Well, it is October again and I finally made it to San Juan Island once again and saw the foxes this time once again too. While not all of the foxes I saw are in the video, I was keeping a tally of the number of foxes I saw over the course of my visit to San Juan Island and I counted about 15 of them. Most of the ones I saw were the traditional red foxes, though I did see some silver foxes too (basically silver black versions of red foxes and their tails are usually black with a white tip on them). Of all of the places in Washington State, I would have to argue that besides Northwest Trek, San Juan Island is the best place to see foxes here in Washington (moreso than Mount Rainer too).
Here are my photos from San Juan Island:
Here is a picture of the puget sound near the ferry terminal at Anacortes. I got up early and got on the 9:40 am ferry to Friday Harbor. It takes about 80 minutes to get to the ferry terminal from Snohomish (more in traffic) and you do have to make reservations for the ferry you want to take (otherwise they have waiting areas for non reservations and people with reservations usually have priority). Although not pictured, I saw some eagles, seals and even some small whales while waiting (had my binoculars with me)
Officially on the ferry heading to San Juan Island. There are actually several islands there and people can also visit Guemes Island (seperate ferry in Anacortes), Orcas Island, Shaw Island and Lopez Island. Impossible to visit all of them in one day, but I was headed to San Juan Island (Friday Harbor). But you do get to see the other islands (especially Lopez, Shaw and Orcas Islands) from the ferry.
Doing a selfie on the ferry. Was kinda pulling a "Ferris Beuller" that day. Normally I would go to church on Sunday and did have a dog to watch at home (while my parents were in California), but I took the day off and went there. Nice day for it too
You can see a seal or something swimming around. If you look around, sometimes you can see seals and whales (more likely seals, but whales do make their presence known too, especially minke and orca whales). Saw a bunch of seals when I was in Malibu British Columbia a few weeks ago too.
A little over an hour after leaving San Juan Island, I was almost at San Juan Island. It is a pretty good sized Island though not as big as Orcas or Vancouver Island. Behind San Juan Island is Vancouver Island (Canada). Visited Victoria once last year on the way back from the Alaska cruise I went on. It is a huge island, and some ferries do go there, though that would be another adventure.
Here you can see the harbor for San Juan Island. Friday Harbor is the biggest city on the island and has a bunch of shops and restuarants, along with other attractions (like the Whale Museum). Though I decided to have lunch at Roche Harbor (north end of the island) this time around
Now arriving at San Juan Island
I've started making it a tradition to visit Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Not quite as big as Friday Harbor, but it is a quaint resort village at the North end of the island and has its own shops, hotels and restaurants you can visit. Seems to be a popular destination for boaters too. Went there for a wedding last year too (family friend).
Yeah, there was a cruise ship at Friday Harbor when I was there, another reason why I went to Roche Harbor for lunch (figured that Friday Harbor would be crowded as a result).
Yeah, Roche Harbor is a resort village that people visit and stay at. I think some people were there for a wedding too when I was there.
Last view of Roche Harbor before heading to American Camp and South Beach. Almost did a hike to the malsouem, but i only had so much time before having to take the ferry back to Anacortes and my main goal was to see the foxes at South Beach, so I headed to American Camp right after finishing up at Roche Harbor
Here is the American Camp area. Thought I would check out the visitor center. Didn't see any foxes at American Camp (fort area), but I did see them at south beach
Visited the Visitor Center
Here is a model map of the south end of the island. At the south east end of the island is the Cattle Point Light House
Visited the American Camp fort. Although abandoned now days, the US Military used to have a presence there. The history is kinda interesting as at one time, island was shared between the British (present day Canadians) and the Americans. While relations between the US, Britian and Canada are good at present day, that wasn't always the case as there were hostilities between the 3 nations back in the 1800s' (dating back to the American Revolution in the 1700s' and the War of 1812). Anyways, long story short, the americans and british settlers almost went to war over a pig (you can read more about the pig war in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859)). Interestingly George Pickett was the general at the American camp fort (the same guy who was infamous for Pickett's charge at Gettysburg). On a side note, I visited Gettysburg earlier this year with my parents (went on a road trip to Washington DC and back) and while now days it only takes about a week to get to Washington State from the east coast via the interstate system, less time via plane or train, back in the 1800s modern transportation didn't exist so it had to be a very long journey for Pickett when he traveled to Gettysburg. I am sure it was understandable if some people on the west coast didn't want to get involved with the civil war (especially given the long distance between the east coast and west coast).
