Minke Whales Sighted and Many Orca Whales Inbound From The West
The Island Explorer 3 is on scene with Minke Whales. Many Orca Whales have been sighted well to the west heading toward our area, so tomorrow looks very promising for Orca Whale sightings. Stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Brooke McKinley.
The morning trip took us south in Rosario Strait, where we found a Steller sea lion swimming in the strong current. Colville Island provided us with a look at several dozen harbor seals and a very foul odor. We could smell the strong exhalation of a whale, and paused in search of the culprit. No luck with a sighting, we continued west, towards the shallow feeding grounds of Salmon Bank. There, we shut down and waited. Soon enough, a minke whale appeared right off the stern of the boat. After some great looks we moved out to Hein bank, hoping for another species of whale. On our way back inshore we visited with our minke again, and another had joined up, also feeding on the shallow banks. We were fortunate enough to have many close looks at these whales. Soon we traveled to Whale Rocks where a dozen or so Steller sea lions were hauled out. Some slept while others fought and sparred, grunting and biting. A treat for our guests! On our way back to the dock we visited Castle Rock. A fantastic view of a mature bald eagle on Blind Island was the highlight of this beautiful area. All in all, another great trip.
-Michael Colahan
The afternoon trip start off north around Guemes Island. We found a bald eagle on the rocks next to Clark Island as well as some harbor porpoise swimming in the current lines. We also saw several harbor seals. We made our way up to the north side of Orcas Island and over to Waldron Island. There was reportedly a minke whale or two in the waters near Waldron, but when we got there, they were nowhere to be found! We searched and searched and searched. The whales must have had extremely long down times. Everyone helped in trying to find these elusive whales. Finally, we had to start heading back toward the dock, but we continued searching. On our way back, we found more harbor seals hauled out, another bald eagle as well as an osprey in its nest. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening trip on the water! We didn't see a whale, but our customers get to come back, for free, until they do see a whale! It was a great last evening trip of the season (we only have one trip a day the rest of the season)!
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 3:51 PM
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