Freshwater Bay & Pavlof Harbor
Our morning on the National Geographic Sea Bird got off to a spectacular start. As we were sailing into Freshwater Bay, a large inlet on the east coast of Chichagof Island, we spotted killer whales or “orcas” as they are sometimes called. The air was full of excitement as eleven animals surrounded our bow and we didn’t know which way to look. Camera shutters were clicking away as these “residents” put on an amazing show.
A few of the calves breached repeatedly and slapped their pectoral fins. As the larger animals gracefully surfaced doing their synchronized breathing, we could see their distinctive white saddle patch. Resident orcas are much more vocal, active, and travel in larger groups than the stealthy transient orcas. The killer whales aren’t really whales, but rather are dolphins. They are at the top of the food chain and will sometimes eat whales.
We moved on as we spotted several humpback whales exhibiting some interesting behavior and we were hoping to see some cooperative bubble-net feeding. Our naturalists instructed us to watch the birds at the surface and sure enough, as the birds began flying around, several whales lunged above the water with their gigantic mouths opened wide. What an incredible sight!
In this carefully timed feeding behavior, the whales release bubbles that form a net and force herring towards the surface. We waited patiently and were rewarded with several more bubble-net feeding displays. Whew, what a morning!
After lunch we explored Pavlof Harbor in Zodiacs and kayaks. The small river that flows out of the lake above has a scenic waterfall. Next to the waterfall is a “fish ladder” to aid salmon swimming up stream to spawn.
Noticing branches moving on the shoreline, we looked closer and saw a brown bear cub. And as luck would have it, another bear cub came out into the open followed by the mother. Enthralled, we watched as they ate grass, and picked salmon out of the river and devoured them. This is an important time for the bears to eat lots and fatten up, preparing for the long winter ahead.
As we headed back to the ship we felt very grateful for such an amazing day, one we will remember always.
