Glacier Bay National Park is always a magical place. But today onboard the National Geographic Sea Lion it was especially true. From the 4:00 a.m. photo-walk led by our photo instructor, Sharon Grainger, to the 10:00 p.m. evening natural history stroll, the weather was perfect. Clear skies, warm breezes and flat seas accompanied us all day. And the animals were incredible too. After breakfast, we made our way to the bow of our ship in time to drift past South Marble Island. South Marble, well away from the nearest mainland shore and its terrestrial predators, provides nesting habitat for thousands of birds, including the clownish stars of the avian world: tufted puffins. We were all afforded great views of these comical birds in flight and on the water as they busily foraged for fish and tended to their nests. Sea lions, too, hauled out on the island. Hundreds could be seen basking in the sun, some tens of meters above the high water line, while others frolicked in the surf nearby. The occasional sea otter could be seen as well, showing little interest in us as they back-paddled about in the deeper water further from the island.
As we cruised deeper into the park, we spotted brown bears foraging on the beaches, no doubt in search of invertebrate morsels exposed by the ebbing tide. In total, three animals were seen, and all afforded wonderful opportunities to watch as they strolled the shore line and rolled rocks, indifferent to our presence. We were delighted to also see mountain goats grazing on a nearby cliff face, though the precarious nature of their chosen habitat challenged our view of their sensibilities.
Of course, the highlight of the day came after we cruised further into the park, passing increasingly scoured landscapes and dense ice flows, when we reached the head of the bay. There stood the Marjorie and Grand Pacific glaciers, motionless yet surrounded by evidence of their landscape-shaping forays in and out of the bay. We watched intently as Marjorie calved numerous icebergs into the sea, each one sending nearby flocks of kittiwakes and gulls into frenzied flight. Other kittiwakes on the imposing cliffs overlooking the glaciers were also frenzied, but they seemed more concerned with passing ravens than the glaciers far below. All in all, the grandeur of the glaciers with their surrounding snow-covered peaks, together with the icy silt-tinged water, and the thunderous sounds of crashing icebergs created a natural spectacle that none of us will ever forget.
