Friday, April 16, 2010
Burrows Island Wildlife and Great Kayaking
Andaria had another super fun 5 Hour trip around Burrows island yesterday. Her and her guests had too many seal encounters to count and she told us that the Harbor porpoise were out in force all day.
After the trip her guests called in to reiterate how much fun they had (we love it when we get direct feedback like this). One couple said that their favorite part was exploring near the shoreline during the low tide. There were beautiful Purple Sea Stars (Pisaster ochraceus), a couple of gorgeous Striped Sun Stars (Solaster stimpsoni), and even some Sea Pens (Order-Pennatulacea).
Sea pens are colonial cnidarians (like jellyfish) that are generally grouped together with other soft corals. They sift plankton from the water as it drifts by. These animals are rarely seen on our tours because they live a bit deeper in the water column and the water has to be unusually clear to see that deep. It's always a treat to have a glimpse at these beautiful animals!
After the tour I met up with Andaria and two other guides (Ben and Wyatt) and we paddled around Burrows and Allan islands to enjoy the fantastic evening light. It was a flat calm day and once again we were surrounded by foraging porpoise. Hearing their sharp exhalations around our kayaks created a relaxing atmosphere as we watched the sun setting over the San Juan Islands
After the trip her guests called in to reiterate how much fun they had (we love it when we get direct feedback like this). One couple said that their favorite part was exploring near the shoreline during the low tide. There were beautiful Purple Sea Stars (Pisaster ochraceus), a couple of gorgeous Striped Sun Stars (Solaster stimpsoni), and even some Sea Pens (Order-Pennatulacea).
Sea pens are colonial cnidarians (like jellyfish) that are generally grouped together with other soft corals. They sift plankton from the water as it drifts by. These animals are rarely seen on our tours because they live a bit deeper in the water column and the water has to be unusually clear to see that deep. It's always a treat to have a glimpse at these beautiful animals!
After the tour I met up with Andaria and two other guides (Ben and Wyatt) and we paddled around Burrows and Allan islands to enjoy the fantastic evening light. It was a flat calm day and once again we were surrounded by foraging porpoise. Hearing their sharp exhalations around our kayaks created a relaxing atmosphere as we watched the sun setting over the San Juan Islands
Labels: kayak, San Juan Islands, san juan islands kayak tours, sea kayaking
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Peregrine falcon chasing birds, and more whales!
This has been a good week for wildlife viewing out here in Rosario Strait. We've had whales come by on several days. On Sunday Monica was out with some guests on an overnight kayaking trip and had an incredible encounter with Orcas in Bellingham Channel. Lots of tail slapping and aerial displays were going on. Two hours later James and Ben were out on two different trips at Burrows Island and had a similar experience. On another Burrows Island kayak trip our guests were witness to a classic example of the predator-prey relationship when a Peregrine falcon attacked one of the resident Belted kingfishers. The smaller kingfisher repeatedly made quick dives into the water as the falcon dove upon it and bounced up again to fly in a new direction out of harms way. Evidentally the bouncing technique was a good choice and the falcon grew tired of the chase and moved on. Several years ago we witnessed a similar event at the same place that did not work out as well for the kingfisher.
Labels: san juan islands kayak tours, sea kayaking
