Pond Island in Kelp Bay & Cruising North in Chatham Strait
We explored Pond Island this morning, paddling kayaks around its rocky shore, and peering down through clear water at colorful sea stars. A few of the stars had more than 15 rays; those were sunflower stars, and they eat other sea stars. A mink was sighted on shore too, and some sea lions swam near the island’s edge. Walkers got close looks at enormous, old yellow cedars. Mosses draped the branches like green lace, and the ground beneath was as soft as an old mattress. It was all so inviting to touch. We walked alongside a tidal creek, where songbirds flew and sang. We found a beaver dam, and beyond that, a boggy pond, with wet ground and many unusual plants able to survive the damp conditions. There was a beaver lodge in the middle of one of the ponds.
We spent the rest of the day traveling north up Chatham Strait, in search of wildlife, and we found it! Over the course of the afternoon the ship slowed a few times to look at about half a dozen humpback whales. After observing them for several minutes, we would continue on our way north.
After most of us were finished with our dinners, humpback whales were sighted once again, so dessert had to wait. Near the ship there were four whales, and off in the distance there were several more humpbacks. We ended this wonderful day watching humpback whales lunge feed and dive all around the ship against a beautiful backdrop of snowcapped peaks turning pink with sunset colors.
