Wildlife Cruises
Bird Migration Cruises
Sail to Protection Island
Protection Island Puffin Cruises
More about Protection Island
2009 Schedule
|
Spring Migration CruisesGlacier Spirit Saturdays, 1 to 4 pm |
April 25, 2009 |
|
Special Adventuress Sailing 10 am to 4 pm |
Sunday, June 14, 2009 |
|
Puffin Cruises
Saturdays, 6 to 9 pm |
July 11, 18, 25 and August 1 & 8, 2009 |
|
Fall Migration Cruises
Saturdays, 1 to 4 pm |
October 3, 10, 2009 November 28, 2009(Thanksgiving Week-end) |
|
New Year's Eve Cruise
1 to 4 pm |
December 31, 2009 |
Bird Migration Cruises
"The island is best known as one of the most important habitats on the planet for a rich diversity of water oriented birds. The cruises are a fun, fascinating way to experience that diversity". Seattle Post Intelligencer
This National Wildlife Refuge at the mouth of Discovery Bay is home to breeding, nesting and flyway populations of numerous bird species: loons, phalaropes, mergansers, merlins, bald eagles, oystercatchers, harlequin ducks, murrelets, auklets, and more. Over 85 bird species and eight mammal species, including sea lions, elephant seals, whales and porpoises, have been sighted here.
The PTMSC hosts special expeditions to Protection Island aboard the Glacier Spirit, a well-appointed and comfortable 65-foot motor yacht. Cruises are scheduled on Saturdays in spring and fall, timed to coincide with annual migrations, with special trips planned for Thanksgiving weekend and New Years Eve.
The three-hour cruises depart from the Point Hudson Marina and include a stop at Killisut Harbor/Mystery Bay or Smith Island. Naturalists from the Marine Science Center serve as on-board interpreters and provide commentary on local birds, mammals, geology, history and weather. On-board refreshments are available, or you may bring a sack lunch.
Protection Island Puffin Cruises
Protection Island, at the mouth of Discovery Bay, is a very special; place in the summer. Dry, brown and lonely, it looks like a most inhospitable place. But it is alive with thousands of nesting birds - rhinocerous auklets, glaucous-winged gulls, pigeon guillemots, double-crested and pelagic cormorants, black oystercatchers, and even a few pairs of tufted puffins. It is for a glimpse of the elusive tufted puffin that many visitors make the trip. As every birder knows, no guarantee can be made that they will be sighted on every outing, but chances are very good that they will be spotted especially on the south side of the island. Like rhinocerous auklets, for which Protection Island is the major nesting site, the puffin use burrows in the cliffs and uplands to raise one or sometimes two chicks. The chance to see them carrying many small fish at one time in their bills, or even swimming, flying, or diving, is exciting.
Reservations: Tickets are $55 per person ($50 for PTMSC, Audubon, Burke Museum or Washington Ornithological Society members) and child or group rates may be arranged. Proceeds go to support educational programs at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.
Article about Puffin Cruises in the Everett Herald
Protection Island Cruises are offered in collaboration with Puget Sound Express.
For reservations: (800) 566-3932 ~ (360) 385-5582 ~ e-mail: cruises@ptmsc.org
Sail to Protection Island
Every year the PTMSC operates ONE 6-hour sailing adventure to the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge aboard the 101' historic schooner, Adventuress. The trip departs at 10 am from downtown Port Townsend and returns at 4 pm. Naturalists from the Marine Science Center, familiar with the island, the local bird population and marine mammals are on-board interpreters and provide excellent commentary on local birds, mammals, geology and weather. Tickets are $75 per person or $70 for members of the Marine Science Center, Audubon, Burke Musem or the Washington Ornithological Society.
For reservations: (800) 566-3932 ~ (360) 385-5582 ~ e-mail: cruises@ptmsc.org