Whale Watching Report

The wind was blowing cold today and we decided to start our trip by going through the inner San Juan Islands for some protection from the wind. As we entered the San Juans the sun broke out of the clouds and we had it for the rest of the trip. Inside the islands we saw a couple of bald eagles. Eventually we found J-pod swimming quickly southward just north of Henry Island. They were moving 8-10 knots at the time and seemed to keep up that pace for the majority of the time we were with them. They were very spread out over a couple of miles, and at times it was hard to keep track of where they all were at. J28, Polaris, came out of nowhere to pay us a close up visit. Later we paralleled Ruffles, J1, for about 15 minutes as his head came high out of the water several times to clear the surface chop. We also saw a couple of orcas breaching off in the distance near the middle of Haro Strait. On our way back to the dock we had more excitement. Many of the animals on Speiden Island were out feeding in the grass. The mouflon rams were hanging out on the eastern point of Speiden Island in clear view. On our way back through the islands we saw about 8 bald eagles. As we went through the cone islands we saw two ospreys hanging out on their nest, and then we were in for a real surprise. A small Columbian black-tailed deer was swimming in the middle of the channel toward Shaw island. We all watched as she finally reached the shoreline at a steep, rocky spot. She slipped at first but on her second attempt she made it up on the shore, and all the passengers cheered! Other wildlife spotted today included harbor seals, turkey vultures, pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets, pelagic cormorants, a great blue heron, and a belted kingfisher. Naturalist - Bart Rulon