Glacier Bay National Park
A drizzle dampened the decks, but it abated before early risers found the first sea otters. Sounds from Marble Island included the low-pitched growls of Steller sea lions mixed with the “kittiwake, kittiwake” calls of small gulls. Numerous tufted and horned puffins were on the water and flew along with common murres, glaucous-winged and herring gulls.
Our expedition leader spotted a brown bear with two cubs as they foraged in the intertidal. The bears reached out and rolled over rocks to eat whatever animals were beneath them. Their technique must be easy to master. These small cubs were born last January or February in their winter den. We watched intently for about half an hour. The mother appeared to be aware of us but didn’t seem bothered. It’s satisfying knowing that as we backed away, they continued to forage as if we had never even been there.
We discovered more animals as we traveled up bay. A dolomite mass of rock called Gloomy Knob had nine mountain goats scattered over several areas. Two kids grazed near their moms. They were probably born at the end of May. Just before lunch, four transient killer whales appeared milling near shore. This type of orca consumes other marine mammals. It is sometimes impossible to know if they are making a kill, or if they’ve just finished. Several gulls circled them, but there was no obvious evidence of blood or remains on the surface. Acoustical researchers on a boat nearby knew there had been a kill because of a hydrophone array they were towing. Sounds picked up by these underwater microphones can alert scientists to feeding events such as this. The observers also were able to find tiny floating scraps, and they radioed to us that the whales had killed either a harbor seal or porpoise.
The overcast skies partly cleared as we rounded Jaw Point and took our first look onto the bright blues of Johns Hopkins Glacier. We cruised in close to get front row seats for a performance none of us expected. The base of a massive column called a serac crumbled, and the entire pinnacle fell like a tree, but really more like a gigantic 20-story building into the sea. The splash shot outward and away from the glacier’s face. The only encore was additional pieces the size of boulders that continued to tumble.
After a walk around Bartlet Cove after dinner, we left the dock for a quiet anchorage nearby.
A drizzle dampened the decks, but it abated before early risers found the first sea otters. Sounds from Marble Island included the low-pitched growls of Steller sea lions mixed with the “kittiwake, kittiwake” calls of small gulls. Numerous tufted and horned puffins were on the water and flew along with common murres, glaucous-winged and herring gulls.
Our expedition leader spotted a brown bear with two cubs as they foraged in the intertidal. The bears reached out and rolled over rocks to eat whatever animals were beneath them. Their technique must be easy to master. These small cubs were born last January or February in their winter den. We watched intently for about half an hour. The mother appeared to be aware of us but didn’t seem bothered. It’s satisfying knowing that as we backed away, they continued to forage as if we had never even been there.
We discovered more animals as we traveled up bay. A dolomite mass of rock called Gloomy Knob had nine mountain goats scattered over several areas. Two kids grazed near their moms. They were probably born at the end of May. Just before lunch, four transient killer whales appeared milling near shore. This type of orca consumes other marine mammals. It is sometimes impossible to know if they are making a kill, or if they’ve just finished. Several gulls circled them, but there was no obvious evidence of blood or remains on the surface. Acoustical researchers on a boat nearby knew there had been a kill because of a hydrophone array they were towing. Sounds picked up by these underwater microphones can alert scientists to feeding events such as this. The observers also were able to find tiny floating scraps, and they radioed to us that the whales had killed either a harbor seal or porpoise.
The overcast skies partly cleared as we rounded Jaw Point and took our first look onto the bright blues of Johns Hopkins Glacier. We cruised in close to get front row seats for a performance none of us expected. The base of a massive column called a serac crumbled, and the entire pinnacle fell like a tree, but really more like a gigantic 20-story building into the sea. The splash shot outward and away from the glacier’s face. The only encore was additional pieces the size of boulders that continued to tumble.
After a walk around Bartlet Cove after dinner, we left the dock for a quiet anchorage nearby.
