The National Geographic Sea Bird began the day slipping through the narrow Idaho Inlet. As the ship slowly approached the inlet, the mist crept through the low mountain valleys. While some of the passengers prepared to hike through the towering Sitka spruce of an old-growth forest, others donned life jackets to explore the coast by kayak. A light drizzle kept the adventurers cool and the bugs at bay.
The afternoon found explorers cruising through the exciting waters around the Inian Islands. The rising tide brought with it an abundance of sea life, which serves as food for the local birds and marine mammals. As steller sea lions plucked fish from the waves, hungry gulls and bald eagles waited impatiently to clean up the leftovers. The gulls swarmed over the sea lions at the surface, barely waiting for the morsels to drop out of the lion’s mouth before swooping in to claim their meals. As dinner time ended for the wildlife and was about to begin for those aboard the ship, the Sea Bird moved along to enjoy the evening in Dundas Bay, and we experienced one last surprise: a pod of hunting Bigg’s killer whales showed up to chase their prey right in front of the ship! What a great day.
