The weather in the San Juans can be misty and grey....it's the Pacific Northwest. It can also be suddenly sunny and almost warm...even in April. It's the Pacific Northwest!
Friday we leave the dock at noon and head out with a confirmed sighting of our Southern Resident Orca whales! Yay! This is my first encounter for the season with the Residents and I am anxious to see my old friends. The sun appears and our group enjoys flat water and a very light breeze as we float off South Beach and see part of J pod head south...no...wait...head north! No...wait... They are very busy with the business of being whales, most likely checking out big areas for a great salmon dinner. 
What a grand afternoon in the company of whales.
What a grand afternoon in the company of whales.
The Steller sealions were big ,bold and brazen on Whale Rocks. Hard to imagine in less than a month they will be enroute to the breeding grounds and these rocks will look empty in comparison to today.
We spot an adult Bald eagle over on Long Island and after careful inspection we see another adult sitting in the nest! This is great news as perhaps we'll spend the summer watching the events that lead up to eaglets fledging.
A wonderful day on the water!
Saturday seems as if it's going to be a little more of a challenge as we have no confirmed sighting as we leave the harbor. The afternoon is a wonderful one filled with 10 Bald eagles swooping down to the water's surface, making a quick "grab" and soaring up with something clutched in just one foot. Then they continue to fly while consuming the prey in flight!
Right in the midst of watching this incredible hunt, the news arrives: Orca whales in the opposite direction! Off we go!
A 30 minute run takes us to the south end of Lopez Island where Transient Orca whales swim swiftly along the shoreline. They are on long dives today and it takes vigilant watching to make sure we keep our distance. Who knows where the whales will appear next!?
Today there is one large male, T-49 C. He has two large nicks in the trailing edge of his massive fin. He is in the company of at least three females and a youngster or two. Almost appearing "lazy," they slow down and slip along the rocky shore. Then, suddenly, they are on the move out into more open water!
Time flies when you're....watching whales...and as the hour we've been here comes to a close, we watch as they glide by us and out into Haro Strait toward the Olympic mountain range.
Our trip home takes us by Harbor seals and Bald eagles. A Steller sealion surfaces in front of us with a two foot dog fish in his mouth! One big shake and he snaps it in two. The first half disappears down his throat and as a gull dives for scraps, the sealion comes us with the head of his prize in his teeth.
A beautiful day on the water. A fantastic whale and wildlife cruise. I remind myself, each day there is the opportunity to see things that are unusual, a first for the season, or a first for life!
