Flip Nicklin, National Geographic Photography Expert
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Daily Expedition
Reports
15 Sep 2017
Alert Bay and Johnstone Strait, 9/15/2017, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Alaska
We found a warm welcome in Alert Bay. A stroll along the quiet waterfront or a short shuttle ride took us to see the excellent collection at the U’mista Cultural Centre, followed by traditional dance, and a feast of fresh salmon and fry bread with jam made from local berries. An afternoon in the sunshine with cavorting killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins, great talks, and a movie rounded out a perfect day in British Columbia.
After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in biology and anthropology, Linda Nicklin relocated to Alaska, where she fell in love with the state while spending summers in remote wilderness camps doing botanical surveys for the U.S. Fores...
National Geographic photographer and marine biologist Flip Nicklin is one of the world's leading photographers of whales. Flip has been documenting marine mammal behavior in oceans around the world for the last 40-plus years from the Arctic to Antarc...
Today, we had the privilege of experiencing unforgettable moments up close and personal with nature. Using our Zodiacs, we observed Steller sea lions, majestic bald eagles soaring overhead, and the dynamic ocean currents of the Inian Islands in Southeast Alaska. From our vantage point, we marveled at resting sea lions and their dynamic counterparts taking advantage of the substantial tidal swings that bring deep-water fish to the surface. The experience left us feeling immersed in a live action documentary, making it a morning well spent.
We had a phenomenal day at Glacier Bay National Park. The sun was out, as was the wildlife. The bow was the place to be. Please enjoy the dialogue of the day from the bow: Ah, Lovely Sunrise. Dall’s porpoise! Killer whales! Oo, swans! Calving center! Bald eagle on ice. Brown bear, That’s a big one. Bald eagle in nest. I wish someone would find me a marmot. Marmot at 10! Where? Do you see that crack in the rock? To the left you’ll see a tree. Now go below the tree to the round rock. 6 goats plus bonus outcast goat. Low goats on ledge, wedged in nicely. Goats, goats everywhere, and a marmot here or there. Two puffins. Nice beak action. It’s like “I Spy” out here. Low goat at 11. Oh, really low goat. Oh, yea that’s a fella. Goats looking right at us, folks, good goat face. Oh, and whale spots at 1. Oh boy, I’m exhausted. That’s ok, take it one goat at a time. There’s a spout off the point. Classic humpback. Oh, glaucous winged gulls nesting at 2. And otters! Fly by puffins! Porpoising harbor porpoise! Needless to say, we had a good time. Photo by Shannon Malone
As we continued our way north through Alaska, we had a favorite stop of mine in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. We had a rainy day, which I enjoy because we can see at higher elevations since the rain turns to snow and, in turn, the snow feeds the absorption zone of the Sawyer Glaciers. We went out in the Zodiacs and navigated around the icebergs and bergy bits, even collecting a piece for the ice melt-off challenge. Once underway out of Tracy Arm, we saw some humpback whales. One whale had an entanglement of line on its fluke. The line was causing an obvious cut to the marine mammal. The correct authorities were notified about the condition of the whale and location of the sighting. Hopefully the whale will be assisted soon and the entanglement removed. Several other humpbacks were seen shortly after, luckily no entanglements on these. They were demonstrating surface feeding behavior, with one lunge feeding and the other making bubbles to catch its prey.
