Sea to Sky Guiding

09/19/2024

I’ve been up to LOTS of different things this summer, one thing being getting back to my artistic roots! I now have a few items to share here (as I work through how an online store/shop/presence might work).

For the nature-lovers and/or bird nerds, I present 8”x8” Puffins of the World prints, and two different sticker options: a Tufted Puffin with some attitude (🤣😅) and one of my favorite shorebirds - the Black Oystercatcher (both roughly 2.5” in size).

If you’re interested in any of these, prices are as follows:
Puffin prints (not framed): $15
Stickers: $3/each or 2 for $5 (yes you can mix and match).

Shipping for the stickers is an additional $1, for prints add an extra $5.

Email me at [email protected] with your order! I accept Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, and CashApp :)

09/01/2024

Here is the recap for our 8.24.24 excursion that accompanied the Baleen Whales of the Salish Sea Connection Course!

Where are the whales without teeth, you ask? What other wildlife stole the show on this tour? You'll have to read on to find out if we reached our target or not :)

Wasn't this supposed to be a baleen whale tour? Well, we all got a lot more than we bargained for after making some concessions due to the windy weather. Yes, we had killer whales (with teeth :) haha). But we also had an eleventh hour baleen whale that allowed us to officially say this trip was a su

08/16/2024

Coming up this next week!
Still looking to fill in-person and virtual spots. More details can be found here: https://www.seatoskyguiding.com/baleenwhales or email me directly - [email protected]

08/14/2024

On Saturday August 3rd I held a Seabird Scouting and Puffin Prospects trip that benefitted the Northwest Straits Foundation--an organization doing amazing work to restore and protect shorelines throughout the Salish Sea (as well as other marine conservation endeavors!).

The birds and wildlife on this excursion exceeded expectations, and even after eight seasons of being on the water around this area, I had a "first" during this trip.

My recent blogpost dives into the magic this trip had in store for us, here: https://www.seatoskyguiding.com/blog/seabird-scouting-amp-puffin-prospects

If you'd like to know more about the Northwest Straits Foundation, and/or are moved to donate to their conservation causes, you can do so here: https://nwstraitsfoundation.org/

A recap of this marvelous, small group vessel excursion that benefitted Northwest Straits Foundation!

08/09/2024

Some last looks at Alaska from my 2024 season aboard Snow Goose (with Anchor Excursions), including a couple species we only got some distant peek-a-boo looks at: mountain goats and zooming Dall's porpoises.
You can bet I'll be dreaming of next season! There's no better way to explore the wilderness areas, view wildlife, and build "ship life" community than through these small group tours. They already have their 2025 schedule up, here: www.snowgoosealaska.com

08/08/2024

Yesterday featured some things found along the intertidal, today features some wildflowers, ferns, and plants seen along the journey, as well. The bright colors against some of the gray, overcast days were a ray of sunshine all their own.
In order: 1. Chocolate Lily | 2. Giant Red Indian Paintbrush | 3. Dwarf Fireweed | 4. Bride's Bonnet | 5. Dark-throated Shooting Star | 6. Deer Fern | 7. Western Lily-of-the-Valley | 8. Lupine | 9. Some more Giant Red Indian Paintbrush

08/07/2024

There were a few places along both Alaska excursions where we had the right tide and the right place to explore the intertidal. Mussels, cockles, snails, whelks, seaweeds, kelps, chitons, barnacles, crabs, small fish, urchins, anemones, sea stars, sun stars, and more were discovered by all those that joined in these walks. But, sometimes as a guide/naturalist, the excited questions come rolling in and the camera doesn't come out a whole lot! I'm not complaining--I had so much fun introducing a lot of new-to-intertidal-exploration folks to the wonders found in each zone.

Here a few things I was able to nab photos of: Black Leather Chiton, *possibly* an Aggregating Anemone (not sure the exact species), Thatched Barnacles, and some lovely Bull Kelp.

08/06/2024

Two little alcids that absolutely have my heart are state listed (in Washington) as threatened or endangered where I live. When I head out on the Salish Sea, I treasure each encounter, as they can be fleeting around these parts.

Imagine, then, going to a place where you swear you counted at least 3x more Marbled Murrelets than gulls on your total adventure? A place that had not one, but a few bustling breeding colonies where Tufted (and distant Horned!!) Puffins circled the boat you were on like a snow globe that had been swished in circles. A place where, in a kayak, you came within 20-25 feet of a pair of TUPUs that couldn't care less about your little vessel that was drifting near them. How do you process these exceptional experiences?

My seabird heart exploded in the best way. I'm going to try to keep those moments tucked away for rainy days, as I go back to the "few and far between" looks around here. ❤

08/05/2024

My first mom and otter pup experience. When I say Alaska is a magical, wild place... I can only hope some of these pictures help tell that story!

08/04/2024

Not everyone in Alaska is fond of the bald eagle, or other scavenging birds (ravens, crows), and they really do have eagles and corvids in excess--at least in my SE AK experience.
Even though Washington state also has its fair share, and I have enjoyed them locally, I hadn't captured them perched on ice floes or drying their wings after a rainstorm. A small sampling of bald eagle love.

08/03/2024

SE Alaska gull, tern, and kittiwake (species) photo rollcall:
Photo 1: Herring gull | Photo 2: Short-billed gull (immature) | Photo 3: Bonaparte's gull (non-breeding plumage) | Photo 4: Glaucous-winged gulls on a bait ball | Photo 5: Arctic terns on an ice floe | Photo 6: Black-legged kittiwake in the fog (one of my favorite photos from the whole trip).