Stunning wildlife! April 22, 2008.

Harlequin Ducks near Trial Island.

Stunning Mt. Baker (3,285 meters; 10,778 feet) is an ice-clad volcano in the North Cascades of Washington State about 50 kilometers (31 miles) due east of the city of Bellingham. After Mount Rainier, it is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade volcanoes: the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker (about 1.8 cubic kilometers; 0.43 cubic miles) is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. Isolated ridges of lava and hydrothermally altered rock, especially in the area of Sherman Crater, are exposed between glaciers on the upper flanks of the volcano: the lower flanks are steep and heavily vegetated. The volcano rests on a foundation of non-volcanic rocks in a region that is largely non-volcanic in origin.

Bald Eagle Nest

Steller & California Sealions. In the picture above you can see 2 Sealions with numbers on their body that are used for I.D. purposes. I have sent this picture to Ron Bates, Marine Mammal Researcher.

With a full boat of intrepid explorers, we set out on Fastcat at 2.00pm in search of the wonders that the Salish sea has to offer!

We were not to be disappointed as shortly after leaving Victoria Harbor we sighted a Bald Eagle nest. Next near Haystack we saw several Harbor Seals both on the rocks and in the water.

Then we ventured over to Race Rocks where we saw several Steller and California Sealions, Elephant Seals and Harbor Seals. We also saw Surf Scoters, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres and even a Pigeon Guillemot.

As we headed over to the Chain Islands the sun was shining on Mt. Baker making it look stunning with its fresh layer of snow. At the Chain Islands we saw several Cormorants, Harlequin Ducks, and several Harbor Seals. Then Cpt. Trev noticed an Eagle nearby and so we went for a closer look.

On our way home we stopped at Trial Island and saw more Harbor Seals and several Harlequin Ducks. It had been another spectacular day on the water!

T101's Transient Orcas April 22, 2008!

Harbor Seals at Chain Islands.

Cormorants soak up the sun at Trial Island.

T101's with San Juan Island in the background.

The pictures above and below show the T101's in Haro Strait.

T101 a female born in 1973

The pictures above and below are of T101's sighted south of Discover Island.

What a day on the water! The sun was shining today and not long after leaving the harbor we received news that Transient Orcas had been sighted south of Discovery Island. We soon arrived on scene and discovered we had the T101 group of Transients including a young calf and a female T101, born in 1973. Less than 20 minutes after leaving the dock and we were already watching Orcas, it does not get much better than that!

We followed the group East for a while before heading over to Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island. The lighthouse is used as a base by the Whale Research Ctr, who do a great deal of research and identification of the Orcas. Whilst at Lime Kiln we saw an Eagle nearby.

On our way back to Victoria from Lime Kiln we came across the T101's again near 10 mile point and got to observe these supreme hunters once again. Transient Orcas act like Wolf packs when hunting and work closely as a team to catch and kill there prey.

We then continued on our way and stopped off at the Chain Islands and Trial Island, where we saw numerous Harbor Seals, Cormorants, Harlequin Ducks and Black Oyster Catchers.

It was another terrific day on the water!

Wildlife Extravaganza, April 20th 2008!

Harlequin Ducks at Chain Islands

Cormorants at Chain Islands

Immature Bald Eage

Northern Elephant Seals with Steller Sealion

Steller Sealion surrounded by female Northern Elephant Seals

If you look closely you can see a marking on one of the sealions that was made by researchers so they can track the movements of the animal. I have sent this picture to researcher Ron Bates, so that he can pass it on to the appropriate people.

2 Bald Eagles and a Canada Goose at Haystack

Harbor Seals at Haystack.

Steller & California Sealions at Race Rocks

We set out this afternoon in search of wildlife and did not even have to leave the harbor as we saw a Great Blue Heron and Harbor Seal before we had even untied the boat!

When we did leave the harbor the sightings continued as at Haystack we sighted a River Otter, 2 Bald Eagles, a lone Canada Goose and numerous Harbor Seals.

Then we headed over to Race Rocks and saw at least 5 female Northern Elephant Seals, a large number of Steller Sealions and a few California Sealions. We also saw more Harbor Seals whilst at Race Rocks.

Next we traveled over to the Chain Islands and there we saw the same immature Bald Eagle that we had seen yesterday. We also saw a large number of Cormorants, Gulls, Harbor Seals and Harlequin Ducks.

Our final stop was at Trial Island where we saw more Harbor Seals, including one guy in the water observing our boat, and a couple of Oyster Catchers with there distinctive red beaks.

It was a chilly day again on the water but our guests did not allow the weather to deter them from enjoying another spectacular day. In fact many of our 32 passengers enjoyed the open air cruising from our spacious upper deck.

Transient Orca T14 "Pender" near Sidney Island, April 19th 2008!

Young Bald Eagle at Chain Islands.

T14 "Pender" is a male Transient Orca born in 1964. In 1974 T14 and his mother, T13, were radio tagged and the 2 marks left by the radio tage on the front edge of his dorsal fin are still clearly visible.

Since the death of his mother, T13, Pender has been mostly seen hunting on his own.

Our spacious front deck is the perfect viewing platform.

These warm red jackets are available for our guests to help keep them warm and dry, especially at this time of the year.

The pictures above show our adventurous passengers and crew braving the near freezing temperatures. Our sumptuous heated cabin was a welcome relief from the cold today as was the free coffee & hot chocolate. The cold weather did not dampen the spirits of our passengers though.

Canada Goose at Trial Island

Gulls circle overhead of T14 looking for scraps from the kill.

T14 finishing off scraps of a Harbor Seal kill.

This Harbor Seal in the water near Sidney Island, nearly became T14's next meal!

2 pictures above & the 1 below, T14 "Pender"

A Bald Eagle near Sidney Island.

A Bald Eagle and Gulls circle above looking for scraps from a kill made by T14.

In the Highlands of Victoria up to 8" of snow were on the ground and the temperature was hovering around 0! However, it did not deter many guests from joining our 2pm tour and they were rewarded with an excellent adventure.

Despite near freezing temperatures today we headed out at 2pm with eager guests ready for another west coast adventure and we were not to be disappointed. Our journey took us along the south east coast of Vancouver Island through Haro Strait and north of Sidney Island, were we came across T14 "Pender", a male transient Orca born in 1964. We arrived on scene just as T14 was finishing off the remains of a Harbor Seal kill and so we got to watch this supreme hunter swim back and forth on the surface for several minutes, it was breathtaking to watch!

Several Gulls and a lone Bald Eagle were circling overhead and picking off scraps from the water. We also saw a Rhinoceros Auklet and several Cormorants also feeding nearby. Whilst watching T14 we suddenly saw a Harbor Seal pop its head above the water near our boat and at one stage it looked like this Seal may become Pender's next meal. However, T14 eventually changed direction and started to travel North, so the Seal was safe this time!

On our way home we stopped at the Chain Islands were we saw several Harbor Seals, Cormorants, Gulls and a young Bald Eagle. We then moved on to Trial Island were we saw another Harbor Seal in the water, plus Harlequin Ducks, Oyster Catchers, and a Canada Goose.

It was another spectacular, if somewhat cold, day to be on the water!