Sail around San Juan Island -NOAA feeds J pod on the West side

August 12, 2018 –  Picked up folks on Shaw Island at the County Park beach and from Lopez at Weeks Point Way. Headed South along the Lopez shoreline passing inside Dead Mans Island out to Whale Rocks. Low tide revealed purple Starfish on the rocks. Black Oyster Catchers chirped away and a Bald Eagle took out a Rhinoceros Auklet and carried him away. Many congregations of gulls and diving birds indicated schools of smaller fish and we caught 2 brief glimpses of a Minke Whale at Salmon Bank. We headed towards Eagle Point with news of J Pod Orcas on the West side. At Eagle Point we met J27, Blackberry, a 27 year male Orca traveling down Island. Close inshore was L87, Onyx, goofing around with J38, Cookie, 2 more male Orcas ( 26 and 15 years old). We continued up island and met J26, Mike, another male of 27 years and then another male J39, Mako, Blackberries younger brother and the same age as Cookie at 15. Mako was busy chasing a fish. Inshore and heading down from Lime Kiln Light was a feeding operation by 2 WDFW boats, NOAA and Lummi tribe attended also by Conservation Canine and Soundwatch. We could see about 10 Orcas near them. We heard later that the adult male J26 was happy to take fish but J50 was shielded from the entourage by her family. All were very close to shore. We continued North seeing a Bald Eagle chick at the nest on Battleship Island. We took New Channel seeing two Peregrine Falcons, drifted through the calm reflective waters of the Cactus Islands and downwind wing on wing to Flattop National Wildlife Refuge. Diffuse colors with a forest fire haze at sunset as we headed South through Spring Pass, the Wasp Pass Islands and the Shaw Island coastline.