Kelp Bay and Chatham Strait
It was like a dream… the fog was lifting up but bands of mist and clouds still floated amongst the trees. A bald eagle stood watch on a snag as we glided into Kelp Bay. It was so serene. Our day began with this typical Alaskan scene.
Immediately after breakfast we geared up for kayaking and hiking. It was extremely low tide today since it is full moon. As the morning progressed we watched some of the small rock islands disappear. All the time we kayaked we were accompanied by a concerto of chick marbled murrelets calling to their dads. These, the smallest of the alcids (swimming sea birds), are taken out to sea by their fathers. As we hiked on Pond Island, we noted beaver presence. First it was the dam, then the lodge in the middle of the pond, and finally the area where they had been hard at work gnawing away at tree trunks. Some of these trunks still stood up on a center dwindled down to about an inch in diameter. What a peaceful home they have.
After lunch, we cruised over to Morris Reef where humpbacks are frequently seen. They were not there today. So we crossed Chatham Strait over to Admiralty Island to try our luck there. Things happen for a reason don’t they? Instead, we encountered the tall dorsal fins of orca whales, and many of them at that! 15-20 were spread out into small groups. Amongst them were 4 adult males and several calves. They were extremely active; one of the adult males, swimming by himself, kept tail slapping conceivably signaling to the rest of the pod. The calves, in their little group, breached several times out of the water just as they were swimming past several small fishing boats perhaps to take a look at them. Then we deployed our hydrophone and listened to the whales echoing whistles underwater. This was the largest pod of orca that the Sea Lion has encountered all summer long in southeast Alaska. How lucky we were…
It was like a dream… the fog was lifting up but bands of mist and clouds still floated amongst the trees. A bald eagle stood watch on a snag as we glided into Kelp Bay. It was so serene. Our day began with this typical Alaskan scene.
Immediately after breakfast we geared up for kayaking and hiking. It was extremely low tide today since it is full moon. As the morning progressed we watched some of the small rock islands disappear. All the time we kayaked we were accompanied by a concerto of chick marbled murrelets calling to their dads. These, the smallest of the alcids (swimming sea birds), are taken out to sea by their fathers. As we hiked on Pond Island, we noted beaver presence. First it was the dam, then the lodge in the middle of the pond, and finally the area where they had been hard at work gnawing away at tree trunks. Some of these trunks still stood up on a center dwindled down to about an inch in diameter. What a peaceful home they have.
After lunch, we cruised over to Morris Reef where humpbacks are frequently seen. They were not there today. So we crossed Chatham Strait over to Admiralty Island to try our luck there. Things happen for a reason don’t they? Instead, we encountered the tall dorsal fins of orca whales, and many of them at that! 15-20 were spread out into small groups. Amongst them were 4 adult males and several calves. They were extremely active; one of the adult males, swimming by himself, kept tail slapping conceivably signaling to the rest of the pod. The calves, in their little group, breached several times out of the water just as they were swimming past several small fishing boats perhaps to take a look at them. Then we deployed our hydrophone and listened to the whales echoing whistles underwater. This was the largest pod of orca that the Sea Lion has encountered all summer long in southeast Alaska. How lucky we were…
