Orca Whales Sighted from Island Explorer 3!
Click here to see the position of the Orca Whales from space and stay tuned to the Whale Report for an update on "Lots of Orca Whales!" from Naturalist Kate Janes! "The inner islands welcomed us as we entered through Thatcher Pass with a Bald Eagle perched high in a tree! The protected waters lead us pass Upright Head and south towards Cattle Pass where we entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca finding not only blue skies but also the Orca Whales! Just north of Eagle Point we met up with Blossom's (J11) subpod! Blossom lead Blackberry, Tsuchi & Mako northward up San Juan Island in tight formation! Trailing behind Spieden (J8) enjoyed a tasty salmon after an eventful chase! As we turned for home we received an unexpected visit from young Doublestuff who apparently wanted to do a little people watching of his own!! He circled the boat giving our guests multiple opportunities for some great photos above & below the water!! His white portions shone green as we watched him swim by!! We left the Orcas just north of False Bay as they continued northbound! We returned home wrapping around the south end of Lopez Island stopping to see Harbor Seals with their pups hauled out on the rocks, Black Oystercatchers, Common Sea Stars and Pigeon Guillemots surrounding Castle Rock! On our evening trip we returned to the inner islands which provided not only a scenic backdrop for our cruise but also great wildlife opportunities. On Blakely Island we found an Osprey perched atop a conifer tree overlooking a quite bay! This is considered a rare sighting since Bald Eagles dominate the islands making it difficult to be an Osprey living in the islands. As we ventured near Orcas Island we watched as our state ship the Lady Washington sailed our same waters! And nearby a pair of Marbled Murrelets swam in search of food!! We found some members of both J & L pod of Orcas between Morsby Island & South Pender Island! The whales gently rolled through the glass calm waters! We watched as the whales spyhopped, taillobes, cartwheeled,a whale even breached near the shoreline of South Pender Island and listened as the whales exhaled at a rate of 100 mph!! We made our way back through the inner islands as the sun was setting over the San Juans! Throughout the day we also saw Rhinoceros Auklets feeding, Pigeon Guillemots, Heereman's Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Harbor Porpoise, and 2 more Osprey as we returned on our evening trip on Orcas Island ending a picture perfect day!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 1:05 PM
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