A beautiful morning where our senses peaked while listening for blows in the fog!

Our sightings today: Humpback Whales, Dall's Porpoises, a Stellar Sea Lion, Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles and an Eaglet in the nest, Red-Necked Phalaropes, Belted Kingfishers and Gull Species.

We woke up to zero/zero visibility, it was a foggy morning!  Because there was a really low tide we could explore the intertidal zone (the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide). We saw sea cucumbers, star fish (sea stars) sea urchins, numerous barnacles, seaweeds including bull kelp forests and we had a good look at one sea cucumber that the children so enjoyed seeing! In a beautiful scenic passage we could hear the 'screeching' calls of bald eagles and even some calls from a varied thrush onshore.

Sitting in the fog we waited for the sound of a humpback whale blow and heard smaller softer blows, wondering if they might be porpoises approaching. Sure enough they were Dall's Porpoises that we could see on the edge of the fog. Suddenly we could hear and then see the 10ft blow of a Humpback Whale that we identified as Guardian by her tail fluke and dorsal fin. She has been coming into our local waters each summer since 2011.

As we waited for another sighting we heard a different kind of blow, more of a 'snorting' sound. It was a Stellar Sea-lion that surfaced with a fish, thrashing it around and then in one gulp, the fish was swallowed. What a morning! It was a really special experience as we listened (by watching) with our ears!