Where Transients Roam...We Roam

Friday and Saturday we find Transient orcas.  The Resident orcas have gone to the west early Thursday morning.  Our best guess is that the fish are not too plentiful.  But look around!  Prey for Transient orca abounds!  There are Harbor seals on many rocky reefs basking in the sunshine.  Yes, sunshine!!  We are excited to be out on the water this glorious weekend.  Our trips these two days take us in two completely opposite directions.  As Captain Ivan says, "Every day is a new adventure!"

There is a lot of socializing among the youngsters as we arrive off the southern end of Vancouver Island.  Here's a young orca rolling into a fluke wave!

This group of  7 Transient orcas milled and traveled around off the city of Victoria all afternoon.

Several times we see small groups of Harbor porpoise surface and we feel sure the orcas will change course and we will witness a kill.

Instead we see spy hops, lunges, tail slaps and traveling behavior!

On Saturday our trip takes us in the complete opposite direction.  We travel to the open water off Point Roberts, WA, where we can see the city of Vancouver in the distance.  The air is clear, the weather fabulous and warm and the water is flat!  Today there are two groups of Transients, crossing back and forth, joining up, and splitting apart.  At one time we have Orca whales off either side of the boat!  Today is mostly traveling behavior, from what we can tell on the surface.  We did see a Harbor seal with a huge skate in it's mouth.  Here and there Harbor porpoise bobbed up and down.  Another fantastic day on the water, in the company of whales!

Whooo Hooo....Southern Residents!

I wake up Friday morning to pouring rain outside my window.  Who would go whale watching today?  I WOULD!  By noon the sky is clearing and the promise of a beautiful afternoon is ahead of us.  With a positive minded group of passengers...they left home in the rain...we head north spurred on by a report of whales heading north!

Haro Strait is calm today, the sun appears, and as our eyes scan the water we see three big fins, appearing ahead of a tug and tow, pointed north!  This turns out to be a wonderful family group of five whales, one being a large adult male!  We watch this group travel up the strait marveling at their size and grace.

There are more whales coming up from the south so we decide to dodge over and check out some Dall Porpoise by the lighthouse.  They are so fast!  These distant "cousins" of the Orca disappear in the swirling currents.  We catch them with our eyes, but no encore performance for our cameras.

But wait!  Seabirds off the starboard bow!    Rhinocerous aukets bob near the boat.  We can see the fancy breeding plumage and even the tiny "horn" feature on the beak.

Such fancy outfits!  This relative of the Tufted Puffin is a real head turner today!

A little further over on the rocky cliff of Stuart Island we are surprised by Pelagic Cormorants nesting.  I haven't seen this area used in the last few years, but today there are the beginnings of nests appearing on narrow ledges and indentations in the wall face.

While we are busy with some of the other amazing wildlife in the Salish Sea, more members of J Pod and a few K Pod whales, and finally some L Pod whales appear.  We are lucky today!  It is early in the season for whales of all three pods to be together here, but then it's wildlife and part of the fascination is you never know exactly what you will see or what will be happening!

On our way back to Friday Harbor we come across Steller sealions hauled out in full "soak up the sun" pose.  This is the largest of the sealions and there is no mistake about that today!

Rev-Up for Take Off!

Fly with me through this!  What a challenge to change Blog formats and figure out how it all works outside the world of Apple and iWeb.  There is no match.  I awake today and know that the way I have created by Blog is history.  Ahhh, moving forward...and I try try try to replace reluctance with renewed energy for exploring the unknown while maintaining a positive attitude.  Gulp.

I am still grieving the loss of my Blog pages Mexico 2012...they are somewhere in space...may they circle around with peace, spreading sunshine and sprinkles of white sand.  What are those five stages again?
   

•      Denial.  How could it be?  No more iWeb support or program.  Not even a lowly app? 
•      Anger.  Been there.
•      Bargaining.  If only...maybe I could...there must be a way to save and continue...but, no.  NO. 
•      Depression.  Ohhh, the darkness of the thoughts.  Something gone missing forever.  No more fun or artistic and creative play while blogging away.  
•       Ok then...Acceptance.  As the border collie in the movie Babe says: "It's just the way things are dear."  Or my mother: "All's well that ends well."  So, Nan, pick up the pieces...put your thoughts back together, search for another format...not too complicated, not hard to zip to the internet, ability to place photos...oh, creatively would be nice...but then that may just have to be learned with perseverance.  Perseverance I have.  Or have had in the past.

I haven't quite gotten to the sending off of iWeb blog posting into "back in the day"...or "when it was so easy" "but oh well....on we go...forward into a brave new world (for me) of blogging with something else.  Today it's an experiment with eBlogger.  Why not?!  Join your friends!  They will help you!

We will fly together through this...as Buzz says: "...to infinity and beyond!"  Right?

I think I'll think about lollipops and  kayaking, good friends, easy days, new adventures...

Oh!  That's it!  It's a "New Adventure"...

 ...forward from this place and moment in time!

April Showers Bring...Whales and Wildlife Abundant!

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.

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!