Chatham Strait
The plan for the morning was to enjoy some ship time and search for whatever the waters had to offer us. Southeast Alaska didn’t disappoint.
We began the day in the picturesque fjord of Takats on the east coast of Baranof Island. The still air and snow laden cliffs made for a memorable wake-up this morning. During breakfast, the ship headed north to Kasnyku falls where an active eagles nest was witnessed as well as an amazing amount of water cascading down the falls.
The ship continued north and we were soon in the presence of humpback whales. There were half a dozen or so spread out ahead of us. Amazing views were had of a few of them, including one that very casually paralleled the ship for a moment so we could see the grace and power of this aquatic mammal. Still more whales were seen in Kelp Bay.
These sightings were followed by an informative presentation from Bryan Gates on the seabirds of the world. More time was spent in Chatham Straight in the late morning with another marine mammal. The species this time was the Dall’s porpoise, one of the fastest and most powerful of the cetaceans in the oceans.
All the morning sightings made us hungry for lunch after which the National Geographic Sea Lion was on approach to Peril Strait which led us to Hanus Bay. From our anchorage, the Zodiacs took us ashore for walks and a chance to kayak, there was also an ill-fated Zodiac cruise during a hail and rain storm. The snows form this past winter kept us from reaching Lake Eva but the walk along the old bear and forest service trail revealed a few of the impressive trees that line the river leading from the lake.
The sun came back out and the light was perfect for birding and photography along the placid waters of the inner tidal slough.
The plan for the morning was to enjoy some ship time and search for whatever the waters had to offer us. Southeast Alaska didn’t disappoint.
We began the day in the picturesque fjord of Takats on the east coast of Baranof Island. The still air and snow laden cliffs made for a memorable wake-up this morning. During breakfast, the ship headed north to Kasnyku falls where an active eagles nest was witnessed as well as an amazing amount of water cascading down the falls.
The ship continued north and we were soon in the presence of humpback whales. There were half a dozen or so spread out ahead of us. Amazing views were had of a few of them, including one that very casually paralleled the ship for a moment so we could see the grace and power of this aquatic mammal. Still more whales were seen in Kelp Bay.
These sightings were followed by an informative presentation from Bryan Gates on the seabirds of the world. More time was spent in Chatham Straight in the late morning with another marine mammal. The species this time was the Dall’s porpoise, one of the fastest and most powerful of the cetaceans in the oceans.
All the morning sightings made us hungry for lunch after which the National Geographic Sea Lion was on approach to Peril Strait which led us to Hanus Bay. From our anchorage, the Zodiacs took us ashore for walks and a chance to kayak, there was also an ill-fated Zodiac cruise during a hail and rain storm. The snows form this past winter kept us from reaching Lake Eva but the walk along the old bear and forest service trail revealed a few of the impressive trees that line the river leading from the lake.
The sun came back out and the light was perfect for birding and photography along the placid waters of the inner tidal slough.
