Monday was an exciting day for kayakers on the west side of San Juan island. The Discovery Sea Kayak full day kayaking tour saw an endless array of wildlife all amidst the gorgeous backdrop of the Olympic mountains and the Haro Strait. Even before launching from San Juan County Park, the group saw members of the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods. From the perfect vantage point of the bluff on the north end of Smallpox Bay, they were able to watch members of J, K, and L pod swim by. There was lots of splashing and surfacing with plenty of tail lobbing and pectoral fin slapping. Once the Orcas had passed by, making their way north towards Henry Island, the kayakers were able to take off and head south towards Dead Man’s Bay for lunch. Along the way, they witnessed several bald eagle chicks working on flapping their wings in their treetop nests, a couple harbor seals bobbing in kelp beds, and several varieties of seabirds.
Photo Credits: Bald Eagles: http://www.media.mnn.com
Harbor Porpoise: Danielle Dion, http://www.porpoise.org
Black Oystercatchers: Jukka Jantunen, http://www.nationalaudubonsociety.org