All Aboard Sailing

Eagles, harbor seals, a falcon and much more

By allaboardsailing@yahoo.com October 15, 2020 Full Day Sail
October 15, 2020 – As we raised sails leaving Friday Harbor a bald eagle was making repeated dives for a duck who managed to elude him. Passing Low Island an eagle roosted on the ‘No Fishing’ sign. We took Spring Pass up to one of our favorite National Wildlife Refuges, Flattop Island. The soft lighting today gave picture perfect views of the harbor seals hauled out on the sculpted honeycombed sandstone. Glassy waters mirrored patterns of the the fruit cake geology of Flattop’s Northern cliffs.
Today we took the Northern shore of Spieden Island through New Channel. Sublime serenity. A peregrine falcon held position high on the bluffs. Coming into Haro Strait we made straight for the border. A humpback whale was north bound off Lime Kiln Lighthouse an hour earlier and we were hopeful the whale would be visible in the golden lighting over the olympic mountains.  With no humpback showing we came in to Kellet Bluff and back to the South shore of Spieden Island and caught the now ebbing current back to Friday Harbor.

Bald eagle swooping down to catch a duck

Bald eagle swooping down to catch a duck who kept diving to get away

Bald eagle swooping down to catch a duck

The duck the eagle was after (looks like an American Widgeon)

Bald eagle swooping down to catch a duck

Bald eagle perched in the trees

Bald eagle perched on the No Fishing Sign

Another bald eagle

Harbor seals hauled out near Jones Island

Harbor seals hauled out near Jones Island with fall colors

Young deer with interesting fur coloring

Paid of bald eagles

Bald eagle nest

Harbor seals on Flattop Island

Harbor seals on Flattop Island

Harbor seals on Flattop Island

Harbor seals on Flattop Island

Harbor seals on Flattop Island

Flattop Island with beautiful reflections

Harlequin ducks

Bald eagle

Harbor seal resting in the kelp bed

Bald eagle resting near Elephant Rock

Bald eagle fast asleep

Peregrine Falcon

View of the Olympic Mountains

Looking across Haro Strait

View of the Olympic Mountains

Black oystercatchers on Sentinel Rock

Fallow Buck on Spieden Island

Great blue heron standing on bull kelp

Mouflon Ram on Spieden Island

Route Map 10-15-20

Tagged on: , , ,