Naturalist Veronica had just wrapped up her talk on marine mammals when whales were spotted just ahead of the ship this afternoon. Several mother and calf pairs were spotted in the shallows along with individuals feeding in deeper waters. We were delighted to witness pectoral fin slapping and breaching as we watched and photographed these amazing creatures.
8/16/2024
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Wrangell and Zarembo Island, Alaska
With clear blue skies and warm still air, National Geographic Sea Bird docked in the small town of Wrangell, where we all dispersed for our activities this morning. Many guests were transported on fast moving jet boats for a tour up the Stikine River to stunning views of Castle Mountain and the Shakes Glacier in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness area. Others visited the Anan Bear Observatory in the Tongass National Forest to watch black bears feeding on salmon swimming upstream. Those who stayed in town enjoyed options of going to a nearby beach to see petroglyphs, visit the Shakes traditional longhouse, enjoy a nature hike on the Mount Dewey Trail, visit the local Wrangell Museum, ride e-bikes, or just enjoy a stroll through town. For the afternoon, we explored Zarembo Island by foot, a newer location for us, with hiking along the boulder beach, into the forest, and along a muskeg following game trails and bush whacking through the forest understory. If that were not already a fantastically wonderful day - four humpback whales swam past us just as we were all about to sit for dinner.
