We set out on Friday to go to Smith Island, the only place in the San Juan Islands that has a nesting colony of tufted puffins. Unfortunately, the weather was too windy to venture out of the protection of the islands. Smith Island is a few miles south of the San Juans in unprotected waters.… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – July 7, 2017
Tag: bird watching
Bird Watching Cruise Report – June 7th and 8th, 2014
We had bird cruises this month on both Saturday and Sunday. Our Saturday trip was full, so we added a Sunday Cruise. On both days our trips were similar with bird sightings and our route remained identical. We traveled across Bellingham Bay and then turned north into Hale Passage between Lummi Island and the Lummi… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – June 7th and 8th, 2014
Bird Watching Cruise Report – May 3, 2014
Migrants of May (Photos courtesy of Jim Bachman) What a beautiful day we had two weeks ago out on the Salish Sea. Our travels started out on the South side of Bellingham out of Fairhaven. We crossed Bellingham Bay heading south. Here we encountered dozens of Bonaparte’s gulls in their full breeding plumage. They are… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – May 3, 2014
Bird Watching Cruise Report – July 27, 2013
We left the harbor on another wonderful summer day. We cruised to Chuckanut Bay to observe the nesting Pigeon Guillemots and the Glaucous-winged gulls. The Glaucous-winged gulls have chicks that are a ball of fluffy grey. Â Glaucous-winged gulls are the only gulls that stay here year round and nest here. The other gulls that we… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – July 27, 2013
Bird Watching Cruise Report – July 20, 2013
Our bird cruise is getting birdier! As eggs hatch and juveniles fledge, the populations of our typical Salish Sea breeding birds are soaring. Glacuous-winged Gull chicks, for example, are now numerous at several of the sites we visit – the Glaucous-winged Gull is the only gull that breeds in our area (although several other Gull species are also… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – July 20, 2013
Bird Watching Cruise Report – June 29, 2013
As one would expect of a birding cruise, our primary focus is on waterbirds, and the trip is, of course, full of Auklets and Guillemots and Murrelets and Oystercatchers and Gulls and Terns and Cormorants and Harlequin Ducks and others. This past saturday we also spotted a few Common Murres, just beginning to wander back… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – June 29, 2013
Bird Watching Cruise Report – June 22, 2013
Our June 22 bird cruise was blessed again with pleasant weather, interesting folks, breathtaking scenery, and repeated encounters with the typical summer avifauna of the salish sea. Eagles and Ospreys are still incubating their eggs; we check three active Eagle nests and three active Osprey nests during our cruise, and are eagerly anticipating the sight of young birds any… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – June 22, 2013
Bird Watching Cruise Report – May 18, 2013
The early morning weather seemed a little ominous, but luck was on our side and the rain stopped shortly before our departure, and (mostly) stayed away for the duration of the cruise. Birds were plentiful as usual, with all the “core” breeding and resident species of the Salish Sea observed in plentiful numbers. Pigeon Guillemots… Continue reading Bird Watching Cruise Report – May 18, 2013
New Bird Watching Cruises On Saturdays Throughout The Summer
We are excited to announce a new series of Bird Watching Cruises aboard the newly-remodeled Salish Sea this summer. On these day cruises you’ll have a chance to view an amazing variety of birds while we cruise through Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands, under the Deception Pass bridge, and through the Swinomish Channel. Naturalists… Continue reading New Bird Watching Cruises On Saturdays Throughout The Summer
Natural History Cruise: Birds & Whales in the San Juan Islands
Join our guest on board naturalist, David Drummond, for an insightful and lively look at the birds, wildflowers and mammals of the San Juan Archipelago.  Venture into the San Juan Islands with us aboard the Viking Star, cruising our beautiful backyard islands with wildflowers like the Nooka Rose, while watching colorful Yellow-rumped Warblers flit and sing amongst… Continue reading Natural History Cruise: Birds & Whales in the San Juan Islands
