It isn’t very often that the clouds part in Southeast Alaska, but we are ecstatic when these rare days line up with Glacier Bay Day! Along with some impressive calving from Margerie Glacier, the bay treated us to a rich array of wildlife including numerous species of seabirds, humpback whales, sea otters, and Steller sea lions. We finished the day with hikes in Bartlett Cove near the park headquarters before heading west for the Inian Islands.
8/13/2024
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National Geographic Venture
Halleck Harbor, Kuiu Island, Alaska
What a day full of adventure and wildlife! Our day began about 7:15 under sunny skies, as the captain skillfully maneuvered the bow of the ship close to a limestone wall for us to view a Tlingit pictograph of the sun. Little is known about the pictograph, but it is believed to be 300 years old. After breakfast, our guests went on various excursions, including hikes in the forest, explorations along the shore, and kayaking. Much to our surprise, we found a juvenile Humbolt squid (Dosidicus gigas) that was still alive but dying right along the shoreline. All the guests had the rare opportunity to photograph this denizen of the deep! As we made our way into Frederick Sound, we were lucky enough to find a group of bubble-netting humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)! This is a cooperative feeding behavior that is practiced by only 80 whales out of the approximate 2500 Humpbacks that summer in Southeast Alaska. As we pulled away from the humpback whales, we came upon a huge male killer whale (Orcinus orca) that we were all able to observe at an appropriate distance. Killer whales are not actually whales but the largest of the dolphins. It was an absolutely amazing day from beginning to end!
