Glacier Bay National Park, 9/7/2017, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Alaska
Glacier Bay National Park, one of America’s 59 National Parks, and perhaps one of the most photogenic. We had the entire day to explore the mountains, glaciers, rivers and streams, as well as the abundance of wildlife that this jewel of Alaska has to offer. Awe-inspiring, breathtaking, exquisite, and humbling are just a few ways to describe our day. Dear reader, I hope you get a glimpse of the wonders through the images provided. Better yet, come and see it for yourself!
Michael Nolan was born in Bitburg, Germany to an Air Force family stationed there. His first experience of the ocean came at age 12, when he learned to snorkel in the Italian Mediterranean. At age 17 he moved to Tucson, Arizona and became a PADI SCUB...
Today, we had the privilege of experiencing unforgettable moments up close and personal with nature. Using our Zodiacs, we observed Steller sea lions, majestic bald eagles soaring overhead, and the dynamic ocean currents of the Inian Islands in Southeast Alaska. From our vantage point, we marveled at resting sea lions and their dynamic counterparts taking advantage of the substantial tidal swings that bring deep-water fish to the surface. The experience left us feeling immersed in a live action documentary, making it a morning well spent.
We had a phenomenal day at Glacier Bay National Park. The sun was out, as was the wildlife. The bow was the place to be. Please enjoy the dialogue of the day from the bow: Ah, Lovely Sunrise. Dall’s porpoise! Killer whales! Oo, swans! Calving center! Bald eagle on ice. Brown bear, That’s a big one. Bald eagle in nest. I wish someone would find me a marmot. Marmot at 10! Where? Do you see that crack in the rock? To the left you’ll see a tree. Now go below the tree to the round rock. 6 goats plus bonus outcast goat. Low goats on ledge, wedged in nicely. Goats, goats everywhere, and a marmot here or there. Two puffins. Nice beak action. It’s like “I Spy” out here. Low goat at 11. Oh, really low goat. Oh, yea that’s a fella. Goats looking right at us, folks, good goat face. Oh, and whale spots at 1. Oh boy, I’m exhausted. That’s ok, take it one goat at a time. There’s a spout off the point. Classic humpback. Oh, glaucous winged gulls nesting at 2. And otters! Fly by puffins! Porpoising harbor porpoise! Needless to say, we had a good time. Photo by Shannon Malone
As we continued our way north through Alaska, we had a favorite stop of mine in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. We had a rainy day, which I enjoy because we can see at higher elevations since the rain turns to snow and, in turn, the snow feeds the absorption zone of the Sawyer Glaciers. We went out in the Zodiacs and navigated around the icebergs and bergy bits, even collecting a piece for the ice melt-off challenge. Once underway out of Tracy Arm, we saw some humpback whales. One whale had an entanglement of line on its fluke. The line was causing an obvious cut to the marine mammal. The correct authorities were notified about the condition of the whale and location of the sighting. Hopefully the whale will be assisted soon and the entanglement removed. Several other humpbacks were seen shortly after, luckily no entanglements on these. They were demonstrating surface feeding behavior, with one lunge feeding and the other making bubbles to catch its prey.
