I went to San Juan Island yesterday and just missed the orcas by 40 minutes. Frustrating to say the least! The ferry arrived in Friday Harbor at 10:00am, but the earliest shuttle to Lime Kiln Park was 10:40, which arrived at 11:00am. When I got there, I was told that the orcas were around from 10-10:20am, and then headed north. I stayed at the park hoping they'd turn around, but no such luck.
I headed back to Friday Harbor, grabbed a bite to eat, then went to The Whale Museum for a wonderful talk on elephant seals by Dr. Joe Gaydos. Joe is a Wildlife Veterinarian and Regional Director of the SeaDoc Society. I learned many interesting things about the elephant seals including their ability to dive to depths of a mile! They are also one of the few species who have come back from extinction. I came away with a new appreciation for these wonderful beings!
The next lecture is July 15th with Mike Ford who is going to talk about fatherhood in the Southern Resident Orca community. Being a matrilineal society, the fathers of the youngsters are rarely spoken about since it's hard to determine who the father is. I'm sure Mike's research will be enlightening on this topic!
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