Whale Island Things to Do

Peggy asked me, before the trip, if we would see puffins, and I told her I could guarantee it. They are everywhere. Puffins are comical looking birds, sort of like a toucan that has been punched in the nose. They have a short multi-colored beak which falls off after mating. There are two varieties common in these parts, horned and tufted.

This guy floating on the surface is a tufted puffin, with tufts on either side of his head. The photo was taken at some distance just to get one, sorry.

As you leave Whale Passage you pass "Bird Point" where you will see lots of kittiwakes (sea gulls to those of you who are not birders) Here you can see vast numbers in a small area. They are hanging around the fishing boats in this picture.

Sea Otters are common in these waters, so keep an eye out. They are actually members of the weasel family. They usually float on their backs and eat, consuming 25% of their weight each day (and you thought you had an appetite).

Sea Otters have a rich pelt and were hunted to near extinction. Now on the endangered specie list, they hae staged a remarkable comback.

Fin Whales are Baleen Whales. The whales mouth looks like an air filter in your car. The baleen filters the whales food, which is mostly tiny organisms, hard to believe.
The Fin Whale is the second largest whale after the blue whale and can grow to upwads of 80 tons! They are not prone to beaching, as the humpbacks, and you usually see there backs as they swim.

The Orca or "Killer Whale" is easy to spot with his large dorsal fin and black and white motif. They travel in pods, sometimes a family unit, with poppa (the biggest fin) his female, and some calfs.

Orcas are toothed whales, and eat meat.