Glacier Bay National Park
Fog shrouded everything but the sea as we made our way out of Bartlett Cove. The sun lit the sky above us, and fog bows reflected back in the mist. The fog pulled back like theater curtains to reveal some of the most exciting scenery imaginable. Mountains fringed the horizon like raggedly torn pieces of white paper. We could see for miles as emotions poured out and filled the wild, raw landscape. A few sea otters passed closely and looked up at us with little black eyes set in fuzzy brown faces. We were soon near the Marble Islands. Tufted puffins flew overhead attracting as much attention as the otters. Nesting kittiwakes and other gulls, and cormorants flew to and fro and often around in great circles. Northern sea lions were hauled out by the hundreds, while others swam past our ship.
As we were passing out of Sandy Cove, someone yelled “There’s a moose!” We all turned expecting some gigantic creature galloping onto the beach, but not quite. A very young, thin, and ungainly calf wobbled from the forest onto the gravel beach. Its knobby knees interrupted skinny legs that seemed to move at random angles. Suddenly it stopped and froze. It stood motionless for about 10 minutes, then as if turned on again, made its way down to the seaweed intertidal line. Again, it froze. At least here it sort of blended into the background. Where was mom? Possibly the calf had walked away from a sleeping mother, or the cow just didn’t want to leave the cool of the shade. We never discovered the answer to the riddle and were soon on our way.
The spectacular warm weather was great for us but must have been miserable for animals with thick fur coats. We wondered where the mountain goats were until someone saw several near the ship within shaded cracks and under rock overhangs. Another was tucked under a boulder. Later Johns Hopkins Inlet and Margerie Glacier were stunning in their brightness.
On our way back to Bartlett Cove for hikes we encountered yet another thrill, killer whales. We were also fortunate enough to be with a pod that was easy to identify. The male has a very rectangular notch out of the trailing edge of his dorsal fin. He is AO1 or more fondly known as Zorro. He travels with his family group of 7 transients. Studies within Glacier Bay tell us that transients consume harbor seals in about 35% of their diet as well as high proportions of harbor porpoises, birds, and sea lions. They were traveling at a fast rate, bringing their bodies energetically out of the water in spirited surfacing. We could have watched them for hours. The after dinner hikes were welcome in the coolness of evening.
Fog shrouded everything but the sea as we made our way out of Bartlett Cove. The sun lit the sky above us, and fog bows reflected back in the mist. The fog pulled back like theater curtains to reveal some of the most exciting scenery imaginable. Mountains fringed the horizon like raggedly torn pieces of white paper. We could see for miles as emotions poured out and filled the wild, raw landscape. A few sea otters passed closely and looked up at us with little black eyes set in fuzzy brown faces. We were soon near the Marble Islands. Tufted puffins flew overhead attracting as much attention as the otters. Nesting kittiwakes and other gulls, and cormorants flew to and fro and often around in great circles. Northern sea lions were hauled out by the hundreds, while others swam past our ship.
As we were passing out of Sandy Cove, someone yelled “There’s a moose!” We all turned expecting some gigantic creature galloping onto the beach, but not quite. A very young, thin, and ungainly calf wobbled from the forest onto the gravel beach. Its knobby knees interrupted skinny legs that seemed to move at random angles. Suddenly it stopped and froze. It stood motionless for about 10 minutes, then as if turned on again, made its way down to the seaweed intertidal line. Again, it froze. At least here it sort of blended into the background. Where was mom? Possibly the calf had walked away from a sleeping mother, or the cow just didn’t want to leave the cool of the shade. We never discovered the answer to the riddle and were soon on our way.
The spectacular warm weather was great for us but must have been miserable for animals with thick fur coats. We wondered where the mountain goats were until someone saw several near the ship within shaded cracks and under rock overhangs. Another was tucked under a boulder. Later Johns Hopkins Inlet and Margerie Glacier were stunning in their brightness.
On our way back to Bartlett Cove for hikes we encountered yet another thrill, killer whales. We were also fortunate enough to be with a pod that was easy to identify. The male has a very rectangular notch out of the trailing edge of his dorsal fin. He is AO1 or more fondly known as Zorro. He travels with his family group of 7 transients. Studies within Glacier Bay tell us that transients consume harbor seals in about 35% of their diet as well as high proportions of harbor porpoises, birds, and sea lions. They were traveling at a fast rate, bringing their bodies energetically out of the water in spirited surfacing. We could have watched them for hours. The after dinner hikes were welcome in the coolness of evening.
