A Very A-Seal-ing Movie

I went on a walk with some of my fellow co-workers down the dock and who did we see, but a very hungry fellow. Jill had her cell with her, so she was able to capture video. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

FYI: Popeye is a local seal who likes to swim around the Friday Harbor Marina and is known for only having one eye--this is not her, but at first we thought it was.

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.

Sailboat Adventures

I was invited to join Jill and Bill on a sailboat adventure. Jill and Bill both work at the Whale Museum--Jill as the lady in charge of designing everything and Bill as a volunteer docent. Scott, another Wisconsinite, joined us as well. It was so much fun. The sailboat is Jill's--I call her Skipper Jill--but I got to steer it for a while!

Skipper Sarah -- but only for a couple of minutes!

Before we left, I got to see some baby jellyfish--they were so mini!

 

Scott, Jill, and Bill, my boating companions!

Jill

Bill

 There wasn't much wind, but while out on the water, I saw some pretty cool things.

We saw a seal out on the flat water

The ferry, heading to Anacortes

A peculiar rain-circle (opposed to the much more well-known rainbow)

The water

 By this time, I had settled into a comfortable position on the trip and then asked if, on the quiet waters, I could play some music. Everyone agreed, and thus I pulled out my phone and picked a song.

Those of you who know me are already probably reaching to hang your head in your hands, but I proudly admit it--I played Styx's "Come Sail Away." It was mood appropriate and I always appreciate a good pun. I wasn't thrown off the boat, so it wasn't that bad.

A house made of sod

And then we saw it--the elusive Mount Baker! Normally, when I had tried to see it in the past, it had been covered by clouds but now on a sailing trip, I finally got to see it!

Mount Baker arises!

Friday Harbor

More of Friday Harbor

 And then a water plane came down for a landing. We were so lucky to catch it!

 And then the ferry coming into Friday Harbor, with Mount Baker in the background.

Finally, we headed back to port, but I made sure to get a picture of me with Mount Baker in the background!

Party of Pinnipeds

Today we focused on pinnipeds and orcas. Pinnipeds (pinni meaning flipper, and ped meaning foot), are mammals that live in water and have flippers for feet. There are three basic types of pinnipeds: seals, sea lions, and walruses, but you can only find Harbor Seals and Stellar Sea Lions in Friday Harbor. Despite both being classified under the name ‘pinniped,’ there are several differences between seals and sea lions.

Seals sport a spotted coat that covers every inch of their body. We have a touch table at the museum, and I can assure you that seal pelt is super soft, fine and I can see why people would want to wear it.  It is illegal now, however, to hunt the creatures here and for that I am glad. Seals also have special whiskers that are “beaded.” Beaded whiskers mean that they are bumpy to the touch. And actually, these whiskers aren’t really whiskers at all: they’re called vibrissae. Vibrissae work in the same way whiskers on a cat do, however, and sense changes in the water as well as movement around the animal itself. Seals have short, stubby fins and can only move by dragging themselves around. They also have no external ears—only ear holes.

Sea Lions, on the other hand, are quite larger than seals and are usually a solid color, such as dark brown for the California Sea Lion or golden brown for the Stellar Sea Lion. Their vibrissae are straight and smooth, much like uncooked spaghetti, and much longer than a seal’s. Their pelt, interestingly enough, leaves the flippers bare—and they can walk (or kinda hop) rather than pulling themselves on their bellies, like seals.

Unlike the seals, they also have tiny ear stubs, are larger in size, more social, and much nosier.

There is so much to learn about Orcas, I’m hoping to do it in an upcoming post. :)