Whale Watching Report

We had Bald Eagles fighting over a fish today!

Today was one of the calmest days on the water. At the southern end of Lopez Island we spotted several bald eagles fighting over what looked to be a torn up fish of some sort. One bald eagle dropped the fish and another picked it up and the chase continued until they flew out of sight. We started out looking for minke whales and orcas out near Hein Bank, but didn't find any there. Next we looked near Smith Island and found two minke whales feeding near a multitude of birds feeding on bait balls. They were hard to keep track of because of their many changes of direction. The highlight of the minke whale viewing happened when a minke whale surfaced right in the middle of a huge flock of gulls and other birds feasting on a bait ball just under the surface. Afterward we moved on toward Minor Island, spotting several tufted puffins along the way. At Minor Island we found about 50 harbor seals resting on the beach and we also saw three bald eagles. Other wildlife spotted today included rhinoceros auklets, common murres, pigeon guillemots, pelagic cormorants, double-crested cormorants, harbor porpoises, and turkey vultures. Naturalist Bart Rulon.