Chatham Strait and Lake Eva
Wildlife filled our day today, from things that swim to things that eat things that swim. This morning, beneath yet another cloudless blue sky, we watched several humpback whales feeding near the shoreline of Admiralty Island. Fifteen minutes before we went to our own breakfast two of the whales changed from feeding mode to sleeping mode. They simply stopped what they were doing and began “logging,” the term whale biologists give to “sleeping” whales. It is a descriptive enough term based on the fact that two sleeping whales look just like two floating logs, except they take a breath about every 90 seconds or so. Whale sleep may not resemble human sleep in many more ways other than the appearance of non-activity. Consider that they are voluntary breathers and must keep their wits about them enough to surface occasionally to inhale and exhale. The exact physiology of whale “sleep” is a bit of mystery to scientists and for our part, we snuck away and left this pair snoozing.
After lunch we visited the Lake Eva trail system in Hanus Bay. The tide was low and the river that drains the lake was making its full drop down the rapids before entering salt water. This made the perfect situation for a hungry brown bear fishing for pink and sockeye salmon on their way upstream. Standing in the shallow riffles and planning its next move, this bruin often looked like a person looking for a pair of mobile contact lenses. Half starts, glances back over its shoulder, then to the left and right would be followed by a brief charge forward and a watery pounce. Then looks of doubt and confusion passed over its furry face as it measured its success and reassessed its strategy. He caught at least two salmon in a short period, some of which he ate on the spot and some of which he took into the nearby woods for a more private meal. As for ourselves, we retired to the Sea Lion for the Captain’s Farewell dinner and our final leg of the trip through Peril Straits to Sitka.
