San Juan Island

Taking a break from the heat in Tucson

I just returned from a week in San Juan Island, Washington. San Juan County, in northwestern Washington, is comprised of over 170 named islands in the Salish Sea. We stayed in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, the most populous of the islands. Needless to say, I returned home with great memories and many, many photographs. Today I’m sharing just a sampling of what we saw on the island. Over the next few weeks I will be processing the photos and will share the many special sights of the island.

Black-tailed Deer are native to this island and others, and are known swim from island to island. One morning we saw several small groups of deer feeding. This male was crossing the “prairie” at the south end of the island. You can see the water beyond South Beach at the edge of this prairie.

San Juan Island is known for the Red Fox population. Red Foxes were introduced to San Juan Island in the 20th century to try to control the rabbit population which had been introduced in earlier years to the island. Red Foxes are not always red, but can be orange, silver, black, or multi-colored. This kit was part of a family we watched in one spot on the island.

There were Bald Eagles on the island. We saw one in a quiet lagoon. It had made a pass over the lagoon, possibly in search of a fish, and ws flying up to a roost spot near the top of a pine tree.

At a Sculpture Garden in Roche Harbor, a Hooded Merganser swam close to her seven ducklings that were all lined up on a log.

The island was a kaleidoscope of farmland, homes, forests, fields, bays and shoreline. The County works hard to blend conservation and development, recognizing the need to preserve the natural beauty and unique character of the islands.

San Juan Island was very special. When I think of “Island time” I think of something sunnier and warmer like Hawaii or the Caribbean. But Island Time in this part of the country is very different.