Chatham Strait and Pavlov Harbor, Chichagof Island
What a remarkable day, with two incredible wildlife experiences! We began the morning in Hood Bay, a deep inlet into Admiralty Island. This island has the highest density of brown bears in the world, and we were looking. It was a lovely spot, with birds on the water and Sitka black-tailed deer on the shore, but the bears were not cooperating. We continued into Chatham Strait, the waterway between Admiralty and Baranof Islands (“A” and “B” of the “ABC Islands” of Southeast Alaska.) In the distance a mighty splash caught our attention. As we approached we saw a young humpback whale cast its entire body from the water, pirouette gracefully, and fall back into the water with another splash. It did it again. And again and again and again, ever closer to the Sea Lion, in a brilliant display of cetacean exuberance. Expedition Leader Michelle Graves took the microphone to say that we really must leave to get on with our day, and the young whale breached again to foil the intention. Finally, as the ship began its turn to depart, the young whale and its mother leapt from the sea in a magnificent, synchronized tandem breach. The staff agreed that it was the finest display of breaching behavior that any had ever witnessed.
Our afternoon destination was Pavlov Harbor, on the east side of Chichagof Island (“C”). By foot or kayak, we reached an inlet where red and chum salmon were gathering at the base of a small waterfall before continuing their journey into fresh water to spawn. There they will die, and the nutrients that they have brought from the sea will become part of the forest. Here we found the brown bears that had eluded us on Admiralty Island: a young male, and (separately) a sow with two small cubs. They, too, were attracted by the gathering of the salmon. As excited witnesses watched from kayaks, Zodiac, and from the shore (fortunately on the other side of the stream), the cubs scampered along the shoreline and the older bears sought a meal of salmon. Afterwards we gathered in the lounge to share our impressions and view pictures of the experience (the instant gratification of digital photography).
What a remarkable day, with two incredible wildlife experiences! We began the morning in Hood Bay, a deep inlet into Admiralty Island. This island has the highest density of brown bears in the world, and we were looking. It was a lovely spot, with birds on the water and Sitka black-tailed deer on the shore, but the bears were not cooperating. We continued into Chatham Strait, the waterway between Admiralty and Baranof Islands (“A” and “B” of the “ABC Islands” of Southeast Alaska.) In the distance a mighty splash caught our attention. As we approached we saw a young humpback whale cast its entire body from the water, pirouette gracefully, and fall back into the water with another splash. It did it again. And again and again and again, ever closer to the Sea Lion, in a brilliant display of cetacean exuberance. Expedition Leader Michelle Graves took the microphone to say that we really must leave to get on with our day, and the young whale breached again to foil the intention. Finally, as the ship began its turn to depart, the young whale and its mother leapt from the sea in a magnificent, synchronized tandem breach. The staff agreed that it was the finest display of breaching behavior that any had ever witnessed.
Our afternoon destination was Pavlov Harbor, on the east side of Chichagof Island (“C”). By foot or kayak, we reached an inlet where red and chum salmon were gathering at the base of a small waterfall before continuing their journey into fresh water to spawn. There they will die, and the nutrients that they have brought from the sea will become part of the forest. Here we found the brown bears that had eluded us on Admiralty Island: a young male, and (separately) a sow with two small cubs. They, too, were attracted by the gathering of the salmon. As excited witnesses watched from kayaks, Zodiac, and from the shore (fortunately on the other side of the stream), the cubs scampered along the shoreline and the older bears sought a meal of salmon. Afterwards we gathered in the lounge to share our impressions and view pictures of the experience (the instant gratification of digital photography).
