Ketchikan

Ketchikan is a slightly larger town than our earlier stops and more obviously tourist-y. However, we were headed straight out to a stop around the coast to visit the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary.



The port is always busy with locals coming back to dock as other boats take tourists our on excursions while others head out by sea plane. The planes seemed to be taking off and landing continuously.



During our bus trip to the sanctuary we had Bald Eagles overhead from port to destination. The rainforest was beautiful and full of interesting plants. Once inside the canopy, the birds began to appear along the trail. I heard the guide behind us pointing out a sapsucker to her group so I tried for a shot. The bird flew toward our group and I could easily tell it was actually a Hairy Woodpecker.



When I caught up to our group they were bunched up at a turn and staring at the trees. Seemed they were watching a Bald Eagle right near the trail.



The eagle was cool and all but several of us started to wonder more about the shapes just below it. Turned out to be a mother Black Bear and two cubs resting in the branches! I could only get a clear view of one of the cubs.



We soon exited the forest out onto a boardwalk along the creek. It moves out across a beautiful marsh and I soon started hearing a slightly familiar song. Sure enough, up on a branch was a very loud Song Sparrow.



Swallows cruised the grasses and Bald Eagles were flying every where, including this 3rd year bird.



It was soon followed by a nice adult, all of them heading toward the bear tree.



Another part of the sanctuary experience, for some, is a series of zip lines that are strung all through the forest. The eagles seem to take the zipper in stride.



We exit the boardwalk and up to the reindeer pen where guests can feed the animals. Right after that we head into a rehab area and get looks at an injured eagle.



Nearby, a handler presented an injured Great-horned Owl for everyone to learn about.



Finally, we were passed through a shed where a carver was working on a totem pole and told of his experience about his art and then back to wait for the bus. We asked to be let off before the ship so we could explore Creek Street for a bit. We bought some gifts and on the way in we had a very brief visit from a Pine Siskin along the creek.



A fairly short walk back to the ship allowed some more photo ops, including a pose in front of "Thundering Wings" situated between the roadway and the water.



We got back to the ship and officially left Alaskan soil. I hope someday we can return to see more of this fantastic state. Maybe farther into the interior or the other islands. The weather turned out to be excellent for most of our trip. For now, we have a day of travel back to Vancouver.

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.