The following is an update from the Orca Network on a recent orca sighting:
Four transient orcas (mammal-eaters) came into Spieden Channel on Sunday and found at least one Steller Sea Lion in open water. The bashed and rammed it on the surface for a while before taking it down for dinner.
Caroline Buchanan of Obstruction Island snapped this photo of a winter sunset.
The Orcas Island Junior Rowing Club will host its annual “Pure Pleasure Dinner” at Camp Orkila on Friday, Jan. 20. The event is a celebration of Orcas and rowing.
The evening has been renamed to “Pure Pleasure” because it is a night of feasting, regaling, dancing and more all in the historic lodge around a roaring fire.
The focus will be on making handles for those tools with eyes (such as axes, hatchets, hoes, mattocks, etc.) and for those with tangs that bolt on to the handle. Tool sharpening, things to consider before picking a pre-made handle, and other miscellaneous repairs will also be covered.
Islander Alex Huppenthal took this stunning photo at Cascade Lake during a recent clear night sky.
The majority of San Juan county residents have never seen a snowy owl in their neighborhood, but as more of these birds are spotted in the region, it may be possible to see white wings gliding through the air.
Snowy owls have been spotted throughout Washington and other states this fall, said Barb Jensen, president of the San Juan Islands Audubon Society.
Bats are some of the least studied animals, and much of their lives remain a mystery. Very little is known about the abundance of bats in the San Juan Islands, and researchers don’t really know if bat populations are healthy. For this reason, Kwiáht, a nonprofit scientific organization run by islanders and based on Lopez, has launched a “Lopez Island Baseline Bat Status Assessment.” The Status Assessment will map out where Lopez bats live and estimate population numbers to use as a baseline for future research.
In the spring of 2010, Kwiáht helped Moran State Park design and construct a demonstration “bat tower” for relocating a large maternity colony of rare Long-eared Myotis from the park manager’s office. Russel Barsh, Kwiáht’s director, describes a bat tower as “like a small toolshed on stilts, closed except for narrow slits for bats to use, with rafters and a shingle roof that bats find attractive for roosting.”
Our Town,” a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder, is a character study of the citizens of an average early 20th century American town. America’s unfolding history is depicted through their everyday lives.
Orcas Center is presenting “Our Town” with a cast of island youth, ages 10 to 1, in partnership with Orcas Island Public Library’s “Orcas Reads” in the month of January. Grace McCune is making her directorial debut with the production.
Bud Anderson, director of the Falcon Research Group of Bow, Wash., will give a two-day course on raptors on Jan. 21-22.
The course is sponsored by the Lopez Library, Friends of the Lopez Library, and San Juan Islands Audubon Society. The class is free and open to all.
In their first performance of the New Year, JP and the OK Rhythm Boys will be playing at Agave Restaurant in Eastsound on Saturday, Jan. 7, from 6-8 p.m.
“Now that the holidays are over, enjoy a fun and relaxing evening of fine food and fiddling,” says band member Anita Orne.
Some people think it is glamorous to study killer whales. But how would you like to spend your day following southern resident killer whales and trying to collect the feces and mucus they leave behind?
More like an episode of the “Dirty Jobs” show, this smelly job gives scientists unbelievable insight into the health of the local whale population. From the spew, poo and goo scooped up with nets, researchers like Dr. Brad Hanson of NOAA Fisheries learn not only what killer whales are eating but also what chemicals are present in their prey and how stressed the animals are.
Hanson will present “Tracking Killer Whales: Spew, Poo and Goo” on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Eastsound Fire Hall Community Room.
Begin the New Year at the Met with “The Met: Live in HD’s” sixth opera of the 2011 season, “Faust” by Gounod. It airs at Orcas Center on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 1 p.m.
Three of opera’s biggest stars – Jonas Kaufmann, René Pape, and Marina Poplavskaya – take the lead roles in a new production of Gounod’s beloved opera. Tenor superstar Kaufmann sings the title role for the first time at the Met; world-famous Méphistophélès Pape reprises one of his greatest roles; and the riveting singing actress Marina Poplavskaya takes on the iconic role of the victimized Marguerite.
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a crackdown on drunk driving coinciding with the 2011 winter holiday season.
