Experience the life our year-round resident alcid, the Pigeon Guillemot,
on our Birding Cruise to Vendovi Island!
About a dozen pairs of Pigeon Guillemots nest and rear their young on Vendovi Island’s breakwater. They gather in April, pair-bond in May, incubate eggs in June, feed chicks in July and disperse in August. Trips to observe this progression in behaviors are scheduled in May, June and July.
Cruising from Anacortes to Vendovi offers an opportunity to visit a couple of Pigeon Guillemot nesting areas and see other species of alcids, such as Marbled Murrelet, Common Murre and Rhinocerus Auklet. Scoters, cormorants, bald eagles, seals, porpoise and river otters are often seen as well.
The 3.5-hour visit to Vendovi Island Preserve gives you plenty of time to continue birding on your own and explore the island’s forest, beaches and grassy meadows on its well-maintained trail system (total 3 mi, 200 ft elevation gain). Lookouts and beaches offer stunning vistas of the San Juan Islands, the Salish Sea, Mount Baker and the North Cascades. “Staying on trails, and especially staying off our southern bluff areas and our rocky shorelines, is very important in preserving these sensitive habitats.” – a note from the Vendovi Island caretakers.
Vendovi Island, located north of Guemes Island. is the little “Hidden Gem” of the San Juan Islands. The San Juan Preservation Trust has owned the island since 2010 ensuring its protection.
Our chartered boat for our Vendovi Island Birding Cruise is comfortable and spacious.
Saturdays, May 15, June 19, July 10 (full), 2021
9 am – 4 pm
$168
Departs from Skyline Marine Center, Anacortes
(more details below)
Activity level: EASY
DETAILS
Not included: lunch, taxes & fees, gratuity
What to bring: binoculars, camera, lunch, water, toilet paper/baggie, comfortable walking/tennis shoes and weather appropriate clothing.
Bathrooms: marina, boat, Vendovi Island (temporarily closed)
Donations encouraged: $2-5 p/p for SJPT accepted at Vendovi Island donation box