Unique Gifts From Friday Harbor and the San Juan Islands

Looking for unique wildlife photography and gifts from Friday Harbor to commemorate your visit to the San Juan Islands? Now you have a one stop shop for all your Friday Harbor gifts and unique clothing from the San Juan Islands!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Dec 01, 2008 – Located in the Pacific Northwest, the San Juan Islands offers beautiful views, stunning wildlife encounters and those ever sought after Orca Whale encounters. Now you can commemorate your visit to Friday Harbor and the San Juan Islands with the opening of a custom gift shop online for your convenience! Visit http:///www.zazzle.com/sandybuckley* for gifts featuring the local southern resident community of orca whales, wildlife posters, sports gear and more! 

Every gift from the San Juan Islands is completely customizable and there are many sizes and styles to fit your needs? Looking for a great kayaking shirt? Custom wedding stamps? Orca whale collage posters? You need look no further than http:///www.zazzle.com/sandybuckley*. Great selections of wildlife photography from the San Juan Islands, gear and gifts for one and all! Sales happening all the time this holiday season- so check in now to see what's going on!

A Brief Respite From The Orcas

A Belated Happy Thanksgiving to all!  The southern residents have actually been around over the holiday- they passed by the Lime Kiln Lighthouse headed south yesterday morning MILES offshore, apparently headed west towards the open ocean. We've also been hearing them at the Port Townsend hydrophones...and that's about all the whale new I can share.

Life on an Island this time of year can be inspirational in its solitude- the visitors have returned to their off island homes and the Islanders begin to prepare for winter. The fog often rolls in off the Haro Straits and blankets the town in a salty sea scented mist, the eagle cries wafting overhead and out of sight temporarily.  The Trumpeter Swans have returned for the winter- their passes overhead making a brightly outlined juxtaposition against the grey of the waters beneath their flight. Grebes and loons as well as Harlequins dot the waterfront, their calls echoing up the hillsides.  There is a certain beauty to the solitude of this season which the Islanders embrace, even if the throngs of tourists do not.

One of the wonderful aspects of life devoid of shopping malls (or even McDonalds for that matter) is avoiding the potential for isolation by huddling together with some of the closest friends I have ever had the joy of knowing.  Friendships have a new meaning here- the relationships are meaningful and enlightening- each adding a nuance of beauty into your life for whatever reason. The people here are truly genuine- no goals other than to enjoy life to the fullest and embrace the beauty offered by not only the landscape and wildlife but one another. 

I have been inspired by some of these very kind souls to look introspectively, approach the world with a different outlook and embrace the beauty of art. Yup, drawing. Oh well- it had to happen someday, right? We started out a couple of years ago making jewelry (how addictive that can become!), moved on to pencil sketches and watercolors. The girls in the studio are all accomplished artists, some nationally recognized- and yet they are unfailingly encouraging and generous with their instruction. Every Sunday and most Thursdays we gather together to collaborate and accomplish, share inspirations and dreams and most importantly, create. Honestly, I cannot have ever imagined this spirited camaraderie back in Maryland- then again, maybe I was simply not looking.

So, not to bore you with the details, thought I would post my first colored pencil sketch just for fun. I know it's not a whale photo- but artistic license is the word of the day...smiles.  I think I overcompensated the colors subconsciously because of our currently grey landscapes- but if the color fits.... Happy Sunday!

Here Today Gone Tomorrow..The Southern Residents Outdo Themselves!

Wednesday evening was perhaps one of the most beautiful nights of the summer. With the clouds whispering over the Haro Straits, the water was absolutely dead calm. The repetitive cheers of Harlequin ducks could be heard echoing across the shores amidst the calls of bullfrogs and Belted Kingfishers. As the sun began to fall beyond the terrain of Vancouver Island, so did the hope that the orca whales would make a pass on the west side with enough light remaining to commemorate the pass in photos. Jeanne Hyde had called to let me know the whales had been spotted- so I made my way to Lime Kiln to see the approaching superpod.

