Pavlof Harbor
Is it possible to assimilate the magnificence of brown bears and humpback whales in a single day? If so, today was the day. Pavlov Harbor has attracted fishermen for centuries – both bears and humans. At one time a native fishing village was here, and much later a fish packing plant was established. In 1900 a saltery was constructed at this site. Today the buildings are gone, but the salmon continue to lure brown bears to feast on the rich harvest. During our morning of hiking and kayaking many of us felt privileged to watch subadults near a cascading waterfall or in the meadow edges near the high tide line. This species is a true symbol of wilderness. Observing these creatures from the ship as we did yesterday can be spectacular. Seeing them from kayaks and while hiking is a totally different experience. It can make one feel highly vulnerable with a heightened awareness of the natural world. We are visitors in the realm of the bear.
An afternoon with humpbacks embraced another wildlife experience that nearly put us on sensory overload. It is a special treat to see any whale. This afternoon offered a rare opportunity to watch half a dozen foraging cooperatively time after time in a behavior known as bubblenet feeding. One individual releases a stream of bubbles in a large circle well below a school of herring. The rising curtain startles the fish and concentrates them so that the whales within the team can rise up together and engulf the prey. An underwater microphone called a hydrophone allowed us to hear the wailing sounds that intensified as the humpbacks neared the surface. Suddenly an explosion of tons of cetaceans broke the surface with mouths agape to scoop up the bounty of desperate fish. Calves do not participate in this type of activity, yet one youngster was there frolicking beside the feeding group. It often clued us in to the location of the rising animals by throwing its tail above the water or even breaching just before the adults appeared. In the distance a mother bear with golden fur and a tiny black cub wandered the shoreline. Another sow, this one with three small cubs, disappeared into the forest farther away along the margin of Chichigof Island. Alaska is still referred to as the last frontier. Where else in the world can you be enveloped in the lives of whales and bears in such a short interval of time?
Is it possible to assimilate the magnificence of brown bears and humpback whales in a single day? If so, today was the day. Pavlov Harbor has attracted fishermen for centuries – both bears and humans. At one time a native fishing village was here, and much later a fish packing plant was established. In 1900 a saltery was constructed at this site. Today the buildings are gone, but the salmon continue to lure brown bears to feast on the rich harvest. During our morning of hiking and kayaking many of us felt privileged to watch subadults near a cascading waterfall or in the meadow edges near the high tide line. This species is a true symbol of wilderness. Observing these creatures from the ship as we did yesterday can be spectacular. Seeing them from kayaks and while hiking is a totally different experience. It can make one feel highly vulnerable with a heightened awareness of the natural world. We are visitors in the realm of the bear.
An afternoon with humpbacks embraced another wildlife experience that nearly put us on sensory overload. It is a special treat to see any whale. This afternoon offered a rare opportunity to watch half a dozen foraging cooperatively time after time in a behavior known as bubblenet feeding. One individual releases a stream of bubbles in a large circle well below a school of herring. The rising curtain startles the fish and concentrates them so that the whales within the team can rise up together and engulf the prey. An underwater microphone called a hydrophone allowed us to hear the wailing sounds that intensified as the humpbacks neared the surface. Suddenly an explosion of tons of cetaceans broke the surface with mouths agape to scoop up the bounty of desperate fish. Calves do not participate in this type of activity, yet one youngster was there frolicking beside the feeding group. It often clued us in to the location of the rising animals by throwing its tail above the water or even breaching just before the adults appeared. In the distance a mother bear with golden fur and a tiny black cub wandered the shoreline. Another sow, this one with three small cubs, disappeared into the forest farther away along the margin of Chichigof Island. Alaska is still referred to as the last frontier. Where else in the world can you be enveloped in the lives of whales and bears in such a short interval of time?
