Chichagof Island
Today we enjoyed a brilliantly sunny day around Chichagof Island. This island, the largest in northern Southeast Alaska, is home to extraordinary concentrations of wildlife.
We went ashore at a small cove in Chichagof’s eastern side. Here, migrating salmon swim the shallows of a rocky shelf below a waterfall. It’s a perfect place for bears to fish. And we found them. First we watched a sow and two small cubs walking out from the river mouth. Moving further, we eventually settled by the riverside and watched two young adult bears fishing. It was thrilling to see the splashy chase, and the victorious bear rising with a fish in its jaws. After a couple of hours of watching and photographing, we backed away, then were pleased to see the sow and cubs returning. The tiny cubs were cute, but seemed quite competent as they chewed down hefty salmon.
In the afternoon, we motored south. Our best hopes were realized when we found bubble-net feeding whales. This feeding technique is an extraordinary coordinated dance of whales. One whale blows a ring of bubbles, creating a rising cylinder. Others swim below and chase herring into this trap. Swimming upward, the whales suddenly erupt at the surface, jaws agape. As the whales rise, one or two start to sing – a quavering, haunting sound that seems both a coordinating call and a way to further control the herring. With our hydrophone, we could hear the hunters’ song, telling us the trap was set and the whales were on their way. The anticipation and the sudden whaley explosion were great fun.
Wildlife fills the mind and eye with excitement and joy. Alaska brims with it. In fact, of the many creatures here with Europeans’ first footfall, all are still present. Today, sharing Alaska’s grandest creatures by land and by sea was an unforgettable experience.