Sometimes the lighting is perfect or the seas lay down in such a way that the fins of the whales come into focus by themselves- no talent needed, the photograph takes itself. Other times, you have to put the "perfect photo" aside and simply revel in the moment- whether it is a close pass to shore where the orcas play in the kelpy shoreline or where the sounds of their blows echoing off the waters literally takes your breath away. It's not always about the shot, although that has been a hard lesson to learn. Tonight was one of the latter...

With the sun fading, the first dorsal fins came into view. While many whales passed miles offshore, we sat in reverence as several groups passed very close to the shoreline, the golden waters embracing the shadowy profiles and the blows echoing across the waters. The pass brought a hush to the crowd...each of us experiencing the interaction in absolute silence. It's so difficult to describe a moment like this...one where you are absolutely awed by the orcas and the overwhelmingly majestic beauty of the Islands. And while we watched, two perfect fins sliced through the waters, a harmony created by 50+ years at one another's sides. It was Granny (J2) and Ruffles (J1)- the matriarch of J pod and her constant companion for the last 50 years, gliding through the oceans side by side, their exhalations echoing to our ears. It was such an emotionally beautiful pass, just a couple of photos to commemorate- but one that will linger in my mind as almost ethereal.

Returning home to the now dark Straits, I couldn't allow the moment to end. I sat outside on the shoreline, listening with awe as the blows echoed across the straits, some close to shore at my feet, others surely headed towards Discovery Island..and many in between.  Even the most seasoned whale watcher can still be awed, as well it should be with these magnificent creatures.

The Seattle PI wrote and beautiful series on Granny and the whales' plight which is truly worth reading. This six-part special report both chronicles the long life of Granny, the respected elder in her Northwest orca pod, and examines the weak regulations, spotty enforcement and political foot-dragging that have put local orcas in jeopardy. Enjoy! Until next time...Sandy

Subscribe in a reader

Southern Resident Orcas Return to the San Juan Islands!

After a weekend of warm, cloudy weather and no whales other than a large group of transients (meat/ marine mammal eating whales) on Sunday, yesterday morning we were treated to reports that there were southern resident orcas on the west side of San Juan Island.  Milling well offshore of False Bay, the whales took their time approaching the Island- but by 11:30 0r 12:00, the first whales could be seen- close to shore and headed North towards the lighthouse.

And what a show we were about to experience- one of the best land based whale watching days so far this year.  We ran to Lime Kiln Lighthouse, known for it's west side viewing opportunities. Luckily, the summer crowds are beginning to dwindle and the parking lot had lots of room! Heading down to the rocks, we could hear the first blows (orca whale exhalations) through the trees. That was just a taste of what was to come!

Once we arrived at our viewing spot on the rocks, we were treated to the first close pass- Ruffles (J1) and some other J's were intermingled with L's- so we knew there were members of two of the three pods here. Traveling close to shore, the whales took their time, making a very slow pass by the shoreline. Granny (J2) was further offshore but in the lead as usual! We saw Faith, Canuck- whales were truly everywhere! But the best was yet to come as we waited out the rest of the whales to see if everyone would head north. This year it has certainly NOT been uncommon for J pod to make a beeline for the Fraser River, leaving any accompanying pods behind! Although there have been some unusual travel patterns with various L's and K's traveling with other pods for long periods this summer.  We crossed our fingers, looked south and waited...and within 1/2 hour the rest of the orcas passed by. And did they pass by!  At least 25 whales made their way into shore- J's and L's intermingled- coming within feet of the rocks at the park. One whale even treated us to a breach within feet of our vantage point. Of course, given the travel patterns this year and very few close passes at the light, I had only brought my 300 mm lens- so the whales barely fit into my pics!!!!  But simply listening to the blows and watching all of their faces rise from the water as the orcas made the pass was enough- sometimes you just have to sit back and take it all in, forgetting the "perfect photo quest."

Another spectacular day in the San Juan Islands!

Subscribe in a reader

It's Tough Out There as a Little Dog- A Day in the Life on San Juan Island

Have you ever wondered what it's like for a puppy living on the west side of San Juan Island? Well, there's views...unlike a city dwelling puppy, the Haro Straits sits right outside your door. It's awfully fun to watch the sunrises and sunsets from the yard- the wilderness surrounding you and challenging your youthful expertise in scenting!

