Iyoukeen Cove, Freshwater Bay
“Will we see whales?” is a common question for first-time visitors on the Sea Bird in Southeast Alaska. Although the typical answer is along the lines of “the chances are good” or “we’re likely to see at least one,” today’s answer was a resounding “YES!” With Steve’s 6:45am announcement that we were in the company of actively feeding humpback whales, folks started showing up on the bow deck in a variety of morning attire. For the 45 minutes before breakfast and nearly two hours after, we watched in amazement as a tight group of whales fed cooperatively on the large schools of herring in Iyoukeen Cove. Time and again this group of massive filter feeders dove, in an apparently choreographed ballet, only to burst out of the sea three minutes later with mouths gaping and pectoral fins flashing. Our amazement was deafening. How could there possibly be enough food for these hungry giants and how on earth did they manage to corral it?
Later this morning, we were treated to a visit from two Alaska Whale Foundation researchers who answered these questions and posed even more. Dr. Fred Sharpe and marine mammal illustrator Pieter Folkens joined us aboard the Sea Bird and shared many details of their research on the humpback whales of Southeast Alaska. The presentation sparked a number of thoughtful questions and gave an opportunity to examine the live action footage shot from the remote underwater camera.
For the afternoon, we boarded our Zodiacs and sped to shore. Our walks took us through the lush temperate rainforest to the banks of a stream filled with pink salmon, all headed upriver for their once in a lifetime chance to spawn. In kayaks we were able to quietly explored the shoreline, nosed into the mouth of the salmon stream and paddled close to the Sea Bird for a size comparison. Our afternoon of exploring was capped by a sumptuous sampling of regional wines and food, paired with animated discussion of our first days’ adventures.
“Will we see whales?” is a common question for first-time visitors on the Sea Bird in Southeast Alaska. Although the typical answer is along the lines of “the chances are good” or “we’re likely to see at least one,” today’s answer was a resounding “YES!” With Steve’s 6:45am announcement that we were in the company of actively feeding humpback whales, folks started showing up on the bow deck in a variety of morning attire. For the 45 minutes before breakfast and nearly two hours after, we watched in amazement as a tight group of whales fed cooperatively on the large schools of herring in Iyoukeen Cove. Time and again this group of massive filter feeders dove, in an apparently choreographed ballet, only to burst out of the sea three minutes later with mouths gaping and pectoral fins flashing. Our amazement was deafening. How could there possibly be enough food for these hungry giants and how on earth did they manage to corral it?
Later this morning, we were treated to a visit from two Alaska Whale Foundation researchers who answered these questions and posed even more. Dr. Fred Sharpe and marine mammal illustrator Pieter Folkens joined us aboard the Sea Bird and shared many details of their research on the humpback whales of Southeast Alaska. The presentation sparked a number of thoughtful questions and gave an opportunity to examine the live action footage shot from the remote underwater camera.
For the afternoon, we boarded our Zodiacs and sped to shore. Our walks took us through the lush temperate rainforest to the banks of a stream filled with pink salmon, all headed upriver for their once in a lifetime chance to spawn. In kayaks we were able to quietly explored the shoreline, nosed into the mouth of the salmon stream and paddled close to the Sea Bird for a size comparison. Our afternoon of exploring was capped by a sumptuous sampling of regional wines and food, paired with animated discussion of our first days’ adventures.
