Glacier Bay Gulls

My biggest regret about the Glacier Bay shots was that I forgot to set my ISO back from the end of the Skagway trip since I was shooting in very dark conditions. This left me with a lot of noisy images. Fortunately it didn't matter too much for the glaciers but played havoc with my bird shots.

Oh, well. At least I got some ID shots to keep. Like more Black-legged Kittiwakes than I even remember taking shots of. To start off, a Kittiwake heads toward the Margerie Glacier area.



Yet another glides by. Such a cute little gull.



Finally, a shot of their namesake black legs! The other ID is that their wing tips seem to be dipped in ink.



They kept swinging by, I kept shooting.



I like this one showing the red at the base of the bill.



Didn't even notice this one until recently but one of the resting birds could be a Winter plumaged bird.



There were also a few Glaucous-winged Gulls hovering around. Glaucous meaning "bluish-grey or green". They are very common on the Pacific Coast.



Is this a Glaucous-winged? Not sure yet. I do not know all of my gulls and especially all of their 'cycles'. It takes years for gulls to reach full breeding plumage and the differences are very different. I will have to do more research.



Case in point. I have NO idea what species this bird actually is. Update to follow. Hopefully.



Before the ship left Margerie Glacier there was a couple of Glaucous-winged Gulls playing around with one another.



Tomorrow we arrive at Ketchikan and I should be more familiar with the land birds there.

Glacier Bay-Margerie Glacier, Pt. 2

Part 2!

I love this ice cave opening at the edge of the glacier. So nice and ominous.



For scale, the cave can be seen along with another sight-seeing boat off to starboard.



As I was taking that shot, we heard huge crack and spun around to see a large chunk falling into the water.



One of the interesting things to watch was when the claving would take place and then watch the Kittiwakes zoom in to search for any morsels broken loose or stirred up after the ice hits the water.



More car-sized ice slides off of the terminus and causes a splash.



A larger fall from higher up was much more dramatic!



We knew that more ice would fall and remembered that our room was now facing the glacier so we hurried up to the balcony to check out that view. Here, Carolyn uses the Flip to record some calving.



On the way up to the room we missed a big calving but we were rewarded with the biggest event of our stop before heading away.



I have a bunch of sequence shots of these calvings but they will have to wait for the planned family DVD.



The stop did not disappoint at all. The sounds of that cracking ice will be with me forever. Eerie and beautiful. Could sit there forever.

Next up: Birds! Promise.

Glacier Bay-Margerie Glacier, Pt. 1

I ended up with more photos than I thought I would so I will break it into two posts.

The ship drifted up Tarr Inlet and into position in front of Margerie Glacier and the Sun was coming out nicely to provide excellent views.



I was staring off to the right as the ship was pointed directly at the ice when the guy next to me shouted out that he couldn't believe he just saw the glacier calving. Dang. So fast, I missed it! I knew there would be more opportunities to come.



I learned a new word. Sérac. It refers to blocks of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. They are named after "a Swiss French ricotta-like whey cheese". Who knew?



Some seracs towered over us of from the top of the glacier. This is another mile-long terminus and we were really close here.



As the air continued to warm there was an echoing 'crack' and bits of ice would begin to fall from the face of ice...



...to plunge into the water below.



But these were just the beginning as the ice groaned and cracked. Sometimes the sound seemed to be coming from deep within the structure and we were constantly scanning the glacier to see if we were missing some new calving. Only the hum of the engines and the murmur of the crowd interacted with the stress-induced creaking.



Suddenly, a new section of ice broke free and cameras clicked away.



More shots to follow. Tomorrow. The bigger chunks happened once our side of the ship was swung around. Not complaining.

Glacier Bay-Johns Hopkins Glacier

A short distance from Lamplugh, the ship slips around the corner to the mammoth view of John Hopkins Glacier.



The ship could only approach to within 5 miles from the glacier due to breeding Harbor Seals in the area this time of year. Still the view is impressive. At 1-mile wide and 250 feet tall, the long lens captures the bright blue ice at the center of the terminus.



Since we were so far out I still took time to watch the walls around us. I was struck by the beauty of the ancient granite cliffs. The big lens could not get all of them in the shot so I just got artsy.



The family seems to be enjoying the brisk air and gorgeous views. John Hopkins is in the right-hand background.



One more look before steaming off to the next location.



Next up: The Big Show that is Margerie Glacier.

