Minke Whale off Salmon Bank! - Monday, August 18, 2008
"We navigated southward down Rosario Strait meeting the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the south end of Lopez Island. We passed the scenic wonder that is the south end of Lopez Island where our eyes gazed upon Colville Island & Castle Rock where the wildlife was bountiful! Pairs of Marbled Murreletts swam, Harbor Seals rested on the rocks, a Great Blue Heron hunted atop a raft of Bull Kelp and Pigeon Guillemots cannon balled into the water creating quite a splash! We continued towards Swirl Rocks where a Bald Eagle was found perched high on the rock! Once at Salmon Bank we noticed an increase in bird activity indicating bait fish just underneath the water! Then all at once a Minke Whale appeared through the small swells that had began to build! It was on its deep dive when its severely arched back would allow our guests a great photo opportunity!! On its decent into a shallow dive it appeared as if the Minke Whale were surfing atop the waves!! After visiting with the Minke we ventured into Cattle Pass stopping at Whale Rocks to visit one smelly pinniped! A very large Steller Sea Lion lounged atop the rock just above its smaller cousin, the Harbor Seals! Venturing into the inner islands we navigated its calm waters finding Harbor Porpoise along the way! Outside Thatcher Pass we headed up Bellingham Channel towards Jack Island where we found a mature Bald Eagle and one huge nest! The afternoon lead us towards Castle Rock and after encountering a building storm we ventured back north up Rosario Strait! Hugging the eastern shoreline we got great looks at the Burrows Island Lighthouse and encountered many Harbor Porpoise feeding in the tide rips! Continueing northward we stopped at Peapod Rocks to visit with some hauled out Harbor Seals! The evening produced much wildlife, however our guests didn't see whales! They however will get another opportunity to see whales with us for free, it's our guarantee!" - Naturalist Kate Janes
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 9:32 AM
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