Glacier Bay National Park
Puffins and glaciers and bears, Oh My! Welcome to Glacier Bay National Park. Our journey began in the lower portion of the bay. Our first stop was Boulder Island, a popular sea otter hang out. Just over a decade ago, very few sea otters were found in the bay. Today, over 2,400 sea otters call the bay their home and this morning, more than 100 of the sea otters that make up the Boulder Island clan were floating in the kelp forest. Our next stop was South Marble Island. Even before we were able to see the Steller sea lions, we could smell and hear them. This island is a well used haulout for a group of male sea lions too young or too old to breed successfully. The rugged coastline of South Marble Island is also used by several species of sea birds, many of which we spotted today including: common murres, black-legged kittiwakes, pelagic cormorants, pigeon guillemots, and tufted and horned puffins. For many people this was the first time seeing puffins and the air was thick with excitement. We continued our journey in the lower bay, stopping at Sandy Cove to view black bears feeding along the grassy shore. It was not long before we spotted a lone brown bear ambling along the shore in Tidal Inlet; this was the first of many brown bears we would see today. During the following hours, we watched two different sows each with three cubs.
As we cruised further into the bay, the vegetation changed from coniferous to deciduous forests, with more rock exposed with every mile. Several nanny mountain goats and their kids were spotted on Gloomy Knob, a known nursery area. These kids, at three weeks of age, followed their mothers through precarious terrain, risking injury by falling, in hopes to avoid predation. As the fog thickened and icebergs appeared in the water, our focus started to shift from wildlife to glaciers. The fog lifted and Margerie Glacier appeared with her mirror image in the still water. We ended our day visiting the Glacier Bay National Park lodge and strolling through the forests surrounding Bartlett Cove.
Puffins and glaciers and bears, Oh My! Welcome to Glacier Bay National Park. Our journey began in the lower portion of the bay. Our first stop was Boulder Island, a popular sea otter hang out. Just over a decade ago, very few sea otters were found in the bay. Today, over 2,400 sea otters call the bay their home and this morning, more than 100 of the sea otters that make up the Boulder Island clan were floating in the kelp forest. Our next stop was South Marble Island. Even before we were able to see the Steller sea lions, we could smell and hear them. This island is a well used haulout for a group of male sea lions too young or too old to breed successfully. The rugged coastline of South Marble Island is also used by several species of sea birds, many of which we spotted today including: common murres, black-legged kittiwakes, pelagic cormorants, pigeon guillemots, and tufted and horned puffins. For many people this was the first time seeing puffins and the air was thick with excitement. We continued our journey in the lower bay, stopping at Sandy Cove to view black bears feeding along the grassy shore. It was not long before we spotted a lone brown bear ambling along the shore in Tidal Inlet; this was the first of many brown bears we would see today. During the following hours, we watched two different sows each with three cubs.
As we cruised further into the bay, the vegetation changed from coniferous to deciduous forests, with more rock exposed with every mile. Several nanny mountain goats and their kids were spotted on Gloomy Knob, a known nursery area. These kids, at three weeks of age, followed their mothers through precarious terrain, risking injury by falling, in hopes to avoid predation. As the fog thickened and icebergs appeared in the water, our focus started to shift from wildlife to glaciers. The fog lifted and Margerie Glacier appeared with her mirror image in the still water. We ended our day visiting the Glacier Bay National Park lodge and strolling through the forests surrounding Bartlett Cove.
