Frederick Sound
We had quite the start for our trip. We cruised slowly into a bay that had a salmon stream at its far end. To our delight a black bear walked out from the forest and ambled along the shoreline, then another appeared, soon another, and another. One came to the end of a peninsula near us, walked into the water, and dog-paddled to an island. As the tide dropped, even more bears appeared, over 20 different black bears were seen “scarfing up” fish, or swimming with their heads under water looking for salmon called snorkeling, or just patrolling. Three were standing and staring blankly into the water as if mesmerized by the bounty. A female and two spring cubs walked to the stream, caught a fish and ran back a hundred yards to eat it. The sounds of gulls filled the air. Bald eagles stood here and there, and salmon jumped frequently in the pool before the stream. It was a purely Alaskan scene, one of abundance, harmony, and a celebration centered on the revolving death and birth of salmon and all the life they nourish.
Later in the morning we made our way towards whale blows. Humpback whales were feeding on krill. Fortunately for us, their food items were not all down in the 300 foot area where most whales feed during the day. Since these were feeding near the surface, we didn’t have to wait around for the normal 8-minute dives. Two appeared near us at the surface every two minutes or so. Bubble rings or nets were employed at times to concentrate dispersed foods. They also feed using a technique called lateral lunge feeding. The one in the photograph is just coming out of the water towards us. The upper jaw is on the left. You can see bumps or tubercles on the left margin of the jaw. These are modified hair follicles used for sensory functions. The pink area is the roof of the mouth or the palatal ridge. Extending right from the upper jaw are hundreds of light-colored baleen plates. The lower jaw is on the right and is closing or moving left. Krill between the two jaws will eventually be trapped, filtered by the fine strands of baleen and swallowed. Views like this are “way cool” and are important windows into the foraging strategies of large baleen whales. Some researchers estimate that 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of food per day can be harvested using this filter feeding technique!
More adventures followed the morning. Our afternoon included hiking, kayaking, and Zodiac tours where some guests were lucky enough to see killer whales. Before, during, and after dinner we watched well over thirty humpbacks in Frederick Sound performing spectacular feeding behaviors until the light was so dim they became difficult to see.
We had quite the start for our trip. We cruised slowly into a bay that had a salmon stream at its far end. To our delight a black bear walked out from the forest and ambled along the shoreline, then another appeared, soon another, and another. One came to the end of a peninsula near us, walked into the water, and dog-paddled to an island. As the tide dropped, even more bears appeared, over 20 different black bears were seen “scarfing up” fish, or swimming with their heads under water looking for salmon called snorkeling, or just patrolling. Three were standing and staring blankly into the water as if mesmerized by the bounty. A female and two spring cubs walked to the stream, caught a fish and ran back a hundred yards to eat it. The sounds of gulls filled the air. Bald eagles stood here and there, and salmon jumped frequently in the pool before the stream. It was a purely Alaskan scene, one of abundance, harmony, and a celebration centered on the revolving death and birth of salmon and all the life they nourish.
Later in the morning we made our way towards whale blows. Humpback whales were feeding on krill. Fortunately for us, their food items were not all down in the 300 foot area where most whales feed during the day. Since these were feeding near the surface, we didn’t have to wait around for the normal 8-minute dives. Two appeared near us at the surface every two minutes or so. Bubble rings or nets were employed at times to concentrate dispersed foods. They also feed using a technique called lateral lunge feeding. The one in the photograph is just coming out of the water towards us. The upper jaw is on the left. You can see bumps or tubercles on the left margin of the jaw. These are modified hair follicles used for sensory functions. The pink area is the roof of the mouth or the palatal ridge. Extending right from the upper jaw are hundreds of light-colored baleen plates. The lower jaw is on the right and is closing or moving left. Krill between the two jaws will eventually be trapped, filtered by the fine strands of baleen and swallowed. Views like this are “way cool” and are important windows into the foraging strategies of large baleen whales. Some researchers estimate that 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of food per day can be harvested using this filter feeding technique!
More adventures followed the morning. Our afternoon included hiking, kayaking, and Zodiac tours where some guests were lucky enough to see killer whales. Before, during, and after dinner we watched well over thirty humpbacks in Frederick Sound performing spectacular feeding behaviors until the light was so dim they became difficult to see.
