Pavlov and Basket Bays, Chichagof Island
The final full day of our expedition offered us abundant opportunities for new explorations and breathtaking surprises in Southeast Alaska. From Freshwater Bay, which stretches into Chichagof Island off Icy Strait, we anchored for the morning in Pavlov’s Bay. This lovely bay gave us ample opportunities for quiet kayaking or explorations of the intertidal zone along the beach. Walking along the rocky shores at low tide, we explored the adaptations of sea stars, for example, which use the strong suction cups on each of their five arms to pull apart and eat blue mussels.
Many of us hiked up the river that feeds the bay to discover a wide cascade and a fish ladder. Two men from Alaska Fish and Game who were working at the weir gave us a lecture on their work. They explained that as the salmon ascend the concrete steps of the ladder, returning upstream to spawn, they are trapped in a metal cage. The men can then count and tag the fish. These studies of Coho and pink salmon are part of an effort to keep a careful census of these commercially—and environmentally— critical fish. Following bear trails through the forest, we continued up the stream to gaze upon a small and beautiful lake. A hermit thrush swept out on some rocks to give us the best look of the trip at this melodious bird.
Rounding a rocky point on which were perched ten bald eagles, we entered the picturesque Basket Bay for an afternoon of exploration from the Zodiacs. At the end of the bay, our Zodiacs navigated the mouth of a clear stream, in which we found one of the most charming grottos anyone could hope to see. A marble arch straddled the crystal clear water. The rainforest was growing on top, lush and green. Closer to the water, the marble walls were contoured by the water in flowing and beautiful shapes. Back on the bay, we discovered a dipper along the shore, bobbing amid the barnacles as he captured a small fish. And just off shore, a salmon shark startled us all as its dorsal fin sliced the water.
Though we thought our week’s expedition had drawn to a close, we still had drama in store. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation came aboard for a slide lecture on his research on the humpback whales of Southeast Alaska, focusing on their lunge and bubble-net feeding behaviors. Only in Southeast Alaska do humpbacks that are not physically related, and which do not live together, form long-term relationships in order to forage. Bubble-net feeding requires cooperation, coordination, and specialization of tasks among the whales. Then at dinner, in Peril Strait as we headed for Sitka, the captain announced that we had found humpback whales actively lunge feeding. The culmination of a whale-watcher’s dream came as we watched three whales in a coordinated display of lunge feeding. Over and over, they lunged to the surface to gasps of delight from all on board the Sea Lion. We were treated to the close-in spectacle of the three whales feeding in echelon formation. The whales all had their own specific place in the formation, each one with its own task. It was a magnificent ending to our Alaskan expedition.
The final full day of our expedition offered us abundant opportunities for new explorations and breathtaking surprises in Southeast Alaska. From Freshwater Bay, which stretches into Chichagof Island off Icy Strait, we anchored for the morning in Pavlov’s Bay. This lovely bay gave us ample opportunities for quiet kayaking or explorations of the intertidal zone along the beach. Walking along the rocky shores at low tide, we explored the adaptations of sea stars, for example, which use the strong suction cups on each of their five arms to pull apart and eat blue mussels.
Many of us hiked up the river that feeds the bay to discover a wide cascade and a fish ladder. Two men from Alaska Fish and Game who were working at the weir gave us a lecture on their work. They explained that as the salmon ascend the concrete steps of the ladder, returning upstream to spawn, they are trapped in a metal cage. The men can then count and tag the fish. These studies of Coho and pink salmon are part of an effort to keep a careful census of these commercially—and environmentally— critical fish. Following bear trails through the forest, we continued up the stream to gaze upon a small and beautiful lake. A hermit thrush swept out on some rocks to give us the best look of the trip at this melodious bird.
Rounding a rocky point on which were perched ten bald eagles, we entered the picturesque Basket Bay for an afternoon of exploration from the Zodiacs. At the end of the bay, our Zodiacs navigated the mouth of a clear stream, in which we found one of the most charming grottos anyone could hope to see. A marble arch straddled the crystal clear water. The rainforest was growing on top, lush and green. Closer to the water, the marble walls were contoured by the water in flowing and beautiful shapes. Back on the bay, we discovered a dipper along the shore, bobbing amid the barnacles as he captured a small fish. And just off shore, a salmon shark startled us all as its dorsal fin sliced the water.
Though we thought our week’s expedition had drawn to a close, we still had drama in store. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation came aboard for a slide lecture on his research on the humpback whales of Southeast Alaska, focusing on their lunge and bubble-net feeding behaviors. Only in Southeast Alaska do humpbacks that are not physically related, and which do not live together, form long-term relationships in order to forage. Bubble-net feeding requires cooperation, coordination, and specialization of tasks among the whales. Then at dinner, in Peril Strait as we headed for Sitka, the captain announced that we had found humpback whales actively lunge feeding. The culmination of a whale-watcher’s dream came as we watched three whales in a coordinated display of lunge feeding. Over and over, they lunged to the surface to gasps of delight from all on board the Sea Lion. We were treated to the close-in spectacle of the three whales feeding in echelon formation. The whales all had their own specific place in the formation, each one with its own task. It was a magnificent ending to our Alaskan expedition.