Little Miss Bailey celebrates her 11 weeks of life tomorrow...and what tales she has to tell. She has watched a superpod cross the Haro Straits, listened to the echoing blows of exhalations in the night, has been approached by curious mother deer and spotted fawn, to mutually determine if either presented any reason for concern.  She has hiked the trails at Lime Kiln and Cattle Point, frolicked with visiting children and kayakers at Deadman's Bay. She has traveled by ferry to Seattle and beyond, she has played with a Great Pyrenees in the surf at Anacortes. All in all, it's a dog's life.

It hasn't always been this easy though- life on an island (of course) has to throw you some interesting angles. It is just recently that the eagles have stopped circling when she plays in the yard. At 20+ pounds now, she's just too big to consider as a feast...unlike our neighbor's little pup three years ago- snatched from his yard one sunny afternoon.

And our little friendly foxes, while so much fun to chase and scent- pose yet another interesting twist. Not too long ago, I wrote a piece on Flickr about a relationship which had developed with a young fox in our yard.  Animal interaction at it's finest!

Well, this has been an interesting continuation to the story. This summer, we were able to determine this friendly little fox is indeed a female, when she brought her pups to the house one evening.  The pups were clearly intimidated by being so close to a human but the visit afforded me the honor of meeting them from afar.  Once Bailey arrived on the scene, the little fox, who we affectionately (if not somewhat unimaginatively...)call "Miss Foxy," has lingered longer and has come very close to the pup during each visit.  This was unnerving at first- I was always jumping to grab her up in my arms before the fox got too close and eventually trying to keep the determined little puppy from chasing the young mother.  It certainly seems as thought the young mother is simply curious about the new addition and acts as though she understands our mutual foray into new motherhood. Still, constant vigilance is in order.

All in all, life is good- but certainly not the usual childhood! :)

Subscribe in a reader

August 10th Superpod!!!

Sunday started out like any other day in the San Juan Islands this summer, a bit of cloud cover and scenic views across the Haro Straits. Took the puppy for a walk on the trails at Lime Kiln (to calm her down a bit!)- but the day was going to change upon my return home. I received a phone call at 10:00am from Captain Ivan of Western Prince Whale Watching Tours- there were whales heading in towards the Islands- lots of whales. At first, the operators thought they had J Pod and a "few L's," but that would change as the day went on. They were out at Race Rocks off of Canada's west coast- so the watch began.

And it was well worth the wait! By mid-afternoon, I was seeing so many fins crossing the Straits that I just knew there was more than "a few L's." Looking through my scope, I thought I saw Cappuccino (who is a beautiful boy in K pod) but wasn't positive given the angle. First to hit the shores were members of J Pod- Ruffles and Granny immediately headed North offshore, but Slick and her family along with the Cookies made an exceptionally close pass in resting mode off of Hannah Heights. I ran to the Lighthouse- knowing this was going to be good. Ran to the rock and I was just in time for the show- whales everywhere!!!! Lots of L's made close passes at the Lime Kiln shores- here are a few photos from the day! Lots of lunging, breaches, rolling and tail slapping- looks as though the whales were quite excited to be reunited. This is the first time in weeks, if not more, that all three pods of the Southern Resident community have been together- we'd have to wait until 5:00 to see those K's, who had apparently headed SOUTH before turing north to meet up with J's and L's. 

Sounds as though many of the whales are at the Fraser River this morning, although just got word that orcas have been spotted off the south side of the Island at Cattle Pass ....more to follow!  Here's where the whales would be off of the south side right now....

Subscribe in a reader

Waking up to the Southern Resident Community of Whales

It is 6:00am and I am awoken by the sound of orca whale blows (exhalations) out of my window- on the west side of San Juan Island.  To hear the whooshing sounds of the whale blows all surfacing within seconds of each other - then silence - then blows all louder than before is almost magical in itself. The morning was beautiful- the sky was blue and the water even more so. The whales were spread out and not very close to shore, but the stillness of the quiet morning brought the echoes off the Straits and directly to my waiting ears. A loud whoosh, another and another! I turn to the south and hear whales in the distance, turn to the right and see whales headed down island from the North.

