J pod orcas off San Juan westside and a minke whale near Flattop

July 7, 2020 – J pod of the Southern Resident orca community had been on the West side of San Juan Island for the passed three days. It was our feeling that they may well travel to the Fraser River at the beginning of the next flood tide so we plotted a course to the North. We took our time sailing and exploring. At the entrance to Friday Harbor noticing a harbor seal in an unusual location and not moving we called into the Whale Museum Stranding Network for whom a fresh carcass is useful for necropsy. A bald eagle then arrived to stake their claim. And a second day with a red tailed hawk at the harbor entrance.

Sailing on with good winds today with wing on wing to Spieden Channel. Mouflon rams wandered the shoreline. Many harbor seals on Sentinel Rock. Tensioning the sheets we sailed close hauled on the tail of the ebb coming in to Henry Island and spotting an adult bald eagle with a chick in their nest. Today we also spotted a Peregrine Falcon here.

We had thought to meet Orcas at Open Bay, however they were making slower progress than anticipated, and we met them at Lime Kiln Point. A group milled at the lighthouse close to shore perhaps waiting for others to catch up. They made their move at the precise time of the tide change pushing North but not in a hurry, We watched a playful group of juveniles consisting of J44, J46 and J47. The lead group consisted of J16, J26, J19, J41, J37, J35 and possibly others. We could hear their calls on our hydrophone as we sailed slow and parallel offshore. They played and travelled in a leisurely manner and we left them lolly-gagging at Open Bay for our return sail.

We returned via New Channel and found a second Peregrine Falcon. Catching a good breeze and a fast flood current we sailed to an area South of Flattop that has a long standing name of Minke Pond. There were commonly minke whales here in the past and as luck would have it we found one here today. We recognized the whale as one we refer to as ‘Serendipity’ after a dip forwards of the dorsal and have seen this whale recently at Salmon Bank.

We were able to point in to wind for a fun sail back to Friday Harbor on the west side of the channel as the sun lowered beneath the clouds into blue sky.