Orcas Island Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands of Washington State

We have had a string of weather that has been amazing and looks as if it is going to be around for awhile. Sun and whales,  what a combination!

We’ve been seeing J pod with a subgroup of K pod (K 13 family) mixed in since early May. They have been in the routine of traveling around San Juan County feeding, resting allot and traveling. Two days ago the subgroup of K pod left J pod and travelled west out to the Pacific. On Tuesday, J pod also went west towards the Pacific. This is a normal routne in their behavior. They tend to be excellent managers of their resource (salmon). Instead of staying in the same location feeding and cleaning out the area, they move on and come back after the area has been replenished with returning salmon.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see K and L pod with the J’s when then come back to the islands. It’s about that time when we see all the southern residents back here. Could be today!

We haven’t had many trips in the last two weeks. The island is very quiet which is typical for this time of year. It gives us the time we need to work on the boats.  The weather has cooperated with sun and warm temperatures. Today is the first overcast day in a while.

We are still seeing Steller sea lions but not in the numbers from early April. We had an elephant seal (3000 lbs) off Turn Point that could care less about our presence. His large head was sticking above the surface with eyes closed snoozing away.

We should  start seeing the resident orca whales any day. Up until now there has not been any word of their whereabouts, not along the coast or out at sea. I expect to be getting a phone call soon announcing from our whale sighting network that the whales are back.

On Wednesday we had four minke whales in one area. That’s a welcome sight along with some other signs of summer coming.

                                     minke whale

We experienced a rare sighting of a family of transient orca taking a harbor porpoise. We were out near Discovery Island yesterday when we came across them slowly moving east and south. At first the young orca whales in the family were chasing the porpoise, copying move for move. If the porpoise turned sharply the chasing whale would as well but never touching the porpoise, which any one of them could have done at any time during the chase. The young whales took turns doing these maneuvers. Even a very young two year old was joining in. All the while the mother orca was tailing the action until after maybe 30-45 minutes when she appeared to have enough and you see the result in the photo. We never saw the porpoise again after that. It was apparent to us the mom was teaching her young how to hunt and we, along with a few other boats were there to witness it.

I know the photo is a little out of focus but this was the best of the 100 + photos I took. The hummers showed up on the 25th of March, right on schedule. And as usual we have one male that we named Nepoleon. He rules the feeders. He will allow females to feed and never any other males. He has a perch above the feeders and keeps a close eye on them. Lately there has been a male Anna’s hummingbird feeding as well. Nepoleon is a Rufous hummingbird, smaller than the Anna’s. The little Rufous doesn’t challange the Anna’s, but I can tell the Anna’s is not very comfortable and spends as little time as possible on the feeder.

Lately the weather here has been much cooler than normal. In fact we had some snow yesterday morning. I feel bad for these little birds but they seem to be doing fine. Starting tomorrow we are expecting much warmer weather. With all the rain we had this warm weather coming will cause everything to sprout, grow and bloom very quickly. I can’t wait.

Even though the weather has been cooler than normal it doesn’t seem to affect our trips. Our Springtime route is very protected weaving through the out islands in search of marine mammals. Spieden Island is a must see this time of year. Steller sea lions gather around it’s southern point (Green Point).  Bald eagles are so numerous we usually loose count after 20. The mouflan sheep, fallow deer and sika deer have little ones running alongside of Mom (very cute). Then we head out to Haro Strait and view Dall’s porpoises. They seem more playful this time of year, maybe because there is hardly any boat traffic. We often go out and don’t see another boat out on the water.  Lastly there is always the chance of seeing orca whales this time of year, but not something we expect. As we get more into April, we should start seeing orca more frequently.

We can do all this and still stay in nice calm, protected waters. And when that yellow thing in the sky comes out, we have a real bonus. I do expect more Sunny, warmer weather soon. I can always tell when Spring is here. The frogs wake up and start their mating calls. At some places on Orcas, near wetlands,  it sounds like being next to JKK airport. Very loud!

Also, towards the end of March, we should start seeing hummingbirds that come back from down south. Some are migrating through, some will stay and nest here. I can’t wait to see them again.

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This is Joel and his father.  Joel was a delight to have on board yesterday during one of our off-season trips.  The weather was perfect, sunny and calm. Lots of wildlife on Spieden Island and the famous Steller sea lions hauled out on the rocks at Green Point.

San Juan Islands: #4 on List of World’s Top 10 Ferry Boat Rides

(Feb. 19, 2009) The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the world’s largest organization of professional travel journalists and photographers, recently polled its members to come up with the “Top 10” most exciting ferry rides in the world.

“Public and private ferry boats provide an inexpensive alternative to cruises, often traversing some of the world’s most beautiful harbors, fjords, rivers and waterways at bargain prices,” states SATW president, Bea Broda.

Listed in order of votes from SATW writers are the world’s “Top 10” trips by ferry boat:

1. Star Ferry in Hong Kong

2. Ferries from Sausalito to San Francisco, California

3. Staten Island Ferry, New York Harbor

4. Washington State Ferries, Puget Sound to the San Juan Islands   www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

• “Washington State Ferries offer the most beautiful views of water, mountains and forests, with whales right up close, too.” Robert Haru Fisher, columnist & contributing editor, Frommers.com

• “Stiff winds and dramatic weather changes turn a simple commute between islands into a short-burst travel journey on many of the Washington State ferries.” Richard Varr, freelance travel writer

5. British Columbia Ferry System, including Vancouver to Victoria

6. Ferry from Sydney Harbor to Manly, Australia

7. The Ferry System of the Greek Isles

8. The “Blue Canoes” of the Alaska State Ferry System

9. “Norway in a Nutshell” Tour and ferry ride

10. Ferry from Mallaig to Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) is a non-profit professional association that works to promote responsible travel journalism and to provide professional support for its members, including travel journalists, photographers, editors, electronic media, film lecturers, television and film producers, and public relations representatives from the travel industry. For more information on the Society of American Travel Writers, visit www.satw.org.

 Contact:  Bea Broda, SATW President  bea@bcpictures.com 

 Visit Washington State’s Lopez, Orcas, & San Juan Islands.

I received word of whales from J, K and L pod traveling east, toward San Juan Island past Victoria this afternoon. While not unusual, it is always a nice surprise to hear of the residents in the area this time of year. If the weather holds I hope to get out on the water tomorrow and look around. Maybe I’ll get lucky. If I do come across the whales I’ll take some photos and post them.