And far offshore, I spot him...a huge six foot dorsal fun slowly curving into the waters offshore, the dorsal fin ruffled even at this distance. J Pod has been splitting up alot lately with Spieden (J-8) seeming to be traveling with the J-14's and others, while Granny (J-2) and the rest of the pod have been traveling without them. But seeing Ruffles, I know J Pod is back in town!!

No pictures from today, although J Pod traveled up and down the west side of San Juan Island until 3:00pm- and it currently appears they have made yet another decision to head North- guess the fishing has been good at the Fraser River.

Subscribe in a reader

Tomorrow is the Big Day!!!

We are about to add a new member to the San Juan Island family! Tomorrow I head to Moses Lake to pick her up- our new beautiful little 8 week old yellow lab. 

Hopefully she will love Friday Harbor as much as we do, although in comparison, I suspect she may find it a bit chillier than she is used to. We went to select her in the beginning of July and the temps in Moses Lake were 106 degrees. Ouch! let's see, today we're enjoying a supposedly summer day in July- the temperature reached a whopping 63 degrees- and that was the high!

We have several names in the running- Madrona (a tree indigenous to the region which has reddish bark and a very distinctive shape full of dark shiny leaves.  We're also considering Coho, an endangered species of salmon. Another name we're considering is Cedar, because we certainly have lots of evergreens out here!  If you're reading this blog and come up with a great name that celebrates the Pacific Northwest, drop me a line (e-mail) and we'll surely consider it!!!

So, the cedar waxwings have returned and the days are filled with their beautiful calls. Just yesterday I was in my yard and happened upon a group of babies! Located on an important Pacific flyway, the San Juan Islands are a birder’s paradise: a stop-over for thousands of migratory birds and home to numerous species that inhabit the region year-round. Raptors such as eagles, hawks and peregrine falcons are island residents, and songbirds, seabirds, shorebirds and waterfowl are common sights. Took a couple of photos...

I'll be sure to post some photos of the baby girl this weekend- have some issues with the sensor on my camera being a bit dirty- but we'll work around that too!  Have a great day! Sandy

Subscribe in a reader

A Tale of the Dragonfly

A beautiful start to a Summer Sunday on San Juan Island's west side. At approximately 5:00am this morning, the show began as the southern residents returned to the west side of San Juan Island. The light as too low to photograph, but I watched as the whales came from the west and then headed north (some close to shore, some not) in the very early morning light, their blows echoing off the shoreline. I did see some return an head south and no ID's were possible, but looks as though we'll have cetacean activity today!! Woo hoo!

Yesterday afternoon I spent some time at a local pond on the east side of Lime Kiln off of West Side Road. I actually went there to try and photograph a family of mergansers- but they decided to remain elusive in the grasses too far from my lens. However, what I did see pretty much made up for the birds, what appeared to be thousands of blue damselflies mating in widespread groups across the water. Not a good photo- but this will give you an idea of the encounter.

Keeping in mind that I know nothing about these creatures, I started taking photo after photo of the colorfully darting damselflies who alighted time and time again amidst the reeds. Some shots follow....

So, here's the question...what did I photograph?  I also found (potentially) nymphs around the water's edge...

I would appreciate any feedback on the red dragonfly photo- an ID would be sincerely appreciated! Also trying to determine of the photo above is actually a dragonfly nymph? Email me at limekilnwhalewatcher@yahoo- I'd love to hear from you!

As I wrote this blog, my attention was diverted out the window as an eagle made its way toward my house, heading up the hillside towards the roof. I heard a distinct "thud," and ran upstairs to see where it had landed. As I approached the sliding door, I looked outside only to see him/her perched on our deck railing. And what was he/she doing? Inside the door sat our 11 month old kitten named Tigger. Both were in a stare down, the cat watching in amazement as he came eye to eye with the biggest bird he has ever seen. A shot through my screen door...and another of the kitty panic attack! Yikes!

(Tried to get the photos to upload, no go right now...will check back later!) 