The American Camp fort offers pretty nice views of the Straight of Juan De Fuca. On a clear day you can see the Olympic Peninsula to the south (I think Sequim is the town in the distance) and to the west, you can see Vancouver Island (you can almost see into the victoria area there too with good binoculars). On a side note, I was on the otherside of the straight back in July (went camping at Fort Flagler, near Port Townsend). Also went to Victoria for the first time last summer (stopped there on the way back from Alaska on the cruise).
Another view of the water
Here is a deer in the field near the fort. Deer are arguably the most common mammals seen on San Juan Island (moreso than the foxes). You can see deer almost anywhere on the island, even at Roche Harbor (had some sightings there, but since I was driving I wasn't able to get pictures of them at Roche Harbor.
Yeah, on a clear day, the South Beach / American camp area offers pretty good views of Mount Baker in the distance. You can also see Lopez Island from there too. There is another beach (Jackle's Beach Lagoon and 4th of July Beach), but I can't say I have ever been to those beaches. Plus I think you are more likely to see foxes at South Beach than those 2.
Here is another shot I got of Mt Baker. On a side note, San Juan Island should be pretty well protected should Mt Baker erupt as it is pretty far away from its blast radius unless if the mudflows create tsunamis that is (may get some ash too)
Red fox in the field. This was my first fox sighting on the island. As I was heading towards the parking area at the beach, I saw some cars pulled over and saw this guy wandering around. Took advantage of the situation, pulled over too, got my camera out and got both pictures and a video of him. This guy didn't seem to mind me filming. One unique thing about south beach is that foxes are a pretty common sight here and when they are out, they can be hard to miss. I went to Mt Rainer in August hoping to see some cascade red foxes at the Paradise area, but that place was a bust in my opinion. But here at South Beach, chances of seeing some foxes are even better (I can't promise you will see foxes there every time, but i have been to south beach twice now and seen the foxes both times). While the foxes could be seen elsewhere on the island (I have heard about sightings at Roche Harbor for example), south beach is where you are most likely to encounter them. Wouldn't be surprised if Cattle Point (area near the light house) gets them too. And I think they can be seen at American Camp too sometimes (had a close encounter with one last year by the fort, though it ran off as soon as it saw me that time).
Fox on the prowl, probably hunting the rabbits in the field. I have read that there are long term plans to have rabbits eradicated or at least have their populations reduced (https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/nature/european-rabbit.htm), but wouldn't that have some unintended consequences for the foxes? Might be best to leave things as they are. Plus even if they got rid of the rabbits, they would still have deer to deal with as well and I don't think foxes hunt deer like coyotes or wolves might (there are no coyotes or wolves on San Juan Island last I checked).
I couldn't resist getting a photo of this sign "I know I am hard to resist...but please don't let me get too close". Apparently some inconsiderate visitors have been known to feed the foxes, causing them to lose their fear of humans, but while intentions might be good, feeding the foxes could lead to unintended consequences, like foxes begging for hand outs, foxes becoming road kill, and even agression. Not sure about foxes, but I know coyotes can become dangerous to humans when they become habituated (like through feeding them). Though I am sure aggressive foxes can become a nuisance too (like their counter parts in England). Healthy and unhabituated foxes will maintain their fear of humans and will keep their distance (not get too close). On a side note, I had 2 close encounters with these guys last year (unintentionally). The first time happened as I was walking towards the fort and saw a red fox to the right of me (less than 100 feet away). I was suprised to see it (as it was suprised to see me), though he just looked at me and ran off. The second encounter (last year) happened as I was starting to head back to the beach (where my car was). Literally saw silver fox jump out of the tall grass (they are small enough that they can blend in the grass), look at me and ran off. I was on the trail and didn't know the fox was there, but in either case, it was definitely a close encounter, though he ran off as soon as he saw me. This time around, I didn't have any close encounters and the digital camera made it easier to get closer shots of the foxes without scaring them off (via zoom feature).
