March 24th - To the Apex and Back
On March 24th our boats left the harbour on flat calm waters. With 2 boats on the water each one took a different travel route to cover more ground and increase our chances of finding our whales.
Our semi-covered vessel, Kula, traveled up towards Nanoose Bay, looking through the Winchelsea Islands and then heading back towards Gabriola Island. They traveled down through the Flat Tops, a series of small Islands along Gabriola Islands south coast where they stopped to see Harbour Seals. The Flat Tops are always teeming with life - the Harbour seals lounge on all the rocky beaches, Bald eagles often perch high in the trees, Turkey Vultures can often be seen circling above, and Great Blue Herons can be seen fishing in the shallows.
After stopping for our Harbour Seals the boat continued South just a bit, stopping at a rocky outcrop just off Valdez Islands to see the Stellar Sea Lions.
In previous seasons these small unnamed rocks were refuge for Harbour seals and sea birds, but this year it seems the Stellar Sea Lions have taken over, making it their home after being chased off the rocks of Entrance Island by the lighthouse dogs.
The Stellars today were fighting amongst themselves and playing in the waters, breaching and tumbling over each other, displaying their incredible acrobatics for the guests.
How many Sealions do you think are on this rock?
Some individuals didn’t want to share the rock today…
Little shy guy right along the water’s edge - Do you know this species? Hint: Their Latin name is derived from the word “actor”! Answer is at the bottom of the blog.
After leaving the sea lions they continued south through the Strait of Georgia, crossing near Apex they stopped to enjoy the views and take a bathroom break. Apex is the point in the middle of the Strait of Georgia where the US Canadian boarder takes a hard turn South East and is a great place to stop to get a good view of both Vancouver, the Gulf Islands and Washington. On clear days you can see Mt. Baker looming in the distance.
After the stop, the boat traveled up towards the mouth of the Fraser River before circling back towards Porlier Pass between Galiano and Valdez Islands. Kula passed through Dodd Narrows before stopping at Harmac to see the California Sea Lions before returning to harbour.
Our Open Zodiac made a similar trip, though instead of being on the East side of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia they traveled through the channels of the Gulf Islands all the way to Active pass between Galiano and Mayne Islands.
They then continued back North, stopping at Gabriola to see the Seals and Sea lions before coming up around Gabriola and back to Harmac to see the California Sea Lions.
Do you know what species of bird this is? We do not see them on our tours very often!
Hint: Males of this species have very beautiful long tails! Answer is at the bottom of the blog.
Splash!
Unfortunately it seems the Whales were all hanging out very far North today, much further than we could travel to during our trip and that’s sometimes just how it goes. Not every day can be filled with whales, but that makes the days when we do get to see them that much more exciting.
All our guests left with vouchers so they can come out again an another Salish Sea adventure to search for whales.
Today’s photos taken by Marine Naturalists Cheyenne Brewster and Val Watson.
Answers for bird ID’s: Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck