Rhinocerous Auklets Near Spieden Island

With short wings and compact muscular bodies that demand continuous, staccato wing beats, rhinocerous auklets fly fast and close to the water’s surface at 35 to 50 miles per hour.

Their diet consists of crustaceans and small fish such as Pacific sand lance, smelt, herring, and rockfish, and they forage throughout the open sea or in bountiful, inshore waters.

They breed from Alaska south along the coast to central California. The largest colony in Washington is on Protection Island in the San Juan Islands. This group I found in the area near Spieden Island, quite close to Roche Harbor where we have our boat.

I also saw a sea-lion today...the first one I have ever seen here...they are very large and he was happily feeding on fish.

I took a trip over to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse to check on the orcas...they had come through early this morning going North and were easily into Canada. No whale watching for me today.

For more photos from today, visit my flickr page....