Here is another shot I got of the buliten board. There were also signs warning against fireworks and harassing seals and other marine life (yes you can see whales and seals through there sometimes too). Interestingly seals are a really common sight in British Columbia at the Princess Louisa Inlet area (especially at the Malibu Christian Camp as you can often see them swimming around and occasionally they will get on the docks, especially at night).
I saw this fox near the beach. There was a story behind this sighting. While I was at roche harbor, I bought a Mike's Hard lemonade (see https://amzn.to/2Jk6EgZ) to have later. I didn't see any signs or anything that said you can't have alcohol on the beach, so while I was there, I was at one of the picnic tables, drinking my "lemonade" and sure enough I saw this fox wandering around in the tall grass (close to where the trail is and in the same area where I had the video of the silver fox last year). I didn't want risk scaring it off, so I zoomed in on the fox with my camera and got these pictures. This guy was wandering around and had no idea he was on camera. On a side note, I actually had 2 fox sightings while I was drinking my Mikes Hard Lemonade, with the other sighting I had being on the hill above where the outhouse was (not pictured). I had kept a tally of the number of fox sightings I had during the course of the day and I counted about 15 different foxes (not all of them on camera of course). Most of them were traditional red foxes, though I did see some silver ones as well.
This fox was wandering around completely unaware that I was watching him and getting pictures of him too. He was probably foraging for food too. One thing I noticed about the foxes is that they usually keep their distance, so you don't really have to worry about them getting too close or attacking you. They seem to have some tolerance for humans watching them (at least from a distance). Otherwise they would be hiding when people are out.
You can see this guy's tail too
Saw this ship sailing through. This area seems to be a popular spot for commercial fishermen
Here is a silver phase red fox (aka silver fox) wandering around in the field (saw this guy from the trail). He actually got a little close but kept his distance. Foxes come in at least 2 main varieties on the island: traditional red foxes (like the ones I posted earlier) and silver foxes (like this guy in the photo above). These look almost like another species of fox: silver black fur, black face, and their tails are black with white tips on them (almost like smaller versions of black wolves), but in reality they are technically red foxes too. There are supposedly other varieties of foxes (like brown and black, possibly cross phase foxes too), but red and silver are the most prominent kinds.
Silver fox on the prowl, probably looking for something to eat.
Here you can see this fox perched, probably getting ready to nap
Here the fox is watching something, probably thinking about pouncing
Another deer in the field
Got another picture of the fort area. 1800's probably would have been an interesting time living there. Seems there might have been more buildings back then than there is now. By the way, when historians talk about the british on the island back in the 1800's I wonder if they meant Canadians? You would think they would be Canadians as canada is the neighboring nation to the north. Obviously they are a part of the British commonwealth, but also have a Canadian identity as well. If the Americans did lose the pig war, the island probably could very well have become a part of British Columbia Canada today (much like Vancouver Island is)
Another fox in the field
Saw this deer in the field as well.
Here is another silver fox in the field. Interestingly, they say foxes are primarily nocturnal animals, but i got to the south beach area around 1:30 pm and they were already out. Looked like this guy was sunbathing (probably enjoying the nice weather while it lasted).
Now the fox was laying down and sunbathing. You can see he blends into the tall grass pretty well too. If you go wandering around the field, you could easily have some close encounters that way (as I found out last year, though I was on the trail when it happened).
