Stephens Passage/Williams Cove/Endicott Arm
East and south from Glacier Bay, the National Geographic Sea Bird cruised down Stephens Passage. We turned into Holkham Bay and crossed a shallow terminal moraine, navigating between two channel buoys and lined up with range markers. We proceeded to our anchorage in Williams Cove for our morning activities, which included Zodiac tours around the bay and our last chance to walk in the forest. The peaceful cove harbored harlequin ducks, surf scoters, buffleheads, and Barrow’s goldeneyes. Some of these are taking a short rest here and will continue further north. A few harbor seals lounged nearby – unconcerned with our proximity.
Spring is arriving in Southeast Alaska; yellow skunk cabbage is one of the first indicators. Their aroma attracts beetle pollinators. Sitka alder, salmonberries early blueberries and devil’s club are starting to leaf out. Meadow grasses and forbs were just jutting out of the ground, following the receding snow. All of this made it easier to make our way through the forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. There are no maintained trails here; only the ones that the deer and bears use. There were also signs of wolves and river otters. Having been dry recently, not a single banana slug could be found.
The National Geographic Sea Bird then cruised thirty scenic miles to the head of Endicott Arm, which terminates at the face of Dawes Glacier. Earlier the sea surface was calm and glassy and we observed long-tailed ducks, loons and marbled murrelets. Distant humpback whale blows leant a surreal quality to the scene. They were accompanied by the rooster-tail splashes of Dall’s porpoises.
As we approached Dawes Glacier, the wind picked up and the air chilled. Regardless, we ventured out in Zodiacs and kayaks and had a pleasant experience exploring the icy world amongst growlers and bergie bits. We talked to researchers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They were setting up equipment to monitor the hundreds of harbor seals that come into the inlet to bear their pups on the icebergs, worry-free of predators from land or sea. Arctic terns buzzed around us, searching for fish and readying for the nesting season. The retreating glacier provides new gravel nesting habitat for the “Arctic” terns, allowing them to “cheat” below the Arctic Circle. We honed our observational skills by picking out mountain goats on the rocky slopes. The sun shone on the glacial pinnacles and the sights and sounds (“white thunder”) of a few small calvings from the glacier highlighted our outing.
Back on board, the festive Captain’s cocktail hour and farewell dinner wrapped up our memorable expedition through the Inside Passage of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Everyone did well on the final quiz, which proved that everyone was paying attention and that our experiences with Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Sea Bird made a difference in our lives.
East and south from Glacier Bay, the National Geographic Sea Bird cruised down Stephens Passage. We turned into Holkham Bay and crossed a shallow terminal moraine, navigating between two channel buoys and lined up with range markers. We proceeded to our anchorage in Williams Cove for our morning activities, which included Zodiac tours around the bay and our last chance to walk in the forest. The peaceful cove harbored harlequin ducks, surf scoters, buffleheads, and Barrow’s goldeneyes. Some of these are taking a short rest here and will continue further north. A few harbor seals lounged nearby – unconcerned with our proximity.
Spring is arriving in Southeast Alaska; yellow skunk cabbage is one of the first indicators. Their aroma attracts beetle pollinators. Sitka alder, salmonberries early blueberries and devil’s club are starting to leaf out. Meadow grasses and forbs were just jutting out of the ground, following the receding snow. All of this made it easier to make our way through the forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. There are no maintained trails here; only the ones that the deer and bears use. There were also signs of wolves and river otters. Having been dry recently, not a single banana slug could be found.
The National Geographic Sea Bird then cruised thirty scenic miles to the head of Endicott Arm, which terminates at the face of Dawes Glacier. Earlier the sea surface was calm and glassy and we observed long-tailed ducks, loons and marbled murrelets. Distant humpback whale blows leant a surreal quality to the scene. They were accompanied by the rooster-tail splashes of Dall’s porpoises.
As we approached Dawes Glacier, the wind picked up and the air chilled. Regardless, we ventured out in Zodiacs and kayaks and had a pleasant experience exploring the icy world amongst growlers and bergie bits. We talked to researchers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They were setting up equipment to monitor the hundreds of harbor seals that come into the inlet to bear their pups on the icebergs, worry-free of predators from land or sea. Arctic terns buzzed around us, searching for fish and readying for the nesting season. The retreating glacier provides new gravel nesting habitat for the “Arctic” terns, allowing them to “cheat” below the Arctic Circle. We honed our observational skills by picking out mountain goats on the rocky slopes. The sun shone on the glacial pinnacles and the sights and sounds (“white thunder”) of a few small calvings from the glacier highlighted our outing.
Back on board, the festive Captain’s cocktail hour and farewell dinner wrapped up our memorable expedition through the Inside Passage of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Everyone did well on the final quiz, which proved that everyone was paying attention and that our experiences with Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Sea Bird made a difference in our lives.