Into Glacier Bay-Lamplugh Glacier

Off to the big event. Glacier Bay. Time to try and see some massive chunks of ice falling into the water!



I took a little walk early in the day to get a feel for the weather. Fog was closing in and hopes were dropping as to if we would be able to have a good viewing day for the glaciers. The fog horn even began to sound right after this shot.



Far off in the distance were a couple of swimming specks. After watching them for as long as I could, I can only determine that they were Sea Otters.



We entered some of the more narrow portions of the journey and from the room I spotted some specks on the cliffs. Mountain Goats!



Pointing the way to the glaciers was a lone Black-legged Kittiwake.



Making our way down to the 4th deck, we discovered we were a little late. To our left was a giant slab of ice that is Lamplugh Glacier. Discovered it is pronounced LAMP-LOW.



I found it odd, though, that most folks were more impressed with a tiny subject at the base of the glacier. Just a Bald Eagle, after all. Then I had to remember that a lot of people might not get a chance to see our National Bird as much as I do. Second only to Alaska, Florida has one of the largest concentrations of Bald Eagles in the country.



This 8-mile long glacier reaches John Hopkins Inlet at this point but it not as 'active' as other glaciers in the park. Still, pretty to look at.



Massive hunks of ice seem ready to topple over but we saw no ice falls.



The mix of ice and dirt make for some very interesting patterns along the glacial face, or terminus, where a glacier reaches its end point.



I liked this little cave at the base of the terminus. I could imagine an adventure or taking a small boat inside to see if there was a larger cave inside. Don't think that would be a wise trip, though.



From the Crow's Nest, Carolyn took this shot before she headed down to join us on the deck. This shot gives a better sense of scale than I can get with my big lens. The terminus is 3/4 of a mile wide and nearly 160 feet tall. That is the height of a 16 story building!



I know I mentioned in an earlier post that this was not a landscape blog, but these are glaciers, man! I do get some birds in there most of the time. Next up: John Hopkins Glacier.

Skagway

Day 4 takes us into port at Skagway, a town 5 blocks wide and 22 long, which was the next step in the long, dangerous trip toward the Yukon where gold-hungry would-be rich would unload their supplies before heading up into the mountains.



We arrived under cloudy skies and a light rain, but that would later clear up before we disembarked for our excursions. The cliffside of the harbor is covered with company logos and messages from previous cruise lines.



Even in this far-flung place, we cannot escape The Mouse!



I could see Arctic Terns by the airport but there was another tern right outside the boat that appeared smaller. More like a Least Tern. But they don't come this far North, do they?



But, after seeing this photo, I guess I have to stick with a small Arctic Tern. No other tern has that distinctive all-red bill. The bird was busy picking small crabs from the rocks instead of diving for fish.



Looking to the left of the tern you can see Skagway and the trains that would take us on trips into White Pass.



A wide angle shot of the Zuiderdam. I high-lighted our room up on the 6th promenade which provided us with great scenery look-outs all trip long. A HUGE thanks to the generosity of my in-laws for a fabulous trip!!!



We had a little time for browsing in town before our excursion. In the little park next to the trains were Stellar's Jay, Ravens, Violet-green Swallows and this accommodating Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon sub-species). This was with the short lens! Let me get right up close.



We hopped aboard the train and headed toward White Pass. Snaking down into the valley was a huge waterfall. The shear walls and evergreens were gorgeous.



The steep climb quickly takes us up the pass. This view shows some trestles where we will be shortly.



As we near the Canadian border the view changes to a more bleak landscape but just as beautiful as the greenery below.



The train stops in Fraser, British Columbia. We have to wait for Customs Officials to menace us for a few minutes but I am staring at the birds flying near the lake. We are suppose to jump right onto the bus back to Skagway but I have to try and ID them. A flock of Pine Siskin are there but something else flies closer. Turns out to be just a Chipping Sparrow.



Then back on the bus. The steep decent back to town is rather uneventful. A cool bridge, the railway across the gorge, another trip through customs. Then we near town and the driver spots it. A Vampire Bear! Well, really just a Black Bear eating Dandelions, but cool. Black Bear live all around us in Florida but this is the first sighting I have ever had.



After stopping for a little faux mining town and seeing a fun show, we pan for a few flakes of gold and head back to the ship. Not a lot of wildlife but good enough. Landscapes galore. This is not a landscape blog, though. Tomorrow should prove eventful. Glacier Bay!