San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking from Anacortes

When the sun shines in March we'd better take advantage of it. The folks who joined us yesterday for some sea kayaking definitely did. We departed for Burrows Island under sunny skies and a cool north breeze. While crossing Burrows Bay we saw a good number of Red-necked grebes, Marbled murrelets, and Pelagic cormorants. The murrelets, paired up as always, are still in their stately black and white winter plumage. We drifted for a while as we observed them repeatedly diving after the small fish and crustaceans that make up their diet. Soon they will molt into the cryptic brown nesting plumage that makes tracking them to their forest nests so difficult.

Kayaking around the south side of the island we came across a Peregrine falcon roosting atop a cliff on a tree limb. It looks like they will be nesting there once again. We've enjoyed watching the whole process of chick rearing for several seasons now. A little later we had a close encounter with a pair of Black Oystercatchers. These noisy birds forage along the shore, looking for mussels, barnacles, and other shellfish to fill their bellies. One of our guests, Pierre-Luc from Montreal, had a National Geographic moment and came away with one of the best images I've ever seen of these interesting birds. Hopefully we'll get a copy to share here in our reports.

The breeze freshened a bit as we continued paddling our kayaks between Allan and Burrows Islands. By the time we rounded the west side we had the perfect sized waves for bouncing around and having fun. Lots of sailboats were out as well, enjoying the San Juan breezes. After a short break on a pocket beach by the lighthouse we continued over to Washington Park on Fidalgo Island. Again the waves were perfectly sized, everyone seemed to be enjoying the ride. Towards the end of the trip we drifted for a long while as seals swam around the boats. I swear that they can sense a camera lens pointing at them. They would dive underwater just as someone was about to start shooting.

All in all it was a great day. After a windy winter, like the one we've just had, it's good to get out and breathe some salt air for a change. I think that we'll be getting out quite a bit from here on out.

Thanks to Thad, Tracy, Don, Neil, Pierre-Luc, and Amy for giving us a call, and getting me out on the water!

Well, we're heading out again about an hour from now. The weather is great and we're excited for another day of sea kayaking! I'll report back to tell you how it was.