Here is a buck deer on top of the hill. Yeah you do some uphill walking on the trail going to the fort. Going the other way, it is all down hill. The american camp area offers a nice vantage point for people want to look down on the beach as well as the waterfront.
Here are some brave rabbits in the field
Close by was this silver fox watching them. The presence of foxes are sure to keep the rabbits on their toes as the foxes are known to hunt them. I have read that the park plans to eradicate rabbits eventually, but wouldn't that have a negative effect on the foxes as well? I suppose they can turn to other food sources (like mice and voles), but personally I think it might be better to leave things as they are for best results. I am sure the foxes are great for rabbit population control anyways. In my neighborhood, while rabbits might not have to worry about encountering foxes, we do get coyotes and bobcats sometimes and they probably hunt rabbits too.
Here is a closer shot I got of the fox
Deer looking right at me. These guys get close to the trail too.
More rabbits in the field
Well, all trips have to come to an end. It was dusk and it was almost time for me to head back to the ferry teriminal and head back to Anacortes (did the 7:20 ferry going back). Was tempting to do the later ferry (the 10:40 pm ferry), but I had a dog to watch (was doing some dog sitting while my parents were in California that week) and she was home all day and I didn't want to get home too late. I actually considered bringing her with me, but it would have made things awkward (like when getting on the ferry, getting lunch, etc), plus she can be a yapper sometimes and I didn't want her scaring off the foxes (she might think they are other dogs and bark at them and scare them off in the process and I didn't want to have that happening). Wouldn't mind doing an overnighter at San Juan Island someday though.
Saw this silver fox curled up in the field (silver foxes seem to be more common than the traditional red foxes) before I headed out. For a while I thought I wasn't going to see any more foxes before heading back to Friday Harbor, but I saw this guy curled up in the field and I couldn't resist getting some photos of him.
Goodbye Mr Fox. See you next year (God willing of course)
Here is a picture I got of the harbor before getting on the ferry. I almost got dinner there, but I didn't have enough time to visit a restaurant and still make it to the ferry in time, so I ended up getting some little caesars' pizza in Anacortes before heading home.
That is all of the photos I took. Saw deer, foxes and rabbits. Other animals I saw (not pictured) included: some eagles (like one I saw by the ferry terminal in Anacortes), seals, and small whales (probably minke whales). It is definitely an early riser trying to get to the 9:45 ferry (and you are supposed to get there at least an hour early in order to make it to the ferry in time), but I definitely had a blast. Thinking about going in the spring next year (like in April or May) when the fox kits (baby foxes) start coming out and maybe I can get pictures of them as well, but we will see.
Few tips on seeing foxes on San Juan Island (it is arguably the best place to see them in the wild here in Washington, moreso than Mount Rainer):
- bring good binoculars (easier to spot them in the distance). They can also be useful when watching for whales and seals too.
- try to go on a day when it is nice out and go either early in the morning or in the afternoon. For best results be prepared to spend a day at San Juan Island
- South Beach is where the foxes are most common. If you are having trouble seeing foxes on San Juan Island, try the south beach area. While I am sure they can be seen almost anywhere on the island (like in Roche Harbor), you are most likely to encounter them at South Beach. Wouldn't be suprised if Cattle Point gets them too. Elsewhere on the island they are more hit and miss (and more elusive too). I think the foxes are protected at south beach and American Camp (laws against hunting) so they are probably more used to humans and will go about their business even during the day. Also be prepared to spend a day at south beach there.
- Hiking along the trails in the prarie increases your chances of having some fox sightings too (you may see other animals too, like deer and rabbits).
- Bringing a digital camera with zooming capabilities helps too. Great for photographing the foxes without having to worry about scaring them off.
- (untested) Try going in the spring time (like sometime in late April or early May) when the fox kits start coming out. When the baby foxes are out, activity seems to rise.
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