George Island
Yesterday's clear blue skies were replaced at first light with Southeast Alaska gray. As we rounded the corner and entered Dundas Bay the tops of the mountains were hidden in clouds. But breaching humpback whales, black bears, porpoises, and a variety of birds from murrelets to cormorants to scoters to eagles brightened the morning. After checking out Dundas Bay before breakfast, we proceeded to George Island for a morning of kayaking and hiking. Hiking on the island allowed explorations of the beaches and the forest. The beaches yielded kelp that both educated the hikers new to the coast and provided hors d'oeuvres for all of us in the evening. After some of the hikers discovered the World War II era artillery piece that was part of the plan to protect the area from possible Japanese invasion they decided that the plentiful banana slugs we saw had been influenced by the military presence. All of them were either olive drab or camouflage colored. I'm not sure Darwin would agree, but the trip is winding down and we allow a certain latitude in education as long as we're sure everyone's laughing at the suggestion.
Here too we found many more birds including the pigeon guillemots that so politely posed for the camera. These wonderful members of the family Alcidae are easily recognized by their distinctive black and white coloring and their "ruby slippered" feet. Like all alcids, the pigeon guillemots are evolved to swim in the water as well as in the air, which means they don't do either one to perfection. Flight, with their short, broad wings makes takeoffs a process of running and flapping furiously until launching into a flight that seems equally conducted by wings and willpower. Landings are based on the old time pilots' adage of "any landing you survive is a good one". After each one, I expect to see the bird look around to see if anyone is laughing at him. In reality the birds are quite comfortable with themselves and their style of flight. Of course, the birds are equally comfortable with their ability to fly underwater in pursuit of food, a feat with which we are duly impressed on the rare occasions when we are in a position to look down into the water and see them flying along.
After a joyous time during cocktails and supper we were able to end the trip as we started it. Just as our first sunrise brought killer whales, so one joined us for our last sunset together. It was a fitting end to a excellent voyage.
Yesterday's clear blue skies were replaced at first light with Southeast Alaska gray. As we rounded the corner and entered Dundas Bay the tops of the mountains were hidden in clouds. But breaching humpback whales, black bears, porpoises, and a variety of birds from murrelets to cormorants to scoters to eagles brightened the morning. After checking out Dundas Bay before breakfast, we proceeded to George Island for a morning of kayaking and hiking. Hiking on the island allowed explorations of the beaches and the forest. The beaches yielded kelp that both educated the hikers new to the coast and provided hors d'oeuvres for all of us in the evening. After some of the hikers discovered the World War II era artillery piece that was part of the plan to protect the area from possible Japanese invasion they decided that the plentiful banana slugs we saw had been influenced by the military presence. All of them were either olive drab or camouflage colored. I'm not sure Darwin would agree, but the trip is winding down and we allow a certain latitude in education as long as we're sure everyone's laughing at the suggestion.
Here too we found many more birds including the pigeon guillemots that so politely posed for the camera. These wonderful members of the family Alcidae are easily recognized by their distinctive black and white coloring and their "ruby slippered" feet. Like all alcids, the pigeon guillemots are evolved to swim in the water as well as in the air, which means they don't do either one to perfection. Flight, with their short, broad wings makes takeoffs a process of running and flapping furiously until launching into a flight that seems equally conducted by wings and willpower. Landings are based on the old time pilots' adage of "any landing you survive is a good one". After each one, I expect to see the bird look around to see if anyone is laughing at him. In reality the birds are quite comfortable with themselves and their style of flight. Of course, the birds are equally comfortable with their ability to fly underwater in pursuit of food, a feat with which we are duly impressed on the rare occasions when we are in a position to look down into the water and see them flying along.
After a joyous time during cocktails and supper we were able to end the trip as we started it. Just as our first sunrise brought killer whales, so one joined us for our last sunset together. It was a fitting end to a excellent voyage.
