While on the island, I was able to see many awesome birds and mammals, a few of my favorites being black oyster catchers, pigeon guillemots, harbor seals, and killer whales. I was even able to see the killer whales from the shore, which was a pretty special experience. Here are some of my pictures from my time on the island:
The last few pictures of harbor seals were actually from my research project on their aggression. I watched harbor seals at their haul out sites and recorded their general behavior as well as the types of aggressive behavior they displayed towards each other. Harbor seal are actually reaching their carrying capacity in the San Juans as well as in Puget Sound. This makes them not only easy to study, but could have provided interesting aggressive interactions for me to record as well.
My pictures do not do the island justice, and I did not get any pictures of the killer whales I saw myself. My time at Friday Harbor was so incredible, and I highly recommend making a trip out there for the beautiful scenery and awesome wildlife!
