San Juan Island Tour Review

San Juan Island is always beautiful and is one of my favorite places. During my wildlife photography tour last month, we were provided with plenty of wildlife to photograph. Although the weather predicted was going to be wet, we did not let the rain deter us.
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Prior to arriving on the island, high winds and a small craft advisory was predicted for our scheduled day of sailing. Luckily, we were able to adjust to a day earlier. All attendees caught an earlier ferry and once the rain let up, we set sail. The conditions were great, and the clouds eventually allowed some sunlight to break through to provide us with a fabulous rainbow. 

Remember, no rain, no rainbows

​We encountered many seabirds throughout the day including Heerman’s gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, marbled murrelets, and rhinoceros auklets. Mature bald eagles watched the water from their high perch on the conifers while harbor seals rested along the rocky shoreline. We were treated to a special encounter with 2 humpback whales who were later ID’d as BCY0458, “Raptor”, and MMX0007, “Bond”. They are likely on their way now to either Hawaii or Baja. Safe travels, my friends.

Many, many gulls 

Humpback whale fluke, diving

​The following day, the wind and rain did not keep us inside. We were dressed properly for whatever the elements wanted to throw at us, and we kept our cameras dry with a rain cover. Even though the majority of cameras are weather sealed, we were not taking any chances since we were going to be outside all day. Luckily for us the rain was light and sporadic.

Watching the eagles 

​While looking at fallen leaves covered in rain drops, I spotted a Wooly Bear Caterpillar who predicted the winter weather for us. Don’t worry, he wasn’t lying there with a pipe and talking to us. It was his coloring that predicts the upcoming winter conditions. A small orange band means a mellow, drier winter, while a wider orange band means a longer, wetter winter. His orange band was wide so I’m planning for lots of skiing and snowshoeing.

We spent the day photographing a pair of bald eagles sharing a roost, soaring on the wind currents, and feeding on a fish caught along the shoreline. We found a couple of red foxes wandering the open field at American Camp and ignoring the numerous rabbits. Walks along the trails at Lime Kiln and English Camp were plentiful with colorful leaves and songbirds.

Wooly bear caterpillar. To watch a short video of him, click here. 

​Our 3rd day started with a presentation on marine mammal acoustics at the Whale Museum. After some additional time to tour the museum, we met our presenter at Lime Kiln lighthouse. Here we were able to listen to the hydrophones that are installed along the coast to monitor when the Southern Resident Orcas and other marine mammals such as Humpback whales are nearby. We had a tour of the lighthouse which included the lantern room. While we did not spot any orcas that sunny afternoon, we had a spectacular view of Haro Strait.

Our evenings were spent downloading and reviewing images after dinner. I discovered that my fire-starting skills need work although I feel that the wood might have been a little damp.

Partial view from the lantern room at Lime Kiln lighthouse 

Got it started but it didn't last long

​I will be organizing this tour for next year, mid-to-late September 2022. If you’re interested, please let me know.

Species list from our weekend
 
Glaucous-winged gull
Heermann’s gull
Marbled murrelet
Common murre
Rhinoceros auklet
Bald eagle
Northern harrier
Golden crown sparrow
Brown creeper
Western grebe
Herring gull
Ravens
Belted kingfisher
Pigeon guillemots
Pacific loons
Bonaparte’s gull
Great blue heron
Anna’s hummingbird

Wooly bear caterpillar
Red foxes
Rabbits
Humpback whales
Harbor seals
Fallow deer
European deer