San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking from Anacortes

Yesterday was yet another nice day to be out sea kayaking. I don't want to get too hopeful, but it seems like some real spring weather is just around the corner. We are getting a sneak peak this weekend.

Although there have been a few sprinkles, the air temperature has been really pleasant.
We started yesterday's trip wearing pogies (a kind of mitt that we put over the paddle shaft to keep wind and water from chilling our hands). By the end of the trip it was actually too warm to wear them. With just a few layers on, we all felt a bit overdressed.

Sea kayaking during this time of the year is great, there are very few boats on the water and we feel as if we have the place all to ourselves. Because of the winter rains the moss covering the rocky shoreline is luxuriantly thick, red-flowering currants are blooming profusely, and the first leafy buds are erupting from the branches of willow trees. We now have seen the female Peregrine falcon in her nest, soon we'll enjoy watching her chick hopping around the eyrie.

We also noticed that the alcids (a family of birds which include Puffins) are strting to show up in their breeding plumage. The Pigeon Guillemots have lost the non-descript black and white plumage and are now sporting a jet black body with brilliant white spots on the wings, and bright red feet. If we are lucky, we can catch a glimpse of the insides of their mouths -also a bright red. Rhinocerous auklets are looking rather dapper as well. They have long nuptial feathers over their eyes and a horny protrusion on their bills that gives them their descriptive name. Most of our eagles are back, lazily roosting in trees as we paddle under them, or soaring high above us on the rising air columns.

This is a busy weekend for us! Lots of folks want to go sea kayaking. Give us a call, we'd love to show you around.