Pavlof Harbor
Our day was filled with wildlife; from small and slimy, to large and hairy, to massive and majestic; we were presented with the gifts that only Alaska can deliver. It all began on a warm summer morning as we dropped the kayaks and took to the shore to explore Pavlof Harbor in Freshwater Bay. Whether walking along a salmon stream or paddling around the picturesque harbor, we all enjoyed the beauty of Alaska. We arrived back at the beach to switch activities where one of our natural history staff explained the wonders of the intertidal zone. From sea stars, to crabs, and even a jellyfish, we were enthralled by the small residents of the shore.
The gifts of nature we encountered along the shore quickly went from small to large. A brown bear and her two cubs were spotted along the salmon stream. We watched as the bears made a feast of the fish trying to make their way upstream. At one point you could see the sibling rivalry as the cubs fought over a yummy salmon provided by their mother.
Our gifts became even larger after lunch. We found a group of humpbacks displaying a unique social feeding behavior called bubble-netting. These humpback whales work collectively to feed on schools of small fish such as herring. We watched in awe as these enormous animals lunged to the surface time and again, sometimes within a few yards of the vessel.
As our day ended, we all talked over dinner and shared our stories about today’s gifts, just like children talking about new toys. Perhaps today we were like children. We cheering each time the whales lunged above, or smiling while thinking about the sighting of the bears. More importantly, may we all remember the gifts that Alaska provided us with today.
Our day was filled with wildlife; from small and slimy, to large and hairy, to massive and majestic; we were presented with the gifts that only Alaska can deliver. It all began on a warm summer morning as we dropped the kayaks and took to the shore to explore Pavlof Harbor in Freshwater Bay. Whether walking along a salmon stream or paddling around the picturesque harbor, we all enjoyed the beauty of Alaska. We arrived back at the beach to switch activities where one of our natural history staff explained the wonders of the intertidal zone. From sea stars, to crabs, and even a jellyfish, we were enthralled by the small residents of the shore.
The gifts of nature we encountered along the shore quickly went from small to large. A brown bear and her two cubs were spotted along the salmon stream. We watched as the bears made a feast of the fish trying to make their way upstream. At one point you could see the sibling rivalry as the cubs fought over a yummy salmon provided by their mother.
Our gifts became even larger after lunch. We found a group of humpbacks displaying a unique social feeding behavior called bubble-netting. These humpback whales work collectively to feed on schools of small fish such as herring. We watched in awe as these enormous animals lunged to the surface time and again, sometimes within a few yards of the vessel.
As our day ended, we all talked over dinner and shared our stories about today’s gifts, just like children talking about new toys. Perhaps today we were like children. We cheering each time the whales lunged above, or smiling while thinking about the sighting of the bears. More importantly, may we all remember the gifts that Alaska provided us with today.
