Victoria, British Columbia, 10/24/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Pacific Northwest
In normal conditions for the Pacific Northwest in October, the
fog was thick as we pulled into Victoria Harbour in the early morning. As luck
would have it, the fog lifted after breakfast and we were rewarded with what
became a beautiful day.
Some people headed out for historical tours on foot or by
bike. Others headed out to explore the local botanical wonders. To say the
gardens in this city are a masterpiece of horticulture would be an understatement.
From Tibetan sequoias and Himalayan lilies to delicate, endemic maidenhair
ferns, this island city has painted a landscape that is hard to ignore.
Jessica is the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network Coordinator and Data Specialist for the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA. In this role she responds to dead, stranded and entangled marine mammals including large whale disentanglement. ...
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The San Juan Islands continued to be buffeted by the first major storm of the fall season. Luckily, the wind steadily abated throughout the morning, and we were able to launch Zodiacs and return to Roche Harbor on the north end of San Juan Island. From here, we shuttled to American and British Camps, a pair of relics from the Pig War, a bloodless dispute between the two countries that spanned the 1860s. Luckily, the only shot fired was at a pig that wandered into a farmer’s potato patch and ignited the conflict. We also had the opportunity to explore Friday Harbor and the wonderful whale museum there. The focus of the museum is to share research and up-to-date information on the endangered southern resident orca whale population. Tonight, we raised anchor and battled the last vestiges of the storm for Seattle and the conclusion of an unforgettable week in the Pacific Northwest.
The forecast for wind and weather was not off to a strong start on Friday morning approaching the San Juan Islands. But strong winds and unpredictable rains did not stop us. This is a National Geographic-Lindblad expedition, after all! Rolling with the punches is what we do best. And today it meant a morning of braving the conditions for adventurous Zodiac tours outside Roche Harbor and an afternoon of exploration on land to a sculpture garden and hauntingly eery mausoleum. Our morning Zodiac tours jetted through Mosquito Pass and circumnavigated Henry Island. Beachfront homes and luxury yachts would not satiate our need for wildlife discovery and as we cruised around the southern tip of Henry Island, Naturalist Eric Guth spotted a mass of gulls and seabirds collecting atop a suspected bait ball below the bellowing ocean surface. No one knew what to expect when all five Zodiacs zipped and zig-zagged up to the dazzling zenith of these buzzing birds ablaze with hunger, but our mildest expectations were quite literally blown out of the water. For what would gently plop up but one of the most beautiful and elusive pelagic birds of the area, the ancient murrelet! This was a bird I’d been searching for all year, a lifer or first-time bird for me. It has a small, football-shaped body, a yellow beak, and little white eyebrows. Like all unexpected and great things, it was no coincidence that this happened on the last Zodiac tour of the last trip of the last itinerary of the season in the Pacific Northwest. And it was a joy to be able to share it with everyone here!
National Geographic Venture continued her passage into the fjord system of British Columbia along the Sunshine Coast. Just before sunrise our floating home slowed inside Jervis Inlet at the entrance of Princess Luisa Inlet and Marine Provincial Park. The privilege of being able to see this small piece of paradise is because of one man, James F. “Mac” Macdonald. Mac first saw Princess Louisa Inlet in 1919. This small fjord stole Mac’s heart, and he made it his life’s mission to call this place home. After many years prospecting, Mac struck it rich and was able to purchase 45 acres at the back end of Princess Louisa Inlet right next to Chatterbox Falls, where he remained for the rest of his life. After hosting many visiting small boats, Mac turned his property over to the boating public in 1953 and it eventually became a British Columbia Provincial Marine Park in 1965. In chilly temperatures and clear skies, we explored the five-mile stretch of Princess Louisa Inlet by Zodiacs, also landing in two different sections of this marine park to go hiking, enjoying its beauty from many different perspectives.
