Endicott Arm
Preparing to cross the terminal moraine into Endicott Arm, the Sea Lion was joined by a transient pod of killer whales. Unlike their fish eating resident cousins, these animals feed primarily on marine mammals. A small harbor seal hauled out on a rock watched warily as they swam slowly with the ship. A busy morning of wildlife sighting had begun.
Waiting for a presentation on baleen whales by naturalist Pete Pederson, a quiet call from the bow alerted us to a large brown (grizzly) bear foraging along the shore. True wildlife always trumps the virtual kind on the Sea Lion and nothing can empty the lounge quite as fast as an opportunity to view an adult brown bear within a few hundred feet of the ship. Oblivious to our presence, our bear clawed at barnacle-encrusted rocks, scraping and licking away at his meager breakfast. Nearby, two bald eagles sat in contemplative silence. Just yards from the bow, two of our killer whales re-emerged with a sudden and audible blow of mist. Cameras clicked in rapid succession in an attempt to capture this true Alaskan moment. Perhaps the only thing missing in the scene was a calving glacier. We will get to that!
Pete’s presentation was delayed a bit longer as we slowly passed several black bears also feeding along the shore. Perhaps sensing our presence, they did not dally, but moved up and into the alders as the Sea Lion approached. For a short time thereafter, we returned to the lounge to learn of the origins and habits of baleen whales, and particularly of the humpback whale that we had observed so many times in these past six days.
After lunch, Zodiac cruising brought us close to the shear wall of ice at the terminus of Dawes Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm. The icebergs shed from its face provide a resting site for harbor seals and their newborn pups. Many were seen in the water and on the ice as we studied the near vertical walls of sculpted granite and looked for birds in and around the ice. Our focus narrowed when we watched as tons of ice fell off the cliff in a large calving event that was followed shortly by a loud “white thunder” clap and later by the wave from the impact.
It was hard to top an event of such magnitude, but our adventure was not yet over. With icebergs floating by and the two-hundred-foot face of the Dawes Glacier as a backdrop, a group of intrepid shipmates took a “swim” in the fjord. All returned safely and quickly to the warmth of the Sea Lion where we shared our experience with friends, both old and new.
Preparing to cross the terminal moraine into Endicott Arm, the Sea Lion was joined by a transient pod of killer whales. Unlike their fish eating resident cousins, these animals feed primarily on marine mammals. A small harbor seal hauled out on a rock watched warily as they swam slowly with the ship. A busy morning of wildlife sighting had begun.
Waiting for a presentation on baleen whales by naturalist Pete Pederson, a quiet call from the bow alerted us to a large brown (grizzly) bear foraging along the shore. True wildlife always trumps the virtual kind on the Sea Lion and nothing can empty the lounge quite as fast as an opportunity to view an adult brown bear within a few hundred feet of the ship. Oblivious to our presence, our bear clawed at barnacle-encrusted rocks, scraping and licking away at his meager breakfast. Nearby, two bald eagles sat in contemplative silence. Just yards from the bow, two of our killer whales re-emerged with a sudden and audible blow of mist. Cameras clicked in rapid succession in an attempt to capture this true Alaskan moment. Perhaps the only thing missing in the scene was a calving glacier. We will get to that!
Pete’s presentation was delayed a bit longer as we slowly passed several black bears also feeding along the shore. Perhaps sensing our presence, they did not dally, but moved up and into the alders as the Sea Lion approached. For a short time thereafter, we returned to the lounge to learn of the origins and habits of baleen whales, and particularly of the humpback whale that we had observed so many times in these past six days.
After lunch, Zodiac cruising brought us close to the shear wall of ice at the terminus of Dawes Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm. The icebergs shed from its face provide a resting site for harbor seals and their newborn pups. Many were seen in the water and on the ice as we studied the near vertical walls of sculpted granite and looked for birds in and around the ice. Our focus narrowed when we watched as tons of ice fell off the cliff in a large calving event that was followed shortly by a loud “white thunder” clap and later by the wave from the impact.
It was hard to top an event of such magnitude, but our adventure was not yet over. With icebergs floating by and the two-hundred-foot face of the Dawes Glacier as a backdrop, a group of intrepid shipmates took a “swim” in the fjord. All returned safely and quickly to the warmth of the Sea Lion where we shared our experience with friends, both old and new.
