The outlet of the Salish Sea in Washington-British Columbia is the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Supposedly discovered by a man who called himself Juan de Fuca. His real name was apparently Apóstolos Valerianos and he probably never entered the Strait which is named for him! It is even possible that Sir Francis Drake actually discovered it, but he left no record so we can’t be sure. See: www.washington.edu/…
Whatever the case may be, the strait is a prime birding area, among other things. I have spent some time at Port Townsend on the eastern part of the Strait and maybe less time at Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, near the middle of the strait and in the water near Victoria, Victoria itself, Point-no-Point just southeast of the Strait and the San Juan Islands. Therefore my observations are minimal to say the least.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone lies just to the west of the Strait and it continues to be of concern. Some estimates give us 50 years until a quake of magnitude 8, but nothing is certain. Early estimates gave a periodicity of over 500 years, the last great quake was in 1700. en.wikipedia.org/...
The Strait can be fairly turbulent, but not usually so much as the actual Pacific Coast of Washington and Vancouver Island. My trips to Port Townsend gave me an appreciation of birding on the Strait and it’s quite varied population of birds. I also photographed the first River Otter I have seen in Washington just offshore.
River Otter off Port Townsend, Washington.
I made at least one trip with the local Audubon chapter to Port Townsend and always had a great day along the Strait.
Pigeon Guillemots, off Port Townsend, Washington.
Orcas of J-Pod off Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada.
Point Wilson Light on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington.
On the other side of Juan de Fuca, the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
All photos are by me.
