers reported a humpback not a mile away! The timing could not have worked out better. We visited with this whale as it moved from Brown Island down past Kelp Reef and onward to Griffin Bay.
Next up was a visit to Whale Rocks where the Stellers were awake and socializing. We admired the bull kelp flowing in the currents that were ripping through this region, then worked our way out to Salmon Bank to continue the search.
We scanned from Salmon to McArthur to Blind Island. It was between Swirl and Castle that the bait was clearly boiling, as evident by the impressive gathering of gulls and murres. We even got to see one of the bait balls and watch the murres swimming like penguins beneath the surface, thanks to the incredibly smooth conditions.
We watched pigeon guillemots chase each other around the bluffs of Castle and were greeted by a harbor sea hauled out on a nearby rock, then turned north into Rosario. It was smooth sailing home from there!
-Sam
The humpbacks must have known it was hump day today, because
we got to visit with another humpback this afternoon! In order to reach this
individual, we stopped first at bird rocks to greet the sea otter who seems to
enjoy the swaying kelp forests. This individual has been in town for a few
weeks now and doesn’t seem to be in the mood to leave– fantastic news for us
and for this ecosystem as sea otters provide a critical balance for the Salish
sea food web!
Drifting onwards, we settled into the Strait of Juan de Fuca
and, just outside of Cattle Pass, we met up with our humpback whale! This whale
was on a mission to move. As we got on scene, we witnessed rhythmic breathing
one exhalation at a time as this animal jetted steadily along. With longer down
times, we had a harder time predicting where surfacing would take place, so we
went nice and slow along Salmon bank.
For several closer surfacings, we got to hear the
high-pressure exhalation release from this humpback. We then got to watch a large
arch of the back and a fluke as this whale dove down deep into the depths. With
that amazing finale, we peeled off in search of other critters. It wasn’t long
until we returned to salmon bank and glimpsed two minke whales feeding in the
midst of sea birds bobbing at the surface. Despite minke whales’ illusive
reputation, we got some great looks as one whale cut through the calm waves
several times in the same spot. Moving on, we rounded Whale rocks to spend some
time with a few sea lions, cormorants, and resting glaucous-winged gulls.
Twisting along in between Castle Island and Lopez Island, we
gazed up at the cliffsides and spotted a mature bald eagle in the tree tops and
a much smaller pigeon guillemot zooming over the water far below. We made one
last stop to marvel at the deception pass bridge before turning back north up
Rosario strait and back to the dock. Today was yet another adventure filled
with animals of all shapes and sizes all sharing one ever-inspiring ecosystem!
– Amy
.JPG)
from Blogger https://ift.tt/68NVGub
via IFTTT
Bigg’s Killer Whales: T37As
from Blogger https://ift.tt/WZ6P4BN
via IFTTT
Island Adventures 