Although today was a no whale day we saw so many other amazing coastal species! We found the Stellar Sea Lions growling away on Stinky rocks. Stinky Rocks is the unofficial name we have given to this particular group of rocks. You may be able to guess why, our Stellars can omit a very strong odour. A majority of this stink comes from their breath, we can see the decay a lot as they growl away at each other! They often regurgitate their food and then crawl around through it, adding to the stink. Their diet consists of herring, salmon, mackerel, squid, octopus, and occasionally crab!

Great Blue herons can be found close to any body of water salt or fresh. They are often found in backyard ponds and marshes as well as along our shorelines. Great blue herons have specific plumage to their chest which continuously grows and will fray over time. These feathers help get rid of oil and slime when they preen.

The Bald Eagles can be found bullying seagulls and shore birds for their food. These eagles prefer fresh fish that they haven’t caught themselves! They can also cooperatively hunt and communicate with other bald eagles to flush out prey and find food when they do choose to hunt. Currently, they have a very strong population status however this wasn’t always the case. The use of DDT a harmful pesticide, which when in the environment would work its way up the food chain. The bald eagle population would ingest small dosages due to the pesticides making their way into the waterways to coastal fishes to become ingested by the eagle. DDT would end up affecting the eggs and the shell would thin a lot of the eagles afterwards were born prematurely and passed away in the process. Making this population endangered before conservation efforts were launched to have the pesticides banned and hopefully boost their numbers. After these laws were put into place we’ve seen healthy population growth and distribution throughout their habitat.

Our tours today got a great glimpse into this biodiversity getting to see Seals, Sea Lions, Cormorants, Bald Eagles, Turkey vultures, and other wildlife during their search for the elusive whales. On days like today, our guests not only get to experience the other biodiversity of the Salish Sea but will also get a chance to try another tour for whales for free in the future.

Below are some beautiful photos of these species and others! Taken by our naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen, Aly Kohlman and Carmen Murphy