Morning mist silhouetted dark forested ridges as we awoke to the rhythmic rumblings of our anchor descending into Chichagof Island’s Sitkoh Bay. A small cluster of quiescent wooden buildings and docks represented a tiny fishing village on an old cannery site in this otherwise pristine bay. Shouldered by running stands of hemlock, spruce and alder, the sun rubbed its eyes and burned off the dawning gray tones.
Kayakers launched from a beach of barnacle-encrusted cobbles and paddled toward the deep meadow at the head of the elongate bay. Almost as if on cue, two Alaskan brown bears came rambling out of the forest on the opposite shore. They crossed the intertidal flat and romped through a meandering drainage as the kayakers nosed closer. The more playful grizz of the pair picked up a large silvery salmon and hauled it up the shallow bank. Bears enjoy a diverse summer diet of grasses, berries, salmon and intertidal offerings, as they amass body fat for their winter’s repose. Hikers later pondered the impressions left by these awesome ursines in the meadow mud. We weighed anchor and began a search for marine mammals in Chatham Strait.
The sun threw its radiance onto Southeast Alaska deeming summer not over by any means. A smooth silvery surface slipped gently under the Sea Lion as we sailed north. The roostertail splashes of Dall’s porpoises and backlit blows of humpback whales were spied ahead. We soon came upon an expulsive cove where column after column of vapor erupted from the sea in one concentrated area. We had found a mother lode of nine humpback whales working cooperatively to catch food. They would all arch their massive backs and lift their flukes one after the other. “Count the tails!” we shouted as the whales disappeared into the productive broth. Within a few minutes we might see a large circle of white bubbles forming. As we aimed cameras and binoculars within the “bubble net”, small silvery fish would leap clear just as the enormous maws of the humpbacks gaped wide above the surface replete with squirming prey.
As if viewing a tight synchronous formation of large baleen whales were not enough, a white-fluked calf in the group leaped spectacularly clear of the water just after a round of open-mouthed gang feeding. Spectators on the bow of the Sea Lion looked on in amazement. The newly born endangered whale-in-training breached again as if the sea were exploding with both whales and feed.
We enjoyed the close observation today of dramatic Alaskan megafauna pursuing food. In addition to the pure emotional reaction to seeing bears and whales in the expansive beauty and open space of this country, we appreciated our fortune in the day’s excellent viewing of exceptional behavior by formidable creatures of the land and the sea.
Kayakers launched from a beach of barnacle-encrusted cobbles and paddled toward the deep meadow at the head of the elongate bay. Almost as if on cue, two Alaskan brown bears came rambling out of the forest on the opposite shore. They crossed the intertidal flat and romped through a meandering drainage as the kayakers nosed closer. The more playful grizz of the pair picked up a large silvery salmon and hauled it up the shallow bank. Bears enjoy a diverse summer diet of grasses, berries, salmon and intertidal offerings, as they amass body fat for their winter’s repose. Hikers later pondered the impressions left by these awesome ursines in the meadow mud. We weighed anchor and began a search for marine mammals in Chatham Strait.
The sun threw its radiance onto Southeast Alaska deeming summer not over by any means. A smooth silvery surface slipped gently under the Sea Lion as we sailed north. The roostertail splashes of Dall’s porpoises and backlit blows of humpback whales were spied ahead. We soon came upon an expulsive cove where column after column of vapor erupted from the sea in one concentrated area. We had found a mother lode of nine humpback whales working cooperatively to catch food. They would all arch their massive backs and lift their flukes one after the other. “Count the tails!” we shouted as the whales disappeared into the productive broth. Within a few minutes we might see a large circle of white bubbles forming. As we aimed cameras and binoculars within the “bubble net”, small silvery fish would leap clear just as the enormous maws of the humpbacks gaped wide above the surface replete with squirming prey.
As if viewing a tight synchronous formation of large baleen whales were not enough, a white-fluked calf in the group leaped spectacularly clear of the water just after a round of open-mouthed gang feeding. Spectators on the bow of the Sea Lion looked on in amazement. The newly born endangered whale-in-training breached again as if the sea were exploding with both whales and feed.
We enjoyed the close observation today of dramatic Alaskan megafauna pursuing food. In addition to the pure emotional reaction to seeing bears and whales in the expansive beauty and open space of this country, we appreciated our fortune in the day’s excellent viewing of exceptional behavior by formidable creatures of the land and the sea.
