Kelp Bay and Lake Eva
The first morning of our expedition started very well as we sailed through Kelp Bay. Our first wildlife sighting was a small group of orca. Towards the end of the middle arm of Kelp Bay we encountered what seemed to be a group of resident killer whales. As we sailed out of the bay after our briefings, we found yet more orca! This time the group was larger. We saw several adult males, females and some youngsters. We could find orca in almost every direction we looked. On several occasions, these magnificent members of the dolphin family swam right under our ship’s bow. We had great opportunities to admire these majestic animals and also to photograph them.
The destination for the afternoon was Lake Eva. This landing is located on Baranof Island, and it provides for great chances to walk through the temperate rain forest. Here we offered hikes of different lengths. The more adventurous made it to the lake on the long hike, and others chose an easier pace with more focus on natural history. We ate blueberries from the wild bushes, while we learned about the plants that can be found here. We also saw evidence of bear activity, and although no bears were seen here, we could feel their presence here, at their home.
Kayaking was offered as well, and with the high tide the conditions were ideal. The highlight of the kayaking outing was to paddle into the intertidal lagoon which was full to its brim. With this high tide, dozens of harbor seals enter the intertidal area to feed on the fish that are probably heading to spawn up the stream. Belted kingfishers, bald eagles and marbled murrelets were some of the birds we could see from our kayaks.
Two groups of orca first thing in the morning, paddling with harbor seals and enjoying our undersea specialist’s underwater video after dinner was an excellent way to start our expedition through Southeast Alaska.