Have a great day! Sandy

Subscribe in a reader

Red Beaks, White Caps and Blue Skies- July 4th San Juan Island Style

Another holiday has passed us by- a weekend spent with friends and a cacophony of oystercatcher calls down at Hannah Heights Beach on the west side of San Juan Island, WA. The whales (members of all three pods) made it in for the end of the weekend- foraging and milling on the west side all day today- never even making it up to Lime Kiln Lighthouse (so far).  It is frustrating to watch all of the holiday boat traffic pay no heed to the Whale Watching Guidelines- boating over the whales and through them.  Boaters should beware, though- a new law, signed by the Governor on March 28, 2008, (HB 2514) establishes a 300-foot zone around orca whales that vessels must avoid. The law provides the Department of Fish and Wildlife with enforcement tools to better protect the endangered Southern resident whales. Violators can be fined up to $500 with possible charges filed as applicable.

So, back to the American Black Oystercatchers!!!  We were visited by four of these colorfully fun shorebirds Friday evening- conspicuous black birds found on the shorelines of the Islands just about year round. As their name implies, they forage in the intertidal zone, feeding on marine invertebrates, particularly molluscs such as mussels, limpets and chitons. We watched them hunt so close to the water's edge they had to repeatedly fly up to avoid the surf.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Subscribe in a reader

Whales in Baines Channel

If you didn't have a chance to read Orca Network's update this week, you missed plenty of excitement...especially on Wednesday morning.  I suspect that day will remain a highlight of my whale watching days for many years to come. We had the opportunity to meet up with members of both J & K pods (could have been some L's too??) returning to the San Juan Islands at approximately 11:00am. We met up with the whales as they headed through Baines Channel. While that was exciting in an of itself, when we approached, we were greeted with line after line of resting whales, tightly grouped, intermingled and slowly making their way west toward San Juan Island.

Pictures certainly cannot do the experience justice. But we'll try!!

We stayed with the groups for about two hours (they seemed to gather speed as they entered the Haro Straits- heading north and breaking into three separate groupings). The whales appeared to be heading North but by the time we arrived home to the west side of the Island, many of the whales seemed to have turned and headed south- we even stopped to watch at least 5 of them come well into Deadman's Bay (just south of Lime Kiln). By 6:00pm that evening, we still had the southern residents heading south along the shores, after a day of what seems to have been unstopped milling!

A Day In The Life in The Puget Sound

With summer upon us (finally!) the San Juan Islands offer beautiful sights at every turn- albeit stunning wildlife or scenic vistas captured in the early morning, interlaced with misty fog coming in off the Haro Straits. Bailer Hill Road is one of two main travel routes connecting the south and north sides of San Juan Island.  A ride along the road from Friday Harbor in the early can often offer breathtaking views of the farms shrouded in fog highlighted by sun rays.

Traveling a bit further south on Cattle Point Road will take you to South Beach, just past American Camp- the history of which was covered in an earlier blog entry. South Beach is a pebbly stretch of (guessing here) about 2 miles or so- with public access to to driftwood strewn beaches leading towards Cattle Point Lighthouse.  Alive in the morning light, it is easy to find eagles and fox cavorting in the dewy grasses before the heat begins.

If you return along False Bay Road, you can find some enchanting views as well- young deer are often viewed here as well as great heron encounters at False Bay during low tide.  Be sure to check the  NOAA  Tide Tables before the venture- it is well worth the time.

If you find yourself traveling to the islands by boat, there is no lack in scenic locations in the San Juan Islands with fantastic seascape vantages. Yesterday, we visited Stuart Island to photograph the Turn Point Lighthouse. During the trip, we captured this juxtaposition- a beautiful sailboat with snow covered Mount Baker in the background. While the temps reached 85 degrees yesterday, it was a stunning sight to still see the snow caps just beyong the fluid waters.  Stuart Island's Turn Point Lighthouse is also pictured below.

Photographs tend to take themselves here- your skill level need not be professional, rest assured.  I can certainly attest!!  Summer is here and the Islands are alive- and there are many more months of opportunity awaiting! 

Subscribe in a reader