Marine Naturalist Training Wrap-up!

So to wrap up the training, we went on a chartered whale watch boat (and this is the first thing I went on once I arrived at the island). Oh man, oh man, oh man. We saw bald eagles, we saw seals and their pups, we saw porpoises, but we did not see a single whale. That's because the salmon's down this year and the equation is no salmon = no whales. But I did get some glorious pictures!

The first animal we spotted just as we left the harbor: a bald eagle!

Little did I know that that would be just the start of it!

Wild goats, I believe

Mom and baby hauling out

Look at the rack on this deer!

A place where seals come out of the water is called a haul out

Seals and an Oyster Catcher

Cormorants

Pigeon Guillemont (you can tell by the bright red feet)

Cormorant again

Bull kelp

Interesting rock formation

Mount Baker

Haul outs also happen on kelp

It's pupping season right now, so the mother seals are often with their pups

This Juvenile Bald Eagle flew right over our heads

And this Bald Eagle put on a show for us

At the conclusion of our boat ride, we had a party back at the Whale Museum with the most delicious cupcakes as well as a talk by Rosie of the Samish Nation about the unique relationship between the native peoples of this area and the Orcas.