It was a beautiful sunny day as we headed out of the harbour into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Although we were keeping our eyes open for killer whales (Orcinus orca) we decided to head south from the Victoria Harbour entrance to the Washington State side. There was a report of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) in Crescent Bay, Washington State so we decided to check it out. This was quite exciting for the crew as most of us hadn't seen any gray whales yet this year. It was also a good route to take to scan the waters for either the Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales who we've been seeing quite a bit recently and the Resident 'fish eating' killer whales.
Mount Olympus as seen through the Elwha River Valley,WA
Mount Olympus as seen from in Crescent Bay, WA
About an hour after we headed out of the harbour we neared the shore of the Washington State side of the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Although there had been reports of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) in the morning the whale had not been spotted yet this afternoon. We coordinated with another whale watching vessel to scan the shoreline. Soon the other vessel called us on the radio to say that the whale was close to shore and feeding in the bay.
Gray whale feeding in Crescent Bay, WA
Gray whale feeding in Crescent Bay, WA
We watched this fairly small (less than 30 foot) whale feeding in the bay for about half an hour. The whale was busy bottom feeding so we spent most of the time watching it breathing between dives. While these whales dive to the bottom they feed by rolling to one side, usually the right, and using suction created in their mouths to suck the sandy muddy bottom into their mouths. Once they've sucked the bottom sediment into their mouths they push their large (3000 pound!) tongues against their baleen. This pushes the mud and water out of their mouths but the invertebrates such as amphipods and tube worms get stuck in the fine hairs of their baleeen. Gray whales can consume up to 455 kg (1000 pounds) of food per day and gain 30 cm (6 - 12 inches) of body fat during the feeding season!
Steller sea lions hauled out at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
Steller sea lions (and a California sea lion on the right!) hauled out at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
California and Steller sea lions hauled out at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area
We departed Crescent Bay just before 4 to head back towards the Victoria Harbour. On the way we stopped in at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area to check out the Steller sea lions (Eumatopias jubatus), California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). When we arrived we spotted 7 Elephant seals, 2 California sea lions, 14 Steller sea lions and many harbour seals.
Race Rocks Marine Protected Area with Mount Olympus in the background
We arrived back at the Victoria Harbour just before 5 after a wonderful afternoon in the sun watching a gray whale feed in Crescent Bay, WA and Steller sea and California sea lions, elephant seals and harbour seals at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.
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